Sent With A Message Worth Dying For
Sent With A Message Worth Dying For
- Greg Waybright
- Acts 9:1
- The Breakthrough
- 42 mins 56 secs
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Pastor's Letter
Conversion - Week 14
Conversion:
From Middle English via Old French from Latin conversio(n-), 'turned around'
• Complete change in character, form, or function.
• A thoroughgoing turnaround of attitude, emotion, or viewpoint from one of indifference, disbelief, or antagonism to one of acceptance, faith, or enthusiastic support.
Conversion:
From Middle English via Old French from Latin conversio(n-), 'turned around'
• Complete change in character, form, or function.
• A thoroughgoing turnaround of attitude, emotion, or viewpoint from one of indifference, disbelief, or antagonism to one of acceptance, faith, or enthusiastic support.
This week we will talk about an experience Christians have called "conversion". When we do, we usually talk about how our lives were once headed in one direction, usually directed by our own selves or by the expectations of others, to turning around completely and following Jesus by obeying his teaching and his ways. The Apostle Paul stated it as clearly as anyone ever has. In 2 Corinthians 5:15 he said that, when we place our faith in Jesus, "we no longer live for ourselves but for him who died and rose again."
Of course, there still are a number of people who believe we cannot change. Ever since Sigmund Freud said that personality is fixed at the age of six, people have argued that human beings establish traits and directions of life that are intractable. And, most of us know that we do not change our ways all that easily. I've always liked the way Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn put it, "Human nature changes not much faster than the geological formations of the earth." I've lived long enough to know that he was generally correct in that assessment.
All this brings us to one of the main reasons I continue to be an enthusiastic Jesus-follower. The heart of the Christian message is that the one through whom the geological formations of the earth were made entered his own fallen and imperfect creation in order to re-create. According to the Bible, tomorrow does not have to be the same as yesterday because Jesus is ready to forgive our pasts, enter our lives, and begin his beautiful work of remaking us. The Apostle Paul, who considered himself to be the worst of all sinners, declared that he had found hope – indeed, that all people have hope -- for a better future, because, as he wrote in 2 Cor 5:17, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone. The new has come!"
In Acts 9, we see how Paul's personal life was turned around. It was a rather eye-opening experience. Paul's transformation was so thoroughgoing and radical that his story is told at least five times in the New Testament. It was a conversion. And, Paul was not the only one who experienced conversion. Millions of similar stories have been told. (My own life is one of those stories.)
To His Glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor
Study Notes
Conversion - Week 14 - Study Notes
English
Conversion
ACTS 9:1-31
We are focusing today on the possibility of people changing – on people's lives being completely turned around. (Do you think that is possible?) This is one of the parts of the Christian faith that has been most attractive to people throughout the centuries. We declare that God knows about where we have messed up and loves us anyway. And, God has found a way to forgive our sins and make us right with him. Just as much, God is ready and able to make transform our thoughts, attitudes and behavior. Yes, there is hope for me – and for you – according to God. And that is good news! Your life can move in a new and altogether better way today because of Jesus.
We call it conversion. When we use that word in church, we mean that our lives were once headed in one direction, usually directed by our own desires or by the expectations of others – and then we turn around completely to follow Jesus. That means we choose to obey his teaching and his ways.
Of course, there still are a number of people in our world who believe we cannot change. Ever since Sigmund Freud said that personality is fixed at the age of five or six, people have argued that human beings establish traits and directions of life that are intractable. This conviction has led to a lot of damage in our world. Some use it as an excuse saying, "Well, what if I live in a certain way? That's just how I am. God made me this way." I've heard people excuse being destructively angry, relationally ungracious and even sexually immoral by saying, "Well that's how I am so it's OK."
But, of course, others have been plunged into despair thinking that either they or those they love cannot change. Maybe you feel that way today about yourself – or about your child – or about your spouse. I want to declare to you in this message that God has the power to turn things around in people's lives.
Today, we have heard a number of stories about peoples' lives being turned around in our church. And, as we come to our time in the Bible, we read the story of what may be the most famous conversion in history, i.e., that of the Apostle Paul. Some people are confused by the fact that our text calls him Saul – but that was his Jewish name. Paul was almost certainly his more public name. An, it's the appropriate name for the rest of his life because he was going to be the man who would carry the message of Jesus to the non-Jewish world. Paul's story is so significant that it's told three times in Acts (cf, Acts 22, 26). Note this: according to Paul's own testimony, his conversion ultimately was a complete redirecting of his will from his life being driven by his own desires to being led by Jesus. Hear his words in 2 Corinthians 5:15: when we place our faith in Jesus, "we no longer live for ourselves but for him who died and rose again."
