1573 英翻中 (使徒行傳6-7) Persecution, Prayer, and Power 迫害，祷告, 和能力 14/05/2026
親愛的主內訪友, 編輯者的英文名字叫 Stephen Lei (雷司提反). 在我29歲時上帝賜我恩典能考上台灣大學數學系, 因為人為的 迫害, 有人陷害我有精神病的大哥, 告他反抗長官命令罪, 判刑兩年半, 到要坐新店軍人監獄時, 才通知我, 那時編輯者正讀完台大數學系半學期. 訪友們, 我這時能做什麼? 我自幼就信靠主耶穌基督, 只有跪下禱告, 求主賜能力.
我深知不能再繼讀數學系, 向系主任請求轉系. 蒙上帝的恩典, 得轉入土木系繼續研讀. 靠主的大能, 才能將大哥辦妥保外就醫的手續. 求主內兄弟借吉普車, 把大哥接出監獄. 那時正是放暑假的時候, 幫忙的主內弟兄, 把家兄放在我住學生宿舍, 禱告主賜福給孩子, 就離開了.
漫長的大學四年, 主沒有讓我們餓到, 病到, 主都差遣天使來幫助, 其中最關心我們是我初中的英文老師鄧岳宗先生. 他是虔誠的基督徒, 這博客(Blog)就是為想念他對一生的恩典而寫的. 還有張之珍伯伯和熊宣慈伯母的隨時搭救, 及在主內的禱告.
大學四年都在台灣大學對面的懷恩堂親近主. 並參加張繼宗牧師的查經班. 當他查到使徒行傳第七章(就是今天我們要讀的聖經), 講到 Stephen (司提反)時, 編輯者特別激動. 當時就請張繼宗牧師為我按上這英文名字. 在美國當我們生活遇到困難時, 他們一聽我叫 Stephen Lei (雷司提反), 就得到主的祝福.
Chapter 7 Persecution, Prayer, and Power Acts 6-7 第 7 課 迫害，祷告, 和能力 使徒行传 6-7
Stephen, the Man God Crowned Acts 6-7 司提反，上帝加冕的人(使徒行传6-7)
There are two words for "crown” in the New
Testament: diadema, which means "a royal crown” and gives us the English word
"diadem"; and stephanos, the "victor's crown, which gives us the popular name Stephen. You
can inherit, diadema, but the only way to get a stephanos is to
earn it.
新约圣经中對 “皇冠”用有两个字; 皇室(diadema) 意思為 “王冠”, 其英文譯成 “ 王冠 (diadem)” ; 和 “胜利者的冠冕 (stephanos)”，這字帶给了我们一個流行的名字 “司提反”，你可以继承王室，但唯一的方法你先要赢得“胜利者的冠冕 (stephanos)”。
Acts 6 and 7 center on the ministry and martyrdom (Stephen, a
Spirit-filled believer who was crowned by the Lord. "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will
give thee a crown life" (Rev.2:10). He was faithful both in life and in
death and therefore is a good example for us to follow.
使徒行传6和7章的中心在事奉和殉道（司提反，由主所加冕的充滿圣灵的信徒.“你務要至死的忠心，我就賜给你那生命的冠冕”(啟 2：10). 他在生命和死亡裡都忠心，因此是我们遵循的好榜樣。
These chapters present Stephen as a faithful believer in four different
areas of ministry.
这些章节顯明司提反在四个不同领域裡是忠心信徒。
1. Stephen the Servant (Acts 6:1-1)
1. 仆人司提反（徒6：1-1）
The church was experiencing "growing
pains" and this was making it difficult for the apostles to
minister to everybody. The "Grecians" were the Greek-speaking Jews
who had come to Palestine
from other nations, and therefore may not have spoken Aramaic, while the
"Hebrews" were Jewish residents of the land who spoke both Aramaic
and Greek. The fact that the "outsiders" were being neglected created
a situation that could have divided the church. However, the
apostles handled the problem with great wisdom and did not give Satan any
foothold in the fellowship.
教会正经历“成长的痛苦”，使徒很难以向所有的人传道。 “希腊人”是從其他国家来到巴勒斯坦的說希腊話的犹太人，可以不會说阿拉伯話，而同時“希伯来人”是會讲阿拉伯和希腊話的土著的犹太居民。 造成
“外邦人”被忽视的局面, 這事实可能形成教会的分割。但是，使徒用極端的智慧处理这事，没有给撒但在这个团契中留下任何挑釁的地方。
When a church faces a serious problem, this presents the leaders and the
members with a number of opportunities. For one thing, problems give us the
opportunity to examine our ministry and discover what changes must be made. In
times of success, it is easy for us to maintain the status quo, but this
is dangerous. Henry Ward Beecher called success " last-year's nest from which the birds have
flown." Any ministry or organization that thinks its success will go on automatically
is heading for failure. We must regularly examine our lives and our ministries
lest we start taking things for granted.
当教会面临严重问题时，会给领导人和契友带来许多机会。一方面，问题让我们有机会審查我们的事工，并发现必须做出哪些改变。在成功时，我们很容易维持现状，但這很危险。亨利 · 沃德 · 贝切尔（Henry Ward Beecher）称成功为“鳥雀飞过的鸟巢是去年的鸟巢”。任何宣道或组织事奉, 若认为它已成功, 就会自动的走向失败。必须定期審查我们的生活及事工, 免得开始時, 把它們当作是理所当然的。
The apostles studied the situation and concluded that they were to
blame: they were so busy serving tables that they were neglecting prayer and
the ministry of the Word of God. They had created their own problem because
they were trying to do too much. Even today, some pastors are so busy with
second my tasks that they fail to spend adequate time in study and in prayer.
