作者：倪步曉

摘要

滕近輝的靈性觀以「深化」為核心，強調靈性是一種動態的關係性實踐，結合個體內在更新與外在行動見證。他的靈性思想超越傳統華人教會對靈性的靜態或固定化理解，主張靈性成長須通過悔改、自我否定、與基督聯合的歷程，並展現在日常生活的具體實踐中。本文爬梳滕近輝的核心著作與講章，採用文本分析與歷史詮釋法，探討其靈性觀中「深化」的理論基礎與實踐策略，特別聚焦其體驗式知識論、否定神學視角以及靈性與心理健康的聯結。其次，滕氏主張靈性與心理健康的關係，提出如「靈性學院」、「安息」與「禁食禱告」等實踐方式，為當代華人教會靈性牧養提供了靈性長進的進路，試圖幫助信徒擺脫對理想化靈性高峰的追求，而將信仰落實於生活中，形成既深化又實用的屬靈進路。

原載於《中國基督教研究》24期（2025年6月），頁 234-270。

原載於《抉擇》，1976年5月，頁16。

使徒行傳裡面記載了十二個異象，其中有些意義相同，所以可以歸納為七類。這些異象在佈道事工上產生了極大的作用。這些異象既然是由上帝而來，我們當然可以從其中看出上帝對於佈道工作的旨意。

茲將這七類異象的每一類，舉出一例，並將其意義分述如下：

（一）差遣的異象（徒26：13〜19; 22：6〜10）

這是保羅在大馬色路上所見的異象。它有四個要點：

1）「主阿，我當作甚麼？」（22:10）。

保羅在異象中認識了主耶穌，並且接受他的主權，所以立刻跟着說：「我當作甚麼？」「主阿」和「我當作甚麼」是分不開的。每一個說「主呵」的人，都應該跟着說：「我當作甚麼？」這樣才能證明他真以耶穌為主。今日教會最需要的信息，就是基督的主權（the Lordship of Christ）。

2）差遣——主耶穌對保糶說：「我要差差你到他們那裡去…………」（26:18）。3）應許——「我要救你脫離百姓和外邦人的手」（26:17）。

4）接受使命——保羅接受了主耶穌的差遣以後，他表現了強烈的使命感。他說：「我不以性命為念……只要成就我從主耶穌所受的職事」（20:24）。

願主將強烈的使命感賜予全世界各地的華人基督徒。有一件事實很感動我的心：越南快要變色的時候，數十位在各縣和山地部落中工作的傳道人，被總會召集到西貢去，預備移居外國，但是當他們在一起商店的時候，他們心中受了感動，決定回到原來工作地區去，因為他們說：「我們的羊需要我們。」他們表現了強烈的使命感。

（二）超越的異象（徒10：9〜16）

彼得在這一個異象中大惑不解，因為上帝竟然吩咐他作舊約律法所禁止他作的事——吃不潔淨之物。我們在這一個表面看來似乎矛盾的異象中，獲得如下的亮光：

1）上帝是無限的，人是有限的；以有限看無限，上帝必然在人眼中願為矛盾。這就是所謂上帝理的「反合性」（Paradox）。

2）一切象徵性的事物，當它所象徵的實體出現時，都要失去意義。換言之，影子在實體面前消逝。舊約的預表都是如此。

3）上帝在每一個時代裡面，有他特殊的工作方式。真理不變，方式常變。上帝在舊約時代所用的方式，與新約時代不同。

讓我們特別注意第三點。我們應該尋求上帝在這一個時代裡面所要用的佈道方法，絕不可墨守傳統上的成規。聖經的原則是必須遵守的，但是這些原則的表達方式却是活潑多的。因此我們必須有強烈的時代感。

茲舉一個事實的例子：過去華人教會幾乎以舉行培靈會為唯一增進信徒靈性的方法，主也實在使用了這一個方法。但是今天主興起了更多的方式：專題講座，靈命進深功課，信徒夜校（延伸神學教育）等等，漸漸把單方面傳（講的方式轉變為交互式的方式（Inter-action）。這種方式是本時代所要求的。

（三）擴展的異象（徒23：11）

主耶穌在異象中對保羅說：「放心吧，你怎樣在耶路撤冷為我作見証，也必怎樣在羅馬為我作見證。」

這一個異象把保羅的視野從耶路撒冷擴展到羅馬，所以它有極重要的意義。今天華人教會正需要這一個異象，把我們的心胸、視野，和追求的範圍，都擴大開來。我們常常眼光狹窄，只看見自己的小圈子，和極有限的可能性，為基督的國度缺少雄心大志。願主幫助我們，使我們靠著主為自己的事奉崗位，為自己的教會，為自己的機構，有更大的計劃。

當米開蘭基羅（Michelangelo）的一個弟子請求他批評一幅油畫作品的時候，他提起畫筆在畫面上寫了一個拉丁字，意思是「再大一點」。願主也擴大華人教會的退野和心胸。

（四）馬其頓異象（徒16：9）

這一個異象為初期教會造成了最大的擴展——福音從此傳入歐洲，又從歐洲傳至全世界。

照樣，這一個異象可以為今日全世界的華人教會造成最大的擴展。如果華人教會普遍的推動差傳工作，就會在十年內造成蓬蓬勃勃的傳福音大運動。差傳並非只限於海外，只要是超越本堂範圍以外的福音工作，都是差傳工作（Missions），本地與海外都包括在內，教會性的與非會性的福音工作，也都包括在內（例如文字工作和廣播工作等）。如果我們把差傳工作只限於海外的範圍之內，就會使許多教會裹足不前，因而減少了差傳運動對華人教會的貢獻與影響。筆者相信差傳運動最後成為世界華人教會的「倍加運動」。

（五）能力的異象（徒2：1-4）

聖靈在五旬節降臨的情形，是兩件事的綜合體：其一是聖靈降臨的事實；另一是當時的現象。這些現象就是異象。這一個異象有四個重點，各有其重要意義：

1）強風 – 象徵強的生命力。在希伯來文裡面，風、氣息、靈，三字相同，所以在以西結書卅七章內，以風象徵聖靈的工作，這風使枯骨成為強大的軍隊，充滿生命的戰鬥力。照樣，聖靈的強風使初期教會成為基督精兵，滿有屬靈的活力——豐盛的生命，不再是微弱的生命氣息乃是強風一般的氣息。

