Study Notes
The Path to Courage - Week 7 - Study Notes
The Path to Courage
Acts 21:27-22:22
The Bible tells us there will be times when “nations are in uproar” (Ps 46) and when “nations rage” (Ps 2).” However, in my lifetime, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much international uproaring and raging as I see going on right now in our world.
(Here, I’ll describe situations in Israel, Iraq, Ukraine, as well as the rioting going on in Ferguson, MO.)
How do followers of Jesus live in the midst of such trouble? How do we pray about such things? In the western world, we often seem to act as if, when there is trouble, God has lost control and that we need to pray harder to help him regain strength. But that way of thinking is surely anti-biblical. In the Bible, God is in control – of good things and bad. And, we know that God promises “to work together all things” – ALL things – to bring about the good he intends for our lives and for our world (Rom 8:28). It is that conviction that should make us people of peace and courage in the face of whatever happens in our world. Right?
But, let’s face it, often we who claim to know the God who is sovereign over the entire universe as our Father do not have the courage and peace that the Bible says we should have. Of course, we see that peace-filled courage in the lives of many people in the Bible. One of them is the Apostle Paul. Beginning with Acts 21, the rest of Paul’s life would be filled with trouble: angry crowds, false accusations, repeated imprisonments, interrogation by kings, and shipwrecks.
Today, we will focus specifically on a day during which Paul faced an angry crowd that wanted to kill him. He was in Jerusalem and was falsely accused of desecrating the Temple. Read Acts 21-22 and you will see just what a bloodthirsty blood scene it was. But, you will also see from Acts 21:10-15 that this was a part of God’s plan. It had been prophesied that this trouble was to happen to Paul. And you will see that Paul was not anxious, or shocked or even afraid of the trouble. No, he was very much at peace. He saw this crisis as an opportunity. (John Kennedy quote – “When written in Chinese the word crisis is composed of two characters. One represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.”)
From where did this courage with peace come? Let me propose this: Those who have peace-filled courage in the midst of life’s challenges have an ongoing personal experience with the living, almighty God.
When you meet God, you begin to walk with him. It’s like being on a journey. That’s why the first Christians were called “the Way”. A few years ago, my friend my friend, Pastor Edmund Chan, laid out for me a way to remember how God meets us and fills us with courage. The process toward courage and peace Edmund showed me seems to be true to the experience of many great men and women of God both in the Bible and in history. He used four parts of the experience with God – break in, break with, break through, and break forth. Let me show you how this happened in Paul’s life in Acts 22. May God meet you today as I do.
I. Break In: A Personal Experience of God’s Sovereign Presence and Power (Acts 22:6-9, 17-18a).
As Paul stood in front of the mob that wanted to kill him, he did not panic. At the heart of his message, he wanted them to know that he had personally experienced life-changing encounter with God through Jesus Christ. Paul began by letting the crowd know that he once did what they were doing. Just as they wanted to kill him for being a Jesus-follower, he had wanted to kill Christians. More than that, he had been a leader of those who were killing Christians.
But, one day on the road to engage in this kind of murder, something happened to Paul that turned his life around. Paul met Jesus. Or, to put it more accurately, Jesus met Paul. Vv. 6-8a. The impact of this encounter stayed with Paul for the remainder of his life. In Acts alone, Paul’s story of meeting the risen Son of God is told in ch. 9. Then, Paul himself gives his testimony before the angry mob. And, you will find that Paul told it again before a king and governor in Acts 26. I imagine Paul told about how God broke into his life countless times. Bottom line: Paul had personally met God through Jesus. His faith was real because he had really met God. This reality was the basis for the peace and courage he had. He knew God and trusted God.
Listen carefully here. I say to you today that this is the point where your own commitment to God for whatever your future holds must begin. Please note that Paul recounts a 2nd personal meeting with God in vv.17ff. And, among other encounters Paul had with God, the prophecy given to Paul in 21:10-14, though different from the others, was evidence that God knew him and had a plan for him. It’s clear to me that Paul experienced regular times of being with and hearing from God.
