青少年教程 (使徒行传*第3课) | 不可阻挡的力量*教会的增长

​编者按
这是一套在美国很受欢迎的教材，按年龄共分三部分：0-6岁学龄前儿童教程，6-12岁学龄儿童教程，和12岁以上青少年教程。我们将陆续翻译成中文，分享给大家。
这套教材里的每一篇，无论是教程还是各种活动，都独立成篇，没有先后顺序，大家可以按需要和负担选择使用。
*更多内容：thedoorofsheep.com/青少年 

课程目的

• 帮助学生对初期教会的生活有基本的认识

• 借着教会最初时期爆发式的增长来鼓励学生

• 帮助学生盼望教会再次进入一个新的增长时期，像初期教会建立时那样大大增长

主题

教会、传福音、跟随耶稣、福音、圣灵、作见证

背诵经文

使徒行传 2:41

开始祷告(5-10分钟)

团队建立(5分钟)

今天我们要谈教会及其增长，因此很适合玩一个受欢迎的团体游戏。基本玩法如下：

所有人分散站开，准备玩追逐游戏。当带领者说“开始！”时，大家四处跑动，设法碰到其他人。在这个版本中，当你碰到一个人时，你们就连在一起。组员可以挽着手臂或牵着手。一旦与一个小组连在一起，就不能再分开。

游戏继续进行，大家彼此碰触，形成多个小组。后来，不同小组也会互相碰到，组成更大的小组。游戏进行三至五分钟后，人数最多的小组获胜。

如果场地不够大，也可以在较小的房间里玩基本相同的游戏，只需增加一个限制：所有人都必须跪着移动。

开始(5分钟)

一般讨论：

• 你喜欢这个游戏的哪些地方？

• 游戏中有没有什么是你不喜欢的？

• 所有人连在一起所需的时间，比你预想的更长还是更短？

• 游戏中有哪些困难？

你也许很难相信，但我们刚才所做的，其实很好地描绘了初期教会。教会从少数几个人迅速增长，成为一个有数万名信徒的运动。使徒行传为我们记述了这一切。让我们继续学习使徒行传，看看教会是怎样增长的。

深入学习(35分钟)

要看见教会的增长，我们必须从起点开始。

读 使徒行传 1:12-17

讨论问题：

1. 这段经文所记载的事情发生在什么时候？（耶稣升天之后不久。）

2. 这次聚会在哪里举行？（在耶路撒冷某处的一间楼房里。）

3. 除了十一位门徒，还有谁在那里？（“几个妇人”、耶稣的母亲马利亚和耶稣的兄弟。）

4. 他们正在做什么？（祷告。）

5. 彼得当时向多少位信徒讲话？（一百二十人。）

我们常常用“门徒”这个词来指福音书中与耶稣一同服事的十二个人。然而，圣经中“门徒”这个词的用法也比较广泛，可以指基督早期的所有跟随者。“十二使徒”，或这里所说的“十一使徒”，则专指耶稣亲自拣选、呼召进入事工的那些人。无论怎样，在使徒行传开始时，所有委身于基督的人总共大约有一百二十位，其中包括祂的母亲、十一位使徒（犹大已经自杀）、祂的兄弟，以及另外几十位信徒。

读 使徒行传 2:37-47

讨论问题：

1. 第37节说众人听见彼得所讲的“这话”，“这话”指什么？（可能需要回头看前文，指的是彼得在五旬节向来自帝国各地的宗教朝圣者传讲的福音信息。）

2. 众人有什么回应？（他们感到扎心，问自己应当怎样做。）

3. 彼得怎样吩咐他们？（悔改，并奉耶稣的名受洗。）

4. 这样的回应会给他们的生命带来什么结果？（罪得赦免，并领受圣灵的恩赐。）

5. 那一天有多少人回应？（约三千人。）

只经过一章和短短几天，教会就从一百二十人在一间房里祷告，增长到三千多人。但事情还不止如此，请再看第42至47节。

讨论问题(续)：

6. 当时初期教会至少已有三千一百二十名成员，他们持续操练哪些生活习惯？（恒心遵守使徒的教训、擘饼和祷告。）

7. 他们持续这样的实行，带来了什么结果？（众人都惧怕，使徒又行了许多奇事神迹等。）

8. 根据第47节，在那段时期，人们多久得救一次？（天天都有人得救。）

但这还不是结束。事实上，教会才刚刚开始增长。

读 使徒行传 4:1-4

讨论问题:

1. 这段经文中是谁在讲道？（彼得和约翰。）

2. 谁因为他们讲道而来阻止他们？（祭司、守殿官和撒都该人。）

3. 根据第2节，这些人为什么感到烦恼？（彼得和约翰宣讲耶稣从死里复活。）

4. 到了这个阶段，总共有多少人相信？（根据这段经文，约有五千名男子；这里特别说男子，因此总人数可能高得多。）

读 使徒行传 5:12-14

讨论问题:

1. 信徒在哪里聚集？（所罗门的廊下。）

2. 所有信徒都在那里聚集吗？（看来不是。有些人可能感到害怕或受到威吓，或因其他原因没有加入。）

3. 即便如此，第14节怎样描述教会的增长？（“信而归主的人越发增添，连男带女很多。”）

人们似乎被基督的身体深深吸引，无法远离。到了这个阶段，经文不再给出信徒的具体人数，也许是因为人数已经多到无法准确统计。

读 使徒行传 6:1-7

讨论问题:

1. 根据第1节，门徒的数目发生了什么变化？（不断增加。）

2. 根据这段经文，增长带来了什么问题？（出现了成长中的困难，有些人觉得自己没有得到照顾。）

3. 即便如此，根据第7节，后来发生了什么？（神的道兴旺起来，门徒的数目大大增加。）

在本系列后面的课程中，我们会进一步讨论教会所面对的阻碍。在这里，我们看见希腊背景的人以及祭司也开始相信耶稣是弥赛亚。现在，我们还要看使徒行传接近结尾的一段经文，说明教会的增长并没有减缓。

读 使徒行传 21:17-20

记载这段经文时，保罗已经走遍帝国各地，建立教会、传扬福音。他来到耶路撒冷，向其他教会带领者报告。

讨论问题：

1. 当时有哪些人在场？（雅各、教会的其他长老、路加和其他同工。）

2. 耶路撒冷的领袖听见保罗的报告后有什么反应？（他们欢喜，并归荣耀给神。）

3. 根据第20节，长老们也报告了相似的结果。那是什么？（有“成千上万”的犹太人信了。）

外邦人，也就是非犹太人，信了主；成千上万的犹太人也信了。教会的增长不只发生在耶路撒冷，而是遍及整个帝国。正如我们上周所看见的，使徒行传结束时，教会已经传遍当时所知的世界。路加甚至没有试图给出一个具体数字，但人数肯定已经超过二万五千至五万。

联系实际（15分钟）

一般讨论：

• 当你想到今天的教会时，你是否看见它像初期教会那样增长？（学生可能回答是或不是，请他们进一步说明。）

• 你认为生活在初期教会的时代，作基督徒是一件令人兴奋的事吗？为什么？（是，因为各种不同的人都相信了，教会正在不断增长和扩展。）

• 你认为教会要再次经历这样的增长，需要什么？（热情、勇气等。）

• 我们谈到教会增长的几种方式。哪些因素帮助教会像当时那样迅速增长？（祷告、讲道、神迹奇事、合一等。）

其中有许多因素。最主要的是，圣灵的同在推动基督徒活出那样的生命。在本系列后面的课程中，我们会进一步谈到圣灵。今天，集中来看三件事，每一个跟随基督的人都可以把它们带进自己的生活。

1. 祷告

一般讨论：

• 你认为祷告今天怎样影响教会？

• 今天整个教会的生活，是否像当时一样以祷告为重要部分？

• 祷告是否在你的生命中占有应有的位置？如果没有，是什么拦阻了你？

（给学生几分钟时间，想象教会可以怎样真实地影响他们自己、父母和朋友的生命。然后花几分钟，与他们一同为他们盼望发生的事情祷告，也为他们祷告。）

2. 传讲复活

一般讨论：

• 在你听过的所有信息中，你认为有多少篇提到复活？（学生也许会说很多，但事实上，大多数讲道并不提到复活。）

• 你认为今天的教会为什么更多谈论其他事情，却较少谈论复活的基督？

• 如果复活是真实的，而圣经说它确实真实，还有什么比这更能证明耶稣就是祂所宣告的那一位？（没有！）

• 你可以怎样在生活中“传讲”复活？（谈论自己在基督里的新生命、让别人看见自己的不同、表达自己也必将复活的确信等。）

3. 神迹奇事

一般讨论：

• 什么是神迹或奇事？（神所作的、令人惊叹、奇妙，甚至超自然的事。）

• 根据我们对使徒行传的学习，你认为神迹奇事在教会最初的时期常见吗？（是。）

• 你认为今天神迹奇事常见吗？（让学生讨论。）

• 想一想你自己的生命，以及你认识之人的生命。你能否找出一些可以称为“神迹”或“奇事”的事情？你可以怎样借着这些事把人指向耶稣？（分享这项见证、把它写在博客上，并确保把荣耀归给神。）

