11月12日 一年的第317天 筆者:黃哲輝牧師
讀經:徒06-09章
第06章主要在講:「選7執事司提反有靈膏」。
耶路撒冷教會人多了,事情多了,在對弱勢寡婦的供給的事就忽略,也引發了許多怨言,十二使徒說:「撇下上帝的道,去管理飯食,原是不合宜的」,所以要求他們選出七個執事管理飯食,執事的條件:「1.有好名聲,2.被聖靈充滿,3.智慧充足。」,而使徒的工作是「專心以祈禱、傳道為事」,於是選出七個執事,司提反就是七個執事之一,上帝的道興旺起來,許多祭司信從神的道,司提反滿有恩惠能力,行了奇事和神蹟,以智慧和聖靈說話與會堂人辯論,眾人敵擋不住,會堂的人就聳動百姓捉拿他,把他帶到公會,設假見證害他,公會裡的人定晴看他,見他的面貌好像天使的面貌。
◎心得分享:事業有專攻,有時為了要專一祈禱傳道,就很難把雜事管理的很好,然而很特別的是司提反,他不只是「1.有好名聲,2.被聖靈充滿,3.智慧充足。」的把事最的非常好的執事,卻更是祈禱傳道的好的僕人,求神也把司提反這種恩賜給我們,無論在屬世或屬靈的事上,都求神使用我們。
第07章主要在講:「司提反見證主為主殉道」。
司提反講道,從亞伯拉罕的蒙召,以撒生雅各,約瑟被賣到埃及,摩西被興起,帶以以色列出埃及、過紅海,在曠野四十年,約書亞把帳幕搬進承受為業應許之地,直存到大衛,所羅門為上帝造聖殿,說:「你們硬著頸項,心與耳未受割禮,時常抗拒聖靈,逼迫殺了先知,也把義者耶穌賣了殺了,你們受律法,竟不遵守」,眾人就極其惱怒、咬牙切齒,司提反被聖靈充滿,定晴望天,看見神的榮耀,耶穌站在上帝的右邊,他說:「我看見天開,人子站在上帝右邊」,眾人喊叫,摀著耳朵,齊心把他推到城外,用石頭打他,他說:「主耶穌收我的靈魂,不要將這罪歸給他們」,就死了,掃羅(保羅)喜悅司提反被害。
◎心得分享:「忠言逆耳」人都喜歡聽好聽的話,卻不喜歡聽真話,人的忿怒使人殺人,人的愛心使人饒恕,司提說:「主耶穌收我的靈魂,不要將這罪歸給他們」,正如箴言說:「不輕易發怒的勝過勇士,寬恕人的過失,便是自己的榮耀」,這一章讓我們看司提反像一位勇士,他的身上有了上帝的榮耀。
第08章主要在講:「門徒散各處傳道太監信」。
從司提司受害那日起,耶路撒冷大遭逼迫,掃羅(保羅)殘害教會,進基督徒的家裡,把他們拉著下在監裡。之後使徒分散各處傳道,腓利在撒瑪利亞城,宣講基督,醫病、趕鬼行了神蹟,行邪術的西門,看見了也信了耶穌受洗,彼得、約翰來到撒瑪利亞城,為他們受聖靈禱告,西門看見拿錢給使徒,希望也有能為人按手領受聖靈,彼說說:「上帝的恩賜不是用錢買的,你的心不正,你當懊悔這罪惡,求主赦免你」,西門請使徒為他禱告,求主赦免。腓利在曠野的路上,聽見太監埃提阿伯,坐在車上念先知以賽亞書不明白,腓利就給他講解,看見有水的地方,太監就受洗,腓利在各城宣講福音。
◎ 心得分享:掃羅殘害教會,但是教會越是受逼迫,福音越是廣傳,聖靈的能力動工越強,讓行邪術的西門羡慕不已,雖然他的動機不對,方法也用錯了,然而彼得責備他時,他就悔改,我們常常追求能力,然而能力是來看上帝,與上帝建立好關係,才能有好能力,腓利得到能力向太監傳福音,他就信主受洗,求神幫我們能帶人信主。
第09章主要在講:「保羅信主彼得使人復活」。
掃羅(保羅)向使徒口吐威嚇兇殺的話,要去向大祭司求文書給大馬色會堂:凡是信耶穌無論男女都捆綁到耶路撒冷,要回到大馬色的路上,天上大光照他,他就仆倒眼瞎,三日不能不喫不喝,上帝感動門徒亞拿尼亞去為掃羅(保羅)禱告,掃羅(保羅)眼睛好像有鱗立刻掉下,他就能看見,起來受洗,在各會堂宣傳耶穌,猶太人商議要在城門殺掃羅(保羅),門徒用筐子把他城牆上縋下去,耶路撒冷門徒,不接待掃羅(保羅),只有巴拿巴接待他,門徒打發他往大數去。彼得在呂大的家醫好癱瘓八年的以尼雅,彼得在約帕為已經死亡的廣行善事、多施賙濟的「多加」禱告,她就活了,有許多人信了主。
◎ 心得分享:保羅用腳踢刺是難的,是什麼改變了他呢?是上帝!先前逼迫人的,後來卻變成受逼迫的人,保羅不認為這是報應,他認為他是欠福音的債,所以他願意付這只活著就要不斷付出的代價,為主耶穌的緣故,當保羅傳福音,彼得也沒閒著,醫治癱瘓八年的,也使多加從死裡復活,求神幫助我們,無論得時不得時,總要傳福音。
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"God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."(Gal. 6:14)
THEY were living to themselves; self with its hopes, and promises and dreams, still had hold of them; but the Lord began to fulfill their prayers. They had asked for contrition, and had surrendered for it to be given them at any cost, and He sent them sorrow; they had asked for purity, and He sent them thrilling anguish; they had asked to be meek, and He had broken their hearts; they had asked to be dead to the world, and He slew all their living hopes; they had asked to be made like unto Him, and He placed them in the furnace, sitting by "as a refiner and purifier of silver," until they should reflect His image; they had asked to lay hold of His cross, and when He had reached it to them it lacerated their hands.