This creates a "spiritual deficiency" in the church that makes it
easy for problems to develop.
使徒研究情况，并得出了结论，他们的被指责：因他们為飯食太忙碌，他们没有時間顾到祷告和教導上帝的话。因为他们想做的太多，所以製造自己的问题。即使在現今的牧师也因忙于旁務，沒有足夠充分的时间研習聖經和祷告。 使教会漸漸成為 “靈裡的空虛”，就很容易發生问题。
This is
not to suggest that serving tables is a menial task because every ministry
in the church is important. But it is a matter of priorities; the apostles were
doing jobs that others could do just as well.
D. L. Moody used to say that it was better to put ten men to work than
to try to do the work of ten men. Certainly it is better for you, for the
workers you enlist, and for the church as a whole.
这并不意味着飯食問題不重要，因为在教会中的任何事工都很重要。但因有優先問題; 使徒在做其他人可以做的工作。 慕迪(D. L. Moody) 曾经说过，把十个人放在工作上比试图為十个人工作較好。 誠然, 对你们所編制的工人和整體教会来说, 你们都認為是較好的。
Church problems also give us an opportunity to exercise our faith, not
only faith in the Lord, but also faith in each other. The leaders suggested a
solution, and all the members agreed with it. The assembly selected seven
qualified men, and the apostles set them apart for ministry. The church was not afraid to adjust their
structure in order to make room for a growing ministry. When structure and
ministry conflict, this gives us an opportunity to trust God for the solution.
It is tragic when churches destroy ministry because they refuse to modify their
structure. The apostles were not afraid to share their authority and ministry
with others.
教会的问题也给了我们操練信心的机会，不仅是对主的信心，也是对彼此的信心。领导提出了解决的办法，所有契友都同意。團契选出了七名合格的人，使徒安排他们適當的事奉。教会不怕调整組織，为日益增长的事工腾出空间。当組織和事工互相有抵觸时，这是我们對信任上帝來解决的良机。当教会因为拒绝修改組織而放棄事奉时，这真是悲剧。使徒不怕与他人分享其能力和宣教事工。
Problems also give us the opportunity to express our love. The Hebrew
leaders and the predominantly Hebrew members selected six men who were
Hellenists and one man who was both a Gentile and a proselyte! What an
illustration of Romans 12:10 and Philippians 2:1-4! When we solve church
problems, we must think of others and not of ourselves only.
问题也让我们有机会表达相互的爱。希伯来领袖和多數希伯来的契友选出了六位希腊人，另一位是外邦人改信猶太教的人。罗马书12章10節和腓立比书2章1至4節所顯明的是多麼奇妙！当我们解决教会问题时，我们必须考虑别人而不是只顧自己。
We commonly call these seven men of Acts 6 "deacons" because the
Greek noun diakonos is used in verse 1 ("ministration"), and
the verb diakoneo ("serve") is used in verse 2. However, this
title is not given to them in this chapter, although you find deacons mentioned
in Philippians 1:1 and their qualifications given in 1 Timothy3:8-13. The word
simply means "a servant" Theses seven men were humble servants of the
church, men whose work made it possible for the apostles to carry on their
important ministries among the people.
因为希腊名词diakonos在第1节作（“管理”）的意思，动词diakoneo在第2节中作（“服务”）的解釋，因此在使徒行傳第六章, 稱这七位为 "执事"。虽然, 在腓立比书1章1節中也提到执事，但他们的被選的资格寫在提摩太前书3章8至13節中。“执事”意味着“仆人”。他們七位是教会的谦卑的仆人，使徒藉重他們才可能為契友作重要的宣教事工。
Stephen was one of these men. The emphasis in Stephen's life is on fullness:
he was full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3, 10), full of faith (v.
5), and full of power (v. 8). In Scripture, to be "full of'” means "to be controlled by. " This man
was controlled by the Spirit, faith, wisdom, and power. He was a God-controlled
man yielded to the Holy Spirit, a man who sought to lead people to Christ.
司提反是其中之一。強調司提反生活的重点是完全：他充满了圣灵和智慧（使 6：3,10），满有信心（5节），大有能力（8節）。在圣经中，“充满”是指“被控制。” 司提反是被圣灵，信心，智慧和能力所控制，他是被上帝控制的人, 順服于圣灵，试图将世人引向基督的人。
What was the result? The blessing of God continued and increased! The
church was still unified (v. 5), multiplied (v. 7), and magnified(v.8). Verse7
is one of several "summaries" found in the book, statements that let
us know that the story has reached an important juncture. (See Acts 2:41; 4:4;
5:12- 16; 6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20;and 28:31.) In Acts 6:7, Dr. Luke describes
the climax of the ministry in Jerusalem ,
for the persecution following Stephen's death will take the Gospel to the
Samaritans and then to the Gentiles. It has been estimated that there were
8,000 Jewish priests attached to the temple ministry in Jerusalem , and "a great company" of
them trusted Jesus Christ as Saviour!
后果是什么?
