1574 英翻中 (使徒行傳8) A CHURCH ON THE MOVE 教会的擴展 15/05/2026
親愛的主內訪友, 編輯者忘了提醒您們, 從前我親愛的張繼宗牧師一再警惕我, 讀解經書一定要在身旁邊打開聖經對照研讀, 才會有心得. 因為很多細節, 作者很不容易放在解經書中. 例如, 前一課第七章與第六章放在一起, 就是因為第七章有司提反的精美演講太長. 請諸位再翻回去仔細研讀. 您這就對舊約聖經了解透徹了. 上帝的話永遠是我們的救贖大恩.
Chapter 8 A CHURCH ON THE MOVE Acts 8 第 8 課 教会的擴展 使徒行传第八章
"There is one thing stronger than all
the armies in the world," wrote Victor Hugo, "and that is an idea
whose time has come.” 维克多·雨果（Victor
Hugo）写道：“世界上有股力量比所有的军队都更强大，那就是一種想法的时间到了。”
(註: 维克多·雨果是一位法國的著名小說寫作家, 他寫了一本舉世聞名的書, 稱為: "ron. farron '這是囚犯的名字; 中文翻譯書名是 '悲慘世界'. 是編輯者70年前讀過的一本世界名著.)
The
Gospel of Jesus Christ is much more than an idea. The Gospel is "the power
of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16,NIgV). It is God's "dynamite" for
breaking down sin's barriers and setting the prisoners free. Its time had come
and the church was on the move. The "salt" was now leaving the “Jerusalem
saltshaker" to be spread over all Judea
and Samaria.
just as the Lord had commanded (Acts 1:8) . 耶稣基督的福音不仅仅是一種理想。 福音是 “上帝的能力赐给所有相信人的得救”（罗1：16，NIgV）。是上帝的 “大能” 打破罪的障碍，让囚犯得以自由。 它的时间到了，教会正在擴展。
正如主所吩咐的那样，“盐” 现在离开了“耶路撒冷撒盐者”，將传遍了犹太全地和撒玛利亚（徒 1：8）
The
events in Acts 8 center around four
different men.
使徒行传第8章围绕着四个不同的人的事件.
1. A
Zealous Persecutor-Saul (Acts 8:1-3) The Book of Acts and the epistles give
sufficient data for a sketch of Saul's early life. He was born in Tarsus in Cilicia (Acts 22:3), a "Hebrew of the Hebrews" (see 2
Cor. 11:22; Phil. 3:5),
the "son of a Pharisee" (Acts 23:6), and a Roman citizen (16:3.7;22:25-28). He was educated in Jerusalem by Gamaliel (22:3) and became a
devoted Pharisee (26:4-5;Phil. 3:5). Measured by the Law, his life was
blameless (Phil. 3:6). He was one of
the most promising young Pharisees in Jerusalem,
well on his way to becoming a great leader for the Jewish faith (Gal. 1:14).
1. 嫉妒的凶手扫罗（徒 8：1-3）“使徒行传”和其他书信中對扫罗早年的素描提供了足够的資料。 他出生在Cilicia的大數(Tarsus)（徒 22：3），“希伯来人的希伯来人”（参 林後11:22; 腓 3：5），法利赛人的儿子（徒 23：6）和罗马公民. 他们在耶路撒冷受过珈马列（22：3）的教育，成为法利赛人（26：4-5;
腓 3：5）。 按照法律的慣例，他的明壭无可指摘（腓 3：6）。 他是耶路撒冷中前途最有发展的年轻法利赛人之一，也是正走在成为犹太信仰的伟大领袖的道路上（加 1:14）。
Saul's zeal for the Law was displayed most vividly in his
persecution of the church (Gal. 1:13-14;Phil.
3:6). He really thought that persecuting the believers was one way of serving
God, so he did it with a clear conscience (2 Tim. 1:3). He obeyed the light
that he had and, when God gave him more light, he obeyed that and became a
Christian!
扫罗对法律的热忱在他对教会的迫害中大顯身手（加 1：13-14; 腓 3：6）。 他真的认为，迫害信徒是服事上帝的一种方法，他自認為良心無愧的做了（提後 1：3）。 他順从他認為的光，当上帝的大光照向他時，就服从成为基督徒了！
In what ways did Saul persecute the church? He "made
havoc of the church," and the verb here describes a wild animal mangling
its prey. When Christ spoke to Saul on the Damascus road, He
compared him to a beast! (Acts 9:5) The stoning of Stephen, which Saul
approved, shows the lengths to which he would go to achieve his purpose. He
persecuted both men and women "unto the death" (22:4), entering both
houses and synagogues(22:19).He
had the believers imprisoned and beaten (22:19;26:9-11).