So, let me tell you this: The God whom we worship today is the same God Paul met. God is greater than any trouble or evil in this world. In fact, Jesus took on death and overcame it. So, he knows what he is doing and his sovereign plans to make everything right in this world includes all things – he works all things for the good he promises to bring about. When you know that, you don’t have to run from trouble or be anxious in the midst of tribulation.
And let me tell you this: God still meets people. Often, he does it in way like he did with Paul, i.e., very unsought and unexpectedly. More often he seems to meet us when we open up our minds and hearts to him.
What am I saying to you today?
· Church is a place where you are to meet God – Jesus promised in Mt 18 that when 2-3 are gathered in his name, he is present in some special way. In my own life, my most profound experiences with God have come when I’ve worshipped in church. So, I say to you -- when you come to church, come with a longing to meet God and a readiness to hear from him. In the Psalms, the people began praising and worshipping God as they marched up to the meeting place. When they arrived, they were ready to hear from God. Did you come today hoping to hear from him? When we meet God, it is the powerful, blindingly majestic God made known in Jesus that we meet.
· In your personal life, I urge you to set aside time to meet with God each day. Set aside distractions – find a time and place to meet God.
· Consider having one day of seven in which you have a special time of meeting with God. Expand your time of silence and solitude and seek the Lord.
You will find that from those times of meeting with God will come the peace-filled courage to face whatever each day holds. Jesus broke in to Paul’s life so that Paul knew from that day without any doubt that Jesus knew him, had not given up for him, and had a future for him. The rest of Paul’s life was lived in the light of having met God. Read through the rest of the book of Acts and through Paul’s letters. You will see that his life is shaped by his relationship to God. After God broke into his life, he found the courage to challenge governors and kings to their faces. He was able to take God’s message to a world in which the followers of Jesus, the people of “the Way”, were deeply in the minority. He was able to speak with confidence to a bloodthirsty mob.
Where do you get this kind of fearlessness and commitment to do difficult things with such confidence and shalom? Where will you get the courage to stand for Christ even when almost everyone else at work or in the community wants nothing to do with Him? You need to stop today to see who is truly in control. Once you have been confronted by a glimpse of this kind of God, you will find there is no situation on earth that can ever terrify you in comparison.
That’s where it begins: with a personal experience of God breaking into your life.
II. Break With: A Turning from Self and Sin to God(22:3-5,8, 16)
In Paul’s testimony in vv.3-5, Paul placed his encounter with Jesus in contrast to his life before meeting Jesus. What did Paul see? He saw that with all his education and influence and passion, he really was a misguided, ill-informed, imperfect, and murderous human being not worthy of being in God’s presence. The same thing happened in Isaiah 6 when a young Isaiah met God in the temple. Isaiah thought he was going to be destroyed. He said, “Woe is me. I am a man of unclean lips.”
In v.8, Jesus told him of just one area of his sin. Paul was actually persecuting Jesus! That’s what Jesus said. And Paul knew it was true. He became aware of the fact that he had been angry man who wrongly killed people who were serving the one true God. Paul knew he had to change. He needed cleansing for his past. And he needed the crack and scars from sin to be healed up. For the rest of his life, Paul deeply believed that he was the “chief of sinners”, that if God would forgive and use him then there was hope for anyone. And Paul knew that for him to be used by God, he would have to break with his old way of life.
When you receive Christ into your life by faith, you will find, as Jesus said, it will be like springs of living water gushing up inside your heart. You receive the Holy Spirit into your unholy life and there is quite a work God has to do – and promises to do – in your life. In fact, when you allow those cracks of sin to remain in your inner being, the water of life within us will seem like its leaking out! So, you need to break with the patterns of the past. Paul had to do that. You and I will as well. Jesus leads us into new lives. As Ananias told Paul, your sins must be washed away.
