GRACE BIBLE FELLOWSHIP | 恩道堂

Scripture Reading        : Acts 2:42-47

Theme                            : The Model of an Ideal Church

1. The characteristics of church growth. The church in Jerusalem was a godly church that had a healthy fear of God (“awe”). Also, it was a caring church, because the believers sold their belongings to help those who were in need. It was also a church where there was unity (“had all things in common”). There was also joy (“glad and generous hearts”) within the believers.

2. The strategy of church growth. The first church in Jerusalem gives us the godly strategy of church growth. First, the church devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teachings (i.e. the Bible). Second, they were devoted to fellowship. A church is not a building, but a gathering of believers. A church where there is fellowship (in the truth of the Apostles’ teachings) is a true church of God. Third, they obeyed Jesus’ command and were devoted to the breaking of bread (they celebrated the Lord’s Supper to remember His death and resurrection). Last but not least, they were devoted to prayer. They did not depend on their own strength to achieve anything, but depended on God through prayer.

3. The result of church growth. When the church followed the proper strategy (as above), which is according to God’s will, it finds favour with God, and He will bless the church with numerical growth. It is of utmost importance to please Jesus, who is the head of the church (Eph. 5:23), rather than to please man. When the church pleases God, the result is that it will find favour with man (by first finding favour with God!).

 
Praying the Scripture

1. The Jerusalem church was a caring church where the believers loved one another and met together every day! 1 John 4:20 – “he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” The condition of many believers today is even worse, because they only come to church on Sundays, so they cannot love their brother because they also do not see their brother! Let us pray that we will first be committed to meeting regularly and often, and pray that we will love one another in the church. Also pray that we will have joy, especially when we meet together.

2. The biblical strategy of church growth is to first be devoted to the teachings of the Bible. Love without truth is hypocrisy. Only by knowing and obeying the truth can the church truly grow spiritually. Let us pray that our church will continue to be devoted to the teachings of the Bible.

3. The church in Jerusalem did not try to please man and change the gospel message in order to have more numbers. When the church found favour with God, He blessed the church with numerical growth. Let us pray that we will please God rather than man, and pray that God will “add to our number day by day those who were being saved.”

经文：使徒行传2:42-47

主题：理想教会的模式

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).

2. 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.

3. 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).

2. 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.

3. 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

Scripture Reading        : Acts 1:12-26

Theme                            : What to do while waiting for the Lord

1. United in obedience. The Apostles returned to Jerusalem, just as the Lord commanded, to wait for the coming of the promised Holy Spirit. They did not wander off or engaged in their old trade of fishing, as they did before Jesus’ ascension into heaven (John 21:3).

2. United in prayer. The Apostles prayed, “in one accord”, together with Jesus’ family (His mother, Mary, and His brothers). Jesus’ brothers (James, Joses, Judas, and Simon – Mark 6:3) did not believe in Jesus before His death (John 7:5), but they soon became believers after witnessing His death and resurrection. Even though they were just new believers, they were united in prayer together with the Apostles.

3. United in doing God’s will. There is no reason to see Acts 1:18 as a contradiction with Matthew 27:5 (Judas hung himself). The simple explanation is that Judas hung himself on a tree which overlooked a cliff, and the rope or branch broke and his body “burst open” when it fell down the cliff. Peter was the leader of the Apostles, and he quoted from Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8 as the fulfilment of prophecy, so as to choose another Apostle to replace Judas. The Apostles cast lots, which was an Old Testament way of determining God’s will, because the Holy Spirit had not come yet. After the coming of the Holy Spirit, the practice of casting lots became unnecessary. Also note that a true Apostle must be an eyewitness of Jesus’ resurrection.

 
Praying the Scripture

1. There are many Christians who claim to want to know God’s will about which career to choose, whom to marry, etc., but openly disobey the clear teachings of Scripture. It is the Christian’s responsibility to obey the clear teachings of Scripture, rather than to try to discern the secret will of God (Deut. 29:29). Let us pray that we will obey the Lord’s commands that are clearly reviewed in Scripture (e.g. love one another, giving thanks, submit to authorities, etc.) as we wait for His return.

2. Christians who do not pray are depending on their own strength to fight the spiritual battle. Also, the Apostles and the believers were praying together (physically) and “with one accord”. Let us pray that many more believers will be committed to coming for church prayer meetings, so that we can pray together and with one accord.

3. The Apostles were obeying the OT to select someone to replace Judas, rather than their own wisdom or special revelation. The Bible makes clear the qualifications of a true Apostle. Paul was later appointed a true Apostle because Jesus appeared to him. Because of this, there are no true Apostles today. Those claiming to be Apostles today are false teachers who are misleading many. God’s will is clearly reviewed to us in the Bible. We can only know God’s will if we study our bibles carefully. Let us pray that we will be diligent to study God’s Word in order to know His will, and be united in doing God’s will.

经文：使徒行传1:12-26

主题：等候主时当做的事

Scripture Reading        : Acts 1:1-11

Theme                            : The Hope of Christianity

1. Our hope is based on Jesus’ teaching. The Book of Acts is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus’ life and teaching. Jesus chose the Apostles, who taught the things that they heard from Jesus, with the help of the Holy Spirit, who also inspired them to write down these things in the Bible. The Bible that is in our hands today (accurate translations based on the original manuscripts) is the first hand account of the Apostles, and our hope is built on the teachings of Scripture, which is the teaching of Jesus.