2）火熱的見証——似火焰的舌頭象徵火熱的見証。這見証之火在耶路撒冷燃燒起來，愈燒愈廣！一切攔阻變為包火之紙只能助燃。

3）恩賜——「他們就都………按着聖靈所賜的口才……」聖靈充滿一個人的時候，會加強他的恩賜，使之更有功效。不但如此，聖靈也能給予信徒新的恩賜。。4）預表——五旬節聖靈降臨的時候，門徒們說起方言來。這是極有意義的一種象徵。方言象徵兩件極重要的事實：

a. 巴別塔開始了人類的混亂（創11：1-9），而聖靈降臨開始了基督的合一。眾人用不同的言語述說同一件事——「講說上帝的大作為」（徒2:11）。

b. 聖靈所賜的方言，象徵在聖靈的能力之下，門徒將福音傳至世界說各種語言的民族中間去。這一個奇妙的預表已經應驗了。

六）保證的異象（徒18：9）

主耶穌在異象中對保羅說：「不要怕，只管講……因為在這城裡我有許多的百姓。」主耶穌藉着這一個異象勵保羅，並且向他保證：他的工作必不落空。保羅獲得了這保證以後，於是剛強起來，在哥林多城內繼續工作了十八個月。

這保証也是給我們的，傳福音的工作必不落空。讓我們在任何困難中剛強壯膽吧！

七）安慰的異象（徒7:55）

在司提反殉道臨死時，主耶穌在異象中向他顯現：祂站在上帝的右邊。因此司提反滿得安慰，他的慘死改變了意義，成為榮耀的殉道。他心中充滿了對那些兇手的憐憫，所以為他們禱告說：「不要將這罪歸與他們！」

今天，許多地方的基督徒正在受逼迫，他們何等需要這一個異象！

Alliance Witness, 1988-08-17, P. 7-8.

The Christian life is basically a supernatural life. It is supernatural both in origin and in maintenance.

Its origin is supernatural because it begins with the new birth, which is brought about by the working of the Holy Spirit.

Its maintenance is supernatural because it is impossible for us to live the Christian life with our natural strength. It has to be sustained by the same power of the Holy Spirit.

When we come to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, God begins to move us away from the natural plane of life, where self is the center of all things and natural abilities are the dynamics. He seeks to put us on the supernatural plane, where He occupies the central place and the Holy Spirit helps us to bear the beautiful fruits of the Spirit.

God wills that Christians should not continue to live on the natural plane but hasten on to the supernatural plane. Many Christians take the normal as exceptional because their understanding of the Christian life remains on the natural level. The Holy Spirit will take the natural and transform it into the supernatural.

What are the supernatural expressions of a genuinely Christian life? A number of them are illustrated in the lives of Biblical characters and particularly in the ministries of Elijah and Elisha.

1. The supernatural life rises above the natural social law of justice.

The supernatural life rises above justice because it demands something higher. It demands love for hatred, forgiveness for intolerance, brotherhood for hostility.

A very moving scene is described in Second Kings 6:21-23. When an invading Syrian army fell into the hands of the Israelites the king of Israel counseled with Elisha as to what to do with the captives. Elisha said, “Spread a table before them, let them eat and drink and then let them go home in peace.”

The king took this advice; and subsequently the Syrians were so ashamed of themselves that they never invaded Israel again. What a wonderful victory, a victory of love!

If I were an artist I would like to paint a series of five pictures. I would first paint Jesus on the cross, praying for His enemies, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” My second picture would be of Stephen being stoned to death by the angry Jews but praying, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them. ”

Then I would portray Joseph of the Old Testament, with his arms around the necks of his brothers who sold him into slavery, weeping with tears of forgiveness. I would also paint David fasting and praying for recovery of the ill- ness of his enemy (Psalm 35:13). Finally I would illustrate spreading a feast before the invaders of his nation.

All this is gloriously supernatural. In each case the love of God was “shed abroad” in human hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5, KJV).

2. The supernatural life rises above the natural law of physics that all things expand when heated and contract in a low temperature.

A beautiful verse in Job tells us, “God… gives songs in the night” (35:10, NIV). When the night is dark and cold it reminds us of times of adversity and trial. Yet the supernatural life does not shrink under such circumstances but, on the contrary, expands itself into songs of faith and victory.

When Elijah faced the 450 false prophets on. Mount Carmel his faith did not shrink but rather expanded into a strong act of dedication—rebuilding the altar of Jehovah—and a triumphant prayer. And that was the beginning of a revival among. the people of God.

Similarly, David wrote four psalms at times of danger and persecution (56, 57,59, 63). The brief prefixes attached to these psalms indicate the specific situations into which David was thrown. Yet he was full of praise to God in every one of them.

3. The supernatural life rises above the natural biological law of self-preservation.

Self-preservation is the first law of the animal world. All living creatures do their best to preserve themselves. But the first law of grace is self-denial.

When Elisha healed the leprosy of Naaman, a great general of the Syrian army, he was presented with many precious gifts by Naaman. But Elisha refused them.

The prophet realized that his acceptance of the gifts would make Naaman feel he was healed because he was a famous general. Elisha wanted Naaman to know that though he was a great general he still needed the free grace of God.

Elisha had only one focus of attention and interest—the glory of God. This was the greatest passion in his life. He denied himself for the glory of God.

But his disciple, Gehazi, was not like that. He thought his master was a fool, and he sought after the gifts in secret and accepted them.

Later Elisha rebuked him and said, “ ‘Is this the time to take money, or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or to accept menservants and maidservants?’” (2 Kings 5:26). Elisha’s implied answer to that question was, No, it is time to glorify God.

4. The supernatural life rises above the natural law of mathematics that one plus one is two.

The supernatural life demonstrates the spiritual law of multiplication by division. During a terrible three-and-a-half-year drought in Israel a widow at Zarephath became so impoverished she had only a little bit of flour and a small bottle of oil left. She planned to make a small loaf of bread for her son and herself and then wait for starvation.

But God sent Elijah to her. And she was willing to share that small morsel of food with him. Then a great miracle happened. That small morsel of food became sufficient for all the need of three of them for three-and-one-half years or for 1,277 days. So here is a strange mathematical equation: 1÷3 = 1,277.

We may also remember what the Lord did in feeding 5,000 persons with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. The boy was willing to give all 7 things to Jesus. And as the result of that sharing a great multitude of people were fed. In this case, 7- 7=5,000.

Such supernatural mathematics can operate in our personal spiritual life. The Lord said, “ ‘ “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”’”

The North Point Alliance Church in Hong Kong, which I pastored for 30 years, regularly has used three-quarters of its income for the Lord’s work outside the church. Yet God has greatly blessed that congregation financially, according to His promise.