上帝的祝福不斷及增加！ 教会仍然合一（5节），倍增（7节），大有能力（8节）。 第7節是使徒行傳中的許多重要“摘要”之一，让我们知道事情已经發展到了重要的关头。 （參 使 2:41; 4：4;
5：12-16; 6：7; 9:31; 12:24; 16：5;
19：20; 和 28:31）使徒行传六章七節路加博士描述了耶路撒冷宣教的高潮，因为司提反的死, 宣教事工被迫害, 使福音傳到撒马利亚，然后到外邦人。据估计，在耶路撒冷的聖殿裡的, 約有8,000犹太傳教师，“一个伟大的團體”相信耶稣基督为救主！
2. Stephen the Witness (Acts 6:8-15) 2. 司提反──见证人（使 6：8-15）
This Spirit-filled man did not limit his ministry
to the serving of tables; he also won the lost and even did miracles. Up to
this point, it was the apostles who performed the miracles (2:43 ; 5:12 ), but now God gave this power to Stephen also. This
was part of His plan to use Stephen to bear witness to the leaders of Israel . Stephen's
powerful testimony would be the climax of the church's witness to the Jews.
Then the message would go out to the Samaritans and then to the Gentiles.
被聖靈充满的司提反没有因預備飯食的事工所限制，他也作傳福音事工, 赢得失喪者, 甚至行神迹。直到那时為止，使徒們行神迹（2:43; 5:12），但是, 上帝现在也將这能力賜給司提反.
祂要用司提反向以色列领袖見证上帝计划的一部分。司提反强有力的见证是教会对犹太人见证的高潮。然后, 好消息会傳到撒马利亚人，然后到外邦人。
Jews from many nations resided in Jerusalem
in their own "quarters," and some of these ethnic groups had their
own synagogues. The freedmen ("libertines") were the descendants of
Jews who had previously been in bondage but had won their freedom from Rome . Since Paul came
from Tarsus in Cilicia (21:39 ),
it is possible that he heard Stephen in the synagogue and may have debated with
him. However, nobody could match or resist Stephen's wisdom and power (see Luke
21:15 ). Their only
alternative was to destroy him.
從许多国家來的犹太人, 居住在耶路撒冷自己的“居所”，其中一些異教徒有自己的犹太教堂。來自奴隸被釋放的自由人（“自由思想者”）是曾在埃及為奴的犹太人的后代, 如今从罗马赢得自由。因為保罗是来自西西里的大數人（21:39），他可能听到司提反在犹太教堂，可能曾与他辩论過。然而，没有人能與司提反的智慧和能力匹配或抗衡（參 路 21:15）。他们只有选择是毁滅他。
Their treatment of Stephen parallels the way the Jewish leaders treated
Jesus. First, they hired false witnesses to testify against him. Then, they
stirred up the people who accused him of attacking the Law of Moses and the
temple. Finally, after listening to his witness, they executed him (see Matt.
26:59-62 and John 2:19 -22).
他们对司提反的處置与犹太领袖对待耶稣的方式相似。首先，他们雇用了假見证人来對他作不利與他的假見證。然后，他们煽動指责他攻击摩西律法和圣殿的群眾。最后，听完他的见证后，他们用石頭打死他（參 太 26：59-62
和 约 2：19-22）。
The Jews were jealous over their Law and could not understand how Christ
had come to fulfill the Law and to bring in the new age. They were proud of
their temple and refused to believe that God would permit it to be destroyed.
Stephen faced the same spiritual blindness that Jeremiah faced in his ministry
(see Jer. 7). The church faced the opposition of Jewish tradition for many
years to come, from within its own ranks (Acts 15) and from false teachers coming in from
the outside (Gal. 2:4).
犹太人对他们的律法小心的保護，不能理解基督如何来履行這律法，帶它进入新的时代。他们为自己的圣殿感到自豪，拒绝相信上帝会允许它會被毁灭。司提反面临同样的屬靈的瞎子, 如耶利米在他的事工中所面临的（參 耶 第7章）。教会在內部階層中面临着许多年来對犹太传统的反对（使 5章）和从外面来的假教师（加2:4）。
The enemy surprised Stephen and arrested him while he was ministering
("having came upon him suddenly" is Wuest's translation of Acts 6:12 ); and they took him before the
same council that had tried Jesus and the apostles. It was not even necessary
for Stephen to speak in order to give witness, for the very glow on his
face told everybody that he was a servant of God. Certainly the members of the
Sanhedrin would recall Moses' shining face (Ex. 34:29-30). It was as though God
was saying, "This man is not against Moses! He is like Moses-he is My
faithful servant!" 敌人惊讶司提反，并在他講道時逮捕他（吴斯特(Wuest)翻译使徒行传6章12節為“突然捉拿他”）; 把他带到了审判耶稣和使徒的同一公会。司提反甚至不需要说话來作证人, 在他脸上的光芒就告诉大家，他是上帝的仆人。当然，宗教審判庭的成员思想起摩西脸上的光辉（出 34：29-30）。就像上帝在说，“这人不是摩西，他就像摩西，是我忠心的仆人！”
3. Stephen the Judge (Acts 7:1-53) 3. 司提反──審判官（使 7：1-53）
This is the longest address in the Book of Acts
and one of the most important. In it, Stephen reviewed the history of Israel and the
contributions made by their revered leaders: Abraham (vv. 2-8), Joseph (vv.
9-17), Moses(vv. 18-44),Joshua (v. 45), and David and Solomon (vv.
46-50). But this address was more than a recitation of familiar facts; it
was also a refutation of their indictments against Stephen and a revelation of
their own national sins. Stephen proved from their own Scriptures that the
Jewish nation was guilty of worse sins than those they had accused him of
committing. What
were these sins?
