788 英翻中 (488) Gaining the Things that Money can't buy ! 獲得金錢買不到的！ 4/7/2024

788 英翻中 (488) Gaining the Things that Money can't buy!     獲得金錢買不到的!   4/7/2024            

從今天開始我們要享用保羅在監獄中寫的另一本監獄書信, 是給以弗所教會信徒的屬靈書信 "Be Rich(來得基督的豐盛). " 這種豐盛是金錢買不到的, 只有屬主的門徒才能擁有.  

LESSON ONE                       SAINTS ALIVE !                              Ephesians 1:1                                第一課                                   聖徒還活著！                                    以弗所書   1:1-3 

She had gone down in history as “America’s Greatest Miser,” yet when she died in 1916, “Hetty” Green left an estate valued at over $100 million. She ate cold oatmeal because it cost to heat it. Her son had to suffer a leg amputation, because she delayed so long in looking for a free clinic that his case became incurable. She was wealthy, yet she chose to live like a pauper.                     “海蒂”  格林(“Hetty” Green)曾譽為  “美國最偉大的吝嗇鬼”，在 1916 年她去世時，還留下了價值超過 1 億美元的遺產。她吃冷的燕麥片，為了省加熱燕麥片的電費。她的兒子不得不截肢，因為她一直在尋找免費醫療，故耽擱醫癒的時間，以至於他的病無法治好，只有截肢。她很富有，但却選擇了像窮人一樣的生活。

Eccentric? Certainly! Crazy? Perhaps—but nobody could prove it. She was so foolish that she hastened her own death by bringing on an attack of apoplexy while arguing about the value of drinking skimmed milk! But Hetty Green is an illustration of too many Christian believers today. They have limitless wealth at their disposal, and yet they live like paupers. It was to this kind of Christian that Paul wrote the epistle to the Ephesians.                                                                        怪癖嗎？當然！ 有些瘋狂嗎？  也許   — 但沒有人能夠證明這一點。她太愚蠢了，一邊爭論喝脫脂牛奶的價值，一邊引發中風，加速了自己的死亡！ 但海蒂·格林是當今太多基督信仰者的畫像。他們在基督裡擁有無限豐盛的恩典，但卻過著乞丐般的討乞生活。保羅寫給以弗所人的書信正是寫給這種基督徒的。

1.  The Author (1:1a)                                                                                                                                1.  作者（弗   1章1節上半段）

Some names in history we identify immediately, and “Paul” is one of them. His name was originally “Saul” (Acts 7:58), and, since he was from the tribe of Benjamin (Phil. 3:5), it is likely he was named after the first king of Israel (1 Sam. 9). Unlike his namesake, however, Saul of Tarsus was obedient, and faithfully served God. As a devoted rabbi, Saul became the leader of the antichristian movement in Jerusalem (Acts 9:1–2; Gal. 1:13–14). But in the midst of this activity, Saul was “arrested” by Jesus Christ and was converted (Acts 9:3ff.，and Acts  26).            在歷史上的名字，一眼就能認出來，“保羅”  就是作者。他原本的名字是  “掃羅”（徒   7:58），而且，由於他來自便雅憫支派（腓   3:5），很可能是用以色列第一位國王的名字命名的（撒上   9） 。然而，不同的是大數的掃羅是順從的，忠實地事奉上帝的使者。 作為虔誠的拉比，掃羅成為耶路撒冷反基督教的領袖（徒     9：1-2；加   1：13-14）。但在反基督教活動中，掃羅被耶穌基督的大光  “抓住”，  並使他悔改（徒   9:3 比照研讀；徒   26章）。

Saul of Tarsus became Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15). While he was ministering in the church of Antioch, he was called by the Spirit to take the gospel to the Gentiles, and he obeyed (Acts 13:1–3). The book of Acts records three missionary journeys that took Paul throughout the Roman Empire in one of the greatest evangelistic endeavors in church history. About the year 53, Paul first ministered in Ephesus but did not remain there (Acts 18:19–21). Two years later, while on his third journey, Paul stayed in Ephesus for at least two years and saw that whole vast area evangelized (Acts 19:1–20). During these years, he founded a strong church in the city that was dedicated to the worship of the goddess Diana. For a description of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus, read Acts 20, and for an explanation of the opposition to Paul’s ministry there, read Acts 19:21–41.                                                                                                                                              大數的掃羅成為外邦人的使徒保羅（徒   9:15）。當他在安提阿教會服侍時，他被聖靈呼召將福音傳給外邦人，他順服了（徒   13：1-3）。使徒行傳記錄了保羅在羅馬帝國各地進行的三次旅遊宣教，這是教會歷史上最偉大的福音宣教記事。大約在 53 年，保羅第一次在以弗所服事，但沒有留在那裡（徒  18：19-21）。兩年後，在第三次宣教旅程中，保羅在以弗所逗留了至少兩年，看到整個廣袤的地區都被福音廣傳（徒  19：1-20）。這些年，他發現在該城有高大的寺廟，專門供奉戴安娜女神。 有關保羅在以弗所事工的描述，請閱讀使徒行傳第 20章；要了解對保羅在以弗所事工的阻礙及反對，請閱讀使徒行傳 19章21至41等節。

It was nearly ten years later when Paul wrote to his beloved friends in Ephesus. Paul was a prisoner in Rome (Eph. 3:1; 4:1; 6:20), and he wanted to share with these believers the great truths the Lord had taught him about Christ and the church. Compare Ephesians 6:21–22 with Colossians 4:7–9 and Philemon to get a better understanding of the historical background. Onesimus, a slave, ran away from Philemon, his master, who lived at Colosse. While in Rome, Onesimus met Paul and was converted. Tychicus, one of the pastors of the church at Colosse, which may have met in Philemon’s house, was also in Rome to discuss some problems with Paul.  So Paul took advantage of the presence of these two men to send three letters to his friends: the epistle to the Ephesians, the epistle to the Colossians, and the epistle to Philemon. At the same time, he sent Onesimus back to his master.                                                                                              將近十年後，保羅寫信給他在以弗所心愛的朋友。保羅那時已是羅馬的囚犯（弗   3:1；4:1；6:20），他想與這些信徒分享主教導他，關於基督和教會的偉大真理。 比較以弗所書 6章21至22兩節， 與歌羅西書 4章7至9等節 和腓利門書，可以更清楚地了解歷史背景。奴隸阿尼西母逃離他在歌羅西的主人腓利門到羅馬。在羅馬期間，阿尼西母遇見了保羅並悔改，相信了基督。推基古是歌羅西教會的牧師，可能是在腓利門家裡認識的，他也在羅馬與保羅討論一些問題。於是保羅趁著這兩個人在場的時候，給他的朋友們寫了三封書信：以弗所書，歌羅西書，腓利門書。與此同時，他將阿尼西母送回他的主人身邊。

So, the letter was written from Rome about the year AD 62. Though Paul was on trial for his life, he was concerned about the spiritual needs of the churches he had founded. As an apostle, “one sent with a commission,” he had an obligation to teach them the Word of God and to seek to build them up in the faith (Eph. 4:11–12).                                                                                                因此，這些監獄書信是公元 62 年左右在羅馬寫成的。雖然保羅正在接受生死考驗，但他關心他所建立的教會的屬靈需要。作為一名  “奉差遣”  的使徒，他有義務教導他們上帝的話語，並努力建立他們的信心（弗   4:11-12）。