A Community of Truth and Grace
A Community of Truth and Grace
- Greg Waybright
- Acts 6:1
- The Breakthrough
- 39 mins 37 secs
- Views: 1195
Pastor's Letter
A Community of Truth & Grace - Week 11
One of the most career-shaping meetings of my life happened when I first became president of Trinity International University in Deerfield, IL. It happened when I met with all of the student leaders of all of our schools and campuses. I had sent them one question for our discussion together:
One of the most career-shaping meetings of my life happened when I first became president of Trinity International University in Deerfield, IL. It happened when I met with all of the student leaders of all of our schools and campuses. I had sent them one question for our discussion together:
“What is the most important thing you want me to know about educating the lives of people in your generation?”
I was a bit surprised to discover that they had met as a group before coming in to see me. The consequence of this was that they were unanimous about what they wanted me to hear. They told me, “The education we value is education that happens in community. Our generation does not simply want to be given cognitive knowledge that we must regurgitate. We want our lives to be shaped in a growing and health-giving community.”
I made a list of the kinds of things the student leaders said should happen in this kind of educational community. Among their comments were these:
$· Centered in the lordship of Christ,
$· Providing the kind of knowledge and skills that will be a catalyst for lifelong learning,
$· Permeated by grace—meaning that the community would not give up on them when they fail,
$· Characterized by accountability—students must be held accountable to become more than they are at the present,
$· Concerned about the whole of their lives—mind, emotions, spirit, body…
$· Facilitating life-on-life education.
I remember thinking, “This is the kind of community all people long to be a part of.” And that student meeting came back to my mind as I came to one of several summaries of the early church community found in Acts 2–6. I read with new eyes what the author (Luke) said about the early church. He told us that they were
$· An unselfish, generous community – Everyone was willing to give and share so that “there were no needy persons among them” (4:34)
$· A diverse but unified community – “All the believers were together and had everything in common…” (2:44)
$· A joy-filled worshipping community – “They ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God…” (2:46–47)
$· A transparent and honest community – See the awe-provoking story in 5:1–11.
$· A compassionate community – Notice how the community became nimble and made changes so that the widows among them would be cared for in 6:1–7.
The student leaders seemed to long for that kind of community. I do too. How about you?
To His Glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor
Study Notes
A Community of Truth & Grace - Week 11 - Study Notes
English
A COMMUNITY OF TRUTH & LOVE
ACTS 5:1-11, 6:1-7
I'll take you today to two snapshots of the early church as we read about it in Acts. On first glance, you may think that these two things cannot be true of the same community. In the eyes of our world, they seem to be absolutely contradictory. They are not.
Watch the video of Acts 5:1-11 and then read Acts 6:1-7.
What we see in these two sets of scripture is that a church community in which God rules must be a community 1) of truth and 2) of compassion. Not one or the other – but both/and. Let's look at them.
#1: A Community of Truth (5:1-11)
The episode of Ananias and Sapphira has often frightened churchgoers – and so it should. In the passage recorded just before this story, a man called Joseph had seen there were needs in the church community and had sold one of his fields to help meet the needs. Apparently, this had brought about a lot of gratitude from within the community toward him so the people called him "Barnabas", i.e., the son of encouragement.
Possibly hoping that they too would get some acclaim if they were made a contribution, this married couple sold a piece of their property and intentionally plotted to deceive the church by bringing only a part of the proceeds but saying they were bringing it all to the church. And, as we saw in the video clip, it led to their death. We know that God did not always judge deception this quickly or with such finality. Even the Apostle Peter, who was called upon to administer discipline in this situation, is a man who not so long before had been a deceiver himself. A few months before, Peter had firmly told a group of people, "I did not know this Jesus" as Jesus was dying on the cross. So, what's going on in Acts 5 with this judgment?
There are two other occasions in the Bible which deception is judged severely, both at the beginnings of a new work of God. The first is in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and intentionally plotted to deceive him by hiding in the bushes. The result was that they were banished from his immediate presence and death began in human experience. The second time in the Bible God judged dishonesty quickly was in the story of Achan when Israel was first being established in the Promised Land. In Joshua 7, we learn that a man named Achan pillaged gold, silver and a costly garment and then hid what he had done from the community. The result of this was also judgment ending in death.