If they renounced their faith in Jesus Christ ("compelling them to
blaspheme" .26:11), they were set free; if they did not recant, they could
be killed. 扫罗是如何的迫害教会？他 “肆意無忌的破坏教会”，該动词是用來描述驯服所猎到的野生动物。当基督在大马士革的路上对扫罗说话时，祂就把他比作野兽！ （徒 9：5）扫罗批准的司提反的用石头打死, 显示他为达到目的而不擇手段的達到極端。 （22：4）.
他挨家挨戶和每個教會進入（22:19），逼迫男女信徒们使用监禁和殴打致死（22：19;
26：9-11）。如果他们放弃对耶稣基督的信仰（“迫使他们行亵渎” 26：11），他们可得释放; 如果他们堅持對耶稣基督的信仰，他们会被杀死。
In later years, Paul described himself as
"exceedingly mad against them"
(26:11), "a blasphemer [he denounced Jesus Christ], and a persecutor, and
injurious [violent]" (1 Tim. 1:13). He was a man with great
authority whose devotion to Moses
completely controlled his life, and almost destroyed his life. He did it
"ignorantly in unbelief" (1 Tim. 1:13), and God showed him mercy and saved him. Saul of
Tarsus is the last person in Jerusalem
you would have chosen to be the great apostle to the Gentiles!
后来，保罗描述自己“对他们像暴君”（26:11），“自己是亵渎者（他谴责耶稣基督）和迫害者，和使人受傷害（暴力）” (提前 1:13）。他是挾持权威的人，他对摩西的崇拜勝過自己的生命，並几乎毁灭了他。他是以 “无知和不信”
去行（提前1:13）但上帝向他显示慈悲，並拯救了他。大數的扫罗是耶路撒冷在外邦人中最后被擇选择的伟大使徒！
2. A
Faithful Preacher---Philip (Acts 8:4-8)
2.
一生忠心的宣教士 --- 腓利（徒 8：4-8）
Persecution
does to the church what wind does to seed: it scatters it and only produces a
greater harvest. The word translated "scattered" (diaspeiro, vv.
1 and 4) means ''to scatter seed." The believers in Jerusalem were God's seed and the persecution
was used of God to plant them in new soil so they could bear fruit (Matt. 13:37-38). Some went throughout Judea and Samaria
(see Acts 1:8), and others went to more distant fields (11:19 ff).
对教会迫害猶如风来播種：它吹散开它，並僅僅产生更大的收获。翻译成 “散”（播種的(diaspeiro)，1
到 4節）意思是 “播种”。耶路撒冷的信徒是上帝的种子，迫害是上帝将他们种植在新的土壤中，使他们能够结果（太 13：37-38）有些去犹太和撒马利亚（參 徒 1：8），其他人則去到更远的地方（11：19
等）。
The Samaritans were a
"half-breed" people, a mixture of Jew and Gentile. The nation
originated when the Assyrians captured the ten northern tribes in 732B.C.,
deported many of the people, and then imported others who intermarried with the
Jews. The Samaritans have their own temple and priesthood and openly opposed
fraternization with the Jews (John 4:9).
撒马利亚人是 “混血种”
的民族，是犹太人和外邦人的混種。732B.C.亚述人征服了十个北方部落，帶走了许多人，然后引进另一些人与犹太人结婚的人, 是這国家起的源。撒玛利亚人有自己的圣殿和牧师，并公开反对与犹太人的兄弟情谊 (約4：9）。
We have no reason to believe that God
permitted this persecution because His people were negligent and had to be
"forced" to leave Jerusalem.
The fact that Saul persecuted believers "even unto strange [foreign]
cities" (Acts 26:11) would suggest that their witness was bearing fruit
even beyond Jerusalem.
Nor should we criticize the apostles for remaining in the city. If anything, we
should commend them for their courage and devotion to duty. After all, somebody
had to remain there to care for the church.
没有理由相信上帝會允许这种迫害，因为祂的子民被忽視，並且“被迫” 离开耶路撒冷。扫罗迫害信徒 “甚至到陌生的[外國]城市”（徒 26:11），該事实见证他们在耶路撒冷以外还能结果。我们也不应该批评使徒們留在耶路撒冷。如果有他們，我们应该赞扬他们的勇气和奉献精神。毕竟，必需有人要留在那里去照顾教会。
Because of the witness and death of
Stephen, it is possible that the focus of the persecution was against the
Hellenistic Jews rather than the “native" Jews. It would be easier for
Saul and his helpers to identify the Hellenistic believers since many of the
"native" Jews were still very Jewish and very much attached to the
temple. Peter was still keeping a "kosher home" when he was sent to
evangelize the household of Cornelius (Acts 10:9-16).
