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Scripture Reading: Acts 8:29-31, 34-35
VII. Approaching people, helping people, and knowing people:
А. Following the leading of the Spirit to approach people — Acts 8:29-30.
B. Helping people to understand the Holy Scriptures — vv. 30-31, 34-35.
C. Knowing people’s:
1. Character.
2. Mood.
3. Need.
4. Spirit.
5. Going beyond man’s need and speaking out God’s need.
In this chapter we will consider in more detail two categories of the word of God, the good word and the word of righteousness. These two categories of the word are recorded in the book of Hebrews. All those who read the Bible know that the book of Hebrews is very mysterious. It is almost as mysterious as the Gospel of Matthew, which is second only to Revelation. There are three books in the New Testament that are difficult to explain and to understand. The first is Revelation, the second, the Gospel of Matthew, and the third, Hebrews.
The book of Hebrews speaks of two categories of the word of God. One category is the good word (6:5), and the other is the word of righteousness (5:13). From these verses we can understand that the good word is very good and very kind, whereas the word of righteousness is very strict and very just. Therefore, the good word is by nature more shallow, whereas the word of righteousness is deeper; the good word is low, whereas the word of righteousness is high.
Hebrews 6:1 says, “Therefore leaving the word of the beginning of Christ, let us be brought on to maturity.” Earlier, in 5:12 it also says that whereas the Hebrew believers ought to have been teachers, they had need again for someone to teach them what are the rudiments of the beginning of the oracles of God, and they had become those who had need of milk and not of solid food. These two verses show us that, on the one hand, the Hebrew believers needed to leave the word of the beginning of Christ and be brought on to maturity; on the other hand, they were still infants who could only drink milk and were not able to eat solid food. The Hebrew believers were still at “the word of the beginning of Christ.” This word of the beginning is the good word.
Therefore, Hebrews 6:4-5 speaks of those who are saved, who have become partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and have tasted of the heavenly gift of grace. Grace is a gift given to us by God at the time we believed. This heavenly grace is the eternal life. At the time we were born of God, we also received the nature of God (2 Pet. 1:4). We also obtained the sonship (Gal. 4:5) and the law of life (Rom. 8:2). In us there is a function of life. Just as when a person is born, he has the human life, nature, and function as earthly gifts, as soon as we are reborn of God and are saved, we obtain the heavenly life, nature, and sonship and also the heavenly life function and the law of life, as heavenly gifts. We all have tasted these things, and they have caused us to rejoice.
Not only so, we have the Holy Spirit within us. It is not that after we are saved and speak in tongues, we receive the Holy Spirit. Neither is it that when we advance and grow in life, we have the Holy Spirit. At the time that we were born again, at the time that we were saved, we received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; Rom. 8:9; Gal. 3:2). Furthermore, we have also tasted the word of the beginning of Christ, that is, the good word, telling us that we should repent and believe so that we may be forgiven of our sins and receive cleansing, peace, and joy. This good word, which we heard as the gospel, includes many items. It says that we are fallen and sinful but that God loves us, causing Him to send His Son, who became flesh for us, to be our Savior. He lived on earth for more than thirty years and finally went to the cross to die for us, solving the problem of our sins. Because His death was accepted by God, He was resurrected from the dead and became the means for us to believe, obtain forgiveness, and be justified. We heard these things when we first heard the gospel. This is the good word. Thank the Lord that we have tasted the good word of God.
Not only so, we have tasted the powers of the age to come. An accurate understanding of this phrase, based on the original text, would be to interpret it as the power to perform miracles in the coming age, that is, the power to cast out demons, to heal, and to do all kinds of miracles. Among us there are surely some who were healed of their sicknesses at the time they were saved. Over fifty years ago when we preached the gospel, there were also cases of casting out demons. However, after we came to Taiwan, we were not as willing to touch such things.
In addition, there have also been cases of healing among us. Yet we have not placed much emphasis on miraculous healing but rather on the healing of life in God’s grace. Remember that Hebrews 6 clearly states that these works of power are not of this age but of the coming age.