Let's look at his story.
#1: The Convert – A person who really needed to change
In some of the strongest language used in the Bible, Luke tells us about the vehemence with which Paul hated Christians. Vv. 1-2: Saul, breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
Do you remember that Paul had been the man who had held the coats of those who had murdered young Stephen in Acts 7? You might think that he'd gotten his hatred out of his system by being an accomplice to that killing. But, no – contrary to some schools of therapy, simply venting your anger does not rid you of it. To the contrary, when we act in hatred, we soon find that the hatred grows. Here, Paul wanted more Christians to be incarcerated and to die.
But then, by vv. 20-21, this is what we read: Paul proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God." And all who heard him were amazed and said, "Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? The answer to their question is yes. Yes, this is the same man – but his life has been completely turned around. He has been converted.
And, this was not simply a short-term emotional religious experience for Paul. What we see in Acts 9 is the beginning of a complete re-direction of one man's life. Two of the most important points about true conversion are these: 1) our lives really change and 2) the change lasts. Jesus told a parable about this. When the seed of the Gospel comes into some lives, it seems to spring up with life at first but then is quickly choked out. The weeds and entanglements of that are still in that person's life do not allow for real growth. In those situations, there may be a quick emotional response in which a person says, "I'm saved!" on one day but then goes right back to the old ways on the next. Listen clearly: One way that you know that conversion is real is that you begin a "long journey in the same direction." Conversion is real – and it lasts. Let me tell you again: Your life can be different from what it is. Change is possible.
That's my first point: Paul was a man filled with self and with hatred. He needed to change. In that way, he was just like you and me. And, he was able to change. How did it happen?
#2: The Converter – A person knocked down and turned around by God
In 9:3, we read: As Paul went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
I want to make something clear right now, i.e., the way people are converted in this world is almost always different. Some conversions happen after years of looking into the faith while others are immediate. In some conversions, there is great emotion while others are as objective and rational as an engineering course. Some conversions are very public and filled with drama while others are quiet and private. Matt Barnes talked to me this week about "testimony envy", i.e., hearing of a dramatic turn from a life of evil toward God such as we see in Paul and then wishing my story was as exciting as his. Have you ever felt that way when you've heard another person's story? Note this: all conversion stories are different. But all have one element in common. People are converted when they meet and surrender to God – and the God they meet is the God who is.
Paul was literally knocked to the ground when he met God. What knocked him down? The light? The loud voice? I think he was knocked down by the truth. When Jesus spoke to him, Paul realized that what he had been living for was not true. The main thing he had to accept was that what he had believed about God was off base. Let me put it this way: Paul, as a conservative Jewish theologian, could never have imagined 1) that God could take on human form – 2) that God could be one and yet three – and 3) that God's Messiah could be crucified. That was not his God. In Acts 9:1-2, Paul was out to destroy "people of the way" (i.e., Christians) because they believed those things about God. And then he met the resurrected Jesus and he knew. He knew he had been wrong about God. Paul was turned around by the God who is!
This is not unlike Dr. Steve Cunningham who, after all his years of training in the sciences, was a convinced materialist believing miracles could not happen in this world. He was convinced of that until one day -- God did a miracle before his eyes. And, Steve had to re-think everything about this world.
We know that Paul had already heard Christians making claims about God's Messiah being crucified and then being resurrected from the grave. But, Paul had thought, "This cannot be true about the God I believe in." And then, Paul met the resurrected Jesus who had been crucified. Or – more correctly – Jesus met him! From that point on, things could never be the same for Paul.
So, listen carefully now. There are countless things I could talk about from this chapter in the Bible. But what I'm going to say now is the most important thing for me to address here in Southern California. When I ask people here in SoCal if they believe there is a God, many say something like, "Oh yes, I believe there may be a god. My god is a god of love. I'm a spiritual person. But my religion doesn't dictate morality or make demands of people."
But, learn today from Paul that your god may only be a construct of your own making. If God is, then God is as he is. If you make your own god, what you will make is a god who gives you your own way. But, a god of your own making will never contradict you. Your own created god will not change you.
