The Prime Directive of Church 教會最高原則

The Prime Directive of Church 教會最高原則

Scripture: Acts 使徒行傳1:8, 2:1-13

1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"

12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" 13Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."

1:8但聖靈降臨在你們身上，你們就必得著能力，並要在耶路撒冷、猶太全地，和撒馬利亞，直到地極，作我的見證。

2:1五旬節到了，門徒都聚集在一處。2:2 忽然，從天上有響聲下來，好像一陣大風吹過，充滿了他們所坐 的屋子， 2:3 又有舌頭如火焰顯現出來，分開落在他們各人頭上。 2:4 他們就都被聖靈充 滿，按著聖靈所賜的口才說起別國的話來。2:5 那時，有虔誠的猶太人從天下各國來，住在耶路撒冷。2:6 這聲音一響，眾人都來聚集，各人聽見門徒用眾人的鄉談說話，就甚納悶； 2:7 都驚訝希奇說：看 哪，這說話的不都是加利利人嗎？ 2:8 我們各人，怎麼聽見他們說我們生來所用的鄉談呢？

2:9 我們帕提亞人、米底亞人、以攔人，和住在美索不達米亞、猶太、加帕多家、本都、亞細亞、 2:10 弗呂家、旁非利亞、埃及的人，並靠近古利奈的利比亞一帶地方的人，從羅馬來的客旅中，或是猶太人，或是進猶太教的 人，

2:11 克里特和阿拉伯人，都聽見他們用我們的鄉談，講說神的大作為。2:12 眾人就都驚訝猜疑，彼此說：這是甚麼意思呢？ 2:13 還有人譏誚說：他們無非是新酒灌滿了。

Sermon Outline: 講道大綱

• The ‘prime directive’ of the Christian Church was given by Jesus himself in Acts 1:8, just before he was taken up to heaven.

基督教教會的最高指導原則是由耶穌本尊在使徒行傳1:8所下達的， 就在他被
取上天之前。

• The disciples of Christ were commanded to be witnesses of the gospel in an ever-widening-circle, starting from “Jerusalem, and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

基督的使徒被吩咐成為福音的見證人在日益擴大的範圍圈子，從“耶路撒冷”
為起點，猶太全地，和撒馬利亞，直到地極。

• In our context today, Jerusalem represents our congregation, Judea represents our surrounding community, Samaria represents those outcasts whom we may dislike, and ‘the end of the earth’ represents the rest of the world.

在當今世上，耶路撒象徵代表我們基督徒，猶太全地象徵代表我們周圍的社區
團體，撒馬利亞象徵代表我們可能不喜歡的，被逐出放棄的人，地 極象徵代表
了世界其他地區。

• It is the Holy Spirit that empowers the Disciples of Christ to carry out this missionary prime directive in this ever-widening circle. Pentecost, or the coming of the Holy Spirit, was the beginning point of that mission.

這是聖靈授權基督的門徒在這個不斷擴大的圓圈行出最高指導原則。五旬節，
或聖靈的降臨，是這一使命的起點。

• The power of the Holy Spirit is unpredictable, uncontrollable, explosive, and supernatural. It unsettles the status quo, and it upsets people.

聖靈的大能是不可預測，無法控制，爆發性的、超自然的。使現狀不定，
使人心煩意亂。

• Churches that follow this prime directive of Christian faith will also experience the full power of the Holy Spirit.

眾教會都必須遵循這一最高指導原則，基督徒的信仰也將體驗到全能的聖靈。

Questions for Discussion 問題討論

1. What are some of the things that we do in church that follow this missionary ‘prime directive’ from Christ? What are the things that we do that do not follow it?

我們在教會裡做哪些事情是遵循由耶穌基督而來的「教會最高原則」？ 我們又有哪些事情不遵循「教會最高原則」去做？

2. How could we prepare ourselves and our church to carry out this ‘prime directive’ from Jesus?

我們要如何隨時裝備自己，讓我們教會能行出這個由耶穌基督而來 的「教會最高原則」？

3. Are you truly willing to experience the full power of the Holy Spirit that is unpredictable, uncontrollable, explosive and supernatural?

你是否全然願意經歷這不可預測、無法控制、爆發性、超自然的全能 聖靈？

Translated into Mandarin by Teresa Yang