Nevertheless, the good word is the initial word of the gospel, which refers to the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus. He became flesh, passed through the human life on earth, was nailed to the cross, and died for us, accomplishing redemption. All these things were accomplished on the earth. Even the resurrection from the dead occurred on the earth; therefore, it is part of the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus. The Hebrew believers received what this ministry had accomplished. But later the Judaizers crept in. They said that because the law was ordained by God in the Old Testament, because the offering of sacrifices was ordained by God, and that because the building of the temple was also blessed by God, all these things should not be given up. The Hebrew believers may have considered this and thought, “That is right. How can we say that what our forefathers had was all wrong? Of course, we should believe in Christ. We also have tasted the good word of God. But we should not give up the old things. Let us go back to Judaism.”
With this background, Paul wrote this Epistle in order to tell the Hebrew believers, “The good word which you have tasted is only the beginning. As for the things of the Old Testament, they cannot even be called the beginning. They were only types and figures, without reality. The oxen and sheep were types, and even the temple was a type. Those types were perfected and fulfilled when the Lord Jesus came. They are now out of date. Let them go! If you go back to the things of Judaism after you have believed in the Lord and have tasted the good word of God, you are going backward. You have already entered elementary school and have graduated from it; why are you going back to kindergarten? You should leave elementary school and enter into junior and senior high school.” This is the meaning of Paul’s word. That is why Hebrews 6:1 says, “Leaving the word of the beginning of Christ.”
We should leave the word of the beginning of Christ and go on to the word of righteousness. What is the word of righteousness? We must remember that the good word is the gospel for our salvation, not for our maturity; therefore, it has nothing to do with our receiving a reward or suffering punishment. This is the “elementary school,” and it has nothing to do with whether we enter into the kingdom at the Lord’s second coming. However, after we have been saved, we should not stop there; even the more we should not go backward by going back to Judaism. We should go forward and come to the word of righteousness.
The book of Hebrews conveys to us the word of righteousness. The word of righteousness tells us that this resurrected Christ has ascended to the heavens and is now serving as the Minister in the better tabernacle in the heavens. He is our great High Priest, the Mediator of the new covenant, carrying out His heavenly ministry and infusing us with the fullness of the heavenlies, with His ascension, resurrection, and life, making us heavenly persons on earth. This ministry will bring us to maturity. If we are willing to go on in this way, receiving the heavenly ministry of Christ, we will certainly reach maturity. When the Lord comes, He will give us the reward, and we will enter into the kingdom. If we do not reach maturity, however, we need to realize that our God is a consuming fire and that we may be burned by His righteous judgment. This is the word of righteousness.
Dear brothers and sisters, simply speaking, the good word is the series of accounts in the Gospels concerning the Lord Jesus’ ministry from His birth to His resurrection, which is for our salvation. We all have tasted this word. It does not require us to pay a price, to seek after the Lord, or to grow in life. The good word is freely given to us as a gift.
But after we are saved, we need to go on, as 6:1 says, “Leaving the word of the beginning of Christ, let us be brought on to maturity.” How can we become mature? We need to listen to the word of righteousness. The resurrection of Christ was not the end but the beginning of His heavenly ministry. He ascended to the heavens to be the better Minister to serve us in the better tabernacle in the heavens, supplying us with His heavenly life. He is the great High Priest in the heavens who intercedes for us. He is also the Mediator of the new covenant, who is executing all the bequests and blessings of the new covenant into us, causing us to grow and mature. When He comes back, we will either receive the reward and enter into the kingdom, or we will suffer punishment (not eternal perdition). This kind of word is not the good word but the word of righteousness.
The whole book of Hebrews is the word of righteousness. Now I would like to speak to you concerning each chapter in a simple way according to my understanding.
Chapter 1 speaks of this Jesus Christ, our Savior, as the One who was incarnated, passed through human living, died, and was resurrected, becoming our Redeemer and causing us to be saved. He is God the Creator on the earth. He is also the Son of God, the effulgence of God’s glory, and the impress of God’s substance (v. 3). He was resurrected from the dead, becoming the firstborn Son of God, and will return with the status of the firstborn Son (v. 6). Such a One, of course, is much higher than the angels, who are revered in Judaism. He is far superior to the angels (v. 4). The angels are only our servants (v. 14).