5. The supernatural life rises above the natural physiological law that labor always results in fatigue.

Elijah had a supernatural experience in sharp contrast to this natural law. He was completely exhausted both in body and in spirit when he lay down under a juniper tree and out of sheer despair and fatigue asked God for death. God stretched forth His hand to prepare food and rest for him. And by the strength from God’s provision Elijah walked for 40 days and nights until he reached Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8).

Elijah’s experience is a glorious affirmation of the apostle Paul’s testimony: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:l0).

During a walk in the botanical gardens of Hong Kong I saw a huge stony pillar with ivy around it. Ivy is almost the weakest thing in the world, unable to stand on its own.

But as soon as it took hold of the strong pillar it became as strong as the pillar. Nothing could shake it, not even the typhoons that strike Hong Kong several times a year.

In the same way, as we lay hold of our Lord in faith His supernatural strength becomes our portion.

6. The supernatural life rises above the natural law of gravity.

In nature all things fall down. But Elisha was enabled by the power of God to perform the miracle of making an ax float on water.

It is a glorious fact that as years pass by thousands and thousands of Christians have been enabled by divine grace through faith to have a supernatural upward course in their spiritual life, instead of going down.

Psalm 92:12-14 says, “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, . . . like acedar; /…planted in the house of the Lord, / they will flourish in the courts of our God. / They will hear fruit in old age, / they will stay fresh and green.”

There are at least four grand old men in the Bible who still flourished in their old age. There is Abraham, who reached the peak of his love for God probably at the age of 117, when he offered his only, beloved son to God.

Daniel at the probable age of 90 defied the Persian king for the sake of his faith, at the risk of his life, by praying to God three times a day as usual.

Paul near the end of his earthly journey said that he was still pressing on toward the goal that God had set for his life.

John was in his 90s when, shortly after his great suffering for the Lord on the Isle of Patmos, wrote three epistles which were filled with messages on love, joy and truth.

Yes, water always flows downward. But when it has become steam it rises up instead of going down. That is sublimation.

We tend naturally to go down. But when the Holy Spirit moves us to the supernatural plane of life, we rise up to a sustained, united life with Christ.

7. The supernatural life rises above the natural logic that things seen are real and things not seen are not real.

Over against natural logic, we have Paul’s statement, “What is seen is temporary, hut what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). The Christian life labors for things that have an eternal value. True faith means seeing the unseen (Hebrews 11:27).

When Elisha and his disciple were surrounded by enemies, the prophet prayed for that young man. The servant then saw chariots of fire around them. Elisha said to him, “ ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’” Elisha saw the unseen hosts of God, and he had victory over the enemy.

Abraham had faith, and he hoped against hope. His hope was realized, and he was crowned as “the father of faith.” Yes, “we live by faith, not by sight.”

12. The Crisis of Leadership Groping with the Unsure or Following the Sure?
Alliance Witness, 1980.06.25, P. 24-25.

Good leadership is indispensable for the success of any cause or movement. This is certainly true with the greatest of all causes, that of making Christ known through evangelism.

In Acts we find among the apostles wonderful leadership that inspired the whole church for powerful action in evangelism.

But the apostles were at first weak people. They all fled when Jesus was crucified. Peter denied the Lord three times. God changed them, however, and turned them into strong leaders.

The lack of leadership creates a great crisis in a church. That church will not of itself reach out for Christ. May God more and more continue to raise up the leaders we need in our churches.

Let us look at the leaders the early church had.

1.When the Jerusalem church was persecuted many Christians left. But what did the apostles do? They were in the greatest danger for their lives. They should have been the first ones to run. But we read in Acts 8:1 that all the Christians left Jerusalem except the apostles! We cannot but be moved by their faithfulness, their spirit of dedication and their sense of responsibility.

Before the Communist takeover in Viet Nam a group of pastors of tribal churches in the mountain areas walked for many days to Saigon, hoping to be transported to the United States. Upon arrival in Saigon, they had a prayer meeting together, and the Holy Spirit worked in a mighty way. They rose from their knees to make a totally different decision—they decided to walk back to their villages because they felt that their flocks needed them.

The head of the C&MA church in Viet Nam also decided to stay in Saigon, refusing to be evacuated.

2. The leaders of the early church showed a great selfless spirit. Two outstanding examples are Peter and Barnabas.

Peter stayed in Jerusalem during the persecution, but he departed after it was over, leaving the top leadership to James. From Acts 15 we gather that Peter never took that position back again.

Barnabas went to look for Paul and brought him to Antioch to take over the leadership of that great church from him, not thinking of position and privilege at all. He did it for the good of the church at the expense of his own leadership.

3. The leaders of the early church had a deep sense of identification with their people. Perhaps the most moving illustration of this is the martyrdom of Stephen. He longed for the salvation of his own people and he pleaded with them to accept Jesus. When the Jews were stoning him to death his heart was still filled with compassion for them, and he prayed for their forgiveness.

The apostle Paul expressed an even greater sense of identification when he said that he was willing to be accursed, cut off from Christ, in order that his kinsmen, the people of Israel, might be saved (Romans9:3).

There is a still clearer illustration of this sense of identification in the life of the prophet Ezekiel. God commanded him to lie on his left side for 390 days and then on his right side for 40 days to symbolize God’s judgment on Israel (4:4-6). As a servant of God he was identified with his own people, and this created a great burden in his heart for them.

4. The leaders of the early church had great eloquence. The preaching of the apostles was very persuasive, turning people to God in faith and repentance.

What constituted their eloquence? There were at least four factors:

Their eloquence came from their personal experience with Christ. The apostles simply testified to what they had seen and heard of their Master.

They proclaimed with certainty and boldness the risen Lord whom they had seen with their own eyes. Peter said before the officials of Jerusalem, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 420). That testimony was powerful itself.

Their eloquence was the result of being taught by the Lord. They passed on what they had received from Christ.

We are reminded of God’s words to Ezekiel, “When I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord” (3:27).

Their eloquence was an outward channel for inward grace. The apostles’ spiritual qualities were heightened by the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and eloquence resulted.

Spiritual gifts are of two categories: those directly bestowed by God, and the natural abilities or talents a person has. When the former are uplifted, the latter are improved.

Their eloquence came from the authority of the Word of God. The apostles always based their preaching on the Word of God, and therefore their messages carried divine authority.

5. A wonderful unity in spirit and service was one of the outstanding features of the leadership of the early church. The first apostolic council as recorded in Acts 15 is a very good example of their unity.

