QT 28/05/2027 Thu Acts 17 Same Big Story. New Different Actors—You All. 同一个宏大故事，新的不同主角——你们。

QT 28/05/2027 Thu Acts 17 Same Big Story. New Different Actors—You All.
READ http://www.esv.org/acts17

What if I told you the story in Acts of the Apostles 17 is still happening today? Some reject the gospel. Some eagerly receive it. And some have their lives completely transformed by Jesus. Different generation—same big story. And now, we’re part of it. Let’s dive in.

The story of God has not changed. The gospel is still the power of God for salvation. Jesus is still risen. People still respond in radically different ways. What changes are the actors.

In Acts of the Apostles 17, we watch Paul move from city to city. Different audiences. Different cultures. Different reactions. Yet the same gospel advances everywhere. And in many ways, we are now the new actors in that same story.

(1) Expect Resistance to the Good News: But the Jews were jealous…

Acts 17:4–5 [4] And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. [5] But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. (ESV)

Paul preached Christ in Thessalonica. Some believed immediately. Lives changed. A church was born. But opposition came just as quickly. Jealousy turned into mob violence. The city erupted into chaos. Jason’s house was attacked. The gospel disturbed people because it challenged allegiances, pride, and power.

The same thing still happens today. Not everyone resists Christianity because they have carefully reasoned objections. Sometimes the gospel threatens control. Sometimes it exposes sin. Sometimes people simply do not want a King over their lives except themselves.

Jesus never promised universal applause. He promised faithfulness amid resistance. The temptation for believers is to think:

• “If I explain it better, no one will reject it.”
• “If I’m loving enough, everyone will accept it.”
• “If culture dislikes Christianity, something must be wrong.”

But Acts reminds us that rejection is not always failure. Sometimes resistance is evidence that the gospel is confronting hearts honestly. The gospel comforts the humble—but unsettles the proud. So do not be surprised by resistance:

• in conversations,
• in classrooms,
• at work,
• online,
• even among friends or family.

The same story continues.

(2) Expect Many to Embrace the Good News Warmly.

The Thessalonian rejection was not the end of the story. In Berea, people listened eagerly.

Acts 17:11–13 [11] Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. [12] Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. [13] But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. (ESV)

Notice the balance:

• eager hearts,
• thoughtful minds,
• open Scriptures.

Biblical faith is not blind faith. The Bereans did not believe because Paul was persuasive alone. They tested his message against God’s Word. And many believed. This matters because prolonged opposition can make Christians cynical. We can quietly assume:

• “People today are too secular.”
• “Nobody cares about truth anymore.”
• “The gospel doesn’t connect with modern people.”

But God is still drawing people to Himself. Across cultures, campuses, workplaces, and cities, people are still hungry for truth, forgiveness, meaning, and hope. Some are far more spiritually open than we realise. There are still “Bereans” today:

• people quietly searching,
• people reading Scripture seriously,
• people longing for truth,
• people ready to believe when they hear Christ clearly.

Our role is not to manufacture conversion. Our role is to faithfully proclaim Jesus. God still opens hearts.

(3) Christianity’s Intellectual Rigour—But It Goes Beyond That. It’s Life.

In Athens, Paul encountered philosophers: Epicureans. Stoics, intellectual elites fascinated by ideas. Christianity entered the marketplace of competing worldviews and did not retreat. Paul reasoned. Explained. Engaged questions. Addressed culture thoughtfully. Christian faith has intellectual depth because Christianity is rooted in truth:

• creation,
• history,
• resurrection,
• revelation,
• reality itself.

The gospel can withstand examination. But Acts 17 also shows something more important:
Christianity is not merely an interesting philosophy to discuss endlessly. The Athenians loved novelty:

Acts 17:18–21 [18] Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. [19] And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? [20] For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” [21] Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. (ESV)

Modern culture often does the same:

• consuming podcasts,
• debating theology,
• collecting opinions,
• endlessly analysing ideas.