Chapter 2 also says that this One is the Son of God, but because He became incarnated, taking a human body of flesh and blood, He was temporarily made a little inferior to the angels (v. 7). While He lived on this earth, He passed through all kinds of trials and temptations (v. 10). Through His death He redeemed us from our sins and did away with the devil, who had the power of death (v. 14). Then He was resurrected. In resurrection He produced many brothers to become His church (v. 12). Later, He ascended and was crowned with glory and honor (v. 9). Now He is sitting in the heavens. He will come again in glory, bringing all His brothers into glory (v. 10). Today He is such a High Priest, far superior to the angels. This chapter speaks of Him who is the God-man, the mysterious One.
Chapter 3 speaks of Him as the Apostle sent by God, as typified by Moses and Joshua. Both Moses and Joshua were apostles sent by God, bringing God among men. But Moses cannot compare with Him. Moses was part of the house, but He is the One who built the house; therefore, He is superior to Moses (3:2-3). Although Joshua typified Him, Joshua did not bring man into the real rest (4:8-9). It is the real Joshua who brings us into the eternal rest. The name Joshua in the Hebrew language is Jesus in Greek. The real Joshua is our Lord Jesus. Therefore, in chapters 3 and 4 we can see that He is God’s Apostle who comes from God and brings God to man (3:1). He is far superior to Moses and Joshua.
The last part of chapter 4 through chapter 7 forms another section, which speaks of Christ as the High Priest typified by Aaron and by Melchizedek. Aaron’s priesthood was according to the dead law of letters and ordinances (5:1-4; 7:18-19a). Furthermore, because he was one who would die, his order was too low. But Jesus Christ, the God-man, became a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, according to the power of an indestructible life, not according to the law of letters (vv. 15-17). He has no beginning and no ending (v. 3); He lives forever and is always living to intercede for us (v. 25). As such a High Priest, He is far superior to Aaron. He is the Apostle who brings God to us, and He is the High Priest who brings us to God.
The first part of chapter 8 says that this Apostle from God has enacted a new covenant for us. This covenant is more excellent than the old covenant. After shedding His blood for this covenant, He, in resurrection and ascension, has become the Executor of this covenant; therefore, He is the Mediator of the new covenant (v. 6). In this new covenant our sins are truly forgiven, and we have also received the divine life and the law of life (vv. 10-12). Therefore, this covenant is far superior to the old covenant established through Moses.
In chapters 9 and 10 we see that Christ established the new covenant by offering up Himself as the better sacrifice and by shedding the better blood (9:12-23; 10:12). Furthermore, He offered Himself through the eternal Spirit (9:14). Therefore, what He offered was an eternal sacrifice, and what He accomplished was an eternal redemption (v. 12). This redemption saves us from the outer court to the Holy of Holies.
In the old covenant the way of the Holy of Holies was not yet manifested; except for the priests, those under that covenant could enter only the outer court. But as soon as the better sacrifice was accomplished, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies were opened to us. Today we are no longer in the outer court; we have entered into the Holy of Holies. The hymn that says, “I have passed the riven veil” (Hymns, #551), speaks of this matter. Today we are no longer in the outer court; we have passed through the second veil of the tabernacle. The first veil was the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle in the Old Testament, and the second veil covered the Ark of the Testimony in the tabernacle. We have passed through two layers of veils. Now we are in the Holy of Holies; that is, we are living in the presence of God. Therefore, this sacrifice is the better sacrifice, and the blood that Christ shed is the better blood, which has eternal efficacy.
In chapter 10 the author of Hebrews encourages us to enter into the Holy of Holies, because a new and living way has been opened for us (vv. 19-22). We can therefore enter boldly into the Holy of Holies.