I am convinced that a significant part of your growth in faith comes from identifying and confessing your sins to God -- and, through his power, turning from them. I call you today to look carefully at those areas of sin, those addictive behaviors and unhealthy habits that require healing, and surrender them daily to the Lord. You need to “break with” those patterns that destroy your life with God and your effectiveness as a witness to him in the world. Jesus did not die for our sins to leave you in our sins but to set you free from them.
But, let me tell you, that liberation from sin is a process. When you place your faith in Jesus, you are declared as being right with God on the basis of what Jesus did on the cross. He died for your sins. At the same time, you are told to begin to live no longer as children of darkness but as children of the light. This is a process. It is a path you are on that will eventually find you healed up and complete in Christ. So, now, in your times of meeting with God, take time to do what Paul did, i.e.. Take time to identify the cracks – the sins – in your life. Confess your sins to him. 1 Jn 1:9.
III. Break Through: An Intentional Decision to Surrender to God (22:10,18b21a).
Over the past few months, I keep meeting people who have started coming to LAC but who have not yet simply said, “I believe. I am a follower of Jesus. I will no longer live for myself but for him who died and rose again for me.” Some of you are still seeking – but not yet surrendered.
I want you to see that when Paul saw his need for cleansing from sin, and he knew that Jesus both knew him and was ready to forgive and welcome him, Paul simply surrendered in v.10: “What shall I do, Lord?” Paul would later say about this, “When I met the one who died for me, I could no longer live for myself but for him… (2 Cor 5).” And I love Ananias’ directness in v. 16: What are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on Jesus’ name.’ And Paul did just what Ananias said. For the rest of his life, Paul would be a committed follower of God.
Listen carefully again: What made Paul so ready to do whatever God wanted him to do -- and so quickly? I think that Paul was shocked to see himself as having done so much wrong after his years of self-centeredness and pride. And, he was even more shocked that the Jesus who knew all he had done still love him and forgave him. As Tim Keller puts it, He learned that he was “more wicked than he had ever dared to imagine and, at the same time, more loved than he ever dared to hope.” So, let me tell you a basic biblical truth that I speak often about: The main motivation for Christian commitment is gratitude.
Do know the story in Luke 7 of the woman who bathed the feet of Jesus with her tears, not even caring what other people might think about her? Jesus’ verdict about her was this: “She loves much because she has been forgiven much.” Those who sense that they are forgiven little, love little. This is why new Christians are often the most passionately courageous in their walk with God. They are so grateful to God for His gift of salvation that they will do anything for God.
I have found that, in my walk with God, I need to surrender my life again and again to God. I am learning to take time to remember in my quiet times that God’s grace toward me is as amazing now as it was the first time I believed. An, I surrender my life anew and fully to God. I call these decisions conscious and intentional acts of faith. We begin our walk with God by surrendering in faith to him. And, we live each day in such faith. When trouble comes, I think you will have to go to meet God – to remember his love and grace to you – and then to tell him, “Lord, I don’t know what you are doing but I trust you. And I will obey you until I know more. Lord, I surrender all.” That’s a breakthrough.
IV. Break Forth: A Personal Experience of God’s Sending (22:10b-15,21),
Read vv.10b – 15. Then there was a 2nd meeting with God and see v. 21. The result of God breaking through into our lives is always that he calls us into service -- always to give witness to Jesus in this world – and always to show his love and justice to others. That surely was true of Paul. It’s almost unimaginable: This Jewish trained rabbi, educated as a Pharisee, was to carry the gospel to Gentiles. It was an unlikely calling as the world sees things. Even Paul thought that surely his main calling from God would be to carry the gospel to the Jews. He kept saying that to God. He told God, “I used to be just like these people here in Jerusalem. I’m the one they will listen to.” But, God sent him to the nations. And he went – and we know how God used him.