When we look at these three out-of-the-ordinary times of God judging severely, we see that each was a time in which God is laying a foundation of values that are to shape the future of his people. Essential among them is that a community that bears the name of God is to be a community of honesty, transparency and integrity. God is a God of truth. Jesus identifies himself as being the truth. Jesus insisted that truth sets free. So, as God's work is being established in this new church in Acts 5, it could not go forward without acts of dishonesty and deception being judged.
From this, there are several points that I want you to remember:
1. God has promised to judge dishonesty and deceit. In these three cases, he did it more quickly and immediately than usual. But, be assured of this: The holy God of truth will not be mocked. Whatever we sow will be reaped. The command to be utterly truthful is in the Ten Commandments and this episode graphically declares to us that transparency and truthfulness of central importance to the God whose church we are. Thanks be to him – God is almost always longsuffering. But deception that is not confessed will result in judgment. Jesus bore the punishment that we deserve for our sin – but we must open up those parts in our lives that we are hiding, confess them to him, turn from them, and then walk in truth.
2. One of the surest signs that you can look for in your life is whether there is something that you are hiding. If you are hiding something about your finances that you cannot bring out into the open, you probably are in danger. If you have a relationship with someone that you are hiding from others, you need to beware. If there are websites you go to that you must find a way to hide from those close to you, you need to turn from that and live in truth. Adam and Eve, Achan, and Ananias and Sapphira were in trouble when they were hiding things. Let us learn from them.
3. The main lesson from Acts 5 is that we must be a community that teaches the truth as found in God's Word and then calls people to live lives of truth consistent with Scripture. I tell you this: That kind of honest community is a trustworthy community. Truth sets free! But hiding things separate us from one another. We need to take the teaching of the truth and the living of the truth as seriously as did the early church.
Some people are shocked by v.11: "Great fear seized the whole church..." Let me tell you that, although many kinds of fear are damaging and debilitating, some fears are life-giving. It's healthy for me to fear sticking my hand in a hot fire. It keeps me from self-destruction. I find that it's healthy for me when I fear deceiving or dishonoring someone I love. I really do not want to dishonor my wife Chris... or my children... or you as those I love in my church family. And the Bible says that the bottom line in this is a foundational verse for all of life: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 9:10)." When we seek to please God, we will be people of integrity because God values integrity. When we fear him, there is nothing else in this entire world to fear.
And the kind of transparency and commitment to truth demanded in Acts 5:1-11 is a big part of what made a beautiful episode in Acts 6 possible. This community of truth then had the possibility to be a community of compassion.
#2: A Community of Compassion (6:1-7)
In Acts 4:34, the Bible tells us that "there were no needy persons among them" in the church. But, by Acts 6, there were needy persons there. It wasn't that the resources in the church were insufficient to meet needs. And, it even seems that there was a heart of generosity among the people that led them to give when they knew about needs. So, what was the problem? I think it may have been two-fold: 1) the spiritual leadership probably didn't know about a group in the church that was hurting. 2) They were not structured to be able to meet the needs. The leadership was called to study the Word, to teach the truth, to spend time with God in prayer, and to make sure the community was living according to God's Word as they did in Acts 5.
Do you see how it might have happened that the deep needs of one group went unmet? The Jerusalem church had grown very quickly to become a church almost exactly the same size as Lake Avenue Church (when we add all those who are here in worship, adult classes, children's ministry, student ministry and Commuidad). And, as we've seen from Acts 2 and on, this church in Jerusalem was quite diverse.
So, let me try to put together for you what I see:
* The Aramaic speaking majority leaders (it was in Jerusalem with the apostles all being ethnic Jews and culturally/linguistically Aramaic) almost surely were not even aware of the needs of this growing group of Greek speaking believers who were so culturally different from them. They may not have even been aware of the needs because their life-experience and close relational circles would not have included this group. Widows were one of three groups marginalized and uncared for in much of the 1st century world – the others being orphans and immigrants. But, the apostles probably hadn't heard that their needs were not being met.
Why do I say this? These needy widows were Jewish but they were culturally very different from the majority group in the early church. Like 2nd or 3rd generation immigrants to America, these women had become culturally more Greek than they were Hebrew. It would have been very much like the situation of many people here in the San Gabriel Valley and in our church. These women looked Jewish, were Jewish by heritage, but they thought culturally like the larger Greek world in which they lived. By Acts 6, they had become a part of the church. That meant that they were sisters in Christ just as much as the Aramaic speaking people were in this local gathering of God's family in Jerusalem. And these widows had a need. What would they do? Would they keep the need to themselves? Would they be open about it and seek help?