这是“使徒行传”中最长的一篇講演，也是最重要的一篇。司提反在它裡面回顾了以色列的历史，以及他们所尊敬的领袖：亚伯拉罕（2-8等节），约瑟（9-17等节），摩西（18-44等节），约书亚（第45节）大卫和所罗门（46-50等节）所作的贡献。但它不仅仅是數算家珍; 它也反驳了他们对司提反的起诉，并揭發了自己的国家所作的罪恶。司提反從猶太人自己的经文中指证，犹太国家所犯的比他们控告他的罪恶更严重。以下所講是这些罪.
1. They misunderstood their
own spiritual roots (vv. 1-8).
1. 他们误解了自己靈命的根源（1-8等节）。
Stephen's address opens with "the God of
glory" and closes with the glory of God (v. 55); and all the time he
spoke, his face radiated that same glory! Why? Because Israel
was the only nation privileged to have the glory of God as a part of its
inheritance (Rom.
9:4). Alas, the glory of God had departed, first from the tabernacle (1 Sam. 4:19 -22)and then from the temple
(Ezek. 10:4, 18). God's glory had come in His Son (John 1:14 ), but the nation had rejected Him.
司提反的講演开啟了“荣耀的上帝”，并以上帝的荣耀來結束（55节）; 在他整個講演過程中，他的脸上露出同样的荣耀光輝！为什么？ 因为上帝的荣耀是以色列國唯一有的特徵（罗 9：4）。唉，上帝的荣耀首先从帐幕裡离开（撒母耳记上4：19-22），然后从聖殿里離去（以西结书10：4,18）。上帝的荣耀已经进入祂的儿子裡（约 1:14），但這国家却拒绝了祂。
Abraham was the founder of the Hebrew nation, and his relationship to God
was one of grace and faith. God had graciously appeared to him
and called him out of heathen darkness into the light of salvation, and Abraham
had responded by faith. Abraham was saved by grace, through faith, and not
because he was circumcised, kept a law, or worshiped in a temple. All of those
things came afterward (see Rom. 4 and Gal. 3). He believed the promises of God
and it was this faith that saved him.
亚伯拉罕是希伯来国的创始人，他与上帝的关系是祂的恩典和他的信心。上帝慷慨地向他显现，并将他从外邦懷疑人的黑暗裡叫出来成为救恩的光，亚伯拉罕则以信心回应。他是通过信心而得救的，不是因为他受割礼，守律法，或在聖殿里敬拜的緣故, 所有这些事都是後来發生的（參 罗4章 和 加 3章）。他相信上帝的应许的信念救了他。
God promised the land to Abraham's descendants,
and then told Abraham that his descendants would suffer in Egypt before
they would enter and enjoy the land; and this took place just as God promised. From the very beginning, God had a wise plan for
His people; and that plan would be fulfilled as long as they trusted His Word
and obeyed His will.
上帝應許亚伯拉罕的后裔承受土地，然后, 並且告诉他的后裔将在從埃及进入歡樂地之前要受苦; 像上帝所应许的, 便那样的发生了。从一开始，上帝对祂的子民有明智的计划; 只要他们一直信靠祂的话语，遵守祂的旨意，这个计划就可能会實現。
The Jews greatly revered Abraham and prided themselves in being his
"children." But they confused physical descent with spiritual
experience and depended on their national heritage rather than their personal
faith. John the Baptist had warned them about this sin (Matt.3:7-12)and so had
Jesus (John 8:33 - . 59).
The Jews were blind to the simple faith of Abraham and the patriarchs, and they
had cluttered it with man-made traditions that made salvation a matter of good
works, not faith. God has no grandchildren. Each of us must be born into the
family of God through personal faith in Jesus Christ (John 1:11 -13). The Jews prided themselves in their circumcision,
failing to understand that the rite was symbolic of an inner spiritual
relationship with God (Acts 7:51 ;
Deut. 10:16 ; Jer. 4:4 and 6:10 ; Gal. 5:1-6;Phil. 3:3; Col.
2:11-12). Over the years, the fulfilling of ritual had taken the place of the
enjoyment of reality. This happens in churches even today.
犹太人极端尊敬亚伯拉罕，並以為他的“後裔”而自豪。但是，他们将血统与靈的经验混为一谈，並且依赖于民族的傳統而不是靠他们个人的信心。施洗约翰曾以这罪恶警告他们（太 3：7-12），耶稣也是如此做（约 8：33-59）。犹太人对亚伯拉罕和族长的简单信仰是瞎眼的，並且他们還參雜人為的遺传, 使救恩可由善行得到，而不是靠信心。上帝没有孙子, 每个人都必须經由对耶稣基督的信心而出生在上帝的家中（约 1：11-13）。犹太人为行割礼而感到自豪，忽略這慣例只是与上帝有内在的屬靈关系的表示（使 7:51; 申 10:16;
耶4：4 和 6：10;
加 5:1-6; 腓 3：3;
西 2：11-12）。多年来，因該慣例而取代了真實的享受。甚至在現今的教会里也有這情況发生。
They rejected
their God-sent deliverers (Acts 7:9-36).
他们拒绝了上帝差遣的救主（使 7：9-36）。
I have combined the sections dealing with Joseph and Moses because these
two Jewish heroes have this in common: they were both rejected as deliverers
the first time, but were accepted the second time. Joseph's brethren hated
their brother and sold him into servitude, yet later he became their deliverer.