由于司提反殉難的见证，顯示迫害的焦点多般是針對希腊化犹太人而不是 “本地”的犹太人，扫罗和他的隨從将会更容易识别希腊化的信徒，因为许多 “本土的犹太人仍然非常犹太化，很依赖圣殿.
当彼得去哥尼流人的家传福音時, 他仍然保持着 “犹太教傳統”, （徒 10：9-16）。
Philip was chosen as a deacon (6:5) but,
like Stephen, he grew in his ministry and became an effective evangelist (see
Acts 21:8). God directed him to evangelize in Samaria, an area that had been prohibited to
the apostles (Matt. 10:5-6). Both John the Baptist and Jesus had ministered
there (John3:23 and 4:1ff.), so Philip entered into their labors (John 4:36-38).
腓利被选为执事（6：5）像司提反一样，他在事奉中长大，成为有力的传道人（參 徒 21：8）。上帝啓示他到使徒們不能去的地方撒马利亚传福音（太 10：5-6）。施洗约翰和耶稣都在那里服侍過 (約 3：23和4：1比照研讀），所以腓利进入他们的服事（约 4：36-38）。
The word for preaching in Acts 8:4 means "to preach
the Gospel, to evangelize"; while the word in verse 5 means "to
announce as a herald." Philip was God's commissioned herald to deliver His
message to the people of Samaria.
To reject the messenger would mean to reject the message and rebel against the
authority behind the herald, Almighty God. How people respond to God's
messenger and God's message is serious business.
使徒行传8：4讲道的意思是“传好消息，传福音”;
而在8 章第5节中却意味着 “ 像先驱者去宣告”。腓利是上帝所委托的先驱者向撒玛利亚人宣告祂的好信息。拒绝傳信息的使者意味着拒绝信息，并反对對差派宣告者的全能上帝的权威。人怎么样回应上帝的使者，並且上帝的信息是緊急的事。
Philip not only declared God's Word, but he
also demonstrated God's power by performing miracles. It was the apostles
who had majored on miracles (2:43; 5:12), yet both Stephen and Philip did signs and wonders
by the power of God (6:8). However, the emphasis here is on the Word of God:
the people gave heed to the Word because they saw the miracles, and by
believing the Word, they were saved. Nobody was ever saved simply because of
miracles (John 2:23-25; 12:37-41).
腓利不仅宣称上帝的话，而且用神迹奇事表现祂的大能。 是使徒行大神跡（2:43;
5:12），可是司提反和腓利却用上帝的大能也行神迹奇事（6：8）。然而，这里的重点在上帝的话语上：人们因看到奇迹，順服上帝的話;
因相信圣言得拯救。没有人因为只信奇迹而得救的（约 2：23-25;
12：37-41）。
Great persecution (Acts8:1) plus the
preaching of the Gospel resulted in great joy! Both in his Gospel and in the
Book of Acts, Luke emphasizes the joy of salvation (Luke 2:10; 15:7, 10;
24:52;Acts 8:8; 13:52;15:3). The people of Samaria who heard the Gospel and believed
were delivered from physical affliction, demonic control, and, most important,
from their sins. No wonder there was great joy!
大迫害（ 徒 8：1）加上福音的傳播形成了极大的喜樂！ 在路加寫的福音書和使徒行傳中，他强调救恩的喜乐（路 2:10; 15：7，10;
24：52; 徒 8：8;13：52;15：3）。 听到福音并相信的撒马利亚人从身体的痛苦，恶魔的控制，最重要的是从他们的罪得釋放。 难怪在那裡有極大的喜乐！
The Gospel had now moved from “Jewish
territory" and into Samaria
where the people were part Jew and part Gentile. God in His grace had built a
bridge between two estranged peoples and made the believers one in Christ, and
soon He would extend that bridge to the Gentiles and include them as well. Even
today, we need "bridge builders" like Philip, men and women who will
carry the Gospel into pioneer territory and dare to challenge ancient
prejudices. "Into all the world. . . the Gospel to every creature" is
still God's commission to us.
福音经从 “犹太领土”
擴展到犹太人和外邦人的混血種的撒玛利亚人.
上帝在祂的恩典中建立了在兩種陌生人民之间的桥梁，并使他們中的信徒在基督里成为一體，不久之后， 祂將把橋伸展到外邦人並包括他們.
使在今天，我们也需要像腓利建立一样的 “桥梁建造者”，使男女信徒将把福音带入先驱领土，敢于向古代的偏见者挑战。 “进入地極...使福音進入每一個人”仍然是上帝加給我们的使命。
3. A
Clever Deceiver-Simon the Sorcerer (Acts 8:9-.2S)
3.