* The Hebrew-speaking apostles had a calling from God that was all-consuming. They simply had to teach the Word. That was God's call upon them. That's what the church needed them to do too. Teaching the Word and making sure people lived in accordance to it was absolutely essential to the body. The apostles were the ones called and gifted to focus on this. And, let me add this, in their Jewish culture, the "priests" did all of this in their synagogues -- teaching, caring, settling problems, etc. But, by Acts 6, the church had become so big that they could not do it all. If a church was to be a community both of truth and compassion, how could they possibly be both? Truth and compassion were both non-negotiables if the church was going to reflect who God is to the world. I contend they still are.
* It would have killed the church if they had said, "Well we can't do everything so this is what we do and the way we do it. If it doesn't fit them, then they can go elsewhere." (I see that spirit in many large churches in our world) No, they said this: "To be a community in which God rules, we must teach the truth (and call people to live by it) and care for the needs of those who come to our body. If we expect the apostles to oversee the compassion, they will get worn out, their teaching ministry will suffer, and we will all hurt. But, teaching must flow into us being a community of compassion. Doing what we're doing now the way we're doing it now won't get us where God would have us be. How do we address both of these issues?"
* The early church was guided by the conviction that, if they were to please God, they had to both teach the truth and be a community of compassion. They were nimble enough to find a way to be both. The fear of displeasing the Lord by failing to reflect either his truth or his compassion was the beginning of a wise act. What they did to bridge the cultural gap surely was not easy but they knew that their church was God's church. They would have to make changes in order to please God.
* The solution was to become a community of people serving people. The word used for the early church's compassion ministry in 6:2 speaks of people who serve. It's people who "deacon" (that's the word here) one another. One of the trademarks of a compassionate church is that all people in that church serve to meet the needs of others. And that's what begins to develop in Acts 6;
Notice that it demanded an administrative change. The apostles had to give up some of their authority to empower others to serve. And, they needed godly people to focus on/coordinate/be held accountable for compassion reaching all its people – and that included the fact that they had to steward the benevolence funds. The apostles had previously done all of this. These people who gave leadership to the compassion ministry needed to have among them godly leaders who did life with the Greek-speaking community. (All the names of those who were made "deacons" were Greek names.)
As I read the it in Acts 6, all people in the church are to "serve" -- but a church simply must have a godly group identified to administrate the compassionate serving. I think we have so much to learn from the early church in this. Don't you? We too are a large and diverse community. Right now, we have ways of identifying needs – like asking you to come and share and pray with us after the services. We also have many small groups in the church where needs might be identified and met. But, as our community changes and new people join us, we may need to be as nimble as the early church was and make some changes so we can be sure to identify needs and be a community of compassion.
The few leaders in the early church could not do all the caring needed. And the same is true here at LAC. I want us to be a community centered in Jesus that teaches the truth of God's Word faithfully AND develops a culture of compassion. I know this would bring joy to our Heavenly Father.
Let me tell you the rest of the story. This "truth with compassion" shaped the church and made it different from the world around. The world saw things different in the life of the church from the rest of the world. A part of that difference was that people actually began to living out the truth they heard taught each week. Christians' marriages were stronger. Families were closer. Allegiance to God's truth made them bold – bold enough even to give their lives to further the truth of God.
And, at the same time, they were compassionate – both to one another and to those in their local neighborhoods. Listen to the words of sociologist Rodney Stark:
In the midst of the squalor, misery, illness, and anonymity of ancient cities, Christianity provided an island of mercy and security. Foremost was the Christian duty to alleviate want and suffering. It started with Jesus: "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me... . . .. Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me" (Matt. 25:35–36, 40)
In contrast, in the pagan world, and especially among the philosophers, mercy was regarded as a character defect and pity as a pathological emotion: because mercy involves providing unearned help or relief... This was the moral climate in which Christianity taught that mercy is one of the primary virtues—that a merciful God requires humans to be merciful. Moreover, the corollary that because God loves humanity, Christians may not please God unless they love one another was even more incompatible with pagan convictions...