They recognized Joseph" at the second time" (v. 13)when they returned
to Egypt
for more food. Israel
rejected Moses when he first tried to deliver them from Egyptian
bondage, and he had to flee for his life (Ex. 2:11 -22). But when Moses came to them the second time, the
nation accepted him and he set them free (Acts 7:35 ).
因为约瑟和摩西有共同之处，所以我把討論这两位犹太人的英雄的章節一併處理： 他们都在第一次被拒绝作解救者，但在第二次都被接受了。约瑟因他的弟兄恨他，把他卖給販賣奴隸的人，但后来他却成他弟兄的解救者。当他们為了获得更多的食物再次回到埃及时，他才自认是约瑟, 這是“第二次”（13节）。當摩西第一次试图将以色列人从埃及的束缚中解救出来時, 他们当时拒绝，他必须逃离求生（出 2：11-22）。但是当摩西第二次来到他们那里时，以色列人就接受了他，并且他使他們得到自由（使 7:35）。
These two events illustrate how Israel treated Jesus Christ. Israel
rejected their Messiah when He came to them the first time (John 1:11),but when
He comes again, they will recognize Him and receive Him (Rev.1:7; Zech.
12:10).In spite of what they did to His Son, God has not cast away His people
(Rom. 11:1-6).Israel today is suffering from a partial spiritual blindness that
one day will be taken away (Rom. 11:25-32). Individual Jews are being saved,
but the nation as a whole is blind to the truth about Jesus Christ.
这两件事顯明了以色列人如何对待耶稣基督。当祂第一次来到以色列人中間时，却拒绝他们的弥赛亚（约 1:11），但当基督耶稣再来时，他们将认识和接納祂（启 1:7; 撒12:10）。尽管以色列人如此的对付上帝的儿子，祂并没有捨弃祂的子民（罗 11：1-6）。以色列現今只遭受到沒有全部的屬靈的瞎眼，有一天会全部得救（罗11：25-32）。單獨的犹太人得救，但整个国家对于耶稣基督的真理是瞎眼。
Before leaving this section, we must deal with some seeming contradictions
between Stephen's address and the Old Testament Scriptures.
在离开本段之前，必须把司提反的講演內容和旧约圣经之间的一些似乎矛盾之處加以闡明.
Genesis 46:26-27states that seventy people made up the household of Jacob,
including Joseph's family already in Egypt; but Stephen claimed that there were
seventy-five (Acts 7:14 ; and see Ex. 1:1-5). The Hebrew text has seventy
in both Genesis and Exodus, but the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old
Testament) has seventy-five. Where did the number seventy-five come from in the Septuagint? In their count, the
translators included Joseph's grandchildren (1 Chron. 7:14 -15, 20-25). Being a Hellenistic Jew,
Stephen would naturally use the Septuagint. There is no real contradiction;
your total depends on the factors you include.
创世记46章26至27節说雅各家系, 由约瑟已经在埃及的家人七十个人组成; 但司提反声称有七十五人（使 7:14; 並參 出
1:15）. 希伯来文聖經, 在创世记和出埃及记中都是七十人，但七十人編譯的聖經（旧约的希腊译本）是寫的七十五人。七十人編譯的聖經從那裡出來的七十五人？ 依译者們的计算，他們包括约瑟的孙子（代上 7：14-15, 20-25）。司提反是講希腊語的犹太人，他很自然的会使用七十人編譯的聖經。没有真正的矛盾; 你的总数取决于你所包含的因素。
Acts 7:16 suggests that Jacob was buried at
Shechem, but Genesis 50:13 states that he was buried in the cave of Macpelah at
Hebron, along with Abraham, Isaac, and Sarah (Gen.23:17). It was Joseph who was buried at
Shechem (Josh. 24:32). It is likely that the Children of Israel carried out of
Egypt the remains of all the sons of Jacob, and not just Joseph alone, and
buried them together in Shechem. The "fathers" mentioned in Acts 7:15
would be the twelve sons of Jacob.
使徒行传7章16節暗示雅各被埋在示剑中，但创世纪50章13节则指出，他被埋在幔利前的麥比拉田間的洞穴里，与亚伯拉罕，以撒和撒拉（創 23：17）在一起。约瑟埋在示剑（约书 24:32），以色列人很可能是雅各所有儿子的后裔，不仅仅是约瑟，而且将他们都葬在示剑。 使徒行传7章15節提到的 “袓先”可能是雅各的十二个儿子。
But who purchased the burial place in Shechem-Abraham or Jacob? Stephen
seems to say that Abraham bought it, but the Old Testament record says that
Jacob did (Gen. 33:18-20). Abraham purchased the cave of Macpelah
They disobeyed their law (Acts 7:37 -43). 不服从他们的律法（使 7：37-43）。
Stephen's opponents had accused him of speaking against the sacred Law of
Moses, but the history of Israel
revealed that the nation had repeatedly broken that Law. God gave the
Law to His congregation ("church") in the wilderness at Mt. Sinai,
His living Word through the mediation of angels (see v. 53 and Gal. 3:19).No
sooner had the people received the Law than they disobeyed it by asking Aaron
to make them an idol (Ex. 32), and thereby broke the first two of the
Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-6).