It is quite amazing, when we think about it, that this same Lord Jesus who could have called 10,000 angels to do his bidding chose instead to send a flawed man who had killed people to do his work. That’s very encouraging to me and I hope it is to you. God uses ordinary people who are surrendered to Him to do His extraordinary work.
But what God called Paul to do was very hard. As I told you, ministry would continue to be hard from this mob scene in Jerusalem through to the end of his life when he probably was beheaded by the emperor Nero. Would you have continued to obey God joyously and courageously as Paul did? I think there would be quite a few who would be willing to be this kind of committed Christian as long as the hard parts would not last long. But Paul had no doubt about the fact that for the rest of his life he would be placed into challenging places. He would not have many times of ease in his ministry. Amazingly, the hard times he faithfully endured opened the door to his greatest word. Paul’s imprisonment after this Jerusalem mob scene was the first step in his being able to meet a governor and king and give witness to Jesus. His times of unjust incarceration led to many of the books in the New Testament being written, books that nourish our souls and direct our lives. But, Paul could not see all that when the trouble was at hand. He only knew he had to live for Jesus and to give witness to Jesus no matter what happened in his daily circumstances.
There are some in the Western world who say that God would never call a person to such hard tasks and places. What do you think? What do you think God might be calling you to do right now? Are you open to anything and ready to say, “What would you have me do, Lord?”