And note this:
These charitable activities were possible only because Christianity generated congregations, true communities of believers who built their lives around their religious affiliation. And it was this, above all else, that insulated Christians from the many deprivations of ancient life. Even if they were newcomers, they were not strangers, but brothers and sisters in Christ. When calamities struck, there were people who cared—in fact, there were people having the distinct responsibility to care! All congregations had deacons whose primary job was the support of the sick, infirm, poor, and disabled.
From Rodney Stark's The Triumph of Christianity, 2011
I love Acts 6:7. It starts with "so". This decision that facilitated the teaching of the Word and the compassion of Christ led to Jewish priests becoming "obedient to the faith". (Isn't that a wonderful way of talking about becoming a Christian!) The implication: The priest who had to be both teachers and server of needs saw a community of servants -- all committed to serving the needs within the body -- and they saw it was good. They were drawn to it.
What do I want you to do? Many things. But, perhaps I can offer two applications:
1. Find a place to serve – When you serve, you are brought into relationship with people and you begin to see how you can make a difference in their lives. And they will make a difference in yours too! One place readily available right now is our upcoming Vacation Bible School. We have hundreds of children wanting to come and we need lots of us to serve them. It's only for a week. It will give you a chance to begin to serve and see how God has equipped you for service. We'll have people out by the student Center ready to talk with you and to help you find a place to begin to serve.
2. Get to know the people seated around you. When you do, be a person of truth. If you are in a place of great need today, you've got to let those around you know. (That's not easy for some of us – but transparency and truth are necessary if we will develop a culture of compassion.) And, be open to serve those around you. We all have different needs. I believe God has given us all the resources required to meet all the needs of this family. But the compassion cannot be done by a few. We must become what God says he has brought us into being to be, i.e., a group of people who serve people as God has served us.