Let me illustrate my point this way: If you know there is something wrong with you physically and you go to the doctor, a doctor who just wants you to feel good about yourself will say, "Oh, I think you're good as you are. Just keep doing what you really enjoy doing. Keep eating all the sweets you want, smoke 10 packs of cigarettes a day, move up from marijuana to cocaine. You'll love it!" I tell you: That kind of doctor won't help you. But, go to a good doctor who cares about you and she'll say, "I see in you the beginning stages of cancer and heart disease. Many of the things you're doing are making things worse. You have to change your ways or you'll die. I can help you, but you have to change!"
Well, here in SoCal, many people have constructed the kind of god who doesn't care whether we destroy ourselves. But, I tell you that that's not the who God is. God is and he is who he is! He loves you with an everlasting love. He loves you too much to let you keep destroying yourself. He is ready and able to save you but you must meet him as he is and surrender to him.
Dr. Julie Gorman told me this week that we've created a "cozy Jesus" who just wants us to be comfortable. But the Jesus Paul met in Acts 9 wasn't cozy. Paul met the resurrected Jesus and was knocked down and turned around by him. And that changed things. Paul surrendered to Jesus. When, in v.16, Paul would have to learn "how much he must suffer in Jesus' name", Paul simply said, "Lord." This is what happens when we meet Jesus as he is. We are converted from being followers of self to being followers of Jesus. When we meet him, we say, "Lord. What would you have me to do? How will you have me live?" And we will trust that his way is better than our way.
Have you met this God?
One of the best-known stories of conversion of the past century was that of CS Lewis. He was a committed and outspoken atheist while he taught at Oxford University. Then, God began surrounding him with Christians. Soon, Lewis began to re-think all that he had thought about God, about himself and about this world. Some of his testimony is found in his autobiography, Surprised by Joy. He wrote:
The odd thing was that before God closed in on me, I was in fact offered what now appears a moment of wholly free choice... I could open the door or keep it shut... I chose to open it... . I say "I chose," yet it did not really seem possible to do the opposite...For the first time I examined myself with a seriously practical purpose. And there within me I found what appalled me; a zoo of lusts, a bedlam of ambitions, a nursery of fears, a harem of fondled hatreds. My name was legion.
Lewis began to realize that God is – God is a God who knew him and came after him. The adversaries to this kind of God kept telling Lewis that God could not be like that. But, Lewis learned that this is exactly what God is like. He wrote:
My Adversary waived this point before me. But it sank into utter unimportance. God would not argue about it. He only said, "I am the Lord"; "I am that I am"; "I am." People who are naturally religious find difficulty in understanding the horror of such a revelation. Amiable agnostics will talk cheerfully about "man's search for God." To me, as I then was, they might as well have talked about the mouse's search for the cat. CS Lewis, Surprised by Joy
Here's the beautiful part: The fact that God wanted to rescue a passionate atheist like Lewis or a hate-filled anti-Christian like Paul tells us a lot about God. The fact that God took the initiative to save the least likely of people shouts out to us that we cannot pronounce anyone hopeless as far as conversion is concerned. Our prayer should be that those we consider to be far from God will actually meet Jesus – encounter him – be arrested by him as Paul was. Have you met him? Let me tell you this: We have hope in this world because of this – God is and he is who he is. And he is ready to save and re-make... you.
#3: The Community of Converted People – A person who finds a place to belong, to grow and to serve
When we read the rest of Paul's story, we learn that, even though the turnaround in his life began on the road to Damascus, it was not completed in a day. Biblical conversion starts us on a journey that lasts for our whole lives. Even near the end of his life, Paul would write, "I'm not saying that I have attained or become all I should be yet, but I am saying that I press on toward that high calling..." So, it's evident that when Paul placed his faith in Jesus, Paul would have a lot to learn to learn and a lot to change about his thinking, his attitudes and his behavior. The same is true of us all.
I think of it this way: When we meet Jesus we turn the whole of our journeys around toward following him wherever he leads us. As we do, we find one thing after another inside ourselves that needs to be turned around and surrendered to him. Each of those smaller "conversions" within our larger conversion come about when we meet God as he is and say to him, "Lord!" "Lord, I will not live that part of my life for myself any longer. I surrender is to you. I will follow you." That ongoing process of surrendering to God happens as we do life within a church made up of people all of whom have met been turned around by God, received mercy from God, and are committed to walking together toward becoming complete in Christ.