在初期教会中，祷告、传讲、神迹和奇事帮助教会增长。今天，这些事不但可以使福音的火焰更加旺盛，也可以成为我们日常生活的一部分。让我们今天就开始祷告，求神使用我们，帮助教会继续增长。

结束祷告(10分钟)

为教会的增长祷告。邀请学生轮流作同样的祷告。也让他们彼此代祷，求神使他们在生活中传扬福音，并勇敢地把人指向耶稣。

****** 英文版 *******

Acts: The Unstoppable Force

Lesson 3: The Growth

LESSON OBJECTIVES

Goals

1. To give students a basic understanding of the life of the early Church

2. To encourage them with the explosive growth during the Church’s earliest period

3. To help students dream about a new era of Church growth that resembles the massive growth when the Church first developed

Topics

Church, Evangelism, Following Jesus, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Witnessing

Scripture Memorization

Acts 2:41

OPENING PRAYER (5 minutes)

GROUP BUILDING (5 minutes) 

As we will be talking about the Church and its growth today, this is an excellent time to play a popular group game. Here are the basics.

Everyone spreads out and prepares for a game of tag. When you say, “Go!” everyone runs around attempting to tag others. In this version, when you tag someone you are now connected. Have group members link arms or hold hands. Once linked with a group, players cannot separate.

The game continues, with multiple groups forming as people tag one another. Eventually, groups tag other groups to form larger groups. The winners are those in the largest group after 3-5 minutes of play.

If you do not have a lot of space, you can play essentially the same game in a smaller room by adding the challenge of doing the same exact thing except have players move around on their knees.

GETTING STARTED (5 minutes)

General Discussion:

• What did you like about that game?

• Was there anything about the game you did not like?

• Did it take longer for everyone to get linked together or shorter than you thought it would?

• What were some of the challenges?

Believe it or not, what we just did is actually a good picture of the early Church. The Church grew rapidly from just a few folks to a movement with tens of thousands of converts. The book of Acts outlines all this for us. Let’s look at the growth of the Church as we continue our study of the book of Acts.

DIGGING IN (35 minutes)

To see the growth, we have to see it from the beginning.

Read Acts 1:12-17

Discussion Questions:

1. When do the events of this passage take place? (The events take place just after Jesus ascends into Heaven.)

2. Where did this gathering take place? (The gathering took place in an upstairs room, somewhere in Jerusalem.)

3. Besides the eleven disciples, who else is there? (“The women” and Mary the mother of Christ, and Jesus’ brothers.)

4. What were they doing? (They were praying.)

5. How many other believers did Peter address? (120.)

Many times, we use the word “disciples” to describe the twelve men named in the Gospels as ministering alongside Jesus. However, the word disciple is used more loosely in Scripture to describe those early followers of Christ. “The Twelve” or in this case “The Eleven” is used to describe the handpicked men that Jesus called into ministry. Either way, at the beginning of the book of Acts, the sum total of people committed to Christ is about 120. This includes His mother, the eleven (Judas has committed suicide), His brothers, and a few dozen others who believe.

Read Acts 2:37-47

Discussion Questions:

1. What is the “this” in verse 37 that people heard from Peter? (You may have to look back, but this is Peter’s message on the Day of Pentecost when he shares the Gospel with religious pilgrims from all over the empire.)

2. What is the people’s response? (They are convicted to respond and ask what they must do.)

3. What is Peter’s instruction to them? (That they repent and be immersed in the name of Jesus.)

4. What are the implications of this response on their lives? (Their sins will be forgiven and they will receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit.)

5. How many responded on that day? (About 3,000 people.)

In the span of one chapter and just a few days, the Church grew from 120 people praying in a room to over 3,000. However, that’s not all, look back at verses 42-47.

Discussion Questions Continued:

6. What habits did the early Church, now with at least 3,120 members, continuously practice? (Devotion to the apostles' teaching, breaking of bread, and prayer.)

7. What was the result of this continual devotion? (Everyone was filled with awe, many wonders and signs were performed by the apostles, etc.)

8. According to verse 47, how often were people saved during this period of time? (Every single day.)

This isn’t the end, though. In fact, the Church is just beginning to grow.

Read Acts 4:1-4

Discussion Questions:

1. Who is preaching in this passage? (Peter and John.)

2. Who confronts them for doing so? (The priests, captain of the temple guard, and Sadducees.)

3. Why are the people confronting them disturbed, according to verse 2? (Peter and John were proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus.)