With God's help, we will grow more and more to be a community of truth – and love... to His glory.
To His glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor
Chinese
真理與愛的團體
6/23/2013
《使徒行傳》5:1-11;6:1-7
今天,當我們學習《使徒行傳》時,我將帶大家看一看初期教會的兩件事。首先,你可以思想這兩件事不會在一個團體裡兼容。在我們的世界看來,它們之間是絕對衝突的。但事實並非如此。 (播放《使徒行傳》5:1-11的視頻,然後我會朗讀6:1-7。) 我們在這兩段視頻中可以看到,一個由神掌管的教會團體必須是:1)真理的團體2)有憐憫心的團體。不能取其一而行之,而必須兩者兼顧。讓我們來看看這兩個事情:
#1:真理的團體 (5:1-11) 亞拿尼亞和撒非喇的片斷常令來教會的人感到懼怕——應該這樣。在這個故事發生之前,一個叫約瑟的人看見教會團體有需要,於是賣了自己的田產來滿足這些需要。顯然,這使教會內部對他充滿感激,因此,人們稱他為“巴拿巴”,就是勸慰之子。 可能亞拿尼亞和撒非喇這對夫婦也希望通過奉獻得到稱讚,他們就賣了一塊田產,但卻試圖欺騙教會。他們只拿出了一部分收入,卻說是全部收入。當我們觀看視頻片斷時,我們看到他們的這種做法導致了自己的死亡。我們知道,神不總是如此迅速地用這種方式來審判欺騙者。使徒彼得,被呼召來執行處罰,但在不久前他自己也是一個欺騙者。幾個月前,在耶穌被釘在十字架前,彼得堅決地告訴一群人:“我不認識這個耶穌。”那麼,如何來理解《使徒行傳》5章的審判? 聖經中還有另外兩個欺騙受到了嚴厲的審判,都發生在神的新工作的開始階段。第一個是在《創世記》3章,當亞當和夏娃悖逆神後,他們藏在灌木叢中試圖欺騙神。結果是他們從神面前被驅逐,人類開始經歷死亡。神快速審判的第二個不忠誠是聖經中亞幹的故事。那時以色列人剛剛進入應許之地。在《約書亞》7章,我們知道一個叫亞幹的人,搶奪了金子、銀子和貴重的衣物,把這些藏了起來。這也導致了他的死亡。 當我們看到這三個不尋常的、神實行嚴厲審判的事件,會發現在每一個事件中,神都是為了要塑造祂百姓的未來。而最根本的就是,一個尊重神的名的團體必須是一個誠實、透明、正直的團體。神是真理的神。耶穌說祂就是真理。耶穌堅持稱真理讓人得自由。在《使徒行傳》5章,當神的工作在這個新教會被建立起來的時候,如果不忠誠和欺騙沒有受到審判,教會是不能前進的。 通過這個,我希望大家記住以下幾點: 1.神應許審判不忠誠和欺騙。在這三個案例中,神的審判如此迅速,非同尋常。但是,我們要相信:真理、聖潔的神不會被愚弄。我們種什麼就收什麼。十誡中有要求完全誠實的命令,這個片斷生動地向我們表明,在神的教會中,透明和誠實是最重要的。感謝神——祂長久忍耐。但是,不承認欺騙會導致審判。耶穌因我們的罪受刑罰——但我們必須敞開隱藏的生命,向神認罪,從罪轉離,進入真理。 2.你能在生命中尋找的確據之一就是:你是否在隱藏某種東西。如果你正在隱藏你不願公開的財產,你可能處在危險之中。如果你和某人有聯繫,但你不願讓其他人知道,你要當心。如果你流覽的某些網站不願意讓身邊的人知道,你需要離開它們,誠實地生活。亞當和夏娃、亞幹以及亞拿尼亞和撒非喇,當他們隱藏某種東西的時候,就都身處險境。我們要從中吸取教訓。 3.使徒行傳5章的要點是我們的團體要成為教導神的真理的地方,這真理是在神話語上紮根,並呼召人們過一個與聖經教導相一致的生活。我說:這樣誠實的團體是個信實的團體。真理使人得自由!但是隱藏的事使人與人隔離。我們要象初代教會一樣認真對待真理的教導,活出一個真理的生活。 有些人對11節甚感驚懼:"全教會的人都甚懼怕、、、"雖然人諸多懼怕具有破壞性, 傷元氣,但是有種懼怕卻具有生命力。對我來說害怕玩火自焚是健康的。可以避免自我毀滅。我發現欺騙,以及對我愛的人不忠,心存懼怕是健康的。我真是不想對我的太太 Chris 不忠...或是對我的孩子們... 或是你們這些我愛的教會家庭。聖經說一切生命最根基的經文,它的底線在於:"敬畏耶和華是智慧的開端( 箴言書9:10)" 我們尋求討神的喜悅時,成為正直的人,因為神看正直為寶貴。人敬畏神,在這世界就再也沒有什麼可懼怕的了。 使徒行傳5:1-11 要求的這種對真理的透明和委身,其中一大部分使6 章這一段成為美好。充滿真理的團體才有可能使團體对人充满愛和關懷。
#2: 一個充满愛的團體( 6:1-7) 在使徒行传4:34 圣经告诉我们教会"内中也没有一个缺乏的" 。但是使徒行传6章, 这里有缺乏的人。而且看起来其中有慷慨的人帶領他们来照顾有缺乏的人。那么,問題在哪呢?我想有两层意思-1)属灵领袖可能不知道教会中有部分肢体受苦。2)他们的結構可能缺乏供应这些需要。领袖被呼召来学習神的话,教导真理,花時間与神祷告等事奉上,保证團體的生活合乎神的话语,如同使徒行传5章所行的。 你看到没有可能发生什么样的事?可能有一群人的需要无法得到满足?耶路撒冷的教会成长迅速,很快成为如同湖边教会这样大小的教会( 所有参加敬拜的,主日学,儿童事工,学生事工等等加起来的总数)而且从使徒行传2章中,耶路撒冷的教会充满多元化。 讓我拼凑一起来看: * 說亞拉姆语的占多数的领袖(在耶路撒冷的使徒们都是猶太族裔,文化語言是亞拉姆語)很可能是沒有意識到說希臘語系成長迅速的一群信徒,他們在文化上大為不同)他們甚至沒有覺察到在文化上和圈內的關係未納入這一群人。