In order for God's converting work to become complete in Paul, he had to become a part of a church community. When we are converted, we are converted to follow Jesus and we are converted to live that life with God's eternal family. For Paul, of course, the family he had to be a part of was the family that he had wanted to incarcerate and kill in 9:1-2. So, two things were necessary for this to happen:
#1. The new convert had to make a commitment to join the family – And Paul did. No one in history has loved the church of Jesus Christ more than Paul. He planted churches. He was an active part of local churches. When he became a Christian, many in his biological family and his circle of friends probably disowned him. In fact, we see plots to kill him as early as in 9:23 and again in 9:29. He needed a new family and a new community. That's what the church is. In order for our lives to change, we need to be a committed part of a local church family – and worship weekly with people, learn from one another, and serve alongside one another. It's absolutely essential to a completed conversion.
#2: The community had to welcome the new convert – And this was not easy. When God told Ananias to go and help Paul, Ananias told God in 9:13, "Lord, there are some things about this man that I think you don't know. He's trying to kill us! He has the authority to seize us!" But God told Ananias, "Go. I have called Paul. He is mine. I have a task for him so you have to welcome him."
And Ananias obeyed. In fact, it's likely that the first words Paul heard after his conversion were Ananias' saying, "Brother Saul." John Stott wrote, "It must have been music to his ears. The archenemy of the church was welcomed as a brother; the dreaded fanatic was received as a member of the family."
But the rest of the church had to welcome Paul too and that was also hard. In v. 26, when Paul went back to Jerusalem, the church people were afraid of him. They didn't believe his conversion was genuine. But, Barnabas, perhaps the most respected man in the early church, went personally with Paul to church and made sure he was welcomed.
Brothers and sisters, this is the way we must be. We must have a culture in our church in which people seeking God are welcomed. Paul could not stay the way he had been, i.e., a man out to murder Christians. He had to change. But, he needed a new community who would not exclude him. And that's what the church must be. Every church in history has been made up of self-confessed Pauls. We all need God's mercy – and we've found it in Jesus. That kind of community is not exclusive or proud. That kind of community can learn to be a place in which we welcome one another, pray with and for one another, and hold one another accountable to live lives pleasing to the Lord. We are a recovery community.
For us to be that, each one of us needs to be an Ananias and a Barnabas. When you meet people in our community, I want you to be a person who speaks of Jesus and invites people to be a part of the family. Listen to how Paul Mumo Kisau puts it in the Africa Bible Commentary:
"Ananias and Barnabas show us what a community is like in which past enemies are able to become friends and call each other brother. They are examples to those who find it hard to invite their enemies into the Christian family. With Africa riven by wars and ethnic animosity, African Christians desperately need these examples of what God expects of us. How else will believers in countries like Rwanda call each other "brother" after experiencing genocide? Such a change is only possible through the power of the risen Savior, who has broken down the barriers of enmity."
It's not just Africa that needs this kind of community. Are you ready to welcome anyone who is in Christ into our church family? God welcomes them. Believe it or not – God welcomes people like you and me!
And I must end with this question: Have you been converted? Have you met God? You can. More than that, according to Jesus own words, you must! Truly I tell you, unless you are converted and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus, Matthew 18:3
Turn around today and follow Jesus – and then join us in this "community of the converted" as we grow together to become what Jesus died to make us to be.
