1577 英翻中(使徒行傳11課) Making room for the gentiles 讓外邦人有空間 18/05/2026
親愛的主內訪友, 這卷由作者華倫. 魏士比所寫的使徒行傳解經書, 實在摸著編輯者的心, 於2017年就仔細研讀, 翻譯成中文. 今才放在博客中與您們見面. 希望這卷聖經翻譯也能扎您們的心. 這卷新約書信是路加博士第二本感人著作. 第一本是路加福音. 路加福音是他精心的歷史著作, 充滿真實的愛的描述. "浪子回頭" 是我在大學三年級, 愛我的張繼宗牧師, 以他充滿愛心的向我們講述. 使徒行傳是編輯者與愛妻共同研讀, 才使我們剛剛到美國時, 能遵守主的旨意, 帶領羅崗(Logan , Utah 州)的留學生查經班. 使我們深深了解, 保羅三次週遊歐洲傳道的辛勞. 但上帝的大能帶領保羅, 巴拿巴完成了上帝交付的大使命.
路加是醫生又是歷史學家, 他能這樣生動的寫出這本完全是述說聖靈充滿活動的使徒行傳. 充分說明基督信仰是真實的 (Realities). 主耶穌基督被大祭司釘死在十字架上前, 祂應許門徒要賜下另一位保惠師 – 聖靈到世上.
CHAPTER 11
A friend of mine likes to quote this little poem whenever we discuss “church problems” : 每当一讨论到“教会问题”时，我的一位朋友都喜欢引用这首小诗：
To live above, with saints we love,
Will
certainly be glory.
To live below, with saints we know – Well,
that’s another story! 在天上的生活，我们爱着圣人， 一定是荣耀。 在人間的生活，我们知道圣人 – 那么，这是另一回事！
Acts 11 describes how the church in Jerusalem related to “the saints below,” the
Gentiles in Caesarea and Antioch who had trusted Jesus Christ as their
Savior and Lord. Having fellowship with the Gentiles was a new experience for
these Jewish Christians, who all their lives had looked on the Gentiles as
pagans and outsiders. Tradition said that a Gentile had to “become a Jew” in
order to be accepted, but now Jews and Gentiles were united in the church
through faith in Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:26 –28).
使徒行传11章描述了耶路撒冷的教会如何与 “世上的圣徒” 發生关係，該撒利亚的外邦人和安提阿人，信耶稣基督作为他们的救主和主。与外邦人的交往是犹太基督徒的新经验，他们一生都把外邦人视为异教徒和外来人。传统说，外邦人必须 “成为犹太人” 才能被接受，但现在犹太人和外邦人通过信靠耶稣基督在教会中结合（加3：26-28）。
Acts 11 describes three responses of the Jewish believers to
the Gentile Christians. As you study these responses, you will better
understand how Christians today ought to relate to one another.
使徒行传11描述了犹太信徒对外邦基督徒的三點認識。当你研究这回應时，会更清楚的了解日天基督徒应该如何相互联繫。
1. They Accepted the Gentiles (11:1–18) 1. 他们接受外邦人（徒11：1-18）
Peter no sooner returned to Jerusalem when he was met
by members of the strong legalistic party in the church of Judea Israel and the
church. Most Christians today understand these truths, but, after all, we have
Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, and Hebrews! There were many converted priests in
the church who would be zealous for the law (Acts 6:7), and even the ordinary
Jewish believer would have a difficult time making the transition (Acts 21:20 ). It was not only a matter of
religion, but also of culture, and cultural habits are very hard to break. 彼得在回到耶路撒冷时，即刻被犹太教会（“他们是受割礼的人”）中極端的律法主义的成员斥责他与外邦人交往, 且和他们一起吃饭。请记住，該犹太信徒还不了解律法与恩典，犹太人和外邦人以及以色列和教会之间的关系。毕竟現在我们有罗马書，加拉太书，以弗所书和希伯来书, 今日大多数基督徒都明白其真理！教会中有许多皈依神职人员, 他們可能很热心維護律法 (徒6：7），甚至普通的犹太信徒也很难过渡這時期（徒21:20）。这不仅是宗教问题，也是文化问题，而且文化习惯是根深柢固。
The phrase “contended with
him” comes from the same word translated “doubting
nothing” in Acts 10:20
and 11:12 . It means
“to make a difference.” These legalists were making a
difference between the Gentiles and the Jews after Peter had demonstrated that
“there is no difference!” God had declared the Gentiles “clean,” that is,
accepted before God on the same basis as the Jews—through faith in Jesus
Christ. 与他争論”, 这短语来自使徒行传10章20節和11章12節中類似的翻译 “怀疑” 的单词。这意味着 “有所分別”。这些猶太律法主义者在彼得已经证明 “没有任何区别” 之后，在外邦人和犹太人之间作出了区别。上帝宣称外邦人是 “干净的”，也就是在上帝面前接受的外邦人与犹太人是通过信仰耶稣基督的同一基礎。
Peter had nothing to fear. After all, he had only followed
orders from the Lord, and the Spirit had clearly confirmed the salvation of the
Gentiles. Peter reviewed the entire experience from beginning to end, and, when
he was finished, the Jewish legalists dropped their charges and glorified God
for the salvation of the Gentiles (Acts 11:18). However, this did not end the matter
completely, for this same legalistic party later debated with Paul about the
salvation of the Gentiles (Acts 14:26 —15:2).
