19但有些猶太人從安提阿和以哥念來，挑唆眾人，就用石頭打保羅，以為他是死了，便拖到城外。 20門徒正圍着他，他就起來，走進城去。
回到敘利亞的安提阿
第二天，同巴拿巴往特庇去， 21對那城裏的人傳了福音，使好些人作門徒，就回路司得、以哥念、安提阿去， 22堅固門徒的心，勸他們恆守所信的道；又說：「我們進入神的國，必須經歷許多艱難。」 23二人在各教會中選立了長老，又禁食禱告，就把他們交託所信的主。 24二人經過彼西底，來到旁非利亞。 25在別加講了道，就下亞大利去， 26從那裏坐船，往安提阿去。當初，他們被眾人所託、蒙神之恩、要辦現在所做之工，就是在這地方。 27到了那裏，聚集了會眾，就述說神藉他們所行的一切事，並神怎樣為外邦人開了信道的門。 28二人就在那裏同門徒住了多日。
各位平安！我們今天讀的是《使徒行傳》第14章19到28節的故事。昨天我們讀到，保羅才被眾人當成神明來敬拜，然後他馬上就遇到了一些敵對他們的猶太人。這些猶太人煽動眾人，用石頭把保羅打成重傷，甚至打到他看起來像是死掉了，並且把他拖到城外去。
為什麼要把他拖到城外呢？因為雖然羅馬政府在這裡的管轄沒有那麼嚴謹，但這終究還是羅馬的統治區。他們用私刑打死了保羅，這件事會成為命案，羅馬政府必定會調查這件事情。所以他們趕緊把保羅拖到城外，可能想要把他丟在野外，就不再理會了。
幸好，保羅沒有死。他接下來竟然馬上站起身來，還回到剛剛差點被打死的地方。我們思想這件事情，他為什麼要這樣做呢？他剛剛才死裡逃生，離開了這個危險的地方，為什麼馬上又回到這群人中間？他們都知道，如果他又被看到，可能會再次挨打，甚至真的會死。
但是，保羅也知道這些人其實是害怕的，他們並不敢真的殺了他。所以，保羅回到城裡去，繼續向剛剛聽福音的人傳福音。我們所看到的是一個真心想要傳福音的人，一個真心拿命在分享福音的人。這也是一個非常有力的見證：一個剛剛從鬼門關逃出來的人，居然還願意回來繼續傳福音。任何聽到的人都會被感動，任何人都不會再懷疑他的熱誠了。這一個行為，比一百篇講道的效果還更大。
保羅在這裡分享了關於天國原則的一句非常重要的話，他 “堅固門徒的心，勸他們恆守所信的，因為進入神的國必須經歷許多艱難。”
要相信福音並且守住福音，是需要面對挑戰的。基督徒的生活並不會是一帆風順，因為在這個世界上，在我們的周圍，總是會有不斷挑戰的事情出現。魔鬼不希望你一帆風順，魔鬼當然不希望你信了以後就一切順利，從頭到尾都沒有挑戰。他會竭盡所能讓你軟弱，讓你跌倒。
但是，感謝上帝，我們有上帝的保守，所以無論任何挑戰和困難來臨，我們都可以面對。當我軟弱的時候，記得要禱告，恆心持守，恆心持守在上帝的道中。而這也是為什麼信徒需要教會的關鍵。因為如果我們憑著自己，沒有人扶持，我們容易跌倒；當我們跌倒的時候，也沒有人能夠扶持我們。一個人單打獨鬥，我們的能力是無法勝過世界，勝過魔鬼的。
當我們擁有教會的幫助，有弟兄姊妹的扶持，有上帝的話語，當我們集結在一起的時候，這個團體中的人彼此幫助。如果你此時是強壯的，你可以去扶持軟弱的，因為我們都不知道什麼時候會成為那個需要被扶持的人。我們都需要謙卑自己，知道自己的軟弱，也知道自己隨時可能會需要幫助。
所以，如果你還沒有教會，還沒有團契的話，我建議你一定要去找尋一個適合你的教會和團契。
明天我們要看一個重要的會議討論，就是耶路撒冷會議。這其實也是一個重要的教義討論時間。在教會歷史中，不斷地有這樣的會議被召開，因為在信仰過程中有許多事情需要被釐清、明白和理解。這樣才能建立正確的教義，並能夠將這些教義好好地傳下去，讓人建立正確的信仰。
明天我們來讀《使徒行傳》第15章，討論耶路撒冷會議。感謝各位的聆聽！
19Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.
The Return to Antioch in Syria
21They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 23Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. 24After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, 25and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.
26From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. 27On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.
Peace be with you! Today we are reading the story from Acts 14:19-28. Yesterday, we read that Paul was worshipped as a god by the crowd, but then he immediately encountered some opposing Jews. These Jews incited the crowd to stone Paul, injuring him so severely that he appeared to be dead, and then they dragged him out of the city.
Why did they drag him out of the city? Because although Roman governance was not very strict here, it was still Roman territory. If they had killed Paul by mob justice, it would have been a murder case, and the Roman government would certainly investigate. So, they quickly dragged Paul out of the city, possibly intending to leave him in the wilderness and ignore him.
Fortunately, Paul did not die. He miraculously stood up and went back to the place where he had almost been killed. Why did he do this? Why would he return to such a dangerous place right after escaping with his life? He knew that if he was seen again, he might be beaten again, and this time he might really die.
But Paul also knew that these people were actually afraid and would not dare to truly kill him. So, Paul went back into the city to continue preaching to those who had just heard the gospel. What we see is a man truly dedicated to spreading the gospel, a man willing to risk his life to share the good news. This is a very powerful testimony: someone who had just escaped from the brink of death was still willing to return and continue preaching. Anyone who hears this would be moved, and no one would doubt his passion. This act has a greater impact than a hundred sermons.
Paul shared a very important principle about the Kingdom of Heaven here: “Strengthen the disciples and encourage them to remain true to the faith. 'We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.'”
Believing in the gospel and holding on to it requires facing challenges. The life of a Christian is not smooth sailing, because in this world, around us, there are always challenges. The devil does not want you to have a smooth journey. Of course, the devil does not want you to believe and then have everything go smoothly from start to finish without any challenges. He will do everything he can to make you weak and cause you to stumble.
But, thank God, we have God's protection, so no matter what challenges and difficulties come our way, we can face them. When I am weak, remember to pray, to persevere, to hold steadfastly to the Word of God. This is also why it is crucial for believers to have a church. Because if we rely on ourselves, without anyone to support us, we easily fall; when we fall, there is no one to help us up. Fighting alone, our strength is not enough to overcome the world and the devil.
When we have the help of the church, the support of brothers and sisters, and the Word of God, when we gather together, this group helps and supports each other. If you are strong at this time, you can support the weak, because we never know when we will become the one who needs support. We all need to humble ourselves, recognize our weaknesses, and know that we may need help at any time.
So, if you do not have a church or a fellowship yet, I suggest you find one that suits you.
Tomorrow, we will look at an important council discussion, the Jerusalem Council. This is also an important time for doctrinal discussion. Throughout church history, such councils have been convened because many issues need to be clarified, understood, and comprehended in the process of faith. Only in this way can correct doctrines be established and passed down, allowing people to build a correct faith.
Tomorrow we will read Acts 15 and discuss the Jerusalem Council. Thank you for listening!
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