To His glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor
Chinese
突破:徹底轉變7/14/2013
《使徒行傳》9:1-31
我們今天的信息將集中在人的改變的可能性問題上——人的生命的徹底的改變。(你認為那可能嗎?)這是基督徒信心的一部分,也是各個時代的人們都關注的問題。我認為神知道我們在哪里弄砸了,但祂依然愛我們。神找到一種方法來赦免我們的罪,來糾正我們。神願意並且能夠改變我們的思想、態度和行為。是的,按著神的意思,你我都有希望。那是個好消息!今天,因著耶穌,你能得到一個全新的、更好的生命。 我們把這個叫做轉變。當我們在教會裡使用這個詞的時候,意味著我們的生命曾經被帶往某一個方向,通常是被我們自己的欲望或者是他人的願望所控制——然後我們完全轉向並跟隨耶穌。那意味著我們選擇遵守耶穌的教導和方式。 當然,在我們的世界中,始終有一些人不相信我們能改變。佛洛依德說過,人的個性在5歲或者6歲的時候就會定型,人們認為人類的個性和生活方向一旦形成就很難改變。這種想法對我們的這個世界造成了許多破壞。一些人以此為藉口,說:“我該以什麼方式活著?就是我現在的樣子。是神把我造成這個樣子。”我常聽人們為自己的壞脾氣、不良的人際關係甚至淫亂找藉口說:“我就是那樣,沒關係啦。” 然而,也有一些人因為想到他們自己和他們愛的人不能改變而陷入絕望。你可能覺得今天的信息與你,或者你的孩子,或是你的配偶有關。我想在今天的信息裡告訴你,神有能力讓人們生命中的事情發生改變。 今天,我們聽了我們教會裡的一些人生命被改變的故事。當我們進到《聖經》,我們讀到有關轉變的最著名的故事,就是使徒保羅的故事。一些人對保羅又被稱為掃羅感到迷惑——其實那是他的猶太名字。保羅是他更為人知的名字。這個名字更適合於他的後半生,因為他把福音傳到了外邦人的世界。保羅的故事很精彩,在《使徒行傳》中三次提到他的故事(見徒22;26)。請注意:根據保羅自己的見證,他的改變是一個徹底的意志的改變,從被自己的欲望主導的人生進到由耶穌帶領的人生。 讓我們來看看他的故事。
#1: 轉變–一個的確需要改變的人 在《聖經》裡,路加通過一些色彩強烈的語言來描述保羅對基督徒的仇恨。1-2節裡說:掃羅仍然向主的門徒口吐威嚇兇殺的話,去見大祭司,求文書給大馬色的各會堂,若是找著信奉這道的人,無論男女,都准他捆綁帶到耶路撒冷。 你還記得嗎?在《使徒行傳》7章,保羅就是那個為殺害年輕的司提反的人們拿衣服的人。你可能認為,通過充當那次殺戮的幫兇,保羅的仇恨已經得到釋放。但是沒有——與某些學院式療法相反,單純發洩你的憤怒並不能消除憤怒。相反,當你仇恨的時候,仇恨會被加強。在這裡,保羅想讓更多的基督徒被關起來、被處死。 但是在20-21節中,我們讀到:“保羅就在各會堂裡宣傳耶穌,說他是神的兒子。凡聽見的人都驚奇,說:‘在耶路撒冷殘害求告這名的,不是這人嗎?’”問題的答案是:的確如此。是的,就是這個人——但是他的生命被徹底地改變了。他被轉變了。 對保羅而言,這不是一個簡單的、短暫的、情感上的宗教體驗。我們在《使徒行傳》9章看到的是一個人的生命方向的完全改變。真實的轉變有兩個要點:1)我們的生命真的改變2)這種改變可以持續。對此耶穌有個比喻。當福音的種子進到一些人的生命中,起初成長迅速,但很快就被擠住了。那個人的生命中始終有些雜草和荊棘,這使他不能真正成長。在那些情況下,一個人可能會產生一個迅速的情感反應,某一天他會說:“我得救了!”而接下來又很快回到老路上。請聽清:如果你要判斷轉變是不是真實的,一種方法就是看你是否向著固定的目標開始了一個漫長的旅程。如果轉變是真實的,它就會持續。讓我再次告訴你:你的生命可以變得不同。改變是可能的。 上面就是第一點:保羅是一個很自我而又充滿仇恨的人。他需要改變,就像你和我一樣。並且,他可以改變。但如何改變呢?