They had asked they knew not what, nor how, but He had taken them at their word, and granted them all their petitions. They were hardly willing to follow Him so far, or to draw so night to Him. They had upon them an awe and fear, as Jacob at Bethel, or Eliphaz in the night visions, or as the apostles when they thought that they had seen a spirit, and knew not that it was Jesus. They could almost pray Him to depart from them, or to hide His awfulness. They found it easier to obey than to suffer, to do than to give up, to bear the cross than to hang upon it. But they cannot to back, for they have come too near the unseen cross, and its virtues have pierced too deeply within them. He is fulfilling to them His promise, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me" (John 12:32).
But now at last their turn has come. Before, they had only heard of the mystery, but now they feel it. He has fastened on them His look of love, as He did on Mary and Peter, and they can but choose to follow.
Little by little, from time to time, by fitting gleams, the mystery of His cross shines out upon them. They behold Him lifted up, they gaze on the glory which rays from the wounds of His holy passion; and as they gaze they advance, and are changed into His likeness, and His name shines out throught them, for He dwells in them. They live alone with Him above, in unspeakable fellowship; willing to lack what others own (and what they might have had), and to be unlike all, so that they are only like Him.
Such, are they in all ages, "who follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth."
Had they chosen for themselves, or their friends chosen for them, they would have chosen otherwise. They would have been brighter here, but less glorious in His Kingdom. They would have had Lot's portion, not Abraham's. If they had halted anywhere-if God had taken off His hand and let them stray back-what would they not have lost? What forfeits in the resurrection?
But He stayed them up, even against themselves. Many a time their foot had well night slipped; but He in mercy held them up. Now, even in this life, they know that all He did was done well. It was good to suffer here, that they might reign hereafter; to bear the cross below, for they shall wear the crown above; and that not their will but His was done on them and in them.