Even after the Jerusalem Conference, legalistic teachers continued to attack
Paul and invade the churches he founded. They wanted to woo the believers into
a life of obedience to the law (Gal. 1:6ff.; Phil. 3:1–3, 17–21). It is
possible that many of these legalists were genuine believers, but they did not
understand their freedom in Jesus Christ (Gal. 5:1ff.).
彼得没有什么可怕的。毕竟，他只順从主的命令，圣灵已经明确地证实了外邦人的救恩。彼得从头到尾回顾了整个经历，当他完成之时，犹太人的律法主义者放弃了指控，并荣耀上帝为外邦人的救恩（使徒行传11:18）。然而，这并不是完全没有结束的，因为同样的法律主义党后来与保罗就外邦人的救恩辩论（使徒行传14：26-15：2）。即使在耶路撒冷会议之后，法律教师继续攻击保罗，入侵他所创立的教会。他们想让信徒遵守律法的生活（加1：6ff;菲尔3：1-3,17-21）。这些律师中有许多是真正的信徒，但他们并不了解在耶稣基督里的自由（加5: 1等節）.
In his personal defense in Acts 11, Peter presented three
pieces of evidence: the vision from God (Acts 11:5–11), the witness of the
Spirit (Acts 11:12 –15,
17), and the witness of the Word (Acts 11:16 ).
Of course, none of these men had seen the vision, but they trusted Peter’s
report, for they knew that he had been as orthodox as they in his personal life
(Acts 10:14 ). He was not
likely to go to the Gentiles on his own and then invent a story to back it up.
彼得在使徒行传11章的个人辩护中提出了三件证据：上帝的旨意（使徒行传11：5-11），圣灵的见证（使徒行传11：12-15,17）, 以及圣言的见证（使徒行传11:16）. 然而, 他們都没有看到異象, 但他们相信彼得的报告, 因为他们知道彼得已经作为他个人生活中的正统的基督徒（徒10:14）. 他不可能在自己去外邦人后, 編撰故事来支持它。
The witness of the Spirit was crucial, for this was God’s
own testimony that He had indeed saved the Gentiles. It is interesting that
Peter had to go all the way back to Pentecost to find an example of what
happened in the home of Cornelius! This suggests that a dramatic “baptism of
the Spirit” (Acts 11:16 ),
accompanied by speaking in tongues, was not an everyday occurrence in the early
church. Peter could not use the experience of the Samaritans as his example,
because the Samaritans received the gift of the Spirit through the laying on of
the apostles’ hands (Acts 8:14 –17).
Cornelius and his household received the Spirit the moment they trusted Christ.
This is the pattern for today.
圣灵的见证至关重要，因为这是上帝自己确实拯救外邦人的见证. 有趣的是，彼得必须回憶五旬节時的例子, 來証實在哥尼流家中发生的事情！在哥尼流家中戏剧性的 “圣灵洗礼”（徒11:16）伴随着说方言，并不是早期教会常看見的。彼得不能用他在撒瑪利亚所作的示为他的例子，因为在撒瑪利亚接受聖靈的恩赐是經過使徒們的手（徒8：14-17）。在哥尼流和他的家人相信基督的那一刻，他們就接受了圣灵。这是今天的模式。
“What was I, that I could withstand God?” asked Peter, and
to this question, the legalists had no answer. From beginning to end, the
conversion of the Gentiles was God’s gracious work. He gave them the gift of
repentance and the gift of salvation when they believed. In later years, God
would use the letters of Paul to explain the “one body,” how believing Jews and
believing Gentiles are united in Christ (Eph. 2:11 —3:12 ).