几近第一世紀,寡婦就是這三組人中被邊緣化,不被关注的一群人-其他的有孤儿和移民们。但是使徒们也许没有聽聞他们的需要未能得到帮助。 这些贫困的寡妇是犹太人,但是他们的文化与初代教会的多数迥然不同。如同北美第二代和第三代的移民,比起希伯来文化,这些妇女越来越被希腊文化所同化。这跟我们教会中圣盖博谷这里的许多人很象。这些妇女看上去象是犹太人, 犹太后裔,但是他们的文化近乎生活所在的大希腊世界。到了使徒行传6章,他们已经成为教会的一部分。也就是说他们是基督里的姊妹们,如同說亞拉姆语的人一样,他们在当地聚集敬拜,是耶路撒冷神的家中的一群人。这些寡妇有缺乏。他们怎样做?他们不对人言说,还是敞开寻求帮助? * 說亞拉姆語的使徒们將精力都投在神的呼召上,他們就只是教導神的話。那是神對他們的呼召。也是教會需要他們做的。教導神的話語,確保人們按照所教導的去生活對神的家是絕對重要的。使徒是那些被呼召,也是在恩賜上要注重投入的。我加一句,在猶太人的文化中,"祭司"在會堂中包攬一切-教導,關懷,平事等等。但是,到使徒行傳6章,教會越來越大,他們無法做儘一切。如果教會要成為一個兼具真理和關懷的團體,要怎樣才能兼具二者呢?如果教會要反映神對這個世界的形象。真理和關愛這兩者是不可或缺的。 我敢說今天也是一樣。 * 如果他們如下回答就沒有今天的教會了,"我們不能什麼都做,這就是我們做的事,就是這樣的做法。如果他們覺得不合適,那他們可以去別處呀。"(我看我們的世界中許多大教會就是這樣的精神)不是的,他們這樣說:"為了要成為神掌管的團體,我們必須要教導神的真理(並呼召人們以此來生活)同時關懷那些來到我們教會的人的需要。如果我們期待使徒兼管關懷,他們就會精疲力盡,他們的教導宣教也會打折扣,我們都要受損。但是教導必須流出我們的內心,成為一個充滿憐憫和愛的團體。一成不變按部就班無法叫我們去到按照神要帶我們去的地方。我們如何面對這兩方面的問題? * 初代教會被信念所帶領,也就是如果他們要討神的喜悅, 就必須兼顧教導神的真理和成為一個充滿關愛的團體。他們靈活找出一條路來兼顧兩者。敬畏神,懼怕他們如果沒有反映神的真理和愛使神不喜悅是智慧行為的開端。他們做的是搭架文化差距的橋樑,當然不容易,但是他們知道教會是神的教會。他們必須要改變來討神的喜悅。 *解決的方法是成為一個服務人的團體。初代教會用的指關懷事工的是在6:2 講到服事的人。是彼此"執事"(這裡用的字)的人。一個關懷人的教會的特徵就是所有在教會的人都參與服事別人的需要。這就是使徒行傳6章起始展開的。 注意這需要行政的改變。使徒們必須放棄他們部分的主權,好授權其他人來事奉。他們需要敬虔的人來專門統籌安排,並且彼此為關懷事工可以惠及人民而相互守望--這也包括他們要管理慈善基金的事實。使徒們從前做過。這些來管理關懷事工的領袖必須是敬虔的領袖,在說希臘語的社區中間做生命的服事。(所有這些稱為"執事"的人的名字都是希臘人名) 我念使徒行傳6章,看到教會裡所有的人都在"事奉"-教會要做的只是要確認的一些敬虔的人來管理關懷事工。我想我們要象初代教會學習的實在太多。你說呢?我們也是一個多元的大教會。我們現在就有辦法來認同一些需要-比如你問一些來到教會的人分享他們的需要,聚會後和他們一起禱告的時候就會知道。但是,當我們的團體做了一些改變,有新人到我們的中間時,我們就需要和初代教會一樣的靈活地調整來認同社區關懷的一些需要。 初代教會的一些領袖不能涵蓋所有關懷的需求。今天湖邊教會也是一樣。我要我們成為一個以耶穌為中心的教會,信實教導神的真理,同時開展文化關懷。我心深知,如此行將給我們天父帶來喜樂。 讓我告訴你剩下的故事。這"真理和愛"塑造教會,使之和整個世界分別不同。世人看到教會中的生活和世界的其它不同。不同的在於,在現實生活中他們開始活出每週聽到的所教導的真理。基督徒的婚姻更加堅固。家庭更加親近。對神真理的忠心使他們有勇敢的心-勇敢到奉獻他們的生命使神的真理可以得以張開祂的帳幕。 同時,他們充滿了愛-對彼此的愛,對那些鄰舍的愛。請聽社會學家 Rodney Stark 的一段話: 身處社會的污穢,苦難,病痛,和古代社會的匿名性質下,基督教提供了一個憐憫和安全的島嶼。基督徒的責任首先是排憂解難。從耶穌開始:“我飢餓時你們給我食物,我乾渴時你們給我水喝,我是陌生人時你們歡迎我…我真實地告訴你們,你們若這樣對待你們當中最小的弟兄,就是做在我身上。”(太25:35-36, 40) 相反,在這個外邦不信的世界,特別是在哲學家眼中,憐憫總與性格缺陷相連,而悲天憫人則是不正常的情感:因為憐憫向人們提供不相稱的幫助與救助,有不勞而獲之嫌…就是在這樣的道德氛圍中,基督的教導乃是:憐憫是基督徒的第一要質,神要求人要憐憫恩慈,因為祂是憐憫恩慈的神。神愛世人,基督徒只有彼此相愛才是神喜悅的。這個道理益發與不信的外邦世界不相匹配…… 應當注意: 只有當基督徒們形成會眾,一群真正委身信仰、並活出信仰的人們聚集在一起時,這樣的公益事業才能付諸現實。正因為此,超出一切之上,這些基督徒得以從古代社會的諸多剝奪中築起一道屏障。即便他們是新人,也并非“路人”,而是同在基督裡的弟兄姊妹。當災難來襲,他們就是實施關愛的人—事實上,他們負有很獨特的關懷的責任。每個教會都有執事,他們的首要職責就是關懷那些疾病纏身、身體虛弱、貧窮與殘疾的人們。
