GRACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP | 恩道堂

Scripture Reading        : Acts 9:32 – 10:48

Theme                            : The Vision of the Gentile Church

1. Peter was the apostle of Christ. Just before Peter was given the vision of the Gentile church, the Book of Acts records Peter healing the sick and resurrecting the dead. This firmly establishes the true apostleship of Peter, so that what follows would be authenticated. Also, the stay with Simon the tanner set the stage for the upcoming events, because tanners were regarded as unclean and shunned because they handled the skins of dead animals (Lev. 11:39).

2. Peter saw a vision from God. After God gave a vision to Cornelius, a centurion (a Roman officer in-charge of 100 soldiers) and a Gentile, God also gave Peter a vision of unclean animals, which Peter was to eat in his vision. The Jews had regarded Gentiles as unclean and unworthy of God’s salvation. The purpose of the vision is to show Peter that the Gospel was also meant for the Gentiles and not for Jews only.

3. Peter preached the Gospel. When Peter was brought into the house of Cornelius, his relatives and close friends had gathered, and Peter, who understood the vision he had been given, preached the Gospel to the gathering of Gentiles. Note that Peter did not go through the Old Testament history, like he did when he preached to the Jews, but he went straight into declaring that Jesus Christ who was crucified is now resurrected and is the Judge of all mankind.

4. Peter baptized the gentiles. The coming of the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles showed clearly that salvation has also come to them. The gift of tongues was meant to proof at that point that God has also accepted the Gentiles. This is not a teaching that all believers will receive the gift of tongues (1 Cor. 12:10).

Praying the Scripture

1. It was the true Apostles who brought the Gospel to the Gentiles, testified by the Holy Spirit and recorded in the Word of God. We can be sure that the Gospel message we believed in is the first-hand account of the original followers of Jesus. Let us thank God that what we received is not hear-say, but the truth.

2. Let us thank God that He had mercy on the Gentiles (including us) just as He had with the Jews, so that we too might hear the Gospel and be saved.

3. There is no other way to be saved except through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Peter did not pronounced Cornelius saved, but he preached the Gospel to them. Pray that we will grab every opportunity that is available to preach the Gospel, because souls will perish without the Gospel.

经文：使徒行传9:32 – 10:48

主题：对外邦教会的异象

Scripture Reading        : Acts 9:1-31

Theme                            : The Transformed Life

The Book of Acts continues the narrative with the conversion of Saul (who used his Roman name, Paul, after his conversion). Recall that the main theme of the entire book is in Acts 1:8, that the Gospel will spread “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The conversion of Saul led to the eventual spread of the Gospel to Europe.

1. Paul believes in Jesus Christ. While Saul was on his way to Damascus, with the intention of arresting Christians, Jesus appeared to him in a blinding light. Saul was sincerely following what he thought was pleasing to God, by persecuting Christians who were preaching what he thought was contrary to Old Testament teaching. But sincerity alone is not sufficient to please God.

2. Paul being baptized into Jesus Christ. After Ananias healed Saul, he also baptized Saul, which signified that Saul was now part of the church of Jesus Christ. Paul would later pen the words in Romans 6:3 – “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?”

3. Paul begins to preach Jesus Christ. Saul began on his journey to Damascus to persecute Christians, but ended up in Damascus preaching about the resurrected Christ, the Son of God. If there is anyone who knew that Christians would be persecuted for their faith, it would have been Saul, since he was present at the stoning of Stephen, and his previous goal was to ensure that those who professed Christ would be imprisoned. Yet he was not ashamed of his conversion, but boldly proclaimed it.

Praying the Scripture

1. Saul had a dramatic conversion experience, but with greater revelation comes greater responsibilities and temptation. Paul later wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:7 “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.” Paul was given such experiences because Jesus planned “how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:16). Today, when Charismatics pray for dramatic experiences, they only want the experience, and not the sufferings that come later. Instead of wanting dramatic experiences for ourselves, let us thank God for dramatically converting Saul, so that Saul could bring the Gospel to us, who are also Gentiles.

2. When Paul understood the Gospel, repented and believed, he was baptized immediately. Pray that genuine believers in our church who are not baptized yet will obey the Bible and be baptized.