聪明的欺骗者 ---- 西门的巫师（徒 8：9
- .2S）
It is
a basic principle in Scripture that wherever God sows His true believers, Satan
will eventually sow his counterfeits (Matt. 13:24-30,36-43). This was true of the ministry of John the
Baptist (Matt. 3:7ff.) and Jesus (Matt. 23:15,
33; John 8:44), and it
would be true of Paul's ministry also (Acts 13:6ff, 2 Cor. 11:1-4, 13-15). The
enemy comes as a lion to devour, and when that approach fails, he comes as a
serpent to deceive. Satan's tool in this case was a sorcerer named Simon.
圣经中的基本原则是，无论上帝在那撒上真信徒的種子，撒但最终也将播撒它的假信徒的種子（太 13：24-30,36-43）。施洗约翰（太 3：7比照研讀）和耶稣（太 23:15，33;约 8:44）是這樣的，保罗的事工也是如此（徒 13：6比照研讀，林後 11：1-4,13-15）。敌人先作为狮子吞噬，当失败後，它就變条蛇來欺骗。撒旦所用的工具正如巫师西门所用的相似。
The word translated "bewitched"
in Acts 8:9 and 11 simply means "astounded, confounded. "It is
translated "wondered" in verse 13. The people were amazed at the
things that Simon did and, therefore, they believed the things that he said. They considered him "the great power of
God. " Simon's sorcery was energized by Satan (2 Thes. 2:1-12)and was used
to magnify himself, while Philip's miracles were empowered by God and were used
to glorify Christ. Simon started to lose his following as the Samaritans
listened to Philip's messages, believed on Jesus Christ, were born again,
and were baptized.
在使徒行传8章9至11節中翻译的“迷惑”,
其實意思 “惊奇，混乱”. 在第13节被翻译成 “奇妙的”。人们对西门的事情感到惊讶,
如是，他们相信他所说的话.
他们认为他是“上帝的大能”。西门的魔法由撒但加力而成（2：2：1-12），是用来誇耀自己,
而腓利的奇迹由上帝授权，并用来荣耀基督。当撒马利亚人听腓利的信息，相信耶稣基督，重生，并受洗时，西蒙开始失去了他的追随者。
What does it mean that "Simon himself
believed"? (Acts 8:13)
We can answer that question best by asking another one: What was the basis of
his "faith"? His faith was not in the Word of God, but in the
miracles he saw Philip perform; and there is no indication that Simon repented
of his sins. He certainly did not believe with all his heart (v. 37).
His faith was like that of the people of Jerusalem
who witnessed our Lord's miracles (John2:23-25),or even like that of the demons
(James 2:19). Simon
continued with Philip, not to hear the Word and learn more about Jesus Christ,
but to witness the miracles and perhaps learn how they were done.
“西门自己相信”是什么意思？ （徒 8:13）最好用问另一个问题来回答这个问题：他的 “信仰”
的基础是什么？他的信仰不在上帝的話語中，而是在他看到腓利行的奇迹;
并没有迹象表明西蒙忏悔他的罪。 他心裡沒有一点相信的影子（37节）。他的信仰就像耶路撒冷人看见我们主的奇迹 (約 2：23-25），甚至有點像魔鬼所相信的一樣（雅各书2:19）。西门继续跟隨腓利，不是要听上帝的話, 或更多地了解耶稣基督，而是要見證這奇迹，或者要学习如何來做到。
It is
important to note that the Samaritans did not receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit when they believed. It was necessary for two of the apostles, Peter and
John, to come into Jerusalem,
put their hands on the converts and impart to them the gift of the Spirit. Why?
Because God wanted to unite the Samaritan believers with the original Jewish
church in Jerusalem.