But the gospel is not entertainment for curious minds. It demands repentance. It calls for surrender. It announces a risen King. And some did believe. Dionysius. Damaris. Others.
Real people. Real transformed lives. Because Christianity is not merely intellectual agreement—it is new life in Christ. The resurrection is not just an argument to evaluate. It is a reality that changes everything.

Final Reflection: Acts 17 reminds us:

• Some will resist the gospel fiercely.
• Some will receive it eagerly.
• Some will debate it intellectually.
• Some will believe and be transformed.

The actors change across generations. But the story remains the same. And now we are part of that continuing story. So:

• preach Christ courageously,
• think deeply,
• love people patiently,
• trust God with the results.

The gospel that turned cities upside down in Acts is still at work today.

Prayer

Heavenly Father. Thank You for the unchanging truth of the gospel. Give us courage when we face resistance, wisdom to speak Your truth faithfully, and love for those around us. Open hearts to receive Jesus, and help us live as faithful witnesses in this generation. Keep us rooted in Your Word and confident in the risen Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

QT 28/05/2026 星期四. 使徒行传 17 同一个宏大故事，新的不同主角——你们。
阅读 http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/act/17/

如果我告诉你们，《使徒行传》第17章中的故事至今仍在上演，你们会作何感想？有人拒绝福音，有人热切地接受它，还有人的生命因耶稣而彻底改变。世代不同——故事依旧。而如今，我们正是其中的一员。让我们深入探讨。

上帝的故事从未改变。福音依然是上帝拯救的大能。耶稣依然复活。人们的反应依然千差万别。唯一改变的，是故事中的角色。

在《使徒行传》第17章中，我们看到保罗从一个城市到另一个城市。不同的听众。不同的文化。不同的反应。然而，同样的福音在各地推进。从许多方面来说，我们如今正是这个故事中的新角色。

(1) 预料到福音会遭遇抵制：但犹太人却嫉妒……

使徒行传 17:4–5 [4]  他们中间有人给说服了，就附从了保罗和西拉；还有一大群虔诚的希腊人，和不少显要的妇女。5 但犹太人嫉妒起来，招聚了一些市井流氓，纠合成群，骚动全城，冲进了耶孙的家，搜索保罗和西拉，要把他们交给民众。

保罗在帖撒罗尼迦传讲基督。有些人立刻信了。生命因此改变。教会由此诞生。但反对之声也随之而来。嫉妒演变成了暴民暴力。整座城市陷入混乱。雅逊的家遭到袭击。福音之所以扰乱人心，是因为它挑战了人们的效忠对象、骄傲和权力。

今天，同样的情况仍在发生。并非所有人都因经过深思熟虑的反对而抵制基督教。有时，福音威胁到了权势的掌控；有时，它揭露了罪；有时，人们单纯地不愿让任何人——除了自己——作他们生命的王。

耶稣从未应许过普世赞誉。祂应许的是在抵制中仍能持守忠心。信徒常会陷入这样的诱惑：

• “如果我解释得更清楚，就没人会拒绝了。”
• “如果我足够有爱心，大家都会接受的。”
• “如果文化排斥基督教，那一定是我们哪里做错了。”

但《使徒行传》提醒我们，被拒绝并不总是失败。有时，抵制恰恰证明福音正在真诚地触动人心。福音安慰谦卑的人——却使骄傲的人不安。所以，不要对以下情况中的抵制感到惊讶：

• 在交谈中，
• 在课堂上，
• 在工作中，
• 在网络上，
• 甚至在亲友之间。

同样的故事仍在延续。

(2) 期待许多人会热情地接受这好消息。

帖撒罗尼迦人的拒绝并非故事的结局。在庇哩亚，人们热切地聆听。

《使徒行传》17:11–13 [11]  这里的人，比帖撒罗尼迦人开明，热切接受主的道，天天考查圣经，要知道所听的是否与圣经相符。12 结果他们中间有很多人信了，也有高贵的希腊妇女，男的也不少。13 但帖撒罗尼迦的犹太人，知道保罗又在比里亚宣讲　神的道，就到那里去，煽动挑拨群众。