反对者指责司提反的反对摩西的神圣律法，但历史透露，以色列国曾多次违反他們的律法。上帝在西奈山上的旷野, 将律法交给了全體以色列人（“教会”）, 祂活生生的话由天使所傳的（參 53节 和 加 3:19）。以色列人剛得到律法，就要求亚伦為他们造金牛贖偶像（出 32），因而打破了十诫中的前两誡（出 20：1-6）。
The Jews had worshiped idols in Egypt ( Josh. 24:14;Ezek. 20:7-8),
and after their settlement in the Promised Land they gradually adopted the gods
of the pagan nations around them. God repeatedly disciplined His people and
sent them prophets to warn them, until finally He carried them off to Babylon where they were
finally cured of idolatry.
犹太人在埃及崇拜偶像 (書 24：14;
结 20：7-8)，在应许之地定居后，逐渐拜他们附近异教国家的神祗。上帝不断地惩罚祂的子民，差遣祂的先知来警告他们，直到最后祂将他们带到巴比伦去，在那里他们终于治愈了偶像崇拜的病.
Acts 7:42should be compared with Romans 1:24-28,for all of these verses
describe the judgment of God when He ''takes His hands oft" and permits
sinners to have their own way. When Stephen quoted Amos 5:25-27, he revealed
what the Jews had really been doing all those years: in outward form, they were
worshiping Jehovah; but in their hearts, they were worshiping foreign gods! The
form of the question in Acts 7:42 demands a negative reply: "No, you were
not offering those sacrifices to the Lord!"
使徒行传7章42節应该与罗马书1章24至28節相比较，因為所有这些经文, 都在描述上帝的審判, 當祂不管教他們，并允许罪人的所作所為. 当司提反援引阿摩司书5章25至27節, 他顯明了犹太人在这几年里真正在做什么事：外表上，他们崇拜主，但在他们內心，却在崇拜外国的諸神！使徒行传7章42節中的问题的意念裡,回答應該是否定的： “不，你們不是献祭给主！”
In this day of "pluralism" of religions and an emphasis on "toleration,"
we must understand why God hated the pagan religions and instructed Israel to
destroy them. To begin with, these religions were unspeakably obscene in their
worship of sex and their use of religious prostitutes. Their practices were also
brutal, even to the point of offering children as sacrifices to their gods. It
was basically demon worship, and it opened the way for all kinds of godless living
on the part of the Jews. Had the nation turned from the true God and succumbed to
idolatry, it could have meant the end of the godly remnant and the fulfillment
of the promise of the Redeemer.
在現今的宗教“多元化”和强调“容忍”的情況下，必须明白为什么上帝厌倦异教，使以色列人灭绝它们。首先，这些宗教在他们對 “性” 的崇拜和使用宗教妓女等真是无法言喻的淫秽。他们的做法也是残酷的，甚至用孩子作为他们神的牺牲品。基本上是鬼魔崇拜，打開了部分犹太人的各种无神的敬拜生活。如果国家離開真神──上帝，屈服于偶像崇拜，这可能意味着敬虔的餘數的结束和救赎主到來的应许的实现。
God's Law was given to the Jews to protect them from the pagan influence around
them, and to enable them to enjoy the blessings of the land. It was the Law that
made them a holy people, different from the other nations. When Israel broke down
that wall of distinction by disobeying God's Law, they forfeited the blessing
of God and had to be disciplined.
上帝的律法賜予犹太人，藉以保护他们免受周围异教徒的影响，並使他们能够享受到允許土地的祝福。是律法使他们成為聖潔的子民, 与其他国家不同。当以色列人不服从上帝的律法而打開分离的墙时，他们就没有上帝的祝福，必须受到纪律处罚。
They despised their temple (w. 44-50).
他们甩他们的寺庙（44-50岁）。
The witnesses accused Stephen of seeking to destroy the temple, but that
was exactly what the Jewish nation did! Moses built the tabernacle and God's glory
graciously dwelt in the holy of holies (Ex. 40:34-38). Solomon built the temple,
and once again God's glory came in (1 Kings 8:10 -11). But over the years, the worship at the temple
degenerated into mere religious formality, and eventually there were idols placed in the temple (2 Kings21:1-9;Ezek. 8:7-12).
Jeremiah warned people against their superstitious faith in the temple and told
them that they had turned God's house into a den of thieves (Jer. 7:1-16).
見证人指责司提反试图摧毁聖殿，但那確是犹太国家所要做的！摩西建立帐幕，上帝的荣耀恩典的住在圣洁的圣洁中（出埃及记 40：34-38）。所罗门修建圣殿，上帝的荣耀再次进来（王上 8：10-11）。但多年来，聖殿的崇拜沦为宗教的形式，最终还有偶像放在殿中（王下 21：1-9;
以西结书 8：7-12）。耶利米警告人们对圣殿的迷信的信心，并告诉他们，聖殿将变成賊窩（耶 7：1-16）。
Had the nation heeded their own prophets, they would have escaped the
horrors of the Babylonian siege (see the Book of Lamentations) and the
destruction of their city and temple. Even Solomon recognized the truth that
God did not live in buildings (1 Kings8:27), and the Prophet Isaiah made it
even clearer (66:1-2). We really make nothing for God, because everything comes
from Him; and how can the Creator of the universe be contained in a man-made
building? (Acts 17:24 ) The
Jewish defense of their temple was both illogical and unscriptural.