He did not want two churches that would perpetuate the division and conflict
that had existed for centuries. Jesus had given Peter the "keys of the
kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 16:13-20),
which meant that Peter had the privilege of "opening the door of
faith" to others. He opened the door to the Jews at Pentecost, and now he
opened the door to the Samaritans. Later, he would open the door of faith to
the Gentiles (Acts 10). 要注意，重要的是当撒马利亚人相信时，没有收到圣灵的恩赐。所以彼得和约翰两位使徒有必要從耶路撒冷來，把手放在悔改者身上，传给他們圣灵的恩赐。为什么？ 因为上帝希望将撒玛利亚人的信徒与耶路撒冷的犹太的教会的信徒联合起来。祂不想使這两个教会，数百年持续的分裂和冲突。耶稣给了彼得 “天国的钥匙”（太 16：13-20）意味着彼得有权向其他人 “开放信仰之门”。他在五旬节對犹太人打开了门，现在他要向撒马利亚人敞开大门。之后，他要向外邦人敞开信心的门（徒 10章）。 Remember
too that the first ten chapters of Acts record a period of transition, from the
Jew to the Samaritan to the Gentile. God's pattern for today is given in Acts
10: the sinner hears the Gospel, believes, receives the gift of the Spirit, and
then is baptized. It is dangerous to base any doctrine or practice only on
what is recorded in Acts 1-10, for you might be building on that which was
temporary and transitional. Those who claim we must be baptized to receive the
gift of the Spirit (2:38)
have a hard time explaining what happened to the Samaritans; and those who
claim we must have" the laying on of hands" to receive the Spirit
have a difficult time with Acts 10. Once you accept Acts1-10 as a transitional
period in God's plan, with Acts 10 being the climax, the problems are solved. 还要记住，使徒行传的前10章记录了从犹太人到撒马利亚人到外邦人的过渡时期。今天的上帝要像使徒行传10章所啓示的：罪人听到福音，相信並接受圣灵的恩赐，然后受洗。除了根据 “使徒行传”
1至10章所訂下的規則，其他以任何教义或做法作为基础都是危险的，因为你可能建立在临时和过渡阶段;
那些声称要先受洗才能接受圣灵恩惠的人（2:38）很难解释在撒玛利亚人中发生了什么事情;
並那些声称我们必须有 “放手”
来接受圣灵的人，与使徒行传第10章就有困难。一旦你接受了上帝所计划的过渡时期，到達使徒行传第10章的高潮，问题就解决了。
The wickedness of Simon's heart was fully
revealed by the ministry of the two apostles. Simon not only wanted to perform
miracles, but he also wanted the power to convey the gift of the Holy Spirit to
others-and he was quite willing to pay for this power! It is this passage that
gives us the word simony, which means "the buying and selling of
church offices or privileges."
两位使徒的传道充满了西门内心的邪恶。西門不仅想要表演奇迹，而且还希望有能力将圣灵的恩赐传达给别人，他也愿意付出代价！这段经文给我们一个简单的词 “西門式”，意思是 “教会講員或特权的买卖。”
As you study the Book of Acts, you will
often find the Gospel in conflict with money and "big business."
Ananias and Sapphira lost their lives because they lied about their
gift(5:1-11). Paul put a fortune-teller out of business in Philippi
and ended up in jail (16:16-24).
He also gave the silver smiths trouble in Ephesus
and helped cause a riot (19:23-41).The
early church had its priorities straight: it was more important to preach the
Word than to win the support of the wealthy and influential people of the
world.
当你研讀 “使徒行传”
时，你常常会发现福音与金钱的冲突和 “大買賣”。亞拿尼亚和撒非喇因为他们的撒谎而丧生（5：1-11）。 保罗把算命者在腓利門使他失去了生意，最后令他在监狱（16：16-24），他还在以弗所遇难，是银匠造成骚乱（19：23-41）。早期教会的优先很明白：传聖經比赢得世上有錢和有影响力的人的支持更為重要。
Peter's words to Simon give every
indication that the sorcerer was not a converted man. "Thy money perish
with thee!" is pretty strong language to use with a believer. He had
neither "part or lot in this matter" ("this word") and his
heart was not right before God. While it is not out of place for believers to
repent (see Rev.2-3), the command to repent is usually given to unbelievers.
The word thought in Acts 8:22 means "plot or scheme"
and is used in a bad sense. The fact that Simon was "in the gall of bitterness"
(Deut.29:18 and Heb. 12:15)
and "the bond of iniquity" would indicate that he had never truly
been born again.
彼得对西门的话非常顯明巫师是沒有悔改的人。
“你的钱与你一起灭亡！” 對信徒來講是相当嚴重的話。他没有 “有關悔改的一點點”（“这词”），並且他的心在上帝面前是邪惡的。信仰者不要悔改（參 啓 2-3），通常悔改的命令是给不信的人,
使徒行传8章22節中的“思考”一词, 意味着 “情节或篇章”，并且用于不正當的意思。事实上，西門 “有苦楚”（申 29：18
和
来
12:15）和 “罪恶的捆綁” 表明他从未真正的重生。
Simon's response to these severe words of
warning was not at all encouraging. He was more concerned about avoiding
judgment than getting right with God! There is no evidence that he repented and
sought forgiveness. A sinner who wants the prayers of others but who will not
pray himself is not going to enter God's kingdom.
西門对这些严厉警告的回应顯得更本并不在乎。他對避免審判，比与上帝同在更為关心！没有证据顯示他是否悔改并懇求宽恕。 想要别人祷告而自己並不愿意祷告的罪人不可能进入上帝的国度。
This episode only shows how close a person
can come to salvation and still not be converted. Simon heard the Gospel, saw
the miracles, gave a profession of faith in Christ, and was baptized; and yet
he was never born again. He was one of Satan's clever counterfeits; and, had
Peter not exposed the wickedness of his heart, Simon would have been accepted
as a member of the Samaritan congregation!
