徒九20~22　随即在各会堂里传扬耶稣，说祂是神的儿子。凡听见的人都惊奇，说，在耶路撒冷损毁呼求这名者的，不就是这人么？并且他到这里来，不就是为要捆绑他们，带到祭司长面前去么？但扫罗越发有能力，驳倒住大马色的犹太人，证明这位耶稣就是基督。

　　在行传九章神又给我们一个例证，就是祂拣选保罗。神不是拣选那些同情基督徒、相信基督的人；神乃是拣选逼迫基督徒、反对主的人。神在那里所拯救并呼召为使徒的，不是一个虔诚、顺服神的人，乃是一个顶撞神、……苦害基督徒的人。

　　亚拿尼亚〔不明白福音为什么要传给扫罗〕。……这是人的观念；所以神要作一件事，来打破这种观念。我们人狭窄、错误的观念，的确需要借着召会的扩展来冲破、来打碎。

　　我们必须相信，一个人在一小时前反对召会，一小时后却能传福音。神能作这事，因为神要扩展（召会的历程，三二页）。

　　Acts 9:20-22 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, that this One is the Son of God. And all who heard him were amazed and said, Is this not the one who ravaged those who call upon this name in Jerusalem and came here for this, that he might bring them bound before the chief priests? But Saul was all the more empowered, and he confounded the Jews dwelling in Damascus by proving that this One is the Christ.

　　Acts 9 shows God's choosing of Paul, who was called Saul at that time. He did not choose someone who was sympathetic to Christians and a believer in Christ; on the contrary, He chose a person who persecuted Christians and opposed the Lord...and inflicted harm on Christians.

　　Ananias could not understand why the gospel should be preached to Saul. This is the human concept; therefore, God did something to shatter this concept. Our narrow, erroneous human concept needs to be broken and shattered through the spreading of the church.

　　We must believe that a person can be persecuting the church one hour and preaching the gospel the next hour. God is able to do this because He wants to spread. (Three Aspects of the Church, Book 2: The Course of the Church, pp. 29-30)

　　〔行传十章〕指明主在地上的福音行动，是在祂天上宝座行政的管理之下（参来八1，徒七56）。古今所有的使徒和传福音者，都是在地上完成天上的使命，开展神国的福音。……福音〔正〕扩展到居人之地的四方，聚拢各类不洁净（有罪）的人（路十三29）（圣经恢复本，徒十11注1，注2）。

　　主在马太十六章说到，要把诸天之国的钥匙交给彼得（19）。……彼得在五旬节那天开了门，然后在哥尼流家，他又开了……外邦人的门。……这时，圣灵才正式把召会扩展到外邦人中，冲破了这道铁墙。

　　安提阿的召会中，也是满了扩展的故事（徒十三1）（召会的历程，三五至三七页）。

　　这里所记载的五位申言者和教师，是由犹太人和外邦人组成的，各有不同的背景、教育和身分。这指明召会是由各种不同种族和阶层的人组成的，与他们的背景无关；这也指明神将属灵的恩赐和功用赐给基督身体的肢体，不是根据他们天然的身分（圣经恢复本，徒十三1注9）。

　　然而〔在安提阿召会的光景〕还不够，圣灵来了，要打发巴拿巴与保罗到外面去作工，目的就是为着扩展召会（徒十三2~12）。

　　使徒保罗第一次正式到外邦召会传福音，设立召会，首先是到居比路；住了不久，旋即往小亚细亚，就是今天的土耳其，在那里好几个地方设立召会，使召会有更进一步的扩展（十三~十四）。

　　保罗……第二次出外传道，……本来想在亚西亚一带作工，但是圣灵给他异象，要他往马其顿，就是到欧洲去。……第一个建立的就是腓立比召会（十六12）。……再次就是帖撒罗尼迦召会。……使徒后来到了庇哩亚（10）、雅典（15），然后到哥林多（十八1），之后经过以弗所（19），回到了安提阿（22）（召会的历程，三八至三九、四一页）。

　　参读：召会的历程，第二篇。

　　[Acts 10 indicates] that the Lord's evangelistic move on earth is under His administration on the throne in heaven (cf. Heb. 8:1; Acts 7:56). All the apostles and evangelists were and still are carrying out the heavenly commission on earth for the spreading of the gospel of the kingdom of God. (Acts 10:11, footnote 1)

　　The gospel [is] spreading to the four corners of the inhabited earth to collect all kinds of unclean (sinful) people (Luke 13:29). (Acts 10:11, footnote 2)

　　In Matthew 16 the Lord said that He would give the keys of the kingdom of the heavens to Peter (v. 19)....On the day of Pentecost he opened the door for the Jews; however, in the house of Cornelius he opened the door for the Gentiles....At this time the Holy Spirit officially spread the church to the Gentiles and broke down the wall.

　　The church in Antioch was also part of the story of the church's spreading (Acts 13:1). (Three Aspects of the Church, Book 2: The Course of the Church, pp. 32-33)

　　The five prophets and teachers recorded [in Acts 13] were composed of Jews and Gentiles, each having a different background, education, and status. This indicates that the church is composed of all races and classes of people regardless of their background, and that the spiritual gifts and functions given to the members of the Body of Christ are not based on their natural status. (Acts 13:1, footnote 9)

　　The good situation in Antioch, however, was still not enough, so the Holy Spirit came and sent forth Barnabas and Paul to the work; their goal was the spreading of the church (Acts 13:2-12).

　　On the apostle Paul's first trip to preach the gospel to the Gentiles and to establish churches among them, he went to Cyprus. He did not stay there long before continuing on to Asia Minor, which is modern-day Turkey. In Asia Minor he established many local churches, which represents a further step in the spread of the church (Acts 13—14).

　　On his second ministry journey, Paul originally thought that he would work in the region of Asia Minor, but the Holy Spirit gave him a vision and wanted him to go to Macedonia, which is in Europe.

　　The first church that Paul established in Macedonia was in Philippi (16:12)....After Thessalonica, the apostle Paul went on to Berea (17:10), to Athens (v. 15), and then to Corinth (18:1)....Paul then passed through Ephesus (v. 19) on his way back to Antioch (v. 22). (Three Aspects of the Church, Book 2: The Course of the Church, pp. 34-36)

　　Further Reading: Three Aspects of the Church, Book 2: The Course of the Church, ch. 2