[今日經文 Today’s Reading: 使徒行傳 Acts 8-9]
1 掃羅也贊同處死他。從那一天開始，耶路撒冷的教會遭受到大迫害，除了使徒以外，眾門徒都分散在猶太和撒瑪利亞各處。… 4 那些分散的人往各地去傳福音的道。
使徒行傳 Acts 8:1;4
And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. … 4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.
早期教會在耶路撒冷取得了巨大的成功，每天都有許多人成為信徒。然而，上帝的心是向著所有的國家，而不僅僅是為耶路撒冷的人民。具有諷刺意味的是，正是由於對耶路撒冷教會的大迫害，門徒才分散在撒瑪利亞和猶太地區。而那些分散的人並沒有躲藏，而是到處去傳福音的道！
邁克爾格林的書名生動地概括了早期教會的擴張：改變世界的三十年。格林寫道：
在公元 33 至 64 年間，一個新的運動誕生了。在這三十年裡，它獲得了足夠的成長和信譽，成為世界上最大的宗教，並改變了數億人的生活。 … 它對文明、文化、教育、醫學、自由，當然還有全世界無數人的生活產生了不可磨滅的影響。
從某種意義上說，COVID-19 可能看起來像是一種“迫害”形式，因為許多教會失去了成員，他們離開了，然後就再也沒有回來。然而，在另一方面中，上帝正在通過它拆毀教堂的圍牆。許多分散在不同地方的基督徒越來越多地通過社交媒體和youtube等各種虛擬形式以及在家中舉行小型聚會來傳講福音。神的話永遠不能被局限！像早期教會一樣，我們了解到，當“迫害”來臨時，是神的手用它來迫使教會走出舒適區，進入新的領域，進入新的時代！
教會不能只是回顧過去，希望回到“過去的美好時光”；這些再也回不來了。現在首字母縮略詞“B.C.”是代表“在 COVID 之前”。讓我們砥礪前行，進入新的未知領域，傳福音的道，再次改變世界！
禱告：親愛的天父，我們感謝你放在我們生命中的“迫害”，知道這是你的作爲，將我們推向祢為我們和祢的教會的命定。願我們跟隨祢的帶領，無論我們身在何處，無論走到哪裡，都可以傳講福音！奉耶穌的名，阿們。
The early church in Jerusalem enjoyed great success with many people daily becoming believers. Yet God’s heart was for all the nations, not just for the people in Jerusalem. Ironically, it was through severe persecution of the church in Jerusalem that the disciples were scattered throughout the regions of Samaria and Judea. And those who were scattered did not go into hiding but went about preaching the word!
The title of a book by Michael Green vividly summarizes early church expansion: Thirty Years That Changed the World. Green writes:
In the years between AD 33 and 64 a new movement was born. In those thirty years it got sufficient growth and credibility to become the largest religion the world has ever seen and to change the lives of hundreds of millions of people. … It has had an indelible impact on civilization, on culture, on education, on medicine, on freedom and of course on the lives of countless people worldwide.
In one way, COVID-19 may look like it has been a form of “persecution” as many churches have lost members who stayed away at its onset and then just never returned. In another way, though, through it God is breaking down the wall of churches. Many Christians who have been scattered to different places are increasingly preaching the word through various virtual formats such as social media and youtube as well as through holding small gatherings in their homes. God’s word can never be confined! Like the early church, we have learned that when “persecution” comes, it is put to use by God’s hands to force the church out of her comfort zone, to enter new territory and a new era!
The church cannot just look back and wish for “the good old days”; these can never come back. Now the acronym “B.C.” stands for “Before COVID”. Let us move forward and go into new and unknown territory, to preach the word, and to once again change the world!
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for the “persecution” in our lives, knowing that it is Your means to move us to what You have destined for us and for Your church. May we follow Your lead to preach the word wherever we are and wherever we go! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