該書信只显示人能否驅近救恩，他仍然没有悔改。西門听到福音，看到神迹，顯示他對基督的信心，受過洗礼;
而他从来没有重生过。他是撒但聪明的假冒信徒之一; 彼得没有暴露他心中的邪恶，西門将可能被接纳为撒马利亚教会的會友！
Even though the persecution was still
going on, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem,
preaching the Gospel in "many villages of the Samaritans" as they
went their way. They lost no opportunity to share the Good News with others now
that the doors were open in Samaria.
尽管迫害还未停止，彼得和约翰要回到了耶路撒冷，他们在回程中向 “撒马利亚人的许多村庄”
传福音。在撒马利亚福音的門大開的時候, 他们没有喪失机会向其他人分享福音好消息。
4. A
Concerned Seeker-an Ethiopian (Acts 8:26-40)
4. 福音的追求者 - 衣索比亚人（徒 8：26-40）
Philip
was not only a faithful preacher; he was also an obedient personal worker. Like
his Master, he was willing to leave the crowds and deal with one lost soul. The
angel could have told this Ethiopian official how to be saved, but God has not
given the commission to angels: He has given it to His people.
腓利不仅是忠心的传道人; 他也是听话的个人同工。像他的主人耶穌一样，他愿意离开人群，為了去救一个失喪的灵魂。天使可以去告诉衣索比亚官员如何得救，但上帝并没有給天使這使命：他已经交给了祂的子民。
Angels have never personally experienced
God's grace; therefore, they can never bear witness of what it means to be
saved.
天使从来没有亲自经历过上帝的恩典;因此，他们永远不能看到拯救的意义。
D.L.Moody once asked a man about his
soul, and the man replied, "It's none of your business!"
慕迪问人关于他灵魂的事，那人回答说：“这不關你的事！
"Oh,
yes, it is my business!" Moody said; and the man immediately exclaimed,
"Then you must be D.L.Moody!" It is every Christian's business to
share the Gospel with others, and to do it without fear or apology.
慕迪说, “哦，不，这是我的事！”那人立刻喊道：“那你一定是慕迪！” 任何有基督信仰的人都要分享基督的福音給别人，不要畏惧或有愧的心態。
Philip's experience ought to encourage us
in our own personal witness for the Lord. To begin with, God directed Philip to
the right person at the right time. You and I are not likely to have angels
instruct us, but we can know the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our witnessing,
if we are walking in the Spirit and praying for God's direction.
腓利的经验能鼓励我们自己亲身去為主作见证。首先，上帝帶領腓利在正确的时间給他正确的人。你和我或許不可能得到天使的指示，但是, 如果與圣灵同行，祈求上帝的旨意，定規在见证中我们知道是圣灵在引导。 Late
one afternoon, I was completing my pastoral calling and I felt impressed to
make one more visit to see a woman who was faithfully attending church but was
not a professed Christian. At first, I told myself that it was foolish to visit
her that late in the day, since she was probably preparing a meal for her
family. But I went anyway and discovered that she had been burdened about her
sins all that day! Within minutes, she
opened her heart to Christ and was born again. Believe me, I was lad I obeyed
the leading of the Spirit. 一日下午，當我打完了牧师問候电话，迫切的感到有須要再次访问一位忠心地参加聚会的婦女，因她還是沒有認罪的基督徒。 但一開始我覺得時間太晚了, 拜访她是不太適合，因为她還要为家人准备晚饭。可是, 不管怎樣我還是去了. 发现她正为自己的罪整日愁悶！几分钟後，她向基督敞开心門並且重生了。相信我，我像小孩子一樣顺从圣灵！
This court official did not come from what we know today as Ethiopia; his
home was in ancient Nubia,
located south of Egypt. Since
he was a eunuch, he could not become a full Jewish proselyte(Deut.23:1);but he
was permitted to become a "God fearer" or "a proselyte of the
gate." He was concerned enough about his spiritual life to travel over 200
miles to Jerusalem
to worship God; but his heart was still not satisfied.
这位法庭官员不是我们今天想像要知道的, 他是從衣索比亚来的; 他的家在古老的努比亚，位于埃及南部。既然他是太监，便不能成为犹太教徒（申 23：1），但他被允许成为 “敬畏上帝者” 或 “门旁的传教士”。他遠從200英里外的古實旅行來到耶路撒冷敬拜上帝, 應是有很屬靈的生活; 但他的心仍然空虛。
This Ethiopian represents many people
today who are religious, read the Scriptures, and seek the truth, yet do not
have saving faith in Jesus Christ. They are sincere, but they are lost! They
need someone to show them the way.