The Book of Acts is filled with this spirit from cover to cover. The precious words “of one accord” appear six times in the hook. It is no surprise that under this influence of the apostles the whole congregation lived in an atmosphere of loving fellowship.

Humility was one of the elements of this unity. For instance, when the apostle Peter performed a miracle the people of Jerusalem expressed their admiration. But Peter said, “Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?” (Acts 3:12).

Unity was easy to keep when the leaders of the church all gave glory to God, and not to themselves, in true humility. Cooperation was a natural product of such a spirit of unity.

If we want to do greater things for God, we have to learn the lesson of unity.

6. The leaders of the early church had absolute confidence in the gospel. They were perfectly convinced that the gospel was God’s plan of salvation for all who believed. They were absolutely sure that Christ was the only Savior of the world and that He was going to appear as the ultimate Victor in history.

A most moving passage in Acts 4:24-31 tells us the apostles, after having suffered from persecution, prayed together with great faith, extolling God and expressing jubilant confidence that everything was going to happen as God had revealed in prophecy.

Only those leaders who have this confidence in the reality of the gospel are willing to pay a real price for its propagation. Others will look for substitutes for the gospel and are never strong on evangelism.

7. The leaders of the early church were men of moral integrity. They commanded the respect of the common people (see Acts 5:12).

With amazing ability and integrity they handled the extraordinarily large sum of money received from church members after they had sold all their possessions (Acts 4:34-35). Under this kind of leadership the whole congregation won the good will of all people (2:47), which meant a great force in evangelism.

The apostles made a special point of telling the early church that their leaders must he “of honest report” (6:3). The church at Antioch followed this principle when it chose Barnabas, who is specially mentioned as a “good man” (11:24), to be its leader.

8. There was real internationalism among the leaders of the early church.

Both the Jerusalem church and the Antioch church were international in their leadership. In the Jerusalem church at least one was a foreigner from Antioch (6:5). As for the Antioch church, two of the five top leaders were black brethren, Simon called Niger and Lucius of Cyrene (13:1). But they worked together in harmony and mutual respect. It was only natural that this international makeup produced international missions.

Nationalism is never a Christian concept and emphasis. Christians should exhibit love and loyalty to their country hut not a nationalism that promotes hatred or prejudice.

All nations need a new international outlook that cultivates mutual understanding and goodwill. All narrow nationalism should he discarded. Church leaders should aim at closer fellowship and cooperation with one another on an international level, such as in missions and theological education.

9. The leaders of the early church were men of vision. The Book of Acts is a hook of visions. We can count twelve, all necessary for the enlightenment of the leaders of the church.

Many of these visions were received during prayer. Prayer and vision are usually found together in the Bible. Visions have been given to prayerful leaders in all generations. Prayerless leaders have imaginations and dreams, but not visions.

The visions that the leaders of the early church received opened their eyes to new possibilities and set their feet on roads leading to new growth and new development for the church.

A leader is a seer—he sees a vision. He is a follower—he follows his own vision. And he is a drummer—he rouses others to follow his vision with him.

Are we the leaders the church needs?

11. The Crisis of Strategy
Alliance Witness, 1980.06.11, P. 24-25.

THERE is a vast difference between a walk and a race. In Chinese we say a walk is “hsin pu er hsing, ” which means a walk led by the feet — no destination, no goal.

Many people follow their feet rather than their heads. They do not really know where they are going. Consequently they never get anywhere, but just keep circling and circling.

In a race the athletes set their minds and eyes on the goal and their feet follow their minds. They also do their best to find the quickest and the best way to reach their goal — which is exactly what strategy is.

You must have a goal before you can have a strategy. You must have a right goal before you can have a right strategy.

What was the goal of the apostolic church? Unquestionably it was the Great Commission: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19). But was the aim of the early church baptism only? If so, this could have been accomplished by swords and spears.

No, the aim was worldwide evangelization through baptism and discipleship — both. The early church had a clear vision of this twofold goal, and its members applied the right strategy to reach it — and did a wonderful job!

What was the apostolic strategy for carrying out the Great Commission? The early church leaders applied church-growth and evangelization principles that the Lord Himself had taught them.

In Matthew’s Gospel the Lord told fifteen parables about the kingdom of God. Since the expansion of the kingdom of God is parallel in essence to the expansion of the Christian church, we can legitimately apply the principles from these parables to church growth and evangelization, just as the early church did.

1. The principle of quantity. In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-9) the seed that falls into good ground and bears fruit is only one of four groups of seed. How can we increase the good results? There is only one way: sow more seed. Quantity provides opportunities for quality.

Quantity is the basis for quality. Quantity is good if you have a means to convert quantity into quality.

In the early church all who con- fessed faith in Christ on the day of Pentecost were soon baptized — three thousand of them! Was it not dangerous to baptize people so soon? Yes, if baptism had been the end of it. No, if they had a good program to train new converts. The early church did, and so it grew bigger as well as stronger.

The apostolic church implemented this principle by planting many churches both in Jerusalem and in the surrounding regions (see Acts 9:31- 32). If all pastors and lay leaders today would aim at starting at least one branch church every five years, that in itself would begin a great movement of church growth.

2. The principle of quality. In the parable of the tares (Matthew 13:24- 30) it is the wheat, not the tares, that the “householder” wants. Only quality will be accepted in the kingdom of God. Quality produces quantity — the good seed yields fruit, 30, 60- or 100-fold.

The early church practiced this principle by properly training their new converts (Acts 2:42-47). The good result was shown in the fact that when the Christians were scattered by persecution, they were able to serve as evangelists-preaching wherever they went (Acts 8:4). They drew large crowds to the Lord, resulting in the expansion of the church.

3. The principle of faith. The parable of the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32) shows that the kingdom of God grows and expands through the exercise of faith. It begins small like the mustard seed but ends up extraordinarily big.

There must be faith before any church can launch out into a program for expansion. Faith always says, “It is possible-not possible with me, but possible with God.” The early church had an outstanding record in the ap- plication of this principle.

Today there is always a battle going on in every church between the “possible” members and the “impossible” members. Things get done when the former are in power. Let us pray for the rise of a new generation of believing church leaders through whom God will do great things for the expansion of the kingdom of Christ.

4. The principle of the power of the Holy Spirit. The parable of the leaven (Matthew 13:33) has different interpretations. There is good ground for taking the leaven to refer to the expanding power of the church through the work of the Holy Spirit.

The early church set an excellent example in this respect. Today we need a renewed interest and zeal in seeking after the power of the Holy Spirit in our personal lives as well as in our church life. The fastest- growing churches are those that seek after the power of the Holy Spirit.

