Sunday, 19th June 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Acts 1:1-8, 12-15
Jesus led the disciples for three years, he was a teacher, a father, a leader, but in the last supper, when they are in the upper room, He humbled Himself and washed the feet of all the disciples. Before He went on the cross, He told the disciples that He had overcome it all, they didn’t need to be afraid.
What else happened in the Upper Room? They encountered the resurrected Jesus. After Jesus was crucified and came back to life, the disciples gathered in the Upper Room, and Jesus came to visit them. He overcame darkness, sins, death… in the Upper Room, the disciples experienced the resurrection.
After Jesus ascended to Heaven, the disciples came together and prayed in the Upper Room. They casted lots for Matthias to be the disciple, then they prayed together and received the Holy Spirit. The Upper Room represented the transformation of lives.
Jesus was with the disciples for three years, they served together, travelled together, lived together and ate together. Jesus had been teaching them about the things in the Heaven. After He was resurrected, for forty days, Jesus continued to teach them about the Kingdom of Heaven.
Be Rebuilt Again
The disciples followed Jesus for three years, but at the end they still focused on themselves. They gave up their jobs, their families, their everything to follow Jesus, but they didn’t deny themselves. That’s why Judas betrayed Jesus, because at the end he still saw himself more important than the Kingdom of God.
The disciples wanted to see their nation restored, they wanted to see Jewish people restore their glorious identity, but when Jesus didn’t do what they expected Him to do after three years, they grew tired and their faith weakened. After Jesus came back to life, He stayed with the disciples for forty days, rebuilding them again and reminding them again the teaching of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus again rebuild the disciples, with what they already knew, but from a different perspective. God also wants us to be rebuilt, He wants to delete all our old self and old knowledge, to be restored and to see the teaching of God from a brand new perspective.
Humbly Respond
After Jesus rebuilt the disciples, they disciples came back together, receive humbly the vision from Jesus. The disciples went from Mount Olive to Jerusalem, and when they arrived Jerusalem, then went to the Upper Room, as Jesus instructed them. They were not afraid of the Roman army anymore, even though the followers of Jesus were still being prosecuted, but the disciples had faith and they stayed back in Jerusalem. They humbly respond and waited patiently for the Holy Spirit to come.
Jesus said to the disciples, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father
has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” What we will do for God will be greater than what we can imagine, but it’s not for us to know. We must follow by faith and respond humbly. The environment will not always turn out as we expected it to be, not everything will go smoothly and successfully. But we don’t need to worry, God will definitely lift us up, in ways we will never imagine.
Experience Revival
We must experience revival, not only just about receiving back what we have lost, but to be restored to be the glorious imagine, give us the authority to manage the world. It’s easy for us to just focus on what we have in front of us, but difficult for us to see the potential God created us to have! We must be revived and be restored, because God has so much in store for us to experience!
When the 120 people were willing to gather in the Upper Room, to pray and to wait, God gave them the Holy Spirit and allowed them to perform signs and wonders more than they could imagined. The Upper Room is not just for anyone, but for those who are willing to be rebuilt and those to thirst for the Holy Spirit.
主日讲道记录 – 2022年6月19日
#马可楼的预备
- 潘锡安牧师
*使徒行传 1:1-8, 12-15
在过去这两年我们经历疫情、封城、从教会搬到AUT聚会，如今又从AUT搬回来进行我们的主日崇拜。神启示我们这里就是“马可楼”（Upper Room）。 根据圣经的记载，马可楼见证了很多大事件：在那里，耶稣和门徒享用了最后的晚餐，耶稣为门徒洗脚，耶稣复活后回来马可楼向门徒显现，耶稣升天后门徒在此聚集祷告，十一使徒选出马提亚为使徒，而在五旬节，圣灵降临在此、浇灌在门徒身上，他们的生命就不再一样。两千年后的今天，我们教会也进入马可楼的阶段，神对我们的心意又是如何？
一、重新被建造
耶稣在地上传道的时候，与门徒们在一起三年，他们同吃同住，门徒们又见证了耶稣的死而复生。虽然这些门徒为跟从耶稣放下了自己的工作甚至家庭，但他们没有真正放下自己，他们想耶稣能够为以色列复国（使1:6），他们看这件事比真正的神国度更重要。连卖主的犹大都是这样想的，他等得不耐烦了，想借着大祭司和罗马官兵逼耶稣彰显大能大力。可是，耶稣的作为并没有如他们所期望的，反而被钉死在十字架上，于是众门徒信心减弱，彼得去找了同伴来重操旧业，犹大甚至失望到自杀。
耶稣复活后，知道这些门徒的心，他就与他们在一起四十个日夜，不仅“用许多的凭据将自己活活地显给使徒看”，还向他们“讲说神国的事”（使1:3）。主耶稣没有告诉这些门徒要做什么生意或什么投资比较赚钱，而是要使他们的生命重新被建造。在这个马可楼的预备阶段，神也要重新建造我们，让我们的老我和旧有的知识都删除，以一个全新的眼光来看待神的教导。
二、谦卑回应
门徒们领受了主耶稣的教训，就选择谦卑回应。当时的耶路撒冷对那些跟随耶稣的信徒来讲是很危险的，因为犹太大祭司和罗马官兵都在捉拿他们，但他们都愿意听从耶稣的吩咐，回到耶路撒冷，并在马可楼聚会、耐心等候所应许的圣灵。
之前的门徒想的是犹太的国度，但耶稣提醒他们，这不是他们需要去操心的事（使1:7），而要专注在圣灵要为他们所成就的事（使1:8），就是让他们得着能力，将福音传到地极。神所行的事是超乎人所求所想的，我们不要只看到眼前所有的那一点，而要谦卑回应神。我们信从耶稣并非意味着一帆风顺的生命，但我们不用担心，要相信神必会成就。
三、经历复兴
当我们的生命被主重新建造，也谦卑回应他，我们就要经历复兴，不仅是得回我们曾经失去的，更是恢复到神原本创造我们的荣耀形象，有权柄和能力治理大地。当门徒和少数妇女等人在马可楼同心合意的祷告时，越来越多的人被吸引，直至有一百二十人加入到当中(使1:15)，一起等候并经历圣灵。我们不要只看到圣灵降临时那些奇特、引人瞩目的超自然现象，要看到在这之前，有了这少数的一百二十人的委身，才看到后来五旬节的圣灵降临和三千人的信主。
当我们来到教会的“马可楼”中聚会，我们的信心就一起被生命树气息燃烧起来，彼此感染。这段马可楼的预备期不知道会有多久，但在哪一个阶段我们就做哪一个阶段的事，不要去跟其他教会事工的方法，只要专心在神所给我们教会的马可楼，同心合意建造那“一百二十人”愿意委身的神国精兵，经历他所给我们的命定。