3. Paul was not afraid of “losing face” and he was not ashamed of the Gospel. Pray that we too will not fear embarrassment or persecution, but preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people around us.

经文：使徒行传9:1-31

主题：转变了的生命

使徒行传继续叙述扫罗归主的过程（他信主后使用他的罗马名字保罗）。我们回顾使徒行传整卷书的主题是在1:8，即福音将传至“耶路撒冷、犹太全地和撒马利亚，直到地极”。因着扫罗信主，福音逐渐传到了欧洲。

Scripture Reading        : Acts 8:26-40

Theme                            : Do You Understand What You Are Reading?

This passage records the episode of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, who was a high ranking official (v27). The conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch marked the beginning of the spread of the Gospel to Africa. We can learn the following lessons from this passage.

1. What is the theme or topic of this passage? Philip asked the eunuch if he understood what he was reading. The eunuch’s reply shows that every passage of the Bible has its intended meaning (intended by the Holy Spirit, who is the author). Without proper guidance, many wrong interpretations will arise, which is the error of post-modernists.

2. What is the context of this passage? The eunuch also understood that in order to understand the passage, he needed to know the context – who was Isaiah writing about?

3. What is the support of the theme of this passage? Philip used the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading and showed from the context that the theme is the Gospel of Jesus giving His life as the substitutionary atonement.

4. What lesson can we learn from this passage? The eunuch also demonstrated that he did not just acquire additional knowledge that did not affect his life. He immediately responded to the Gospel message with obedience, and requested to be baptized.

 
Praying the Scripture

1. Pray that we will be humble and teachable like the Ethiopian eunuch, who acknowledged his ignorance and submitted to Philip’s teaching.

2. There is only one intended meaning of the words in the Bible. Pray that we will truly embrace this truth, and strive, as followers of Christ, to understand His Word, so that we will not be led astray by postmodernist’s error that there are many different interpretations that are all correct.

3. After he understood the passage, the Ethiopian eunuch responded in immediate obedience. Pray that we will not harden our hearts to the Word of God, but we will submit to its authority, and show it through our actions.

经文：使徒行传8:26-40

主题：你是否明白自己所读的经文？

这段经文叙述腓利与担任宫廷要职的埃塞俄比亚太监（8:27）讲解福音的经过。这位太监的悔改极可能是福音扩展到非洲的开端。我们从这段经文学习到下列几点：

Scripture Reading        : Acts 8:1-25

Theme                            : True or False Believers

1. True believers. The death of Stephen marked the beginning of “great persecution against the church in Jerusalem”. Saul, who became the Apostle Paul, was first mentioned here. He was still an unbeliever and he persecuted the church. Because of the persecution, the true believers were scattered and they preached the Gospel wherever they went. In particular, the passage contrasts two characters, Philip and Simon. Philip was a true believer who was empowered by the Holy Spirit to perform mighty works. A true believer, like Philip, proclaims Christ (8:5). When true believers bring the Gospel to unbelievers, they bring true joy to those who repents (8:8).

2. False believers. Simon was a false believer who proclaimed his own greatness before he professed faith (8:9), and he continued to seek his own greatness after he heard the Gospel (8:18-19). False believers attract attention to themselves, misleading people with lies that causes destruction of souls (8:11). Peter’s rebuke of Simon (8:20-23) clearly showed that Simon was an unbeliever, even though he professed to be one (8:13). Simon was not interested in the salvation of his own soul, but wanted the same power that he saw the Apostles possessed.

Praying the Scripture

1. Times of persecution will review true believers from false believers, since those who profess faith in Jesus stand to gain nothing except persecution. Pray that if we are persecuted for our faith, we may stand strong and continues to preach the Gospel.

2. Pray that we will not want to attract attention to ourselves, but direct the attention to Jesus by proclaiming the Gospel like Philip.

3. Many professing believers are phonies, who are trying to benefit themselves in one way or another (usually in monetary gain – 1 Tim 6:5 “depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.”) Pray that we will have the discernment to identify false believers and not be attracted to them. If we had been like Simon, may we heed Peter’s warning and pray that God will forgive us.