5. The principle of sacrifice. In the parable of the hidden treasure (Matthew 13:44) the man who found the treasure was willing to pay the highest price for it-he gave up everything. He may have been laughed at and ridiculed by his friends and even by his family, but he did not mind it because he knew what he was doing and that it was worth the price.

The apostolic church showed a great spirit of sacrifice for Christ. Its members plunged into evangelism without any reservation.

Christians gave everything, including their lives, in order to make the gospel of Christ known. They counted it a privilege to suffer for the name of Christ. This factor made possible the great thrust of the apostolic church in evangelism.

The time has come again for Chris- tians to show a real spirit of sacrifice in giving and serving if we expect our churches to grow rapidly.

6. The principle of total mobilization. In the parable of the vineyard (Matthew 20:l-15) the vineyard signifies the kingdom of God — and we are all invited to work in it! Likewise the church is the vineyard of God, where all members are expected to share in its service. In modern terminology this is total mobilization of the church.

The early church was a marvelous model for total mobilization. There was a strong lay ministry that started many churches, including the renowned church a t Antioch. Today many churches are still in the theoretical stage of mobilization. They have the concept of total mobilization but have not yet implemented it.

7. The principle of the development of spiritual gifts. The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) emphasizes the great importance of the development of spiritual gifts. The exercise of these gifts has much to do with the growth of the church. Today there is a great need for special ministries based on this principle in such areas as Sunday school promotion, youth work, literature, leadership training, the use of mass media, management, church music, theological education, student evangelism.

8. The principle of binding the strong man. The parable of binding the strong man (Matthew 12:22-29) shows us that overcoming satanic power is a key to the expansion of the kingdom of God.

Victory over Satan indicates the presence of the kingdom of God (12: 28). How do we obtain power to bind the “strong man,” or Satan? Through prayer in the name of Jesus.

Prayer moves the mighty arm of God. It is foolish of us to try to pluck things from the house of the “strong man” before we bind him. Spiritual warfare without prayer is doomed to failure.

9. The principle of service. In the account of the Lord’s division of the nations (Matthew 25:31-46) we find the Lord’s emphasis on the service of love.

Love service has always been a part of the total ministry of the church, and it also has been a strong force in the furtherance of the gospel. Many hearts have been opened by it.

Service to people’s physical and temporal needs has its own value and does not derive its merits solely from its contribution to evangelism. It is in itself a manifestation of the glory of God, but it renders a double service when it is wisely used as a channel of evangelism.

There are two outstanding in- stances of love service in the apostolic church: caring for widows in the Jerusalem congregation (Acts 6: l-6), which later became a general practice in all churches (1 Timothy 5:16), and a special collection of funds by Chris- tians in different areas to help people who were suffering from a great famine (Acts 11:29-30).

Social service as a part of the Christian witness should not be overlooked.

10. The principle of wise persuasion. In the parable of the wedding feast (Matthew 22:2-14) there is a thought that has puzzled many readers and Bible commentators. Matthew does not use the actual word but Luke does in his version of the same parable (Luke 14:23). The king orders his servants to “compel” people to come to his feast.

Does this concept have any significance for evangelism? There is place for a special kind of compulsion in evangelism. It is not persuasion by physical force, but it is the building up of a spiritual pressure that leads people to make a voluntary decision for Christ. Or it can be placing them in or exposing them to a Christian atmosphere where they cannot but be influenced for Christ.

In some evangelistic meetings the speaker builds up an emotional pressure on the audience at the close of his message that inspires or compels people to make a decision for Christ. This could be dismissed as emotionalism.

But man is an emotional being. His emotions were created by God and God is entitled to make use of them for his own salvation. More people are controlled and motivated by emotion than by reason and will. As long as the purpose is good and the appeal honest, there is nothing wrong with applying emotion to evangelism. All great things are emotional-great literature, great heroism, great music. When the heart is opened by emotion, the gospel will have a better opportunity to touch the intellect and the will.

When you send a boy to a good Christian school, you are in one sense pressuring him to become a Christian without forcing him. This is exactly the kind of compulsion television programs apply to shape the thinking of our children.

Is there a place for compulsion in evangelism? Yes, not only a place but a great need for it. In fact, that is where we have failed. Let us compel people to come in and fill the hall of the gospel feast!

10. The Crisis of Prejudice Tradition or Vision?
Alliance Witness, 1980.05.28, P. 24-25.

IN SPITE of all the teachings and examples of the Lord as well as their own experience, the apostles held traditional concepts that belonged to an older era.

They failed to learn from the Lord’s teaching that He had “other sheep” whom He must gather into the fold (John 10:16). They failed to learn from the Lord’s own example of showing grace to the Gentiles (Matthew 15:28).

They failed to learn from their own experience in the city of Samaria that the Holy Spirit was also given to Gen- tile believers (Acts 8:17). Peter still hesitated as to whether he should accept the invitation to go to Caesarea to preach to the household of Cornelius.

How difficult it is to rise above traditional concepts and practices. It took a vision from God to change Peter and liberate him from the bond- age of tradition and prejudice.

(9) On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:

(10) And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,

(11) And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:

(12) Wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.

(13) And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

(14) But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for Z have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.

(15) And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

(16) This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven (Acts 10:9-16).

Peter’s vision was of far-reaching significance. I call it a “vision of transcendence” because it enabled Peter to transcend limitations im- posed on him by tradition. He then began to preach to the Gentiles. This vision together with the vision given to Paul created a new age-a new age of worldwide evangelization!

There are five points in regard to this vision that are worthy of our attention:

1. It was born of prayer. Peter received it when he had been praying (10:9).

2. It was born of need. Peter felt hungry and he needed food (10:10), but through this vision God showed him another need that was greater-a breakthrough that would feed many souls with the Word of God.

3. It introduced a new concept. Peter answered the voice from heaven, “Not so, Lord” (10:14)-in other words, “No, Lord.” “No” and “Lord” are contradictory, yet they were joined by Peter. How difficult it is for us to learn anything that is different from our old concepts.

4. It was a persistent message. The voice from heaven spoke to Peter three times-a strong emphasis. We too, like Peter, often need repeated reminders from the Lord before we learn anything from Him.

5. In it God seemed to be contradicting Himself. He was calling some- thing clean that in the Old Testament He had called unclean. Peter was greatly puzzled — how could God be self-contradictory?

This seeming self-contradiction of God teaches us at least three lessons. First, that God is a God of paradoxes. To the eye of finite man the infinite God by necessity appears self-contradictory. Our limited minds can never harmonize between time and eternity, between the plurality and the singularity of God, between the divine nature and the human nature of Christ, between “eternal” and “generation” in the eternal generation of the Son.