2. Our hope is based on Jesus’ resurrection. After Jesus was resurrected, He “presented Himself alive to them… by many proofs”. The Apostle Paul later wrote that “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:14) Jesus’ resurrection shows that He has victory over sin and death, and those who hope in Him will one day be resurrected to eternal glory with Him in heaven. There is no Christianity without the resurrected Christ.

3. Our hope is based on Jesus’ kingdom. The Apostles asked Jesus if He was going to “restore the kingdom to Israel”. There will come a time when Jesus will rule the world together with the saints. However, His kingdom on earth has already begun spiritually in the hearts of man. At this stage of God’s kingdom, the responsibility of Christians is to be Jesus’ witnesses “to the end of the earth.” It is because of the hope in Jesus’ eternal kingdom that we continue to be witnesses for Him, to spread the Gospel. When Jesus comes again from heaven, “in the same way” that He was taken up, He will establish His kingdom on earth and rule with His saints.

 
Praying the Scripture

1. Many people claim to believe in Jesus but they do not read the Bible. This is what the Apostle Paul described as “another Jesus” (2 Cor. 11:4), who is not the Jesus of the Bible. True Christianity must be based on God’s Word (the Bible). Let us pray that we will be diligent to study Jesus’ teaching that has been recorded for us in the Bible, so that we will know the true Jesus, the Son of God.

2. The Apostle Paul also wrote, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Cor. 15:19) Our hope is in the resurrected Christ, and His promise of eternal life for those who repent from their sins and believe in Him. Let us pray that we will fix our eyes on eternity and heavenly riches, rather than believe in Jesus for earthly benefits such as health and wealth.

3. Jesus said that it is not for us “to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.” (Acts 1:7) Rather, we should fulfil our responsibility now, which is to be witnesses for Jesus as He establishes His kingdom in the hearts of man. Pray that we will live holy and sanctified lives, in order to be good witnesses, and also pray that we will be bold in proclaiming the Gospel to people around us.

经文：使徒行传1:1-11

主题：基督徒的盼望

Scripture Reading        : Luke 1:1-4, 24:44-49; Acts 1:1-8

Theme                            : Introduction to Luke-Acts

Luke, the physician (Colossians 4:14), is the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. In both books, Luke begins by addressing a certain “Theophilus”, and Luke’s use of the title “most excellent” (Luke 1:3) suggests that Theophilus was a high ranking Roman official. In Acts 1:1, Luke writes about “the first book”, which refers to the Gospel of Luke. Therefore, Luke-Acts are to be taken as a two volume work by the author (Luke).

The Gospel of Luke is meant to narrate the life and teaching of Jesus. At the end of the Gospel of Luke (24:44-49), Jesus commanded the disciples to proclaim to all the nations about “repentance and forgiveness of sins… beginning from Jerusalem” (24:47). Jesus also told the disciples to “stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (24:49). This refers to “the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4), which is the Holy Spirit.

The Book of Acts begins by continuing from where the Gospel of Luke ends. The author recaps from the end of Luke, and reminds the readers that Jesus died, rose again, appeared to many people with proofs, and ascended into heaven. Luke also mentions again the instruction of Jesus to the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit, who will empower them to proclaim the gospel “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Geographically, starting with Jerusalem as the centre where it all began, the gospel spread to the south (Judea) and north (Samaria), and continues to spread to “the end of the earth”. The entire Book of Acts shows how Acts 1:8 is fulfilled, even to our very day and age.

 
Praying the Scripture

1. The two volume work of Luke-Acts is not only meant for Theophilus. Rather, it is dedicated to him like the modern-day dedication at the beginning of a book. Let us pray that we will not read the Word of God just like a story book that has no impact on our lives. Pray that we will read the Bible carefully and learn the truths and obey the commands.

2. Let us thank God for His mercy and grace upon the Gentiles (non-Jews, including us), because He also granted salvation to us by the proclamation of the gospel to the end of the earth.

3. Some people dream of doing big things for God, to become a missionary to bring the gospel to the remotest jungle, but they do not even share the gospel with people around them. “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?” (Luke 16:10-11) As we read the Book of Acts, let us pray that we will obey the command to proclaim the gospel to all the nations, beginning with people around us in our daily lives, because “one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much.”

经文：路加福音1:1-4, 24:44-49；使徒行传1:1-8

主题：路加福音和使徒行传的介绍

路加医生（西4:14）是路加福音和使徒行传的作者。路加在两本书卷的开头中都包括了对一位“提阿非罗”的称呼；使用“大人”（路1:3）之词也意味着提阿非罗是一位罗马高官。在使徒行传1:1中，路加提到了“前书”，即指路加福音。因此，路加福音和使徒行传实际上是路加的两部创作。

路加福音的目的是要复述耶稣的生活和教导。在福音书的结尾（24:44-49），耶稣吩咐众门徒要向万国“传悔改、赦罪的道，从耶路撒冷起”（24:47）。耶稣也告诉门徒要“在城里等候，直到你们领受从上头来的能力”（24:49）。这指的就是“父所应许的”（使1:4），即圣灵。

使徒行传的开头就是从路加福音的结尾接续的。作者从路加福音的结尾开始复述，提醒读者耶稣已经死而复活，又带着证据向多人显现，并升天了。路加也再次提到耶稣对门徒的指示，叫他们要在耶路撒冷等候圣灵的降临，因为圣灵会赐予力量使他们能“在耶路撒冷、犹太全地和撒马利亚，直到地极”（使1:8）传福音。从地理位置来看，耶路撒冷是福音萌芽的起点和中心；福音接着会向南部（犹太）和北部（撒玛利亚）传，持续延至“地极”。使徒行传整本书卷就是在说明1:8是如何应验的，直至今日。

 
用经文祷告