In chapters 1 through 10 we can see that Christ is more excellent than the angels. Furthermore, He is far superior to Joshua, and He is superior to Aaron. The new covenant that He enacted is also superior to the old covenant set up by Moses. The heavenly ministry He has today is also superior. He is the heavenly great High Priest and the Mediator of the new covenant. In all these aspects Christ is superior.
When he comes to chapter 11, the author of Hebrews shows us a superior way. This superior way is to go on not by sight but by faith; therefore, it is the way of faith. Faith is the substantiation of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen (v. 1). We do not walk according to the way of Judaism, which is outward, by sight. We walk in the way of faith, not by our outward sight but by faith.
Chapter 12 tells us that since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, we should take the way of faith as they did (v. 1). It also tells us that we now have come to Mount Zion. Today some Christians hope to go to heaven, but Paul tells us that we have come to Mount Zion, to the holy city, New Jerusalem. How wonderful! Hebrews 12:22-24 records eight items to which we have come. We have come to Mount Zion; to the New Jerusalem; to the church; to the angels; to Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant; to His blood; to God the Judge of all; and to the spirits of those who were saved in the Old Testament. We have come, and we are together with them. Paul does not say that we will be together in the future but that we are all here now. Since we are here, we need to run the race. If we run well, we will receive the prize in the future.
Following this, in chapter 13 there is a conclusion. Since now we are in God’s presence in the Holy of Holies and are also running the race which has been set before us, we need to go outside the camp (v. 13). We must come out of religion, go out of the camp of Judaism, and come to Jesus Christ, bearing His cross and suffering the shame which He suffered. All these are words of righteousness.
Today’s Christians rarely hear these words of righteousness. Instead, they generally quote some verses from the book of Hebrews, such as 13:8, which says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes, even forever.” Their understanding of this verse is that Jesus performed miracles before, and He can perform miracles today. Yesterday He could heal; today He can also heal. Yesterday He could cast out demons; today He can also cast out demons. How superficial this is!
I have spoken in the past concerning the two “becomings” of Christ. The first “becoming” is “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14), and the second “becoming” is “the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit” (1 Cor. 15:45). I declared these truths strongly and published them in print. Then some opposing ones said, “Witness Lee has spoken wrongly. Jesus never changes. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” They spoke this strongly. However, the Bible does not say that He is the same eternally, but that He is the same “yesterday and today, yes even forever.” He rose from the dead and became the life-giving Spirit; that was “yesterday.” He also ascended, and that is “today.” When He comes in the future, that will be “forever.” Therefore, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But when He, as the eternal God, became flesh, He did change. In eternity He was God, not having the flesh. Through nine months, from Christ’s conception to His birth, God became a man. This God was a baby in a manger. Isaiah 9:6 says, “A child is born to us, / ...And His name will be called / ...Mighty God, / Eternal Father.” In eternity He was the mighty God; in the manger He was a child. How great this change was!
But that was not the only change He underwent. After thirty-three and a half years, He was nailed to the cross and suffered death, was buried, and was resurrected on the third day. He resurrected bodily from the dead and became the life-giving Spirit. This was another great change. Since resurrection is “yesterday,” ascension is “today,” and the future is “forever,” it is true that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But He has undergone two great changes since eternity past — His incarnation and His resurrection — and both changes have been accomplished.
Today believers in general also pick up another verse from the book of Hebrews, that is, 7:25: “He is able to save to the uttermost those who come forward to God through Him, since He lives always to intercede for them.” Their understanding is that Jesus as the High Priest intercedes for us and is able to save us to the uttermost in everything, healing those who are ill and keeping those who are experiencing great difficulties. They do not see that this High Priest desires to give us a heavenly salvation, that He is carrying out the heavenly ministry in the heavenly tabernacle to supply us with the heavenly life (8:2), and that this heavenly life is in the life-giving Spirit. He dispenses Himself as the life-giving Spirit into us from the heavens, causing us to receive the supply of life, enabling us to rejoice when we are ill and to praise Him when we are in trouble. What a wonderful salvation this is!