We would have to be infinite to understand things that belong to infinity. These paradoxes are a part of the higher unity of the things of God. We must know our limitations as hu- man beings and never stretch our claims beyond our finite territories. The things that belong to infinity are the hidden things of the hidden God (see Isaiah 45:15).

Second, we learn that the letter of the Law was only a type or a shadow of spiritual and moral truth. It was transitory, leading to the fulfillment of the spirit of the Law. A shadow automatically disappears when the substance of truth comes into full light. The commandment not to eat anything categorized in the Old Testament as unclean was a shadow of the spiritual truth that God is a holy God and His people should be a holy people. When the spiritual reality of holiness was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the shadow automatically disappeared and unclean things became clean.

A third lesson from God’s seeming self-contradiction in Peter’s vision is that all commandments, traditions, regulations and measures of a transitory nature must give way to new features and new approaches for a new age. God has different methods for different eras. This fact is very important for us. We must discover the methods God wants us to use in our day in evangelism and missions.

The realization of this truth generates in us a sense of contemporariness a desire to preach the gospel effectively to modern man and to relate gospel truths to current issues through the best methods of communication.

We must learn to be readily responsive to Biblical truths and patterns as God shows them to us, no matter how different they may be from our traditions and old concepts.

9. The Crisis of Ingrownness Localism or World Missions?
Alliance Witness, 1980.05.14, P. 24-25.

IT IS only natural for people to fall into groups and keep to themselves, more concerned with their own business than with anybody else’s. Family spirit, clanism, nationalism, racial affinity, class spirit, trade unionism are all expressions of this ingrownness of man.

The church is no exception to this natural tendency on the human level, which carries with it a great potential crisis in her expansion program. But divine intervention saved the apostolic church from this crisis in four ways.

1. Through the giving of the Great Commission. The Great Commission is the conceptive foundation of church expansion. It is the Magna Charta of world missions and the cornerstone of evangelism. It is the basic orientation of the church of Christ. Every church leader and church member must be well taught about it.

The Lord made special and emphatic preparation for the giving of the Great Commission. Three times, once before the death of the Lord and twice after His resurrection, the disciples were told to go to a mount in Galilee where He was going to meet them.

These repeated orders from the Lord made them wonder what He was going to do with them there. When the Lord appeared to them, the Bible says emphatically that He drew near to them and gave them the Great Commission: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

Go! Go! Go! This was the resounding voice in the ears of every disciple.

2. Through the promptings of the Holy Spirit. In prophesying about the

ministry of the Holy Spirit, the Lord said something that was as true as it

was vivid: “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John7:38).

That is exactly what the Holy Spirit does in a Christian-He flows in to fill and flows out to bless. The full- ness of the Holy Spirit never means getting filled only; it also means flowing out. When you stop flowing out you also stop being filled. We are filled in order to overflow.

The Holy Spirit is ever reaching out. He thrusts us out into the field to reap the harvest. The battle cry of the Christian church is forever Acts 1:8:

“Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me . . . unto the uttermost part of the earth.” The Holy Spirit always points to the utter- most parts of the earth. As soon as we are filled with the Holy Spirit we be- gin to lift our eyes and look at the field of the whole world and start to press for the furtherance of the gospel.

3. Through persecution. The apostles were busy building up their church in Jerusalem, and they remained too long inactive in sending the gospel to the surrounding areas. Maybe they were getting a little in- grown, so God used persecution to thrust the disciples out for evangelization (see “The Crisis of Persecution,” 2/6 issue).

It is most interesting to read, “At that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria. . . They that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word” (Acts 8:1, 4).

The believers established many churches in those areas (see 9:31). We find that none of these churches were started by the apostles, who stayed behind in Jerusalem to look after the church there, but the gospel spread in at least six directions because of this persecution.

4. Through missionary outreach. We read in Acts (9:32 ff.) that Peter left Jerusalem for missionary trips that took him to many places in different provinces. Although the Bible does not tell us that he was formally sent out by the Jerusalem church as their missionary, we can reasonably infer that he must have had the blessing of all the other leaders of the church when he left for these evangelistic journeys.

The Jerusalem church sent Peter to the mission field before the Antioch church sent out Paul and Barnabas as their missionaries. Usually the Antioch church is given credit for being the first church to send out missionaries, mainly because of the longer and better-known ministry of Paul.

The Antioch church was a marvelous church in every way. it was a church whose leaders fasted and prayed. It was a church of strong lay ministry. It was a church blessed with a Spirit-filled leader in the person of Barnabas, who demonstrated his deep spirituality and self-denial by his willingness to turn over his leadership to the better-qualified Paul. It was a church international in its leadership: two African brothers, Simeon called Niger and Lucius of Cyrene; two Hebrew brothers, Barnahas and Paul; and one member of the royal household, Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod. And above all it was a missionary-minded church.

The Holy Spirit spoke to the leaders of the Antioch church about missions when they fasted and prayed together. They prayed more about it and then they obediently took action. They did the hardest thing possible in sending out their best and most needed leaders, Paul and Barnabas, as their missionaries.

This was an event of the greatest significance and consequence. It set an example for all churches of all times to follow. Missions was born of three factors: the guidance of the Holy Spirit, prayer and obedience — obedience on the part of the Antioch church, which was willing to give its best, as well as obedience on the part of Paul and Barnabas, who were willing to go in dedication and faith.

There are those who raise their voices in objection to missions. If you are one of them, will you please examine the issue more deeply and thoroughly to see whether you are doing a service to the church or doing it harm?

I am absolutely convinced that when missions becomes a general movement, there will be the greatest church growth as well as the greatest revival we have ever experienced.

Ingrownness is a great hindrance to the expansion of the Christian church. We must warn people against it. Church members must have a wide outlook in service, fellowship and evangelism.

The following are some of the symptoms of ingrownness:

1. Little other churches for un-Biblical reasons.

2. Little or no regular evangelistic outreach either in terms of local or foreign missions.

3. Little or no participation in interdenominational or interchurch evangelistic efforts.

4. Little or no budget for evangelism or missions or church expansion.

5. No personnel for expansion.

6. No plan for church planting or church-membership increase.

7. No annual goals for prayerful implementation by the whole congregation.

8. Little or no preaching on the Great Commission or on church members’ responsibility for evangelism.

9. Little or no prayer for evangelism, missions and church expansion. 10. The presence of a sense of complacency because of what the church has already accomplished.