#2: 轉變–一個被神擊倒並被神改變的人 在9:3-4我們讀到:掃羅行路,將到大馬色,忽然從天上發光,四面照著他;他就僕倒在地,聽見有聲音對他說:“掃羅!掃羅!你為什麽逼迫我?” 此刻,我想澄清一件事。在這個世界上,人們被轉變的方式是不同的。有些人是發生在信主若干年以後;而有些人則是即刻發生的。有些轉變帶有很強的情感色彩;而有些則是客觀的、理性的,就像一門工程學課程。有些轉變是公開的,頗具戲劇色彩;而有些則是安靜的,私密的。Matt Barnes給我講述了一個在這星期裡聽到的令人羡慕的見證,是關於一個罪惡的生命如何戲劇般地轉向神——就像我們從保羅身上看到的。我希望我的故事也能如此打動人心。當你聽到別人的故事時,是否曾經產生共鳴?請注意:所有轉變的故事都是不同的。但有一個要素是共同的:當人們遇見神並降服於神的時候,才會被轉變——並且他們遇到的是自有永有的神。 保羅在遇見神的時候確實被擊倒。是什麼把他擊倒了?光?大的響聲?我想他是被真理擊倒了。當耶穌對他說話時,保羅意識到他以前所追求的不是真理。他發現自己以前所相信的關乎神的東西完全是錯的。讓我來說明一下:保羅,作為一個保守的猶太神學家,從沒有想到:1)神能進入人的樣式;2)神是獨一的,也是三位一體的;3)神的受膏者會被釘十字架。那不是他心目中的神。在《使徒行傳》9:1-2,保羅要迫害“信奉這道的人”(也就是基督徒),因為他們相信那些有關神的事情。當保羅遇到復活的耶穌,他知道以前對神的認識是錯誤的。保羅被自有永有的神改變了! 這和Steve Cunningham博士不同,這位博士經過若干年的科學訓練後,成為了一個唯物主義者,不相信這個世界上會有神跡。除非有一天神在他眼前行一個神跡,他才會相信。Steve不得不重新思考這個世界的每一件事。我們知道,保羅已經聽說過基督徒講過的有關神的受膏者被釘十字架、從墳墓裡復活的事。但是,保羅認為:這不是真的。之後,保羅遇到了被釘十字架後復活的耶穌。或者,更準確地講,是耶穌主動見保羅。從那時開始,保羅的人生發生巨大變化。 現在請仔細聽。在《聖經》的這一章裡,有無數的東西我可以講。但是,我今天在南加州要講的,是對我來說最重要的一件事。當我問南加州的人們,他們是否相信有神,許多人這樣講:“是的,我相信可能有神。我的神是一個充滿愛的神。我是一個屬靈的人。但是我的宗教信仰不是規範道德或者是對人提要求。” 但是,今天從保羅我們可以學到,你們的神僅僅是自己造出來的。如果神是神,祂是祂自己本來的樣子。如果你造自己的神,你所造出來的神就是讓你隨心所欲的神。你自己造出來的神不會和你作對。你自己造出來的神不會改變你。 讓我來舉例說明我的觀點:如果你知道你身上哪兒不舒服,你會去看醫生,醫生為了讓你感覺舒服,會對你說:“我想你很好。繼續做你想做的吧。繼續吃你想吃的吧,每天可以吸10盒煙,可以從大麻升級到可卡因。你會很喜歡!”我告訴你,這種醫生不會對你有幫助。但是,一個關心你的好醫生她會說:“我看到你裡面有癌症和心臟病的前期徵兆。你現在做的很多事會讓情況更糟。你必須改變你的生活方式,否則會死亡。我能幫助你,但你必須改變!” 然而,在南加州,許多人把神造成一個對人類自我踐踏漠不關心的神。可是我告訴你,神不是這樣的一位神。神的存在不受人的意志的轉移,祂是自有永有的一位!祂用永遠的愛來愛你。祂愛你心之切不讓你自我毀滅。祂預備好也能夠救你,但你必須要就祂的本相來見祂,並且降服在祂面前。 Julie Gorman 博士這星期對我說,我們造出了一個"舒適的耶穌",他是叫我們舒服安逸的。 但是使徒行傳9章中保羅遇見的耶穌并无舒適可言。保羅遇見復活的耶穌,全人被擊倒,被耶穌給翻轉了過來。由此改變了一切。保羅降服與耶穌。到了16節,保羅就只是說,"主呀!"這就是當我們遇見耶穌的本相時要發生的事。我們從跟隨自我轉變到一個跟隨耶穌的人。我們遇見耶穌的時候,就說:"主呀!你要我做什麼? 你要我怎樣生活?" 我們也信靠祂的道路勝過我的道路。 你遇見過耶穌嗎? 在過往一世紀中最有名的一個生命轉變的故事之一是 CS 路易斯。他在劍橋教書的時候是個不折不扣的倡導無神論者。後來,神在他的周圍給他許多的基督徒。很快的,路易斯重新思考他對神,對他自己和這個世界所有的看法。他的一些見證在他的自傳《惊喜之旅》中写道: 奇的是,在神向我走近之前,實際上神給了我片刻現在看來完全自由的選擇。我可以打开这扇门,也可以关上这扇门、、、我选择打开这扇门。 我说" 我选择," 看來完全相反的事,真是并非不可能的、、、平生第一回我很實際地认真檢視自己。令我驚駭的是-在我的裡面有如慾念橫流的動物園、野心充斥的瘋人院、一个充满恐惧的托儿所,一个充满憎恶的闺房。我的名字叫魔鬼。 路易斯開始意識到神— 神是那位認識他,並且來找他的神。魔鬼對著路易斯不停地耳語,說這樣的一位神是不會喜愛他的。但是路易斯認識到神正是如此一位愛他的神。祂寫道: 我的魔鬼就是如此這般對我招手。