But at that time, this “mystery” was still hidden, so we must not be too hard
on those saints who were uneasy about the place of the Gentiles in the church.
彼得問, “我是什么,
能抵擋上帝？” 對這問题, 律法主義的人也没有答案.
从开始到结束，外邦人的悔改是上帝的憐憫. 当他们相信时，祂就给了他们悔改的恩赐和得救的恩赐。后来，上帝使用保罗的書信来解释 “一体”，犹太人和信主的外邦人在基督里是一體（弗2：11-3：12）。但那时候，这 “神秘” 还是隐藏着的，所以我们不能对那些对外邦人在教堂里感到不安的圣徒太过分了。
Christians are to receive one another and not dispute over
cultural differences or minor matters of personal conviction (Rom. 14–15).
Some of the Jewish Christians in the early church wanted the Gentiles to become
Jews, and some of the Gentile believers wanted the Jews to stop being Jews and
become Gentiles! This attitude can create serious division in the church even
today, so it is important that we follow the example of Acts 11:18 and the admonition of Romans
14:1, and receive those whom God has also received.
基督徒要彼此接納，不可因文化差异或个人信念的微小的不同而起紛争（罗14-15）。早期教会中的一些犹太基督徒希望外邦人成为犹太人，同時一些外邦信徒却希望犹太人停止成为犹太人，而成为外邦人！ 这种态度即使在今天也会存在於教会中, 造成严重的分歧，所以重要的是遵循使徒行传11章18節的例子和罗马书14章1節的诫命，并接受上帝所得的人。
2. They Encouraged the Gentiles (11:19 –26) 2.他们鼓励外邦人（11：19-26）
When the saints were scattered abroad during Saul’s
persecution of the church (Acts 8:1), some of them ended up in Antioch , the capital of Syria , three
hundred miles north of Jerusalem .
(Don’t confuse this city with Antioch
in Pisidia, Acts 13:14.) There were at least sixteen Antiochs in the ancient
world, but this one was the greatest. 当扫罗迫害教会, 圣徒四散在国外时(使 8:1)，他们中的一些最後在耶路撒冷以北三百英里的叙利亚首都安提阿安居。 （不要将这个城市与使徒行傳13章14節所提的Pisidia的安提阿混淆）, 古代至少有十六个安提阿城，但是这是最伟大的.
With a population of half a million, Antioch ranked as the third largest city in
the Roman Empire , following Rome and Alexandria . Its magnificent buildings helped
give it the name “Antioch
the Golden, Queen of the East.” The main street was more than four miles long,
paved with marble, and lined on both sides by marble colonnades. It was the
only city in the ancient world at that time that had its streets lighted at
night. A busy port and a center for luxury and culture, Antioch attracted all kinds of people,
including wealthy retired Roman officials who spent their days 它拥有五十万人口，安提阿在罗马帝国和罗马与亚历山大之间排名第三。它的宏伟建筑使它被稱为 “安东尼，东方的黃金與女王”。主要街道超过四英里, 铺有大理石，兩旁均用大理石柱廊排列。那是当时古代唯一在晚上街道照亮的城市。
A busy port and a
center for luxury and culture, Antioch attracted all kinds of people, including
wealthy retired Roman officials who spent their days chatting in the baths or
gambling at the races. With its large cosmopolitan population and its
great commercial and political power, Antioch
presented to the church an exciting opportunity for evangelism.
安提阿是繁忙的港口和豪华及文化的中心，它吸引了各式各样的人，包括退休的富有的罗马官员, 整日泡在洗澡方房中聊天或在比赛中赌博。因安提阿拥是国际大都市和繁榮的商业和政治上的权力，正是教会可使用的有力的传福音的机会。
Antioch
was a wicked city, perhaps second only to Corinth .
Though all the Greek, Roman, and Syrian deities were honored, the local shrine
was dedicated to Daphne, whose worship included immoral practices. “Antioch was to the Roman
world what New York City
is to ours,” writes James A. Kelso in An Archaeologist Follows the Apostle
Paul. “Here where all the gods of antiquity were worshipped, Christ must be
exalted.” Not only was an effective church built in Antioch , but it became the church that sent
Paul out to win the Gentile world for Christ.