I travel to so many places in the world and see how hard it is for many people to be faithful to Jesus. Anywhere in the world, you can ask the faithful Christian wife whose unbelieving husband is no nearer Christ than he was ten years ago about whether its always easy to follow God’s call. Ask the missionary who has invested his or her life in an unresponsive area and has yet to see the first convert to Christ. Ask our brothers and sisters in Egypt and Iraq whether it is always easy to remain faithful to Jesus. All of these people will understand the kind of commitment Paul had to have to bring God’s message to his nation.
Now, sometimes, we see great success. Sometimes, our businesses flourish and we attain awards. Thank God for those things. But I am asking in the light of this Word today whether you will be committed to Christ even when the going is tough.
And I’m convinced that you will only possess the peace-filled courage that should be a consistent part of a Christian’s life is when you have allowed God to break into your life, have begun to break with the sins for which Jesus died, have had that break through of saying, “All that I am is now yours, O Lord – and are ready to break forth as his representative to your family, friends and community.
Those who have peace-filled courage in the midst of life’s challenges have an ongoing personal experience with the living, almighty God.
Do you? Are you meeting with God and finding strength in him. Then, the nations may rage and the world may seem to be crumbling -- but you know the God who made the world and is working all things together for good. When you know him and fear only displeasing him, then you will have nothing to fear.
To His glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor
Greg Waybright • Copyright 2014, Lake Avenue Church
Chinese Translation
The Path to Courage - Week 7 - Study Notes - Chinese Translation
迸發：勇氣之路
使徒行傳21:37-22:22
聖經告訴我們，有時“外邦喧嚷，列國動搖（詩46）”，有時“外邦喧鬧，萬民謀算抵擋耶和華和祂的受膏者（詩2）”。然而，在我的一生中，還從未見過像現今我們這個世界如此多的國際喧鬧和謀算。
