7 Mar 2017, Acts 2:1-41 使徒行传 2:1-41, The Age of the Messiah 弥赛亚的世代

Posted on Feb 26, 2017 in Acts, Devotions |

Scripture Reading        : Acts 2:1-41

Theme                            : The Age of the Messiah

 

  1. The event. “Pentecost” means “fiftieth” and refers to the Festival of Weeks (Ex. 34:22-23) or Harvest (Lev. 23:16). It was celebrated 50 days after the Passover. Jesus died on the cross on the Day of the Passover, and three days later, He was resurrected. Then He appeared to the Apostles for “forty days” (Acts 1:3), and ascended into heaven. About 1 week later, during Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came and filled the Apostles and the 120 disciples, and they began speaking in tongues. These tongues are clearly known, human languages, because the Jews who were present understood the languages, and there was a list of these languages that were heard (Acts 2:9).
  1. The explanation. Peter explained to those who were present the significance of the event, which marks the beginning of the age of the Messiah. He quoted Joel 2:28-32, and used it to show that Pentecost was a pre-fulfilment of the day of the Lord (the ultimate fulfilment will be during the millennial kingdom). Arguing that God has proven that Jesus is the Messiah by signs and wonders, Peter rebuked the Jews who were present for nailing their Messiah to the cross.
  1. The effect. After the powerful Gospel message by Peter, the Jews who were present were “cut to the heart”, showing grief and remorse that they had crucified their Messiah. Many immediately repented and about three thousand people believed in Jesus on that day.

 
Praying the Scripture

  1. Many Charismatic churches today claim that there is a special kind of tongues which is the language used in heaven between God and His angels. This is a human invention and not taught in the Bible. There is no mention of such angelic language in the Bible, and all the passages where tongues are mentioned indicated that the people understood the languages. Further, when Jesus taught His disciples to pray (Matt. 6:5-14), He did not teach them to pray in unknown tongues! Let us pray that we will not be led astray by novel and unbiblical teachings, but understand what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit (which is to be filled with the Word of God – Eph. 5:18; Col. 3:16).
  1. There are a lot of proofs that Jesus is the Son of God, the promised Messiah (Savior). Let us pray that our faith in Jesus will be strong and not waiver.
  1. Peter did not preach a man-centered gospel, in order to please the listeners. He preached the true Gospel according to the Bible, and rebuked his audience for rejecting and killing their Messiah. However, because God opened their eyes, three thousand people believed and were baptized. Let us pray that we will be bold and faithful to preach the true Gospel, and not try to change it to make it more acceptable to sinners.
 
 

经文：使徒行传2:1-41

主题：弥赛亚的世代

 

  1. 其事件。“五旬节”，即指第五十，也就是七七节（出34:22-23）或收割初熟麦子的时候（申23:16）。这是在逾越节后的第五十天庆祝的。耶稣在逾越节当天死在十字架上，并三日后复活。接着，祂“四十天”向门徒显现（使1:3），然后被接升天。约一周后，即五旬节之日，圣灵降临，充满了众使徒与门徒，叫他们开始用方言说话。这些语言是人知并使用的，因为在场的犹太人晓得这些语言。圣经也列下来当日所听见的语言（使2:9）。
  1. 其解释。彼得向在场的人解释所发之事的意义：这标志了弥赛亚世代的开端。他引用约珥书2:28-32的经文，让众人看见五旬节是主再来之日的预显（最终的应验将在千禧年落实）。彼得也争辩说神已藉着神迹奇事证明耶稣就是弥赛亚，从而责备在场的犹太人将他们的弥赛亚钉十架。
  1. 其果效。彼得传达了强大的福音信息后，在场的犹太人都“觉得扎心”，为他们所钉十架的弥赛亚自觉忧伤懊悔。许多人立即悔改；当然约有三千人信耶稣。

 
用经文祷告

  1. 当今的许多灵恩教会声称圣经中的方言是神与天使在天上所用的特殊语言。这且是人的构想，不是圣经的教导。圣经丝毫没提到所谓的“天使用语”；反之，每当圣经真提到方言时总会说人能理解所说的话。再者，当耶稣教导门徒如何祷告的时候（太6:5-14），祂并没教他们要用不明的语言祷告！让我们祈求我们不会被新颖及不属圣经的教导带走，乃要明白何为被圣灵充满之意（即把基督的道理丰丰富富地存在心里——弗5:18；西3:16）。
  1. 现今有许多凭据能证明耶稣就是神的儿子，是那位被应许的弥赛亚（救主）。让我们祷告我们在耶稣里的信心是稳固的，不会动摇。
  1. 彼得所传的并不是一个以人为本的福音，好讨听众的欢心。他传的是圣经所言的真实福音，并准备他的听众拒绝与杀害他们的弥赛亚。然而，由于神开启了他们的心眼，三千人信主并施洗了。让我们祷告我们能忠心且有胆量传属实的福音，不要因着让罪人更能接受福音信息而做出改变。