安提阿是邪恶的城市，其邪恶也许仅次于哥林多城。虽然所有的希腊，罗马和叙利亚的神祇都得到了荣誉，但当地的神殿只致力于达芙妮(Daphne)，其崇拜包括不道德的行為。考古学家詹姆斯·考尔索（James A. Kelso）在使徒保罗之后写道：“安提阿對罗马世界的重要, 比之纽约市对美國.”所有的古代神都在这里被崇拜，但基督必须被高举。”不仅在安提阿建立了有力的教会，而且成为派保罗出来为基督赢得外邦人世界的教会。
When the persecuted believers arrived in Antioch , they did not at all feel intimidated
by the magnificence of the buildings or the pride of the citizens. The Word of
God was on their lips and the hand of God was on their witness, and “a great
number” of sinners repented and believed. It was a thrilling work of God’s
wonderful grace.
受迫害的信徒抵达安提阿时，他们根本不会想到其建筑物的辉煌或公民的骄傲。上帝的道在他们的嘴唇上，上帝的手是他们的见证，“大量”的罪人悔改和相信。这是上帝的美妙恩慈的令人兴奋的工作。
The church leaders in Jerusalem
had a responsibility to “shepherd” the scattered flock, which now included
Gentile congregations as far away as Syria . Apparently the apostles were
ministering away from Jerusalem
at the time, so the elders commissioned Barnabas to go to Antioch to find out what was going on among
the Gentiles. This proved to be a wise choice, for Barnabas lived up to his
nickname, “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36 ).
耶路撒冷的教会领袖有责任 “牧养” 分散的羊群，现在包括外来人士在叙利亚远的群羊。当时使徒们远离耶路撒冷，所以长老们委托巴拿巴去安提阿, 去了解在外邦人中发生了什麼事情。这是明智的选择，因为巴拿巴的生活, 被人稱為 “鼓励之子”（徒4:36）。
Acts 11:24
gives us a “spiritual profile” of Barnabas, and he appears to be the kind of
Christian all of us would do well to emulate. He was a righteous man who obeyed
the Word in daily life so that his character was above reproach. He was filled with
the Spirit, which explains the effectiveness of his ministry. That he was a man
of faith is evident from the way he encouraged the church and then encouraged
Saul. New Christians and new churches need people like Barnabas to encourage
them in their growth and ministry. 使徒行传11章24節對巴拿巴使用 “屬靈的分析”，他似乎是我们所有人都必須仿效的那种基督徒。在日常生活中遵守这个道的义人，是为了使自己的性格高于责备。他充满了圣灵，这解释了他的事工的有效性。他是一个信仰的人，显然是他鼓励教会的方式，然后鼓励扫罗。
How did Barnabas encourage these new Gentile believers? For
one thing, he rejoiced at what he saw. Worshipping with Gentiles was a new
experience for him, but he approached it positively and did not look for things
to criticize. It was a work of God, and Barnabas gave thanks for God’s grace.
新的基督徒和新教会需要像巴拿巴人一样鼓励他们成长和事奉。巴拿巴如何鼓励这些新的外邦人信徒？一方面，他对他所看到的感到高兴。与外邦人的崇拜是他的一个新经验，但他积极地接近，并没有寻找批评的东西。这是神的工作，巴拿巴感谢神的恩典。
He emphasized
dedication of the heart as he taught the people the Word of God. The phrase
“cleave [cling] to the Lord” does not suggest that they were to “keep
themselves saved.” The same grace that saves us can also keep us (1 Cor.
15:10 ; Heb. 13:9). The
phrase reminds us of Joshua’s admonition to Israel in Joshua 22:5.To “cleave to
the Lord” includes loving the Lord, walking in His ways, obeying His Word, and
serving Him wholeheartedly. It means that we belong to Him alone and that we
cultivate our devotion to Him. “No man can serve two masters” (Matt. 6:24 ).