（這裡，我將描述以色列、伊拉克、烏克蘭和正在持續的密蘇里州Ferguson的騷亂。）
在如此的困境中，耶穌的追隨者該如何生存？我們該如何為這種事情禱告？在西方世界，我們似乎經常扮演一種角色，就是麻煩當前，似乎神已經失去控制，我們需要更努力地禱告讓祂重新獲得力量。但那種思考方式是和聖經相悖的。在聖經裡，神在控制——好事壞事祂都控制。我們知道，神應許“萬事互相效力”。祂要通過“萬事”給我們的生活和這個世界帶來益處（羅8:28）。這種應許讓我們無論面對什麼事情都能有平安和勇氣。是不是？
但實際情況卻是，我們雖自稱知道天父上帝統管萬有，但卻沒有聖經裡所說的勇氣和平安。當然，我們看到聖經裡有很多人充滿平安和勇氣。其中之一是使徒保羅。從使徒行傳21章開始，保羅的餘生充滿了困難：憤怒的人群、誣陷、不斷被監禁、國王的審問和海難。
今天，我們將特別關注一群憤怒的人，他們想要殺害保羅。保羅在耶路撒冷，被誣告要污穢聖殿。讀使徒行傳21-22章，你會看到殘忍而血腥的一幕。但是，你從21:10-15也會看到，這是神的計畫的一部分。聖經預言這些苦難會發生在保羅身上。你會看到，保羅並不擔心，也不吃驚，也不害怕這這麻煩。他充滿平安。他把這些危機當做機會。(引自John Kennedy)
這種滿有平安的勇氣從哪裡而來呢？讓我提出這一點：那些在生命中面對挑戰還滿有平安的人是在他們個人的生命中不斷經歷這位活的、全能的神。
當你遇到神，你就開始與祂同行，這就像一次旅行。這就是為什麼初代的基督徒被稱為“道路”。多年以前，我的朋友Edmund Chan牧師為我安排了一種方式來明白神是怎樣遇見我們並讓我們充滿勇氣。Edmund 展示給我的用來表明勇氣和平安的過程，就好像是在聖經中和歷史上的很多偉大的神的兒女的經歷。他用了四個部分來描述這種經歷——介入、斷絕、突破、迸發。讓我來帶你看看在使徒行傳22章，這種過程是如何發生在保羅的生命中的。也許今天你也會跟我一樣與神相遇。
I．介入：神的主權同在和大能的個人經歷 (使徒行傳 22:6-9, 17-18a).
當保羅站在一群要殺他的民眾前，他沒有驚慌。他信息的中心是想讓這些人知道他個人生命的轉變是通過耶穌基督遇到神。保羅開始想讓眾人知道他曾經做過他們現在正做的。就像他們因著他是耶穌的跟隨者而要殺他，他也曾經想殺害基督徒。並且，他曾經是那些殺害基督徒的人的領袖。
但是有一天，在去進行這種謀殺的路途中，保羅身上發生了一件事，這件事改變了他的生命。保羅遇到了耶穌。或者更確切地說，耶穌遇到了保羅（見6-8a節）。這次相遇一直持續影響保羅的餘生。使徒行傳第9章記載了保羅與已經升天的神的兒子相遇的故事。接著，保羅在憤怒的民眾面前做見證。在使徒行傳26章，保羅在國王和巡撫面前又做見證。我想像保羅可能告訴他們神無數次介入他的生命。要點：保羅個人曾經通過耶穌與神相遇。他的信心是真的，因為他真的遇到過神。這個事實是他能有這樣的平安和勇氣的基礎。他認識神並信靠神。
請仔細聽。今天我要對你說，無論你的未來如何，你要交托給神。請注意保羅在17節又講述他第二次與神相遇的個人經歷。並且，在其他的保羅與神相遇的經歷中，儘管21:10-14中的對保羅的預言與其他的不同，但同樣可以表明神認識他並在他身上有計劃。這清楚表明，保羅常常經歷神，並聆聽神的話語。
讓我這樣告訴你：我們今天敬拜的和保羅當年遇到的是同一個神。這個世界上沒有任何麻煩或惡勢力能夠大過這個神。實際上，耶穌選擇了死亡，並且戰勝了它。祂知道自己在做什麼，祂至高無上的計畫，就是要讓這個世界徹底走上正途，包括一切——目的就是要讓它得益處，正如祂所應許的。當你明白這點，就不必逃離麻煩，而是有那麼一點熱切地“期望苦難”來到。
讓我告訴你這個：神依然會與人相見。祂相見的方式常常與保羅當年一樣。就是說，以一種不是你想要的或者所預料的方式。常常是我們敞開自己的思想與心靈的時候。
我今天要對你們講些什麼呢？
教會是一個讓你遇見神的地方——耶穌在馬太福音18章應許說：有二三個人奉我的名聚會，祂就會以某種特殊的方式顯現。在我自己的生命中，有重大意義的經歷神的時刻，就發生在教會敬拜的時候。所以讓我告訴你——當你來教會，應當帶著遇見神的期望並預備好自己的心聆聽祂的聲音。在詩篇中，當人們起步前往朝見神的會幕時就開始讚美和敬拜神。當他們到達會幕時，他們已經預備好了自己的心，聆聽神的話語。你今天來到這裡，是否也準備好聆聽祂的話語？我們所遇見的神，是那位通過耶穌向我們顯現的、至高無上的、榮耀而莊嚴的神。