4. How many people in total believed at this stage? (About 5,000 according to these verses, it says men specifically, so the total amount could be much higher.)

Read Acts 5:12-14

Discussion Questions:

1. Where did the believers meet? (Solomon’s Colonnade.)

2. Did everyone gather there that believed? (No, it appears not, as some were scared or intimidated or for some reason did not join in.)

3. Still, how does verse 14 communicate the growth of the Church? (“more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.”)

It seems that people were just attracted to the Body of Christ. They could not stay away. At this point, no number of believers is given. That may be because the number was getting too large to count accurately.

Read Acts 6:1-7

Discussion Questions:

1. According to verse 1, what is happening to the number of disciples? (It is increasing.)

2. What did this cause according to the passage? (Growth pains as some did not feel like they were being cared for.)

3. Still, according to verse 7, what happened? (The Word of God spread and the number of disciples increased rapidly.)

We will talk more about obstacles the Church faced later in this series. Here, we see that people of Greek descent as well as priests became convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. We are going to look at one more passage, toward the end of the book of Acts that demonstrates that the growth did not slow.

Read Acts 21:17-20

By the time this chapter of Acts is recorded, Paul has been all over the empire planting Churches and spreading the Gospel. He arrives in Jerusalem to report to the other Church leaders.

Discussion Questions:

1. Who was there? (James, other elders of the Church, Luke and other co-laborers were there.)

2. What was the response of the Jerusalem leaders to the elders? (They celebrated, praising God.)

3. The elders had similar results to report according to verse 20. What were they? (“Thousands” of Jews had believed.)

Gentiles (those are non-Jews)believe, and thousands of Jews believe. The growth is not limited to Jerusalem, but is happening all over the empire. By the end of the book of Acts, as we discovered last week, the Church spread all over the known world. Luke doesn’t even attempt to put a number on it. It was surely in excess of 25,000-50,000.

MAKING IT REAL (15 minutes)

General Discussions:

• When you think of the Church of today, do you see it growing like that? (Students may say yes or no, but ask them to elaborate.)

• Do you think it was exciting to live as a Christian in the early days of the Church? Why or why not? (Yes, all different sorts of people believed, the Church was growing and spreading.)

• What do you think it would take for the Church to grow like that again? (Passion, boldness, etc.)

• We talked about a few ways that the Church grew. What were some of those factors that helped the Church explode in size as it did? (Prayer, preaching, signs and wonders, unity, etc.)

There are many factors. Chiefly, the presence of the Holy Spirit drove Christians to live as they did. We are going to talk more about the Holy Spirit later in this series. What I want to focus on today are three things I think we can all make a part of our lives as we follow Christ.

1. Prayer

General Discussion:

• How do you think prayer impacts the Church today?

• Is prayer a part of the life of the Church as a whole in the same way it was back then?

• Is prayer a part of your life in the way that it should be? If not, what’s stopping you?

(Allow a few minutes for students to daydream about the Church and how it can really impact their lives, their parents’ lives, and their friends’ lives. Then, take a few minutes to pray with them and for them about the things they want to see happen.)

2. Preaching the ResurrectionGeneral Discussion:

• Of all the messages you hear preached, how many of them would you say mention the resurrection? (Perhaps they will say a lot, but most sermons do not mention the resurrection.)

• Why do you think the Church of today talks more about other things than they do the risen Christ?

• If the resurrection is true, and the Bible says it is, is there any better proof that Jesus is who He said He was? (No!)

• How can you “preach” the resurrection in your life? (Talk about your new life in Christ, show that you are different, express confidence that you, too, will rise again, etc.)

3. Signs & Wonders

General Discussion:

• What is a sign or wonder? (A work of God that is amazing, awesome, or even miraculous.)

• As we have studied through Acts, would you say signs and wonders were common in the earliest days of the Church? (Yes.)

• Do you think signs and wonders are common today? (Allow for discussion.)

• Think about your life and the lives of people you know. Can you identify something that qualifies as a “sign” or a “wonder”? How can you use that to point to Jesus? (Tell that testimony, blog about it; make sure you give the glory to God.)

In the early Church, prayer, preaching, signs, and wonders helped the Church grow. Not only can those things be fuel on the fire of the Gospel today, but they can also be part of our daily lives. Let’s start today by praying that God will use us to help the Church continue to grow.

CLOSING PRAYER (10 minutes)

Pray for the Church to grow. Invite students to take turns praying the same prayer. Have them pray for each other to preach the Gospel in their lives and point boldly to Jesus.