-Anonymous.
基督曾說過:「我心柔和謙卑,你們當學我的樣式,這樣你們心裏就必得享安息。」這兒有雙重的真理,有忍耐、溫柔、謙卑和與神和好的美德,這與傚法基督或信靠祂有相同的意義;同時因著你有這些美德,可以完全脫離亞當墮落的本性而有信靠主高尚的行為。
連帶而有的福份,是因著脫離罪惡和對基督初步信仰、期望,受基督忍耐、溫柔、謙卑和與神和好的靈引導並管理;當你具有這些德性,你的生命就有目的,是真理和生命的基督才會在你裏面,你不再掌權,而是基督在你裏面活著。除非你願在忍耐、溫柔、謙卑和與神和好裏治死老我,否則神聖愛的靈,因無立足之地而不能在你裏面產生;而當你又為不忍耐、驕傲所困擾之際,馬上完全捨己,求神施恩幫助。當你遇到難處就促使與神親近,最能使你忍耐接受神的幫助,我們對神有多少信心和期望就可得多少的啟示。
「這些雖然很簡短,但是真正確的教義,使我們因賜下的救恩而真正完全順服神的啟示下,也真正宣告承認三而一的真神。」現在願你有個思想:完全將我的心靈獻上,單單尋求救恩,直接藉著溫柔、謙卑、忍耐和與神和好的力量,使我的生命有屬天的德性。
「並且要作這更大的事,因為我往父那裡去。」約翰福音十四章12節
祈禱不是叫我們適於那偉大的工作;祈禱本身就是偉大的工作。我們以為祈禱,是叫我們得到較高的能力,去應付神的工作。但按照耶穌基督的眼光看,祈禱是我本已救贖的奇蹟,藉著神的能力,同時也是別人救贖的奇蹟。結果子之方法,是祈禱,但須記取的,這種祈禱是建立在救贖的痛苦,不是建立於我的痛苦。一個小孩能獲得祈禱的答覆,一個聰明人反而得不著。
你無論在那裡祈禱總是一種戰爭。不管神製造環境的方法怎樣,本分就是祈禱。切不可如此作想──「我所在的地方,不見得有用;」因為你不在的地方,你必沒有有用。無論神安排你在那裡,祈禱,常常向祂祈禱。「你們若奉我的名求甚麼,我必成就。」(約十四13)我們不肯祈禱,我們得不著奮興,就不肯祈禱,那就是靈性自私的極度形態。我們要依照神的指導而勞動,但祂指導我們的是祈禱,「所以你們當求莊稼的主,打發工人出去,收祂的莊稼。
通常的工人對於工作,是沒有興奮的,但是成功通常是工作勞作出來的;同樣基督的概念,沒有那些勞苦的聖徒是不會發現的。你慇勤祈禱,從神的立場看,是無時不發生效果的。當帕子揭開,一種說不出的驚奇必然發現,你可以看出你是慣於接受耶穌基督的命令的,已經為祂收穫了不少的靈魂。
「……亞伯拉罕信神……」羅馬書四章3節
亞伯拉罕的信心是向著神本身的,他認識帶領他的神,所以他對神有絕對的信心。
亞伯拉罕一生的秘訣在於他與神的友誼。他所認識的神是一位偉大、良善、信實的朋友。無怪乎他能聽神的話,從他自身所愛的本家本族出來,走向一條未知的道路。
除了信靠神的話語,我們是否已學會把自己全然交給神呢?神有無限的愛及力量,祂是與我們立約的主並永遠的好朋友。
經上告訴我們,亞伯拉罕因著信心而榮耀了神。最能榮耀神的辦法,乃是讓世人看見神是誰,以及祂的大能力。神並不希望藉著我們所能做的事,讓世人知道祂能做什麼;神也不用那些有乖謬性格的器皿。相反的,祂一直在找尋那些謙卑的人,並用這些人在世世代代中榮耀祂。