倘若国家听从自己的先知，他们就会逃脱巴比伦围困的恐怖（參“耶利米哀歌”），他们的城市和圣殿不至毀坏了。所罗门甚至也确认上帝不住在聖殿中（王上 8：27），先知以赛亚更明白的表示（賽 66：1-2）。因为一切都来自上帝，我们对上帝真實没有献上什麼; 宇宙的创造者如何住在人手所造的殿中？（使 17:24）犹太人對他们的聖殿的護卫言論是不合逻辑的，也是非法的。
They stubbornly resisted their God and His truth (Acts 7:51 -53).
This is the climax of Stephen's speech, the personal application that cut
his hearers to the heart. Throughout the centuries, Israel had refused to submit to God
and obey the truths He had revealed to them. Their ears did not hear the truth,
their hearts did not receive the truth, and their necks did not bow to the truth.
As a result, they persecuted and killed God's servants; including their own
Messiah!
这是司提反演讲的高潮，有對听众个人有心灵刺痛的效用。几个世纪以来，以色列拒對上帝，及遵守祂向他们啟示的真理都拒绝接受。他们有耳听不進真理，他们的心拒絕真理，他们的脖子硬著不向真理低頭。結果，他们迫害上帝的仆人，包括自己的弥赛亚！ 阿門!
The nation refused to accept the new truth that God was revealing from age to age. Instead of seeing God's truth as seed that produces fruit and more seed, the religious leaders "embalmed" the truth and refused to accept anything new. By the time Jesus came to earth, the truth of God was encrusted with so much tradition that the people could not recognize God's truth when He did present it. Man's dead traditions had replaced God's living truth (see Matt. 15:1-20). 以色列拒绝接受上帝年年啟示的新的真理。宗教领袖不要把上帝的真理看作是生产果实和更多种子的种子，而是“遮蓋”真相，亦拒绝接受任何新的。当耶稣来到地上的时候，上帝的真理受到如此多的传统的约束，人们在祂提出真理的时候, 因很多待傳統使人不能认清上帝的真理。人类的死亡的传统取代了上帝的活生生的真理（參 太 15：1-20）。
4. Stephen the Martyr (Acts 7:54 -60)
4.
殉道者司提反 （使 7：54-60）
You wonder what kind of a world we live in when good and godly men like
Stephen can be murdered by religious bigots! But we have similar problems in
our "enlightened" age today: taking hostages, bombings that kill or
maim innocent people, assassinations, and all in the name of politics or religion.
The heart of man has not changed, nor can it be changed apart from the grace of
God.
当像司提反这样善良和敬虔的人, 還被宗教瘋狂的杀死时，你想想我們是生活在怎麼奇異的世界! 但是，我们現今在“开明”时代, 也遭遇到类似的问题：劫持人质，把无辜的人杀害或打死，以政治或宗教的名義來暗杀等等。人的心没有改变，上帝的恩典也不能改变它。
What were the results of Stephen's death? For
Stephen, death meant coronation (Rev.2:10). He saw the glory of God and
the Son of God standing to receive him to heaven (see Luke 22:69). Our Lord sat down when He ascended to heaven (Ps. 110:1;Mark
16:19 ),but He stood up to
welcome to glory the first Christian martyr (Luke12:8).This is the last time
the title "Son of man" is used in the Bible. It is definitely a
messianic title (Dan. 7:13 -14),
and Stephen's use of it was one more witness that Jesus is indeed Israel 's
Messiah.
司提反死亡的后果是什么？ 对于司提反来说，死亡意味着加冕（啟 2：10）。他看见上帝的荣耀和祂的儿子站著接受他到天上（參 路 22:69）。当我们的主升天時, 祂是坐著（诗 110：1; 可 16:19），但主歡迎這榮耀的第一位為祂殉道的烈士是站起来的（路 12：8）。这是圣经最后一次使用 “人子”
的稱呼。这绝对是弥赛亚的头衔（但 7：13-14），並且司提反再次使用 “人子” 的稱呼, 是確證耶稣确实是以色列的弥赛亚的另一个见证。
Stephen was not only tried in a manner similar to that of our Lord, but he
also died with similar prayers on his lips (Acts 7:59-60;Luke 23:34, 46). A
heckler once shouted to a street preacher, "Why didn't God do something for
Stephen when they were stoning him?" The preacher replied, "God did
do something for Stephen. He gave him the grace to forgive his murderers and to
pray for them!" A perfect answer!”
司提反不仅以类似于主的方式进行演講，而且还作相似的祈祷而死去（徒 7：59-60; 路 23:34,46）。一个奚落者曾经向一位街头传道人喊道：“为什么上帝在司提反打石头打死时,不為他做什麼？”牧师回答说：“上帝確實为司提反做了些事，祂给了他恩典，原谅他的凶手，为他们祷告！非常完美的答案！”
For Israel ,
Stephen's death meant condemnation. This was their third murder: they had
permitted John the Baptist to be killed; they had asked for Jesus
to be killed; and now they were killing Stephen themselves. When they allowed Herod
to kill John, the Jews sinned against God the Father who had sent John
(Matt.21:28-32).When they asked Pilate to crucify Jesus, they sinned against
God the Son(Matt. 21:33 -46).When
they stoned Stephen, Israel
sinned against the Holy Spirit who was working in and through the
apostles(Acts7:51;Matt. 10:1-8). Jesus said that this sin could never be
forgiven (Matt. 12:31 -32).
Judgment finally came in A.D.70 when Titus and the Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and the temple.