This is the word of righteousness. It speaks of the ministry of the Lord Jesus in His ascension as the life-giving Spirit, to transmit the all-inclusive supply into our spirit, just as electricity is transmitted into a building. The lights and electrical appliances in a building depend on the supply of the electrical current from the power plant. Today the Lord Jesus in the heavens is the “power plant.” We are the “lamps,” shining because of His supply.
We believers are weak persons, but in one respect we are different from others. Our sicknesses may not be healed, but we have sufficient grace. Paul’s ministry was full of healing power. Whenever he prayed and laid hands on people, they were healed of their sicknesses (Acts 19:11-12). But in his body there was a sickness which was like a thorn pricking him. He prayed to the Lord three times to remove this thorn from him, but the Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor. 12:7-9). The Lord seemed to be saying, “If I were to take away this thorn from you, you would not need Me anymore, and you would not enjoy My grace. Therefore, I am leaving the thorn here to remind you to enjoy Me.”
Furthermore, Paul’s spiritual son, Timothy, had a stomach illness. Paul did not pray to the Lord to heal him. On the contrary, he told Timothy, “No longer drink water only, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Tim. 5:23). If I were there, I surely would say, “Paul, now you have become weak and have lost your faith. You see how full of faith and full of power you were in Acts. Why do you not send for Timothy and lay hands on him that he may be healed?” Not only so, 2 Timothy 4:20 also records that Trophimus, one of Paul’s co-workers, was sick. But neither did Paul lay his hands on Trophimus and pray for him. Paul himself had a thorn in his flesh, Timothy had a stomach illness, and Trophimus was sick. But none of them received a miraculous healing. Was it that Paul had fallen behind and lost the power he had at the beginning? Not at all. Paul, Timothy, and Trophimus experienced life much more through these sufferings. Therefore, in 1 Timothy 6:12 Paul spoke of laying hold on the eternal life.
Brothers and sisters, we need to see that it is not miracles that make us mature in life. Those in the charismatic movement depend too much on miracles. This is altogether wrong. They do not see that God granted miracles to every apostle, whether it be Peter, John, or Paul, at the beginning of their ministry; but the more they advanced in age, the less those kinds of miracles were seen in their ministry. Eventually, they all were martyred. When Peter was put into prison as a young man, an angel came to open the prison door and lead him out (Acts 12:5-11). But when he was in his old age, the angel did not come; instead, he was nailed to a cross. When John was old, he was exiled to the island of Patmos (Rev. 1:9). Paul was martyred. But even when Paul’s head was about to be cut off, he was still rejoicing. This is actually the greatest miracle. This is life, and this is grace.
John 2:23-25 says that many in Jerusalem saw the miracles that Jesus did and believed into His name, but the Lord did not entrust Himself to them. John 6 records that the Lord fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fish. But after the Lord was resurrected, those five thousand disappeared. Eventually, only one hundred and twenty believers remained, gathering in a small room in Jerusalem. When the five thousand were fed, they came to look for the Lord again the next day. But the Lord did not perform a miracle. He said, “Work not for the food which perishes, but for the food which abides unto eternal life...I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall by no means hunger, and he who believes into Me shall by no means ever thirst” (vv. 27, 35). The Lord told them that He could be eaten. But they said, “This word is hard; who can hear it?” (v. 60). From that time on, many of His disciples went back and no longer walked with Him (v. 66). Because the Lord Jesus did not perform miracles, they went back. But Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life” (v. 68).
Today in our ministry, I prefer not to perform miracles but rather to preach the words of eternal life, supplying men with eternal life. This is not the good word but the word of righteousness. Praise the Lord, the word of righteousness will decide whether we will share the glory with Him in His kingdom. If we receive this word, He will give us the reward, and we will receive the kingdom when He comes; but if we do not receive it, He will reject us, and we will suffer loss outside the kingdom. Therefore, this is the word of righteousness, not the good word.
Because the book of Hebrews speaks these words of righteousness in every section, it issues serious warnings according to these words. There are five warnings.