经文：使徒行传8:1-25

主题：真伪信徒

Scripture Reading        : Acts 6:8-7:60

Theme                            : The First Christian Martyr

1. Accusation of Stephen. Stephen was doing mighty works among the people when the Jews disputed with him. They were not able to withstand his wisdom, and had to bring false charges against him. Stephen’s face was “like the face of an angel” (Acts 6:15), meaning that it was calm and composed, because Stephen clearly knew that the message he was speaking was given by God, not invented by man. This was not a supernatural phenomenon wrongly assumed in some circles.

2. Apologia of Stephen. When questioned by the high priest, Stephen launched into a long discourse, beginning with the calling of Abraham, the ancestor of all the Jews, until the coming of the Savior, before rebuking them for crucifying the promised Messiah.

3. Annihilation of Stephen. The Jews who heard Stephen proclaim the Gospel to them failed to repent, unlike those who heard Peter, who also rebuked the audience for crucifying their Savior (Acts 2:37). The Jews did not have the authority to carry out capital punishment, because they were under Roman rule (that is why they cannot kill Jesus with their own authority, but instigated Pilate to crucify Him). Therefore, when they dragged Stephen out of the city to stone him, it was a mob action. Stephen, however, did not hold it against them, and exemplified the same grace and love showed by the Lord Jesus when He was crucified.

Praying the Scripture

1. Pray that we will be good testimonies as we live as Christians amongst the people, so that no one can bring any legitimate charges against us.

2. 1 Peter 3:15 “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” Let us pray that we will not be afraid to share the Gospel even if the situation seems adverse.

3. 1 Peter 2:20, 23 “For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God… When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” Stephen remained faithful and died for his faith. Let us pray that we will be willing to suffer for the sake of the Gospel, even unto death.

经文：使徒行传6:8-7:60

主题：基督教的首位殉道者

Scripture Reading        : Acts 6:1-7

Theme                            : The Management of the Church

1. The issue facing the church. The Hellenist were Greek speaking Jews who lived outside Palestine after the Babylonian exile (known as the “Diaspora”). The Hellenists adopted Greek culture, leading Palestinian Jews (the Hebrews) to view them with suspicion. Because of this tension, the Hellenists believed that their widows were not given an adequate distribution of food by the church.

2. The instruction to the church. The Apostles’ first priority was in “preaching the Word of God”, rather than the daily administration of the church. The Apostles instructed the church to choose godly men who would be appointed to take care of the physical needs of the Hellenistic widows. The word translated “serve” is the Greek word “diakone”, from which the office of deacon was later derived. However, at this time, it was not a permanent establishment of the office of deacon. Note that the authority to appoint these men rested in the Apostles (v3).

3. The implementation of the church. The church submitted to the Apostles’ instructions, and they chose godly men whom they set before the Apostles for their appointment. All seven chosen men had Greek names, indicating that they belonged to the Hellenists. This was done out of love and to maintain unity, since the issue was the neglect of the Hellenistic widows. Because the church was united and submitted to the authority of the Apostles, they could be devoted to preaching the Word of God, resulting in great spiritual growth of the church (v7).

Praying the Scripture

1. Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” May we pray that our church will be united and looking after one another’s needs without discrimination.                                                           

2. Let us pray for our church, that there will be godly men who will assist the elders in administrative matters, so that the elders can be devoted “to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.”

3. Pray that our church will be united and the congregation submit to the elders. In this way, every individual believer in the church can grow spiritually, and the church on the whole can also grow, when the elders can be devoted to preaching the Word of God.

经文：使徒行传6:1-7

主题：教会的管理

Scripture Reading        : Acts 5:12-42

Theme                            : God’s Strategy for Church Growth

1. Purity of the church. After the death of Ananias and Sapphira, “none of the rest”, or unbelievers, dared to join the church, for fear of divine judgment. But at the same time, the church grew because God added genuine believers in great numbers.

2. Power of the truth. The Apostles were empowered by the Holy Spirit and performed great miracles. The purpose of miracles was to authenticate the Gospel message preached by the Apostles, and not to produce faith in unbelievers, since those who did not believe did not dare to join the church (v13).