在你的個人生命中，我請你能每天特別留出一段時間給神。把其他事物丟在一邊——留出時間和地點專門給神。
在七天當中預備一天，使你可以與神單獨相處。讓你有更多的時間安靜和獨處，單單尋求神。
耶穌進入保羅的生命，保羅確信耶穌知道他，耶穌不會放棄他，耶穌已經給他預備好了未來。故此，保羅的餘生就一直生活在神的光芒下。通讀其餘的使徒行傳和保羅的書信，你會看到保羅的生命被他與神的關係重新塑造。當神進入他的生命，他就找到了直面巡撫甚至國王的勇氣。他就敢於帶著神的信息來到耶穌的追隨者，就是通到人極其稀少的地方。他就有了向殘忍的暴徒宣講福音的信心。
你從哪裡能夠獲得如此的勇敢與承諾，並憑著信心與內心的平安去完成困難的事情呢？當在工作中或社區裡，幾乎每個人都不想與耶穌有關時，你從哪裡獲得勇氣為耶穌而奮戰？今天你需要停下來看看究竟誰在掌權。一旦你親身經歷到這樣一位神，你會發現這個世界上沒有一種情況會讓你感到害怕。
這就是開始的地方：個人經歷到神介入你的生活。
II. 斷絕：遠離自我與罪而轉向神（22章：3-5，8，16）
在3-5節保羅的見證中，保羅將與耶穌的相遇與未相遇前的生活進行對比。保羅看到了什麼呢？他看到自己因著受過的教育、影響與愛好，成為一個被誤導的、無知的、不完美且謀害人的一個人，完全不配得神的同在。同樣的事情也發生在以賽亞書6章，年輕的以賽亞在殿中遇見神的時候。以賽亞認為他一定會被毀滅。他說，“我有禍了。我是一個嘴唇不潔的人。”
在第8節中，耶穌只告訴他罪的一個方面。保羅實際上是在迫害耶穌！這就是耶穌所說的。而保羅知道這是真的。他開始意識到一個事實，那就是：他過去是一個惡人，一直在誤殺服事真神的人們。保羅知道他必須改變。他需要潔淨自己的過去。他需要與原有的罪隔絕而獲得痊癒。在他的餘生，保羅深深地相信他自己是一個“罪魁”，如果神能原諒並使用他，那麼，每個人都有希望得到神的原諒。並且保羅知道為了自己能被神使用，他必須與過去的生活方式隔絕。
當你憑著信心讓耶穌進入你的生命，你會發現，正如耶穌說的，它就會像活水一樣從你的心裡流淌出來。你接受聖靈進入你並不聖潔的生命，神有很多工作要做—— 並且應許會做——在你的生命中。實際上，如果你允許那些罪的裂縫留在你裡面，那麼在我們裡面的生命之水就好像會滲漏出去一樣！所以，你需要和過去的生活模式隔絕。保羅這麼做了。你和我也將會這麼做。耶穌邀請我們進入新的生命。正如亞拿尼亞告訴保羅的，你的罪必須被洗淨。
我相信，你信心成長的很重要的一部分來自于發現並向神承認你的罪——並且，借著祂的力量，遠離這些罪。我今天呼召你仔細地審查那些罪、那些上癮的行為與需要治癒的不健康的習慣，並將它們每天降服在神的主權之下。你需要與那些破壞你與神的關係、影響你在世界上做見證的舊有的模式“隔絕”。耶穌為我們的罪而死，他並沒有把我們留在罪當中，而是將我們從罪中釋放出來。
但是，請讓我告訴你，從罪中釋放出來是一個過程。當你將信心放在耶穌身上，你就被宣告與神恢復了關係，這是建立在耶穌在十字架上所做的基礎之上。祂為我們的罪而死。同時，你被告知，開始作為光明之子而不是黑暗之子來生活。這是一個過程。這是一條你正在走的路，一條最終你會發現自己被治癒、完全在基督裡的路。所以，現在，在你遇見神的時候，請花時間去做保羅所做的，那就是，花時間去發現那些裂縫——罪的裂縫——在你的生命中，並向祂承認你的罪。（約翰一書1章9節）
III. 突破: 降服的個人經驗 (22:10, 18b21a)
在過去的幾個月裡，我一直遇到一些人，他們已經開始來LAC，卻不能果斷地說出那句話，“我相信。我是耶穌的跟隨者。我不再為自己而活，而是為那替我死而復活的耶穌而活。”你們中間有一些人仍在尋求——卻尚未降服。
我希望你們效法保羅，當他看見自己需要從罪中被潔淨，知道耶穌認識他且早已準備原諒和歡迎他，保羅在v.10中很乾脆地就降服了。“主啊，我當做什麼？”保羅之後這樣說，“當我遇見那位替我而死的主，我就不再為自己活，乃為祂活……（哥林多後書5章）”我也很欣賞亞拿尼亞在v.16中的直率：“現在你為什麼耽延呢？起來，求告祂的名受洗，洗去你的罪。”保羅就照著亞拿尼亞說的做了。他的餘生，保羅一直委身追隨神。
請再仔細聽：為什麼保羅能夠如此預備好自己，願去做任何神要他做的事——且如此果決？我認為保羅是被自己多年來因著自我中心和驕傲所犯下的如此之多的惡行所震驚了。而更讓他震驚的是，耶穌知道他犯下的所有罪行卻仍舊愛他且原諒了他。正如Tim Keller說的，“他意識到自己的惡是自己從不敢想像的，同時，自己如此被愛也是從不敢奢望的。”因此，我要告訴你一個我常常提及的基本聖經真理：感恩是基督徒委身的主要動力。