对于以色列来说，司提反的死是咀咒。是他们的第三次谋杀：他们允许施洗约翰死亡; 他们要求耶稣被釘死; 现在他们正自己來杀死司提反。当他们允许希律杀了施洗约翰时，犹太人犯了敵對父上帝差遣他的罪（太 21：28-32）。当他们问彼拉多要求把耶稣钉死在十字架上时，他们又犯了敵對上帝的儿子的罪（太 21：33-32）当他们扔石頭打死司提反时，以色列人再次犯了敵對圣灵要使徒工作的罪（徒 7：51;太 10：1-8）。耶稣说这罪不能得赦免（太 12：31-32）。当提多和罗马军队摧毁耶路撒冷和圣殿时，公元70年审判终于来到。
For the church in Jerusalem ,
the death of Stephen meant liberation. They had been witnessing "to
the Jew first" ever since Pentecost, but now they would be directed to
take the message out of Jerusalem to the Samaritans (Acts8) and even to the
Gentiles (Acts 11:19-26).The opposition of the enemy helped prevent the church
from becoming a Jewish "sect" and encouraged them to fulfill the
commission of Acts 1:8 and Matthew 28:18-20.
司提反的殉道, 对于耶路撒冷的教会，可說是得着釋放。自五旬节以来，他们一直在向“犹太人”作见证，但现在他们将把福音, 从耶路撒冷传至撒马利亚人（徒 8章），甚至到外邦人（徒 11：19-26）。敌人的反對有助于使教会從漸漸成長的犹太教“固執派”釋放，并鼓励教會來履行使徒行传1章8節和马太福音28章18至20節的大使命。
Finally, as far as Saul (Acts7:58)was concerned, the death of Stephen
eventually meant salvation. He never forgot the event,(22:17 -21),and no doubt Stephen's
message, prayers,
and glorious death were used of the Spirit to
prepare Saul for his own meeting with the Lord (Acts 9). God never wastes the blood
of His saints. Saul would one day see the same glory that Stephen saw and would
behold the Son of God and hear Him speak!
最后，提到扫罗因司提反的殉道, 使他终于得着救恩（徒 7：58）。他从来没有忘记这件事，（22：17-21），毫无疑问, 司提反的信息，祷告，圣灵使用他光荣的殉道，為扫罗见主面作准备（徒 9章）。上帝從來不会浪费祂圣徒的血。扫罗有一天会看到司提反看见的荣耀，并且看见上帝的儿子，听见祂向他说话！
When Christians die, they "fall asleep" (John 11:11 ; 1 Thes. 4:13 ). The body sleeps and the spirit goes to be
with the Lord in heaven (Acts7:59; Phil. 1:23;2 Cor. 5:6-9;Heb. 12:22-23). When
Jesus returns, He will bring with Him the spirits of those who have died (1
Thes. 4:14 ), their bodies
will be raised and glorified, and body and spirit will be united in glory to be
"forever with the Lord." Even though we Christians weep at the death
of a loved one (Acts8:2),we do not sorrow hopelessly; for we know we shall meet
again when we die or when the Lord returns.
当基督徒死亡时，他们是“睡着了”（约 11:11; 帖前 4:13）。身体在睡觉，靈却升天与主同在（徒 7：59; 腓 1：23;
林后 5：6-9; 来 12：22-23）。当耶稣再来时，祂将与死了的人的靈同回来（帖前 4 : 14），他们的身体将被提升和荣耀，身体和靈一起 “永远与主”
同享荣耀。 即使基督徒為亲人的死而哭泣（徒 8：2），我们绝对不会絕望的悲伤; 因为知道在我们死后或是主再来时會再见面。
God does not call all of us to be martyrs, but He does call us to be
"living sacrifices" (Rom.12:1-2).In some respects, it may be harder
to live for Christ than to die for Him; but if we are living for
Him, we will be prepared to die for Him if that is what God calls us to do.
上帝不要所有的信徒都殉道，但祂的确呼召我们成为“活祭”（罗 12：1-2）。在某些方面，为基督而活，比为祂死更难; 但是, 如果我们为祂而活着，就愿意为祂而死，如果這是上帝的呼召我们要去做的事。
In 1948, Auca martyr Jim Elliot wrote in his journal, "I seek not a
long life, but a full one, like You, Lord Jesus." Two years later, he
wrote: "I must not think it strange if God takes in youth those whom I
would have kept on earth till they were older. God is peopling Eternity, and I
must not restrict Him to old men and women."
在1948年，在阿卡(Auca)
殉道者---吉姆 · 艾利略（Jim Elliot）在他的杂志上写道：“我不寻求长的寿命，而是要完整的，像祢, 主耶稣。两年后他又写道：“我不会觉得奇怪，如果上帝把年轻人留在地上，直到年纪大了. 因上帝是永恒的，我不能把祂限制在老年和女人身上。”
Like Stephen, Jim Elliot and his four comrades were called on January 8, 1956 , to
"people Eternity" as they were slain by the people they were seeking to
reach. What has happened to the Aucas since then is proof that the blood of the
martyrs is indeed the seed of the church. Many Aucas are now Christians.
像司提反，吉姆 · 艾利略和他的四位同伴在1956年1月8日被叫做“人的永恒”，當他们正在寻求到达向他們傳福音的人那裡, 却被他們杀了。自那时以来，阿卡发生的事情证明，殉道者的血确实是教会的种子。许多阿卡人现在都是基督徒。
"Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life"
(Rev. 2:10).
“你要至死忠心，我必賜你生命的冠冕”（启 2:10）。
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