3. Persecution of the church. At this stage, persecution of the church was beginning, and the Apostles were imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. Historically, persecution of the church only strengthened it, because God used persecution to maintain the purity of the church.

4. Priority in obedience. The night before, they were miraculously rescued from prison by an angel, who told them that they must go into the temple to preach. Even though the Apostles risked further imprisonment and persecution, they obeyed God rather than men.

5. Preaching of Jesus Christ. Gamaliel was the most noted rabbi (teacher) of his time, and his most famous student was Saul (who became Paul, the Apostle). After heeding his counsel, the council (the Sanhedrin) had the Apostles beaten and commanded them not to preach the Gospel. But the Apostles rejoiced over the persecution and “did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”

 
Praying the Scripture

1. Today, many churches focus on man-centred, seeker-friendly methods of church growth, and end up attracting multitudes of unbelievers to the church. This is in stark contrast to the purity of the church in Acts, where only genuine believers joined the church. Let us pray that our church will be pure and will focus on preaching the Bible faithfully, rather than be concerned with numerical numbers. Also pray that God will add genuine believers to our church.

2. The gift of performing miracles has ceased, even during the Apostles’ time (2 Cor. 12:12; 1 Tim. 5:23 – Paul did not heal Timothy). The purpose of the miracles was to authenticate the Apostle’s message, and we have it written in the Bible today. Pray that we will be devoted to the teachings of the Bible, rather than be distracted by the demand for miracles.

3. Sometimes, believers pray that God will remove the persecution that they are facing. However, God is sovereign and He can use any situation in our lives for our good (Rom. 8:28). We ought to pray that God give us the strength to obey Him and persevere during persecution. 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

4. Even an unbeliever like Gamaliel provided wise counsel that methods that were not according to God’s strategy would eventually fade away. Let us pray that we will not be tempted to pursue church growth methods that are not in accordance to God’s Word. Pray that we will preach the true Gospel only, even though people do not like to hear it or even if we are persecuted for it. Pray that we will be joyful even when persecuted for the sake of the Gospel.

经文：使徒行传5:12-42

主题：神对教会增长的策略

Scripture Reading        : Acts 4:32 – 5:11

Theme                            : The Purity of the Church

1. Solidarity of the church. The first church in Jerusalem, under the teaching of the Apostles, was one where true unity was seen. No one thought of “any of the things that belonged to him was his own” and they “had everything in common”. The rich sold their belongings and brought the proceeds to the Apostles, who distributed to those who were in need. The people trusted the leaders of the church to distribute the offerings as the leaders deemed fit.

2. Sincerity of the church. When a sinner clearly understood the vastness of the debt he had been forgiven, he would have a genuine love for the Lord and share the blessings that God has given him. The church at this time was filled with genuine believers, since those who did not truly believe in Jesus risked the disapproval of the Jewish leaders (persecution had not started yet) and those who were rich had nothing to gain, and were in a sense losing their earthly wealth.

3. Sanction of the church. It is not a command to all Christians that they must sell everything and give to the needy in order to follow Christ, or it will simply become a legalistic requirement. When Ananias and Sapphira (tried to) lie to God, they were punished with death and suffered the detriment of their sin. 1 Samuel 15:22 “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.” Those who give sincerely from their hearts, even little, will be pleasing to God, while those who do not give sincerely, even if they give much, do not please God.

Praying the Scripture

1. The first church was exemplary in her unity. Let us pray that our church will also be united, where “no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own”, and that we will share generously with those who are in need.

2. God wants us to be sincere in our giving. Let us pray for sincere hearts as we give generously to the church. The believers brought their offerings to the Apostles, who distributed to the poor. Therefore, we should also pray that we will learn to trust the church leaders, whom God has appointed, to manage the offerings in a god-honoring way.

