God’s Agents of Peace 和平使者

[Dexu Xia]

The Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” Acts 23:11

Nora went to the peaceful protest because she felt strongly about the issue of justice. As planned, the demonstration was silent. The protestors walked in powerful quietness through the downtown area.

Then two buses pulled up. Agitators had arrived from out of town. A riot soon broke out. Heartbroken, Nora left. It seemed their good intentions were fruitless.

When the apostle Paul visited the temple at Jerusalem, people who opposed Paul saw him there. They were “from the province of Asia” (Acts 21:27) and viewed Jesus as a threat to their way of life. Shouting lies and rumors about Paul, they quickly stirred up trouble (vv. 28-29). A mob dragged Paul from the temple and beat him. Soldiers came running.

As he was being arrested, Paul asked the Roman commander if he could address the crowd (vv. 37-38). When permission was granted, he spoke to the crowd in their own language, surprising them and seizing their attention (v. 40). And just like that, Paul had turned a riot into an opportunity to share his story of rescue from dead religion (22:2-21).

Some people love violence and division. Don’t lose heart. They will not win. God is looking for courageous believers to share His light and peace with our desperate world. What seems like a crisis might be your opportunity to show someone God’s love.

By:  Tim Gustafson

When have you been in a crisis that you couldn’t make sense of? How do you think the Holy Spirit might help you find the wisdom for what to do in that moment?

Father, my heart aches for our broken world. Help me realize Your Spirit’s presence is far more powerful than any attack the world can throw at me.

 主站在保罗旁边说：“放心吧！你怎样-在耶路撒冷为我作见证，也必怎样在罗马为我作见证。”—使徒行传23章11节

诺拉参加了和平抗议活动，因为她深切觉得需要伸张正义。按照原定计划，这是一场无声的示威活动，抗议者在震慑人心的沉默中于市中心游行。不久，来了两辆巴士，从外地赶来的煽动者抵达现场，很快就爆发了骚乱。诺拉失望地离去，而原本立意良善的举措看似徒劳无功。

当使徒保罗在耶路撒冷的圣殿时，反对保罗的人看见他在殿里。那些人“从亚西亚来”（使徒行传21章27节），认为保罗传讲的耶稣，对他们现有的生活方式构成威胁。于是，他们高喊中伤保罗的谎话和谣言，很快就引起了骚乱（28-29节）。一群暴徒将保罗拖出圣殿并殴打他，士兵们则连忙到场处理。

保罗在被捕时，要求对群众说话（37-38节）。获准之后，他便用希伯来话对群众发言，这让群众感到意外，也因此安静聆听（40节）。就这样，保罗将一场骚乱化为分享的机会，见证自己如何从死守规条的宗教中得到拯救（22章2-21节）。

纵然有些人崇尚暴力和分裂，但不要灰心，他们不会得胜。上帝正在寻找勇敢的信徒，向这绝望的世界分享祂的光明与和平。有些景况看似是个危机，亦可能成为你向某人彰显上帝慈爱的机会。

作者：  葛庭墨

你何时曾经历你无法理解的危机？
在那一刻，圣灵如何使你有智慧地处理危机？

天父，这个破碎的世界令我心痛。请帮助我领悟，
祢圣灵的同在远胜于这世界对我的任何攻击。