衣索比亚人代表著今天许多人，有宗教信仰，阅读圣经，追求真理，但仍没有得到耶稣基督拯救的信心。他们是诚懇的，但是失喪的！他们需要有人帶領他们前面的路。
As Philip drew near to the chariot, he
heard the man reading from the Prophet Isaiah. (It was custom my in those days
for students to read out loud.) God had already prepared the
man's heart to receive Philip's witness! If we obey the Lord's leading, we can
be sure that God will go before us and open the way for our witness.
当腓利接近太監的座车时，他听到了有人讀先知以赛亚書。 （在那时候，我的习惯是让学生大声朗读。）上帝已经准备好了太監的心來接受腓利的见证！如果順从主的引导，我们肯定祂会在我们面前引路，为我们的见证开路。
Isaiah
53 was the passage he was reading, the prophecy of God's Suffering Servant.
Isaiah 53 describes our Lord Jesus Christ in His birth (w. 1-2), life
and ministry (v. 3), substitution my
death (vv. 4-9), and victorious resurrection (w. 10-12). Isaiah 53:4
should be connected with 1 Peter 2:24; 53:7with Matthew 26:62-63;53:9 with
Matthew 27:57-60;and 53:12 with Luke 23:34, 37.
以赛亚书53章是太監正在读的经文，是上帝的仆人玥遭受苦难的预言。這些經節描述了我们的主耶稣基督的出生（1-2节），生活和事工（第3节），代替了我的死亡（4-9等節）和胜利的复活（10-12等節）。以赛亚书53章4節应与彼得前书2章24節相连;
53章7節与马太福音26章62-63等節;
53章9節与马太福音27章57-60等節; 和5章12節与路加福音23章34,37等節相連。
The Ethiopian focused on verses 7-8, which
describe our Lord as the willing sacrifice for sinners, even to the point of
losing His human rights. As Philip explained the verses to him, the Ethiopian
began to understand the Gospel because the Spirit of God was opening his mind
to God's truth. It is not enough for the lost sinner to desire salvation; he
must also understand God's plan of salvation. It is the heart that understands
the Word that eventually bears fruit (Matt. 13:23).
衣索比亚集中注意在7-8等节，它描述了我们的主愿意为罪人牺牲，甚至喪失了祂的生命. 當腓利向衣索比亚解释這些經節時, 他开始了解福音，因为上帝的灵启发了祂的真理。喪失的罪人不只是渴望救恩; 並且他還须要明白上帝救恩的计划。是從心理了解祂的话语, 最後结果子（太 13:23）。
The idea of substitution my sacrifice is
one that is found from the beginning of the Bible to the end. God killed
animals so that He might clothe Adam and
Eve (Gen.3:21). He provided a ram to die in the place of Isaac (Gen.
22:13). At Passover, innocent lambs died for the people of Israel (Ex.
12); and the entire Jewish religious system was based on the shedding of blood
(Lev.17, especially v. 11). Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of both the Old
Testament types and the prophecies (John 1:29;
Rev.5). 从圣经的开始到最后都說明上帝替代我的罪而牺牲的想法。在創世紀一開始, 上帝杀了动物，使亚当和夏娃有皮衣可遮羞保暖（创 3：21）。上帝預備了一只山羊替代以撒的地位受死（创 22:13）。在逾越节，殺无辜的羔羊替代以色列人的死（出 12章）; 整个犹太宗教制度都是基于流血贖罪（未 17，尤其是第11节）。耶稣基督是旧约预言的完成（约1:29; 啟 5）。
"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God"
(Rom.10:17). The Ethiopian believed on
Jesus Christ and was born again! So real was his experience that he insisted on
stopping the caravan and being baptized immediately! He was no
"closet Christian"; he wanted everybody to know what the Lord had
done for him.
“信心由听而產生，听上的话”（罗 10：17）。衣索比亚人相信耶稣基督，重生了！他的经验是真實的, 他坚持要停车，立即受洗！他不是“躲起來的基督徒”,他希望大家都知道主为他做了什么。
How
did he know that believers were supposed to be baptized? Perhaps Philip had
included this in his witness to him, or perhaps he had even seen people
baptized while he was in Jerusalem.
We know that Gentiles were baptized when they became Jewish proselytes.
Throughout the Book of Acts, baptism is an important part of the believer's
commitment to Christ and witness for Christ.