你知道路加福音7章的故事裡的那個女子，她用眼淚為耶穌洗腳，甚至不在乎別人怎麼看。耶穌對她的評價是：“她的愛多，是因為她被赦免的多。”那些赦免少的，他的愛就少。這就是為什麼在與神同行的路上新信徒往往是最熱忱和勇敢的。因為對於神的救贖他們是如此感恩，以至於他們甘願為神做任何事情。
我發現自己在與神同行時，我需要向神一次又一次地降服。我正學著如何在安靜的日子裡花些時間來思想且記住神現在給我的恩典和我初信時祂給的恩典是一樣美好的。而且我會再次將生活完全降服與神。我將這樣的決定稱作有意識、有目的的信心行動。我們的與神同行開始于在信心中向祂降服。並且我們每天都要在這樣的信心中生活。當困難來臨時，你需要來到神面前---記起祂對你的愛和恩典---然後告訴祂，“主啊，我不明白你的作為，但我相信你。我願順服你直到我漸漸明白。主啊，我願完全降服。”這就是一個突破。
IV.迸發：受神差遣的個人經歷（22:10b-15.21）
閱讀vv.10b-15。這裡出現了第二次與神相遇，參看v.21。神進入我們生活的結果是祂會呼召我們來服侍——在這個世界上一直為耶穌作見證——一直向他人彰顯祂的愛和公義。保羅就是那麼做的。這幾乎難以想像。這個久經訓練的猶太人拉比，原是受教要成為法利賽人的，卻在向外邦人傳講福音。從世界的角度來看，這幾乎是一個不可能的呼召。甚至連保羅也理所當然地認為神對他的主要呼召是把福音傳給猶太人。他一直那樣跟神說。他告訴神，“我過去就和這些人一樣。他們會聽我的。”但是，神讓他把福音傳到外邦去。他就去了——我們也知道神如何使用了他。
我們想想，這真是不可思議，主耶穌可以呼召10,000個天使來執行祂的命令，但祂卻差遣了一個曾經殺了許多人，如此有缺陷的人為祂做工。對於我來說這真是太令人鼓舞了，我希望這也能鼓舞你。神使用降服于祂的平凡人為祂做不平凡的工。
但是神呼召保羅去做的是非常困難的。正如我告訴你的，從耶路撒冷眾人的這一幕開始直到保羅被尼祿皇帝砍頭，他餘下的一生中，傳道一直都很艱難。如果換做我們，我們還會像保羅那樣喜樂勇敢地繼續順服神嗎？我想這裡大多數人都願意做這樣委身的基督徒，只要那些苦難的部分不要持續得太久。但保羅對他餘生都身處如此險境中的事實毫無疑慮。在他的傳道生涯中沒有幾次是輕鬆的。令人驚訝的是，他帶著信心忍耐度過的那些艱難日子，為他打開一扇通向偉大話語的門。在耶路撒冷眾人的一幕之後保羅入獄，而這成為他遇見典獄長並向他為耶穌作見證的第一步。他的不公正入獄使得他寫出了新約中的許多書信，這些書信滋養了我們的靈魂並指引我們的生活。但身陷困境的保羅當時並不能看見這些。他只知道他必須為耶穌而活，為耶穌作見證，無論他每天的境遇如何。
西方世界中有些人說神永遠不會呼召一個人去如此險惡的地方做如此艱難的事工。你怎麼認為？你認為神現在有可能呼召你做什麼？你願意接受任何事情且預備好了說這句話嗎，“主啊，你要我去做什麼？”
我去過世界上的許多地方，也看見了對許多人來說忠心信靠耶穌是多麼困難。你可以去問問一個忠心的基督徒妻子，她那不信主的丈夫十年如一日地不親近基督，問問她是否覺得一直聽從神的呼召很容易。問問那些在沒有回應呼召之地的宣教士們，他們把生命投入那個地方，卻連一個歸向基督的人也沒有。問問我們在埃及和伊拉克的弟兄姊妹們，想要一直對耶穌保持忠心是否很容易。所有這些人都明白保羅的那種委身，就是要把神的消息傳給列邦的委身。
現在，有時我們看到巨大的成功。有時我們的商業很繁榮，我們獲得許多的獎項。要為這些東西感謝神。但是我借著神話語的亮光來問一句，當處境艱難的時候你還願意委身於基督嗎？
我深信，這種滿有平安的勇氣應該成為我們基督徒生活中始終如一的部分，並且你允許神進入你的生活，開始擺脫那些罪，就是耶穌為之而死的罪，並且有了這樣的突破，願意說，“哦，主啊，我的一切都是你的”——且預備好迸發，為你的家人，朋友和社區做祂的代表。只有這樣你才會擁有那種滿有平安的勇氣。
那些在生活的挑戰中還能擁有平安與勇氣的人，都在不斷地經歷那位大能的活神。
你呢？你有與神相遇且在他裡面找到力量嗎。列邦可能在憤怒，世界似乎在崩潰——但是你知道創造世界的神正在使萬事互相效力，為著我們的益處。當你認識他且單單以觸怒神為懼怕時，那你將無所畏懼。
榮耀歸於神，
葛列格博士
主任牧師
Greg Waybright • Copyright 2014, Lake Avenue Church
Greg Waybright