The first two chapters tell us that Christ is the complete God and a perfect man, far superior to the angels, becoming our great salvation. Based on this word, the first warning, in 2:3, says, “How shall we escape if we have neglected so great a salvation?” According to the context of the whole book of Hebrews, “how shall we escape” does not refer to eternal perdition but to the receiving of the righteous punishment at the Lord’s coming back (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10).
Hebrews 3 and 4 speak of Christ as the Apostle sent by God, who is far superior to Moses and Joshua, in order to bring us into the rest of the coming kingdom. Based on this word, the second warning is issued in the section from 3:7 through 4:13, saying, “Do not harden your hearts” (3:8) so that you will not provoke God’s wrath and be unable to enter into the rest of the coming kingdom. This righteous word does not mean that the saved persons can still perish forever and miss the enjoyment of God’s eternal rest; rather, it means that if we neglect the righteous word of God and allow an evil heart of unbelief or the sins of a hardened heart to deceive us (vv. 11-13), when the Lord comes, we will not enter into the millennial kingdom and enjoy the rest of reigning with Him in the kingdom. This is only a punishment during the coming age of the millennial kingdom, not the perdition that issues in the loss of rest for eternity.
Chapters 5 through 7 speak of Christ as our heavenly High Priest who is far superior to Aaron, supplying us with the heavenly life, saving us to the uttermost according to the power of this indestructible life, and bringing us into the riches of His heavenly ministry. Based on this word, the writer issues the third warning in the section from 5:11 through 6:20, encouraging us to leave the word of the beginning of Christ (the gospel) and to be brought on to maturity; otherwise, we will be near a curse and receive the punishment of being burned (6:1, 8). This serious and righteous word does not mean that we who have been enlightened, have tasted the heavenly gift, have participated in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word, may still perish and be burned by the consuming fire of the lake of fire. Rather, it means that if we neglect the Lord’s grace after having been saved by grace, we will surely receive the Lord’s punishment as a kind of fire to purify us during the period of righteous reward or punishment, the coming millennial kingdom. This is a dispensational punishment, not the eternal perdition of the lake of fire.
Chapter 8 through the first half of chapter 10 speaks of how the Lord offered Himself as the eternal sacrifice, accomplished an eternal redemption, established the new covenant with His own blood, ascended to the heavens as the Mediator of this new covenant, and is now supplying us with all the blessings of the new covenant as the heavenly Minister in the heavenly tabernacle. Then in 10:19-39 the fourth warning is issued, which urges us to come forward into the Holy of Holies where Christ is, to enjoy the riches of His heavenly presence but never to draw back and return to the old religion, signified by Judaism; otherwise, we will surely receive the Lord’s righteous judgment and suffer His punishment. This solemn and righteous word, of course, does not mean that we who are saved by grace may perish forever; rather, it means that after we receive the Lord’s salvation, if we do not come forward to enter into the realm of the Lord’s ascension and enjoy all the riches of His heavenly ministry, we will surely receive His severe dealing and punishment when He comes back. This, again, is a dispensational punishment, not eternal perdition.
After speaking of the witnesses of faith in chapter 11, in chapter 12 the fifth warning admonishes us to run the race that is set before us, lest we fall from grace (vv. 1-2, 15); otherwise, we will not be able to escape punishment, because our God is a consuming fire (v. 29). According to the proper meaning of this book, such a warning, of course, cannot refer to eternal perdition but points to the righteous punishment that God will give to some of His children during the dispensation of the kingdom.
The seventh point in the outline for this book is “Approaching people, helping people, and knowing people.” If you desire to speak to people, you must approach them. Upon seeing people on the street, you should not just shout from afar, “Come, it is good to believe in Jesus!” If you desire to speak to someone, you should approach him and come to where he is.