他怎么知道信徒要受洗呢？也许腓利将太監的名字列在他的见证冊裡，或者甚至在耶路撒冷见过人受洗。我们知道外邦人在成为犹太教徒的时候要受洗。在使徒行传整卷書中，說明洗礼是信徒对基督的承诺和為基督作见证的重要事件。
While
Acts 8:37 is not found in
all the New Testament manuscripts, there is certainly nothing in it that is
unbiblical (Rom.10:9-10).In the days of the early church, converts were not
baptized unless they first gave a clear testimony of their faith in Jesus
Christ. And keep in mind that the Ethiopian was speaking not only to Philip but
also to those in the caravan who were near his chariot. He was an important
man, and you can be sure that his attendants were paying close attention.
在所有新约書卷中, 没有发现使徒行传8章37節的事件，但是沒有它, 並不是表示它不合聖經（罗10：9-10）。在早期教会的日子里，皈依者不受洗，除非第一次清楚地证明了他们的確对耶稣基督有信心。请记住，衣索比亚人不仅对腓利而言，而且还有在座车附近的旅行者看見。他是很重要的人物，肯定在他車上的乘客正在密切关注他。
Philip
was caught away to minister elsewhere (compare 1 Kings18:12),but the treasurer
"went on his way rejoicing" (see Acts 8:8). God did not permit Philip
to do the necessary discipling of this new believer, but surely He provided for
it when the man arrived home. Even though he was a eunuch, the Ethiopian was
accepted by God! (see Isa. 56:3-5) Philip ended up at Azotus, about twenty
miles from Gaza;
and then made his way to Caesarea, a journey
of about sixty miles. Like Peter and John, Philip "preached his way
home" (Acts 8:25) as
he told others about the Saviour. Twenty years later, we find Philip living in Caesarea and still serving God as an evangelist (21:8 ff.). 腓利被上帝引導到其他的地方（比较 王上 18：12），但衣索比亚司库 “却欣喜的回家”（參徒 8：8）。上帝沒有允许腓利对這新信徒在信心上必要的訓練，但当他到家时，肯定上帝會提供給他。即使他是太监，衣索比亚人被上帝所接納！ （參 赛 56：3-5）後來有人在距离加沙约二十英里的亞鎖都看到腓利; 然后前往該撒利亚, 约有六十里的旅程。像彼得和约翰一样，腓利 “回家沿途传道”（徒 8:25），沿途告诉别人于救世主。二十年后，我们发现腓利一直在該撒利亚生活，並且繼續为传道人服侍上帝（21：8節）。
As
you trace the expansion of the Gospel during this transition period (Acts2-10),
you see how the Holy Spirit reaches out to the whole world. In Acts 8, the
Ethiopian who was Converted
was a descendant of Ham (Gen.10:6), where "Cush" refers to Ethiopia). In
Acts 9, Saul of Tarsus will be converted, a Jew and therefore a descendant of
Shem (Gen.10:21ff).In Acts 10, the Gentiles find Christ, and they are the
descendants of Japheth (Gen. 10:2-5). The whole world was peopled by Shem, Ham,
and Japheth (Gen. 10:1); and God wants the whole world-all of their
descendants-to hear the message of the Gospel (Mark 16:15; Matt.
28:18-20).
当在这福音的过渡期间, 追踪福音的扩张（徒 2-10）时，你会看到圣灵如何達到整個世界。在使徒行传8章中，悔改的衣索比亚人是含的后裔（创 10：6），其中古實“Cush”是指衣索比亚）。在使徒行传9章中，悔改的大數扫罗为犹太人，因此是閃的后裔（创 10：21 等節）。在使徒行传10章中，外邦人信基督，他们是雅弗的后裔（创 10： 5）。整个世界是閃 (Shem)，含(Ham)和雅弗(Japheth)等人（创 10：1）; 上帝希望整个世界 - 他们所有的后裔 – 都听到福音的好消息（可 16:15; 太 28：18-20）。
In
October 1857,J. Hudson Taylor began to minister in Ning po, China, and he
led a Mr. Nyi to Christ. The man was overjoyed and wanted to share his faith
with others
1857年10月，泰勒 . 赫德森开始在中国的宁波傳教，他帶领了尼先生信基督。那个人過度高興，想和别人分享他的信仰。
"How long have you had the
good tidings in England?"
Mr. Nyi asked Hudson Taylor one day. Taylor acknowledged that England had
known the Gospel for many centuries. 尼先生有一天问泰勒 . 赫德森, “這福音的好消息在英国已經有多久了？”。
泰勒承认，英国已经知道這福音已有好几个世纪了。
“My father died seeking the truth,” said Mr. Nyi. “Why didn’t you come sooner?” 尼先生说， “我父亲去世時想尋找真理。你为什么不早点过来？
Taylor had no answer to
that penetrating question.
泰勒没有回答这个棘手的问题。
How
long have you known the Gospel?
你知道福音多久了？
How far have you shared it personally?
你亲自分享了几个？
