從天上賜下的復興
停留在永恆中
經文
使徒行傳五1-16
1有一個人，名叫亞拿尼亞，同他的妻子撒非喇賣了田產，
2把價銀私自留下幾分，他的妻子也知道，其餘的幾分拿來放在使徒腳前。
3彼得說：亞拿尼亞！為甚麼撒但充滿了你的心，叫你欺哄聖靈，把田地的價銀私自留下幾分呢？
4田地還沒有賣，不是你自己的嗎？既賣了，價銀不是你作主嗎？你怎麼心裡起這意念呢？你不是欺哄人，是欺哄神了。
5亞拿尼亞聽見這話，就仆倒，斷了氣；聽見的人都甚懼怕。
6有些少年人起來，把他包裹，抬出去埋葬了。
7約過了三小時，他的妻子進來，還不知道這事。
8彼得對他說：你告訴我，你們賣田地的價銀就是這些嗎？他說：就是這些。
9彼得說：你們為甚麼同心試探主的靈呢？埋葬你丈夫之人的腳已到門口，他們也要把你抬出去。
10婦人立刻仆倒在彼得腳前，斷了氣。那些少年人進來，見他已經死了，就抬出去，埋在他丈夫旁邊。
11全教會和聽見這事的人都甚懼怕。
12主藉使徒的手在民間行了許多神蹟奇事；他們（或作：信的人）都同心合意的在所羅門的廊下。
13其餘的人沒有一個敢貼近他們，百姓卻尊重他們。
14信而歸主的人越發增添，連男帶女很多。
15甚至有人將病人抬到街上，放在床上或褥子上，指望彼得過來的時候，或者得他的影兒照在甚麼人身上。
16還有許多人帶著病人和被污鬼纏磨的，從耶路撒冷四圍的城邑來，全都得了醫治。
信息分享
我們今天繼續思想五旬節的意義。五旬節的另一個果效是讓人感到神那超然的神聖。當然，我們也能在教會經驗類似的感受，但是當復興來臨時，這種感受要強烈得多。初期教會對神的神聖感覺是那麼的強烈，正如今天的經文告訴我們，甚至外面的人也感受得到。我相信在歷史上不可能找到任何一次的復興，是沒有那種對神的神聖的超然感受的。美國當年在芬尼（Charles Finney）所帶領的復興時，神聖潔的力量曾經是何等的令人懾服，以致聚會中的五百人同心站立向神呼求說：「神啊！求您拯救我們──否則便毀滅我們吧！」
五旬節的另一個果效是對禱告和讀經產生異常強烈的興趣。在五旬節以前，門徒、猶太人，甚至其他的信徒，顯然都花了不少時間禱告和讀經，但是在五旬節以後，禱告和讀經被提升到一個更重要的位置，甚至門徒同意將管理的責任交給其他人，好讓他們自己可以持續專心的去禱告以及研究聖經的話語（徒六2-4）。
在復興的時候，基督徒發現沒有任何活動比禱告和讀經更有意義。哪怕是那些在復興前每天都花時間禱告和讀經的人，也都發現他們有一種新的屬靈追求和渴慕；他們在閱讀聖經的話語時總顯得那麼愛不釋手。正如摩法特（Moffatt）譯本所說，他們「停留在永恆當中」（撒上二十一7）。
「基督徒有一種新的屬靈追求和渴慕」
進深研究
徒五1-11，八9-25，九31，十2
1. 亞拿尼亞和撒非喇的罪是甚麼？
2. 使徒怎麼樣在教會中維持聖潔？
祈禱
天父，我越思想您所成就的大事，內心就越要呼喊：「親愛的主，請再為我們成就。」求您保守我不要單單渴望看見非凡的事情，而是懂得領受「平凡」的事情所帶來的喜樂。奉耶穌的名祈求，阿們。
Heaven-Sent Revival
Detained before the Eternal
Bible reading:
Acts 5:1-16
1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.
2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.
3 Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
4 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God."
5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.
6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
8 Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price."
9 Peter said to her, "How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also."
10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade.
13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people.
14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.
15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.
16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.
Message
Another outcome of Pentecost was an extraordinary sense of God's holiness. Something of this is undoubtedly present in the Church at all times but when revival comes it is greatly heightened. So great was the sense of God's holiness in the early Church that, as our text for today tells us, it was felt even by those who were outside. It would be impossible, I think, to find any revival in history where an extraordinary sense of God's holiness has not been present. During the days of the revival in the United States under Charles Finney the sense of God's holiness became so overwhelming that the entire congregation of 500 rose up as one crying out, "O God, save us - or destroy us."
Yet another outcome of Pentecost was an extraordinary interest in prayer and in the reading of the Scriptures. Prior to Pentecost, the disciples, Jews to a man, no doubt spent a good deal of time in prayer and the perusal of the Scriptures. After Pentecost, however, both prayer and the study of the Scriptures took on a new and greater importance. The disciples agreed among themselves to hand over their administrative responsibilities to others in order that they might give themselves continually to prayer and the study of the Word (Acts 6:2-4).
In revival Christians find no activity more meaningful than praying and reading the Scriptures. Even those who gave time to prayer and daily Bible reading prior to revival find themselves gripped with a new spiritual interest and desire. As they read the Word they discover that they do not want to pull away. They are, as Moffatt translates, "detained in the presence of the Eternal" (1 Sam. 21:7).
"Christians find themselves gripped with a new spiritual interest"
Prayer
Father, the more my mind ponders the great things You are able to do, the more my heart cries out: "Do it again dear Lord." But don't let my desire to see the extraordinary things blind me to the joys of the "ordinary". In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.
Further study
Acts 5:1-11; 8:9-25; 9:31; 10:2
1. What was the sin of Ananias and Sapphire?
2. How did the apostles maintain holiness in the Church?
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