QT 12/05/2024 Sunday Acts 7. Witnesses are Martys 见证人是殉道者
QT 12/05/2024 Sunday Acts 7
READ & LISTEN here
https://www.esv.org/Acts+7/
LISTEN TO Acts 7
https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Acts.7
Are you willing to be a WITNESS of Jesus Christ "in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth"? (Acts 1:8)
The Greek word there for witness is μάρτυς, transliterated "martys". If you are willing to be a witness (martys) then you would have, by implication, agreed to be a martyr.
In our context, a martyr is a person who voluntarily suffers death as the penalty for witnessing for Jesus or for just simply refusing to renounce Him. Acts 7 describes one of the earliest martyrs of the faith, Stephen. He was wrongly accused of speaking "blasphemous words against Moses and God" (Acts 6:11), and "against this holy place and the law" (Acts 6:13).
However, Stephen's speech in Acts 7:2-50 displays his familiarity and deep understanding of Moses, his laws and Israel's history and theology. In fact, he proved that it was his ACCUSERS who broke God's laws by repeatedly being a "stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit" (Acts 7:51).
APPLICATION: Honour God with our lives and conduct. Be faithful in small tasks (like Stephen) so that God can use you for greater tasks (like Stephen too) later on. Refusal to do that would cultivate the dreaded hardened hearts.
Sacrifice for God in seemingly small things first, so that God could one day use you for bigger things, like being a witness (a "martyr") for Jesus Christ. On?
星期日2024年5月12日 今日读经：使徒行传7章.
http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/Act/7/
听音频使徒行传7章
https://www.bible.com/bible/41/act.7.cnvs
你是否愿意成为耶稣基督“在耶路撒冷，犹太全地，和撒玛利亚，直到地极”的见证人？(徒1:8)
见证的希腊文字是μάρτυς，音译是“martys”。你如果愿意成为见证人(martys)，那就意味着你愿意成为一个烈士(martyr)，殉道者。
在我们的语境里，烈士是一个为耶肯稣作见证或不弃绝祂而因此遭受死亡的惩罚。使徒行传7章描述了最早的烈士，司提反。他被指责说“毁谤摩西，和神的话”(徒6:11),也说话“糟践圣所和律法”(徒6:13)。
然而，司提反在徒7:2-50的言论表现了他对摩西、摩西的律法、以色列的历史和神学的熟悉和认识.实际上，他证明了指责他的这些人，这常常“硬着颈项，心与耳未受割礼的人，常时抗拒圣灵” 的才是犯了神的律法的人(徒7:51)。
应用：用你的生命和品行来荣耀神。在小事上中心(如司提反)，以致神以后可以用你成就大事(如司提反)。若不肯就会渐渐地让你的心变硬。
先为神在小事上牺牲，以致将来神可以用你成就更大的事，如成为耶稣基督的见证(烈士、殉道者)。你愿意吗？