摘自Rodney Stark的基督徒的號角,2011 我喜愛使徒行傳6:7。它由“所以”開始。神的話語以及基督的愛促進了這一決定,使得猶太人的祭司得以“在信心上順服”。( 談到成為基督徒,你說這是不是很奇妙的方法?)含意是: 身兼教導與服事雙重責任的祭司看見團體一群服事的人—他們都委身於服事教會肢體的需要—他們看見這是美好的。並且樂於事奉。他們是志願的。 我要你们做什麼呢?很多都可以做。也許我可以提出兩條加以應用: 1.尋找一個服事的崗位—當你服事的時候,你開始進入他人的生命,你開始看到自己參與改變他們的生命。而這也將改變你的生命!即將開始的暑假聖經學校正虛位以待。將有幾百學生來教會,屆時將需要許多人參與服事,只需要一周時間。這是你開始服事的好機會,你會看到神怎樣裝備你。在外面學生中心旁会有人願意與你交談,幫助你找到開始服事的位置。 2.认识坐在你旁边的人。你这样做的时候,带着真心。如果你自己今日正面临極大的需要,讓你周围的人知道。(這對某些人而言並非易事—如果我們希望醞釀一個爱的氛圍,透明與真實就是必須的。)並且,以开放的心来服事你周圍的人。我們每一個人都有不同的需要。我相信神給我們足够的资源,足以供應家庭成員的需要。但是,關懷事工不是少數人的事。我們應當成為神說祂造我們時要我們成為的樣式。例如,就像神服事我們一樣,一群人來服事他人。 靠著神的幫助,我們將日漸成長為一個充滿真理與愛的大家庭…歸榮耀於神。
格雷格博士
主任牧師
Greg Waybright • Copyright 2013, Lake Avenue Church
Greg Waybright • Copyright 2013, Lake Avenue Church
Study Guide
A Community of Truth & Grace - Week 11 - Study Guide
A COMMUNITY OF TRUTH & GRACE
ACTS 5:1-11; 6:1-7
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Begin by reading the summaries of life in the early church found in Acts 2:42–47 and 4:32–37. Which characteristics of that church would you like to see in your own church? Why?
- Another essential and foundational characteristic God established in the early church is described in 5:1–11.
· Why do you think transparency and honesty were so important in the beginning days of the church?
· What were the main issues that led to such decisive action in this story?
· How do you think that this applies to the life of the church today?
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Read 6:1. This was the kind of problem that arises when we try to bring diverse cultures into one community. Describe it in your own words. What would be a parallel in a local church today?
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In 6:2, the church people agreed that those gifted to teach the Word needed to be set free to focus on that calling. How might that apply to churches today?
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The needs of the widows had to be met even as the Word had to be taught. What do you think of the solution described in 6:3–7? How do you think a large church (as they had become) was able to come to this kind of consensus?
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Putting together 5:1–11 and 6:1–7, we see that the church community was to be a fellowship committed to both truth and love. Is it possible to err in one direction or the other?
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What is the most important lesson for you from these passages?
2013 Study Series • Copyright © 2013, Lake Avenue Church