但都不重要了。神不就此與我辯論。祂只是說," 我是主"。 " 我是自有永有的神";" 我是神。" 那些天性傾向宗教的人對於這樣的一個令人吃驚無比的啓示難以理解。讨人喜欢的不可知論者輕鬆談論有關"人類探索上帝"之类的話題。 按照過去的我,就像談老鼠找貓一樣。 CS 路易斯- 驚喜之旅 美麗之處在於此:神要拯救象CS 路易斯這樣一個充滿激情的無神論者或者說要拯救一個反對基督教被仇恨充滿的保羅,事實上告訴我們很多有關神的知識。這就是神主動拯救看來最不可能得拯救的人,這個事實向我們大聲呼籲,就人的改變而言,我們不可宣告任何人是無望的。為這些在我們看來遠離神的人,我們的禱告應該是叫他們可以遇见耶穌-与祂相遇- 就好像保羅一樣被神逮住。你遇見過耶穌嗎?讓我告訴你:我們在這個世界上有盼望因為是- 神是自有永有的神。祂預備好拯救你,重新造、、、你。
#3: 一個改變的人組成的團體-人找到一個所屬,成長和服事的地方 我們念到保羅的其它故事,得知即使他的轉變開始於大馬士革的路上,生命也不是一蹴而就,一天就完成的。合乎聖經的改變始於我們踏上的旅途並延續一生之久。保羅甚至到了歲暮之時,寫道" 我不是說我已 經得著了,已经完全了,我乃是竭力追求,或者可以得着耶稣基督所以得着我的......向着标杆直跑......" 這證明保羅將他的信心放在耶穌的身上時,他還有很多在思想,態度和行為方面需要學習要改變的地方。這對我們每個人都是一樣。 我這樣想:當我們遇見耶穌時,將我們的人生之旅轉了過來跟隨祂來帶領我們。我們這樣做的時候,發現裡面一件又一件的事都需要轉過來降服於祂。每一個微小的"改變"都包含在遇見自有永有的神的時候發生的大轉變的當中,那時你對神說:" 主!" "主呀,我餘生不再為自己而活。我降服於你。我要跟隨你。這樣繼續不斷降服於神的過程發生在教會的裡面,這教會由所有遇見神、生命翻了一番、從神那裡領受了恩典、委身向著基督的完全同行的人們組成的。 為了成全神在保羅身上改變的工作,他必須成為教會團體中的一員。當我們生命發生轉變時,我們變成了跟隨耶穌的人,並且我們改變成為活在神的永恆大家庭中。對保羅而言,這個他必須成為其中一員的家庭就是他曾經想要把它投入監獄或加以殺害的教會(徒9:1-2)。因此,為了促使這個轉變必須有兩個條件: #1.新的轉變要求我們委身加入教會大家庭—保羅就是这样。在歷史上,沒有人比保羅更愛耶穌基督的教會。他栽培教會,他是地方教會的活躍分子。當他成為基督徒後,在他的親人及朋友中恐怕有許多人都不再認他。事實上我們看到早在使徒行傳第9章23節和29節中就有人想要謀害他。他需要一個新的家庭及新的集體。這就是教會。為了促使我們生命的轉變,我們需要委身成為當地教會的一分子—並且每週與他們一起共同敬拜,互相學習,彼此服事。這對我們完成徹底轉變無疑是不可缺少的。 #2。教會必須接納新的轉變者—這並非易事。當神告訴亞拿尼亞去幫助保羅時,他在9章13節中這樣回答神:“主啊,這個人,我恐怕你不知道吧。他要殺害我們。他有權柄將我們抓起來。”但是,神告訴亞拿尼亞:“去。我呼召保羅,並得著他了。我有任務給他,你們必須歡迎他。” 於是,亞拿尼亞順服了。很可能保羅轉變後聽到的第一句話就是亞拿尼亞的那句:“掃羅弟兄”。 John Stott 這樣寫道,“對保羅而言,這聽起來可能像音樂一樣悅耳。這個教會曾經的最大敵人,可怕的狂熱分子如今作為弟兄被歡迎和接納,成為家庭的一員。”教會的其他成員也必須接納保羅,這同樣是困難的。第26節講到,當保羅回到耶路撒冷,教會的人們都怕他。他們不信他真的轉變了。但是,巴拿巴,當時教會中最受尊敬的人,親自帶保羅前往教會,以確保他受到歡迎。 弟兄姐妹們,這就是我們的榜樣。在我們的教會必須形成一種氛圍,讓尋求神的人們受到歡迎。保羅不能再是以前那個謀殺基督徒的保羅。他必須改變。但是,他也需要一個不排斥他的群體。而教會正應該成為這樣的一個地方。歷史上所有的教會都是由認罪悔改的保羅組成。我們所有人都需要神的憐憫—這,我們在耶穌裡已經找到了。這樣的教會必須不排他,不驕傲,彼此接納,共同禱告,彼此代禱,互相扶持,活出神喜悅的樣式。這才是複興的教會。 為了這個目的,我們每個人都要學習亞拿尼亞和巴拿巴。當我們在社區中遇到別人時,我希望大家可以像他們傳講耶穌,邀請他們成為我們教會大家庭的一員。聽聽Paul Mumo Kisau在Africa Bible Commentary中如何闡述: “亞拿尼亞和巴拿巴給我們提供了一個教會的榜樣,在那裡,過去的敵人可以成為朋友,並互稱弟兄。如果你感到難以邀請你的敵人進入基督徒的大家庭,就當效仿他們。由於戰爭分裂和種族仇恨,非洲的基督徒極其需要這樣神期待的榜樣。在發生過種族大屠殺的盧旺達等國家,信徒們還怎麼能互相稱呼'弟兄'?這樣的改變只有依靠復活的救世主,祂有權柄打破一切仇恨的桎梏。” 不僅僅是非洲需要這樣的教會。你是否也已經準備好迎接主內弟兄進入我們的教會大家庭?神歡迎他們。無論你是否相信—神接納你我這樣的人! 我要以這個問題結束今天的講道:你是否已經轉變?你是否遇見過神?你一定能。不僅如此,按照耶穌的話語,你必須轉變!我實在告訴你們,你們若不迴轉,變成小孩子的樣式,斷不能進天國。 耶穌,馬太福音 18:3 今天就回轉,跟隨耶穌—與我們一同加入'復興的教會',共同成長,成為耶穌曾為此受死而希望我們能夠成為的樣式。