请注意其中的平衡：

• 热切的心，
• 深思的头脑，
• 敞开的圣经。

圣经所说的信心并非盲目的信仰。伯罗亚人并非仅仅因为保罗的言辞有说服力就信了他。他们是用上帝的话语来检验他的信息。结果，许多人信了。这一点很重要，因为长期的反对可能会使基督徒变得愤世嫉俗。我们可能会不自觉地认为：

• “如今的人太世俗了。”
• “没人再在乎真理了。”
• “福音与现代人脱节了。”

但神仍在吸引人归向祂。跨越不同文化、校园、职场和城市，人们依然渴慕真理、赦免、意义与盼望。有些人灵里的敞开程度远超我们的想象。今日仍有“庇哩亚人”：

• 默默寻求的人，
• 认真研读圣经的人，
• 渴慕真理的人，
• 一旦清晰听见基督的声音便准备信靠的人。

我们的角色不是强行制造归信。我们的角色是忠实地传扬耶稣。上帝依然在开启人心。

(3) 基督教的智识严谨性——但这远不止于此。它是生命。

在雅典，保罗遇见了哲学家：伊壁鸠鲁学派、斯多葛学派，这些沉迷于思想的知识精英。基督教进入了各种世界观相互角逐的“市场”，却并未退缩。保罗进行辩论，阐明道理，回应疑问，并深思熟虑地面对文化。基督教信仰具有思想深度，因为基督教植根于真理：

• 创造，
• 历史，
• 复活，
• 启示，
• 现实本身。

福音经得起推敲。但《使徒行传》第17章还揭示了一个更重要的道理：基督教不仅仅是一种值得无休止讨论的有趣哲学。雅典人喜爱新奇事物：

《使徒行传》17:18–21 [18]  还有伊壁鸠鲁派和斯多亚派的哲学家也同他争论，有的说：“这个拾人牙慧的人要说什么呢？”有的说：“他似乎是一个宣传外地鬼神的人。”这是因为保罗传扬耶稣和复活的道理。19 他们拉着保罗，把他带到亚略．巴古那里，说：“你所讲的这个新道理，我们可以知道吗？20 因为你把一切新奇的事，传到我们耳中，我们愿意知道这些事是什么意思。” 21 原来所有雅典人和外侨，专好谈论和打听新奇的事，来打发时间。

现代文化往往也是如此：

• 沉迷播客，
• 争论神学，
• 收集观点，
• 无休止地分析思想。

但福音并非供好奇者消遣的娱乐。它要求悔改。它呼召人全然顺服。它宣告一位复活的君王。确实有人信了。狄奥尼修斯。达玛丽斯。还有其他人。真实的人。真正被改变的生命。因为基督教不仅仅是理性的认同——它是基督里的新生命。复活不仅仅是一个待评判的论点。它是一个改变一切的现实。

最终反思：《使徒行传》第17章提醒我们：

• 有些人会激烈抵制福音。
• 有些人会热切地接受它。
• 有些人会从理智上与之辩论。
• 有些人会相信并因此得着改变。

时代更迭，主角虽换，故事却始终如一。而如今，我们正是这延续中的故事的一部分。因此：

• 勇敢地传讲基督，
• 深入思考，
• 耐心爱人，
• 将结果交托给神。

那在《使徒行传》中颠覆了整座城市的福音，今天仍在发挥作用。

祷告

天父。感谢祢赐下永不改变的福音真理。当我们面对抵挡时，求祢赐给我们勇气；赐给我们智慧，使我们能忠实地传讲祢的真理；并赐给我们爱，使我们能爱身边的人。求祢开启人心，使他们接受耶稣，并帮助我们在这一代人中活出忠心的见证。求祢使我们扎根于祢的话语，并确信复活的基督。奉耶稣的名祷告，阿们。