Sunday, 24th July 2022
Sister Sonia Wong
Open the Eyes of the Blind, Turn Immediately
Acts 9:1-30 talks about how God called Paul from an anti-Christ to the follow of Christ. Paul was also called Saul. Verses 1-2 says, ‘Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.’ Saul was against Christ, and he even shared in his testimony that he was taught to prosecute the followers of Christ. As he mentioned in Acts 22:3-5 ‘I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.’ So how could a person like Saul became the great follower of Christ, Apostle Paul?
God called Paul in Acts 9:3-4, ‘As he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”’ A lot of us were called to believe Jesus Christ, all our experiences are different, but God called each one of us individually. Saul did not prosecuted Jesus, but he prosecuted the followers of Jesus. When he was called, he turned immediately and changed his way. Today, we have already known Jesus, and have experienced many miracles of Jesus, but are our lives still staying in the world? I John 1:9 says, ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ If we can be like Saul, turned immediately to God when He called, then we will also have our lives renewed.
Follow to the End, Testify the Truth
In Acts 9:20, Paul was called and started to preach the Gospel for Jesus, ‘immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.’ A lot of people, who heard Paul, but still did not believe in Jesus. Even the Jews plotted to kill Paul. Acts 9:29 also says, ‘and he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him.’ There may be challenges along the way, as we walk in the way of the truth, but we must persevere to the end. Paul knew who he was, and what his mission was, he was born to preach the Gospel. There may be difficulties in our lives, we may doubt in God, and we may want to give up, but there is always a way out. Because God’s love for us never changes.
Paul wrote in Romans 8:35-39, ‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ When we really know how much God loves us, and how important we are in the eyes of God, then nothing will stop us to move forward.
In Unity, Glorify the Name of God
Acts 13:1-5 says, ‘Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.’ Paul was learning together with other people, and after they were trained, he was sent out together with Barnabas. Later we know that Paul also served the church together with Silas and his spiritual son, Timothy.
In Paul’s life, he spent a lot of time serving with other brothers and sisters, in his letters, we also see a lot of greetings to the brothers and sisters in church. Paul’s journey to build the churches was not easy, he had to walk a long way, travel by the land and by the sea. He was willing to work together with others in unity, so the Gospel could be preached. Paul was zealous to preach and teacher the people at the time, and he also left many letters, which become the Word of God for us eve today. Paul was willing to humble himself, to serve together with other brothers and sisters, and at the end, to glorify the Name of the Lord.
Paul wrote in II Corinthians 4:17, ‘For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.’ He really believed in it, and he had done it; from the time he was called by God, he lived a life glorified God. When we are called by God, we must also learn from Paul, to live a life of the resurrected Jesus.
Pastor Kathy Poon
Saul was also called Paul. The name, Saul, meant to deal with the flesh and become 100% obedient to the law of Moses. The name Paul is his name in Greek, and Paul was preaching to the Gentiles, therefore he wanted people to call him by the Greek name. He also wanted to stop striving for righteousness through law but through faith. When we continue to follow and never give up, seek then we will find, knock and the door will be opened to us.
Rev Daniel Poon
We need to have the relationship with God, and we also need the Word of God. The teaching from the Word of God will guide us the way, without the teaching, people will go astray. To become like Paul, we must hold onto the Word of God. God is a merciful and righteous God; He continues to call us to turn back. Before we become lost and before we become corrupted, God will speak to us with the truth. Jesus also spoke to us with the truth, so we also should speak to others with the truth. When people come to us with their problems, we don’t need to make decisions for them, but we should give them the Word of God.
Paul and Barnabas had different opinions about Mark. Paul could not take Mark because he ran away, but Barnabas was willing to give Mark a second chance. Paul and Barnabas went separate ways because of Mark, who decided to turn back to God. At the end, Mark wrote one of the four Books of Gospel. No matter how our lives were in the past, Jesus already died for us, He shed His blood for us because He loved us. Therefore, let us return to God, let Him change our lives and be renewed by Him. Let go of the past, and believe Jesus already saved us. Have the heart of Mark and see the New Covenant established by Jesus. The old has gone and new has come.