11. Greater emphasis on the deeper life than on evangelism.

12. Self-centered prayer meetings with a small circle of concern.

We should be alarmed if such symptoms appear, and deal positively with them. Ingrownness is probably the greatest threat to church growth and it should never be ignored.

8. The Crisis of Priority
Alliance Witness, 1980.04.30, P. 24-25.

PRIORITY is an indispensable factor for success. Without priorities we fall on expediency and find ourselves in “much ado about nothing,” as Shakespeare has put it, with the most important things left undone.

Many Christian workers are victims of expediency they just do whatever comes their way and thereby waste their time and even their lives on trivialities. In the end they accomplish nothing really worthwhile. So it is of critical consequence whether or not a person or a group has well-chosen priorities.

The apostles had deep spiritual insight, which enabled them to have a true sense of values. Such a sense of values creates correct perspectives, which in turn produce correct priorities. They followed their priorities consistency.

Obedience before activity. The apostles were commanded by the Lord to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit before beginning to evangelize. Realizing that their greatest wisdom was to obey the word of the Lord, they waited and prayed. Then the Lord’s promise was fulfilled and they received the reward of their obedience.

They learned a great lesson: obedience was work-greater work than all their activities. Our inactivity may give an opportunity to God’s activity. We too have to learn the secret of being inactive in order to be really active. Activity through inactivity is a paradox that is basic to spiritual success.

Quality before quantity. The 120 disciples who were filled with the Holy Spirit were of a high quality and each of them was spiritually dynamic.

They became leaders in the early church and drew people into the church every day. This resulted in rapid growth for the congregation.

The many new converts were im- mediately trained to “[continue] sted-fastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). And they in turn drew new people into their midst.

This process of continual training kept the believers spiritually productive. The failure of many movements lies in a lessening in the quality of followers due to a gradual slackening in their training.

Peter showed a strong sense of the importance of quality and purity when he took severe measures against the hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:l-11). His actions may seem extreme, but from a spiritual perspective they match the offense because the quality and purity of church members were the lifeline of the Christian movement.

Power before riches. When Peter and John were asked by a lame beggar for alms at the gate of the Temple, Peter said to him, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as 1 have give I thee” (3:6). Then he healed the beggar, and he walked. Peter had nothing in the way of mate- rial things, but he had something far better—power!

The whole course of church history would have been entirely different if the apostles had had riches but no power. It is a great tragedy when at times the church falls to such a low level of spirituality that she has riches and honor but no spiritual power.

Spiritual ministry before temporal service. When the Jerusalem church continued to grow and administration became more and more complicated, the apostles saw the impending danger of being pulled away from their main task of spiritual ministry. They said, “It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables” (6:2). They took a wise step in electing seven good, qualified brothers to be in charge of such administrative matters, including the caring for widows.

Service to those in physical or financial need is meaningful and important and constitutes a part of the total Christian ministry. But we must see our first priority and never allow temporal service to take first place or weaken our spiritual ministry. A real crisis arises when we take the second best as the best, or the less important as the most important.

Prayer before preaching. Peter said on behalf of all the apostles, “We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word” (6:4). Notice the order of things here: prayer first and preaching second.

This is not incidental because the order expresses the apostles’ strong sense of utter dependence on divine power and wisdom for all their work. They clearly realized that all they had accomplished had been through supernatural resources, and that it would be foolish to carry on the work in their own strength.

Emphasis on prayer is always a true mark of a sense of dependence on God, and it is one of the prerequisites for spiritual success.

It is so easy for us to have our personal prayer time crowded out by busy schedules. But God loves to show His favor to those who are strongly determined to show their dependence on His mercy by prayer.

The historical above the theoretical. The apostles had their own system of apologetics. Their approach was totally historical. In Acts there are two long passages which recapitulate the history of Israel, the nation through which God revealed Himself. Stephen, Philip, Peter and Paul all took the historical approach in proving the truth of the Christian faith by referring to events in Israel’s past (7:1-53; 8:29-35; 10:34-43; 13:16-41).

Apostolic preaching laid the greatest emphasis on the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus. Even the only piece of Paul’s preaching that is considered to be philosophical in approach climaxes and concludes with a ringing note on the resurrection of Jesus as divine proof of the Christian faith (17:22-31).

For over one hundred years liberal theology has followed prominent philosophical theories one after another. Thus the two have formed a close parallelism, which means two things: dependence of liberal theology on philosophy and a keen sense of the need of relevance.

In recent years more and more ac- credited theologians have espoused the importance and reasonableness of the historical approach in apologetics, thus liberating apologetics from the bondage and servitude of philosophy and the natural and social sciences.

It is interesting to notice that at the end of every period of major theological development there are always two different directions of reaction, one more liberal than its liberal fore- runner and the other more Biblical. The Biblical approach and emphasis keep surging up in different forms and ways. Liberal theological theories rise and fall and vanish-while historical Christianity stands strong and well.

7. The Crisis of Numbers Getting Big or Following Divine Guidance?
Alliance Witness, 1980.04.16, P. 24-25.

PHILIP the evangelist left Jerusalem because of persecution and went to Samaria where, with the help of other Christians who arrived about the same time and for the same reason, he preached with great success.

Many people turned to the Lord and many miracles were performed through Philip. He had a large following and there was great joy in the area. All this was glorious and exciting!

(26) The angel of the Lord spoke unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert (Acts 8:26).

At this moment of success and prosperity there arose a crisis of major consequence. The Holy Spirit asked Philip to leave Samaria and go to a desert place. He was faced with a difficult choice. It was a crisis of numbers. It was a choice between a large number of people and following God’s direction to a single person.

Was Philip so deeply drunk with his great success that his heart was in- sensitive to the inner voice of the Holy Spirit? Was divine guidance so drowned in the noise of acclamations in the midst of popularity and prosperity that Philip could no longer detect it?

If Philip had heard the voice of the Holy Spirit, was he willing to pull away from his great ministry in a needy and responsive city? He could have listed many valid reasons against the seeming foolishness of going to a desert place.

(27) And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,

(28) Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.

(29) Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.

(30) And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?

(31) And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

(32) The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:

(33) In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.

(34) And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?

(35) Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

(36) And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

(37) And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

(38) And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him /8:27-38).

It was an outstanding credit to Philip’s deep spirituality that he kept his inner ear attuned to the voice of the Holy Spirit, who led him to a desert place and to a great service through personal evangelism.

A great service in a desert place? Yes, exactly so! This lonely and humble road brought him to a service, the immense consequence of which went beyond his wildest expectations-far greater than all his success in Samaria!