The gospel preaching of Philip in Acts 8 is a very good example of following the leading of the Spirit to approach people. He was sent by an angel of the Lord to travel on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. While he was in the desert, an Ethiopian man, a eunuch, was returning from worshipping God in Jerusalem. He sat in his chariot reading Isaiah 53. At that time the Spirit of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Approach and join this chariot” (Acts 8:29). Philip then ran to the eunuch and heard him reading the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah and asked him, “Do you really know the things that you are reading?” (v. 30). The eunuch said, “How could I unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him (v. 31). Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from the passage of Scripture, “As a sheep He was led to slaughter...” (v. 32; cf. Isa. 53:7), he brought the good news of Jesus to him (vv. 32-35).
When we speak, we need to approach people, and we also need to help people. If we help people to know the Bible, explaining the Bible to them, people will be saved. Suppose that when the Holy Spirit was leading him, asking him to approach the eunuch, Philip did not have the understanding of the Bible. He would have heard the eunuch reading the Scriptures, and he would have asked, “Do you really know the things that you are reading?” The eunuch would have said, “How could I unless someone guides me?” Then Philip would have said, “I don’t know either; let both of us pray together.” After the prayer they still would not have understood. The eunuch would have returned to his Gentile land, and Philip would have returned to his own land. His chance to speak to the eunuch would have been gone.
Brothers and sisters, is this often the case with you? Your classmate may open a chapter of the Bible and ask you, “My classmate, aren’t you a Christian? What does this portion of the Scriptures say?” You may say, “I am sorry, I don’t know either. Why don’t you go with me on Sunday to listen to the preaching?” That classmate may say, “Haven’t you listened for a long time? If you do not understand, neither will I understand if I go to listen. Therefore, I do not want to listen.” This is the pitiful situation today.
Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” The word should dwell in us to such an extent that we understand Isaiah 53, John 4, Genesis 1, and every chapter of the Bible. Only in this way will people respect us. Otherwise, if we try to bring people to listen to a preacher and they will not go, we will become useless. If we all can be like Philip, we can approach people and help people understand the words of the Scriptures at school, in the office, in the barber shop, at home, or in any place.
Now we want to go one step further. No matter where you go, bring with you a small Bible or small cards with printed Bible verses. When you have your hair cut, you can let the barber cut your hair and at the same time read and speak to him. If you speak to one hundred people, and one is saved, it will be worth all your effort. In one year, if you bring in one, another brings in one, and every brother and sister brings in one, the number in the church will increase one hundred percent. Therefore, you need to approach people and help people to understand the Scriptures.
When you speak to people, you need to know people. I firmly believe that on that day, as soon as Philip looked at the man in the chariot, he knew that he was an Ethiopian and that he was a high-ranking officer. After speaking a few more sentences to him, Philip knew his character. When you speak to people, do not be like a robot or like a recorded message, unable to know people. When you talk to a person, after looking at him, you should have some understanding of his character and his mood. By looking at him, you will know that he has something that makes him sorrowful or something that makes him happy. Based on these points, his character and his mood, you will know what his needs are.
The Bible is too rich. We need to be familiar with the Bible, to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom, so that we can give people a proper word. It may be suitable to read to one person the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. It may be suitable to read to another the words of Romans 2, telling him that although we Gentiles do not have God’s law, there is a conscience in us. Whatever we do, our conscience in our innate nature is always weighing our actions, either condemning or justifying them. You need to look at the situation. If the person is a beggar on the roadside, you should have one kind of gospel word for him. If he is a college professor, you should have another word from the Bible to give to him. In this way you will be able to hit the mark.
Surgeons use many instruments when they operate; therefore, it is very difficult to be a surgical nurse, knowing what instrument the surgeon will need at a particular time, without making mistakes. When we talk to people about the Bible, we also need many “instruments,” and we need to know what their functions are.
Finally, I hope you can see that for everyone to speak the word of God, you need to pray, to be filled in the spirit, and at the same time to learn to speak the proper words. When you speak, you need to be filled with the riches of the words of the Bible and the experiences of life. You need to know the person you are speaking to. You need to approach people, help people, and know people, and to deal with each kind of person with a certain kind of word. In this way you will never miss the mark, and you will be certain to be successful. If this is the case, the church here surely will be propagating, and the number surely will increase. Thus, there will be a church in Taipei, a genuine golden lampstand, shining brightly.