主日信息 – 2022年7月24日
#保罗的马可楼
*Sonia姐妹分享：
写出“爱的真谛”篇章的使徒保罗在信主前是一个敌基督的人，但当他经历了他的马可楼之后，生命经历了翻转。
一: 瞎眼睁开，立刻回转
使徒行传: 9章V1-18
保罗（那时还被称为扫罗）原本不相信耶稣是弥赛亚，于是热心要迫害信基督的人。在他带着大祭司的书信要去往大马士革捉拿基督徒途中，突然被神光照，又听见耶稣亲自对他说话，这就是保罗蒙召信耶稣的过程。我们每个人蒙召信主的过程或许不一样，也可能一直在给亲朋好友传福音，只是他们还未信主。但不要灰心，持续为他们祷告，耶稣会亲自呼召他们。保罗之前逼迫的是基督徒而不是耶稣本人，但耶稣却责问他“你为什么逼迫我？”（9:4）。这说明不管我们经历什么，耶稣都与我们同在，因我们是属于神的，神会为我们出手。
保罗被光照之后，眼睛看不见，三天禁食祷告，神就派亚拿尼亚来为他祷告，使保罗瞎眼得看见，“于是起来受了洗”（9:18）。保罗在经历神后立刻回转归入主的门下，从原本迫害基督成为热心传福音的人。我们也受洗信主、经历神迹，是否愿意像保罗一样谦卑回转呢？求神挪去我们眼睛一切的蒙蔽，更多来到神面前认罪悔改。圣经应许我们，我们若认我们的罪，神是信实的，必要洗净我们一切的不义。
二:跟随到底, 见证真道
使徒行传: 9章V19-30
受洗后的保罗与大马士革的门徒一起同住、祷告，正如当初在马可楼同心合意祷告的门徒那样。保罗满有圣灵的能力，就开始到处为主作见证。我们在马可楼的阶段，渴望更多与神连结，生命被改变，恢复神起初创造我们的样式，以致我们可以生命影响生命，像保罗一样。
保罗在犹太人面前为耶稣作见证，但他们不相信保罗，甚至商议要杀害他。保罗在传道的过程中面临很大的逼迫，但他坚持到底，因为他知道自己的身份，他是属神的。我们生命中可能也会经过很多苦难，有高山有低谷，这时我们会怀疑神、会想放弃吗？保罗在这样的景况下仍然“放胆传道”，我们也要效法他。无论发生什么事，我们要相信，神对我们的爱不改变（罗马书8:35-39），我们属于耶稣基督的这个身份也是不改变的，求神帮助我们能够像保罗一样跟随神到底、传讲真道。
三:同心合意, 荣耀主名
使徒行传: 13章V1-5
保罗在安提阿的教会与弟兄姐妹一起学习、同心合意的祷告，之后就被圣灵差遣去传福音。保罗在传道的过程中不是孤身一人，而是受教会的差遣与不同的弟兄姐妹同工，包括巴拿巴、西拉、提摩太和约翰，他们都是同心合意作主的工。在宣教的过程中，他们的旅途十分艰难，因为当时行路跨海的交通非常不便。然而保罗没有放弃，仍与弟兄姐妹同心传道。保罗不仅热心传道，也留下了宝贵的书信，有十三卷书成为新约的一部分，直到如今仍然牧养我们的生命。
保罗经历马可楼、生命得翻转之后，就谦卑跟随教会、与弟兄姐妹同心合意的服事，最终荣耀神的名。神选召他为要让他在外邦人和君王面前宣扬主的名（9:15），神的选召是不后悔的，虽然这个过程很艰辛，保罗为主的名经受了很多苦，但他轻看地上的这些苦难，因为看重天国永恒的祝福。我们信主的人是属于神的，让我们谦卑跟随耶稣，至终能像保罗所说的：“那美好的仗我已经打过了，当跑的路我已经跑尽了，所信的道我已经守住了”（提摩太后书 4:7 ）。
*Kathy 师母分享：
马可楼的季节是让我们明白耶稣是谁、我们是谁，明白我们为什么在这里。“扫罗”和“保罗”是同一个名字两个不同语言的翻译 – 扫罗是希伯来语，保罗是希腊文，扫罗在经历马可楼之后改称为保罗，因为他的呼召是对外邦人传福音，他不仅让人知道自己要对外邦人传讲神的话，也表明自己从原本靠遵行律法成义的扫罗变成因信称义的保罗。保罗曾跟其他犹太人一样不相信耶稣是弥赛亚，但在大马士革经历瞎眼得见之后，他真实的知道神是谁。神是使我们经历神迹奇事的、是丰盛的供应者、是信实的主。我们刚开始时候，可能会因为看到信主的人有很蒙福的生活就觉得信主很好。然而，无论我们当初信主的目的如何，跟随耶稣的原因又是如何，我们可能糊糊涂涂就信主了，但是只要我们持续的跟随，寻找的就必寻见，叩门的，神就为我们开门。当我们更多谦卑跟随、持续参加晨祷，才会从原来的错误中醒悟过来。凡出与神的，一定会长长久久，但若不是出与神的，终将被摧毁。神的意念高过我们的意念，神的道路高过我们的道路。我们或许还没有完全清楚前面的路，但我们只要紧紧抓住神的话，持续跟随他，就能从糊糊涂涂的开始走向清清楚楚的未来。Sonia的生命见证最感人的地方不是因为她已经得着，而是她没有放弃跟随神，正如林后 4:17所说，“我们这至暂至轻的苦楚，要为我们成就极重无比永远的荣耀”。
*锡安牧师分享：
在教会，我们除了有关系，还要有神话语的教导，这正是我们为什么一定要有晨祷。神有怜悯，他也是公义的。神不会让人执迷不悟。在人堕落之前，神会对我们说真理。我们不用为别人做什么决定，只要将神的话语教导他们，让人从话语中得到方向。这就是生命树的气息。