He was given the rare privilege of starting the evangelization of the North African country of Ethiopia through the powerful eunuch whom he led to the Lord in that desert place. How amazing!

The experience of Philip the evangelist teaches us the following important lessons:

1.We should never allow successful public ministry to take the place of personal evangelism. Personal witness more than pulpit evangelism proves one’s concern for people. Pulpiteers may not be real lovers of souls, but personal workers are.

2. We should watch that our inner ears are not deafened to the voice of the Holy Spirit by our outward success.

3. A successful ministry does not aim at getting big or prestigious but at obeying the will and guidance of God.

4. The test of spirituality is willingness to step down from any honor and privilege in order to follow the will of God.

5. God Himself is the reward of our obedience. He will lead us into true greatness and to something beyond our expectations if we obey His will.

6. If God has given us a good church, we should pray to find out what God wants to do with us and with our church next.

There is nothing wrong with bigness itself. In fact, it is a good thing to grow big and strong. But we should be sure that our pursuit of success does not take us from the center of the will of God.

We should aim at being personal soul winners. Unless we have built up to the spiritual level where we truly love the Lord, we will not become soul winners. No amount of training and programming can make us fishers of men unless we know and love God.

Evangelistic meetings and campaigns have their place, but we should never allow them to substitute for personal evangelism.

6. The Crisis of Isolation Separatism or Contextualization?
 Alliance Witness, 1980.04.02, P. 23-24.

Twice apostles were faced with the crisis of isolation and twice they made the right choice.

1. In regard to the method of evangelism.

When the apostles began to evangelize, they had at least two methods to choose from: (1) they could centralize their activities, build a kind of head- quarters and operate everything, including preaching, from there or (2) they could decentralize their ministry and work wherever the masses of people were.

It was of great consequence that they chose the latter and preached “in the temple, and in every house” (5:42). Had they decided on the former, they would have been isolated from the people and would have found themselves in very much the same situation as our churches today, operating within the four walls of a church building.

The Temple was the center of Jerusalem, where Jewish people of all classes went for news, for religious teaching, for business, for worship, for receiving alms, for a holiday, for watching executions of offenders of the Law, and even for fun. It may not be too much to say that the Temple was like Hyde Park in London, where people hear the airing of all kinds of opinions and theories and enjoy all kinds of unexpected excitements. That was the place where a person could get the greatest exposure and gain the most attention. It was there that the apostles placed their pulpit, it was there that the Christians “gossiped the gospel” and it was there that the leaders performed their miracles (3:1-8).

But the apostles and disciples also conducted meetings in “every house.” These house meetings gradually became “house churches,” where both evangelism and training were carried on most effectively. Thus the masses of people were reached and taught, and they formed a powerful, unified yet decentralized church.

Temple evangelism provided the visibility for the church that was important for outreach because it created a psychological link between the church and the people. But house evangelism provided the personal contact that was the most fruitful for both evangelism and training.

House evangelism and house fellowship are still a great challenge to our churches today. They were the secret of the success of the Pietistic movement, they were the secret of the success of the missionary movement in England in the eighteenth century, and they were the secret of the success of the more recent Little Flock movement in the Chinese church.

Almost all of the more than five hundred missionaries of the Swedish Missionary Society have come from the missionary prayer meetings that are held in approximately five hundred homes in Sweden.

2. In regard to the first apostolic decree.

The early church faced a great crisis, which was the cause of the convening of the first church council, recorded in Acts 15. After much discussion and debate, they came to a unanimous conclusion under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This conclusion meant at once a decisive rejection of compromise and a wise move for contextualization.

The Judaistic group among the leaders and members of the Jerusalem church pressed and even agitated for apostolic legislation to enforce circumcision on all Christians. This was vigorously opposed by Paul and his followers on the grounds that it was incompatible with the basic gospel truth that we are justified by faith alone and that any step backward into the bondage of the Law would be fatal to Christian liberty. The apostle Peter also argued against it from the two basic premises of pure grace and of God’s act of pouring out the Holy Spirit on uncircumcised Gentiles.

It was James who made the final decision and proposed a draft resolution against circumcision, which was approved by the apostles and elders of the church (15:19 ff). This was a decision of tremendous consequence for church history. The decree gladdened and strengthened the hearts of disciples everywhere (15:31).

There are five points in this apostolic decree:

(1) freedom from circumcision,

(2) abstention from fornication,

(3) abstention from blood,

(4) abstention from things strangled and

(5) abstention from eating meat offered to idols.

The significance of these can be analyzed in this way:

1. Freedom from circumcision meant the rejection of compromise on gospel truth, as mentioned above.

2. The injunction to abstain from fornication was of a moral nature and was and is binding on all Christians of all times. Fornication was singled out of all sins because of its prominence in the apostolic age, owing to the prevailing background of prostitution in connection with idol worship in temples at religious festivals in Asia Minor. Many Christians faced this tremendous temptation.

3-4. Abstaining from blood and abstaining from strangled things, injunctions of a different category, were Old Testament prohibitions that foreshadowed a New Testament spiritual reality, namely, the atoning blood of Christ.

These injunctions, made by the Holy Spirit and the apostles (15:28), evidently removed hindrances in the way of evangelism. In other words, they were given for the sake of contextualization, to build a bridge between the Christians and the Jews.

This intention was clearly revealed in the remark made by the apostle James, “We write unto them, that they abstain. . . For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day” (15:20- 21). Since all Jews abstained from blood and strangled things, it would create a psychological and cultural barrier between the Christians and the Jews if converted Jews broke all these time-honored customs.

5. In regard to abstaining from meat offered to idols, the apostle Paul spoke from three perspectives in First Corinthians 10:

When the eating of meat offered to idols takes place in connection with idol worship in a temple, Christians must not partake in it (10:14-21).

Christians can buy anything from the market and eat it in good con- science (10:25).

When it might affect weak brothers, Christians should be careful not to cause any stumbling by eating meat offered to idols (10:28-33).

At first glance Paul seems to be self-contradictory in saying three different things about the same matter. But in reality he is presenting a living truth in life situations. When living truths are taken out of their life contexts, they are no longer meaningful.

In summary, the apostolic decree in Acts 15 had a double edge: rejection of compromise concerning gospel truths on the one hand, and bridge-building for evangelism on the other. These two aspects, when put together, form the balanced Biblical teaching on contextualization—contextualization without compromise.

Churches today should be greatly exercised in their efforts to find concrete ways for the implementation of this principle of contextualization that will considerably strengthen the force of evangelism throughout the world.