3. Pray that we will not boast in our giving nor seek the approval of man when we give.

经文：使徒行传4:32-5:11

主题：教会的纯洁

Scripture Reading        : Acts 4:1-31

Theme                            : How to Face Persecution

1. Be ready to submit to authority. When Peter and John were arrested, they did not put up a struggle. This was a changed Peter, unlike the same Peter who drew his sword and struck off the ear of a man who came to arrest Jesus (John 18:10). Genuine believers should be ready to submit to authority, even if it was imprisonment.

2. Be ready to submit to the Spirit. When they were questioned, Peter was “filled with the Holy Spirit” as he answered the Jewish leaders. At this point in time, the New Testament was not completed yet, so the Holy Spirit guided Peter’s speech, in fulfilment of Luke 12:11-12.

3. Be ready to give glory to God. Peter did not boast in his own ability to heal the lame, but gave the glory to God instead. Again, this was a changed Peter, unlike the one who denied Christ three times after His arrest.

4. Be ready to share the Gospel. Peter seized the opportunity to preach the Gospel to those who were present. Peter would later write in 1 Peter 3:15 “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect”, and Peter exemplified this instruction in Acts 4.

5. Be ready to obey at all costs. Christians are called to submit to authority, as long as it does not violate the Word of God. However, when the Jewish leaders charged and threatened the Apostles to not share the Gospel, they chose to obey God instead, even if it meant persecution.

Praying the Scripture

1. It is God’s will for Christians to submit to authorities (Rom. 13:1-7), as long as it does not violate the Word of God. Let us pray that we will be submissive to the authorities (e.g. the government). Pray also that when the authorities want us to disobey God’s Word, we will be bold to choose to obey God’s Word at all costs.

2. When Peter spoke, the New Testament was not completed yet. Today, to be filled with the Spirit means to be filled with the Word of God. Believers now are to be filled with the Word of God (Eph. 5:18; Col. 3:16), which is the only source of truth and guidance for our righteous living (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Pray that we will be diligent to study the Word of God, so that the Holy Spirit can use it to guide us in our lives.

3. Peter preached the Gospel to the Jewish leaders when they questioned him. Pray that we will seize every opportunity to give glory to God and share the Gospel with people around us, including our superiors.

经文：使徒行传4:1-31

主题：如何面对逼迫

Scripture Reading        : Acts 3:1-26

Theme                            : The Lesson of Repentance

1. The prelude of repentance. Beggars considered the temple to be the best place to ask for alms (charitable donations), because pious Jews who came to worship at the temple would want to earn their salvation by doing good works to the poor. The beggar who was lame from birth was hoping to get money from Peter and John, but Peter healed him of his physical defect instead, thus setting the foundation for the preaching of repentance. This healing is another instance where faith of the person is not required, as the beggar did not even asked to be healed.

2. The preaching of repentance. Peter immediately took the opportunity to give glory to God for the healing, and preached the Gospel of Jesus to the crowd. Once again, Peter did not make the Gospel message into a crowd-pleaser, but he rebuked the Jews for killing the Messiah and wanted a murderer to be released. Peter blatantly pointed out the people’s sin, and commanded them to repent.

3. The product of repentance. Genuine repentance means that one will turn away from wickedness (3:26) and “turn again” (3:19) towards God. If a sinner simply regrets what he had done (like Judas), but do not turn to God for forgiveness, that is not true repentance. The result of true repentance would be God’s blessing, and the sinner’s “sins may be blotted out”. This means that God will declare the sinner as righteous, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

 
Praying the Scripture

1. The purpose of miracles is to authenticate the messenger and the Gospel message, and it can be clearly seen in this passage that Peter did not heal the lame without preaching the Gospel. First of all, we should thank God that He authenticated the Gospel message by granting miracles to accompany the Apostles’ preaching. We should also pray that God will strengthen our faith to believe the Gospel message without witnessing miracles today.

2. Peter did not take any merit for healing the lame, but immediately gave glory to God, and he also took the opportunity to preach the Gospel. Pray that we will be humble and give glory to God for any achievement, and pray for boldness to use such opportunities to preach the Gospel to the people around us.

3. Pray that unbelievers, especially our love ones, who hear the Gospel will repent and turn from their wickedness, and “turn again” to God, so that their sins may be blotted out.

经文：使徒行传3:1-26

主题：悔改的教训