榮耀歸給神,
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
Conversion - Week 14 - Study Guide
CONVERSION
ACTS 9:1-31
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Read Acts 8:1-3 and then 9:1-2. Why do you think Saul was so vehement about those who belonged to "the Way"? Who would be most like him in our own world? Do you see any of the seeds of Paul's actions in yourself?
- Read 9:3-9 carefully. Make a list of the details of Saul's conversion. How would you describe his experience to a colleague at work or an unbelieving friend?
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Read the story of Saul and Ananias in 9:10-19a. How hard would it have been for Ananias to obey God? Why? Have you ever had a similar struggle obeying something you sensed God would have you to do?
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9:19b-25 tells of the beginnings of Saul's complete conversion. The man who did not believe God could take on human flesh, that the one God could be triune, and that the Messiah could be crucified has changed. Describe why you think such a thing is possible. Does the testimony of his transformation offer you hope? Why?
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Read 9:26-30. How important was it for Saul's growth and discipleship to be in a church community? What practical guidance do we receive from Barnabas' actions about welcoming new people to church?
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After all the church persecution we have read about from Acts 4-8 as the church seemed to be settled into Jerusalem, we see the result described in 9:31. Compare 9:31 to 1:8. What lessons should we learn?
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What do you hope to apply to your personal life this week from Acts 9?
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