A Modern-Day Paul 现代保罗

[Dexu Xia]

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Romans 12:11

Today's Scripture    Matthew 28:16-20

Today's Insights    Matthew 28:19-20 is referred to as the Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” This evangelism mandate appears in varying forms in New Testaments: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). “Repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations” (Luke 24:47). “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21). “You will be my witnesses . . . to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The Great Commission is more than proclaiming that Jesus died for our sins and rose again. We carry out the mandate to “go and make disciples” when we baptize believers, teach them to obey the Scriptures, and encourage them to follow Christ as their master.

Today's Devotional     George Verwer’s life changed dramatically when he became a believer in Jesus during a Billy Graham crusade in 1957. Soon after his conversion, he began Operation Mobilization (OM), and in 1963 the mission sent two thousand missionaries to Europe. OM went on to become one of the largest mission organizations of the twentieth century, sending out thousands missionaries each year. At the time of George’s death in 2023, the mission had more than 3,000 workers from 134 countries working in 147 countries, and nearly 300 other local mission agencies had been established as a result of contact with OM.    Like the apostle Paul, George had a passion to bring people to saving faith in Christ. After Paul’s dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus, he became a zealous missionary for God, fervently following Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). In his missionary journeys, he also trained Timothy and others to go out and do the same.  Because of Paul’s Spirit-inspired writings, people throughout the centuries have been emboldened to share the gospel. He knew the vital importance of Jesus’ Great Commission (vv. 19-20). That’s why, in Romans 12, he reminds us: “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (v. 11). When we have the Holy Spirit living inside us, He makes us zealous to tell others about Christ.

Reflect & Pray     Who has inspired you in your faith journey? How can you prepare to share your faith with others?   

Dear God, please help me be a bold witness for Your salvation.

by  Alyson Kieda

殷勤不可懒惰。要心里火热。常常服事主。罗马书 12:11

今日经文    马太福音 28章16-20 节

今日心得    马太福音 28:19-20 被称为大使命：“你们要去，使万民作我的门徒，奉父、子、圣灵的名给他们施洗。凡我所吩咐你们的都教训他们遵守。”这一传福音的使命以不同的形式出现在新约圣经中：“你们往普天下去，向万民传福音”（马可福音 16:15）。“奉他的名传悔改、赦罪的道”（路加福音 24:47）。“父怎样差遣了我，我也照样差遣你们”（约翰福音 20:21）。“你们要作我的见证，直到地极”（使徒行传 1:8）。 大使命不仅仅是宣告耶稣为我们的罪而死，然后复活。当我们为信徒洗礼、教导他们遵守圣经，并鼓励他们跟随基督，接受祂为生命的主宰时，我们履行了“去，使万民作门徒”的使命。“

今日灵修     乔治·维沃在 1957 年葛培理布道会期间成为耶稣的信徒，从此他的生活发生了巨大变化。信主后不久，他开始了动员行动 (OM)，1963 年，该传教团向欧洲派遣了两千名传教士。OM 后来成为二十世纪最大的传教组织之一，每年向世界派遣数千宣教士。到 2023 年乔治去世时，该传教团有来自 134 个国家的 3,000 多名工人在 147 个国家工作，并且由于与 OM 的联系，在当地建立了近 300 个其他传教机构。

就像使徒保罗，乔治热衷于使人们因信靠基督得拯救。保罗在去大马士革的路上发生了戏剧性的转变，之后他成为了一名热心的传教士，热心地遵循耶稣的命令“去使万民作主的门徒”（马太福音 28:19）。在他的传教旅程中，他还训练提摩太和其他人出去做同样的事情。由于保罗受圣灵启发写下的书信，几个世纪以来人们都大胆地传播福音。保罗知道耶稣的大使命至关重要（19-20节）。这就是为什么他在罗马书 12 章中提醒我们：“殷勤不可懒惰，要心里火热，常常服事主”（11节）。当我们内心有圣灵时，圣灵会激励我们热心向他人传讲基督。

反思和祈祷    在你的信仰之旅中，是谁启发了你？你如何准备与他人分享你的信仰？

 亲爱的上帝，请帮助我成为您救恩的勇敢见证人。

作者：阿利森葛达.