他在教导人民上帝的话时，强调心中的奉献精神。 “赦免主”这个词并不表示他们要“保守自己”，拯救我们的同样恩典也可以保守我们（林前15:10;希伯来书13：9）。这句话提醒我们约书亚在约书亚22：5对以色列的诫诫：要“劈耶和华”，包括爱耶和华，顺从他的道，顺从祂的道，全心全意地服侍他。这意味着我们独自一人属于他，我们培养对祂的奉献。 “没有人能服侍两个大师”（太6:24）。
There were two wonderful results from Barnabas’work in Antioch . First, the
church’s witness made a great impact on the city so that “many people were
added to the Lord” (Acts 11:24 ).
When the saints are grounded in the Word, they will have a strong witness to
the lost, and there will be a balance in the church between edification and
evangelism, worship and witness, teaching and testifying.
巴拿巴有两个很好的结果在安提阿工作。首先，教会的见证对这座城市产生了很大的影响，使“许多人被添加到主”（徒11:24）。当圣徒基于圣言的时候，他们将对失落者有一个强有力的见证，教会在教会和传福音，礼拜与见证，教导和作证之间将有一个平衡。
Second, the growth of the church meant that Barnabas needed
help, so he went to Tarsus
and enlisted Saul. But why go so far away just to find an assistant? Why not
send to Jerusalem
and ask the deacon Nicolas, who was from Antioch
(Acts 6:5)? Because Barnabas knew that God had commissioned Saul to minister to
the Gentiles (Acts 9:15 ; 22:21 ; 26:17). You recall that
Barnabas befriended Saul in Jerusalem
(Acts 9:26 –27), and no
doubt the two of them often talked about Saul’s special call from God.
第二，教会的成长意味着巴拿巴需要帮助，所以他去了鞑靼人，并且扫罗扫罗。但为什么要去这么远才找到助理？为什么不送耶路撒冷去问安提阿的使徒尼古拉斯（使徒行传6：5）？因为巴拿巴人知道神已经委托扫罗去外邦人（使徒行传9:15; 22:21; 26:17）。你记得巴拿巴与耶路撒冷的扫罗结盟（使徒行传9：26-27），毫无疑问，他们两个经常谈论扫罗从神的特别呼吁。
Saul had been converted about ten years when Barnabas brought
him to Antioch .
The New Testament does not tell us what Saul did back home in Tarsus after he left Jerusalem (Acts 9:28 –30), but it is likely he was busy evangelizing both
Jews and Gentiles. It may have been during this period that he founded the churches
in Cilicia (Acts 15:23 , 41; Gal. 1:21 ), and that he experienced some of the sufferings
listed in 2 Corinthians 11:23 –28.
As he witnessed in the synagogues, you can be sure he would not have had an
easy time of it!
当巴拿巴把他带到安提阿时，扫罗已经改造了大约十年。新约没有告诉我们，扫罗离开耶路撒冷后，他们在鞑靼人返回家乡（使徒行传9：28-30），但他很可能正忙着传福音化犹太人和外邦人。可能在这段时间里，他在西里西亚创立了教会（使徒行传15:23,41;加1:21），并且他经历了哥林多前书11：23-28中列出的一些痛苦。当他在犹太教堂见证时，你可以肯定他不会有一个容易的时间！
What Barnabas did for Saul needs to be practiced in our
churches today. Mature believers need to enlist others and encourage them in
their service for the Lord. It was one of D. L. Moody’s policies that each new
Christian be given a task soon after conversion. At first, it might be only
passing out hymnals or ushering people to their seats, but each convert had to
be busy. As previously mentioned, he said, “It is better to put ten men to work
than to do the work of ten men.” Many of Mr. Moody’s “assistants” became
effective Christian workers in their own right, and this multiplied the
witness.
巴拿巴为扫罗所做的工作需要在今天的教会中实践。成熟的信徒需要征召他人，鼓励他们为耶和华服务。它是D. L.穆迪的政策之一，每个新的基督徒在转换后不久就会得到一个任务。起初，它可能只是传出赞美诗或者将人们带到座位上，但是每一个人都必须忙着。如前所述，他说：“把十个人放在工作上比做十个男人更好”。穆迪先生的“助手”中许多人自己成为有效的基督教工作者，这倍增了证人。
It was at Antioch
that the name Christian was first applied to the disciples of Jesus Christ. The
Latin suffix -ian means “belonging to the party of.” In derision, some of the
pagan citizens of Antioch
joined this Latin suffix to the Hebrew name “Christ” and came up with
Christian. The name is found only three times in the entire New Testament: Acts
11:26 ; 26:28; 1 Peter
4:16.
在安提阿，基督徒的名字首先适用于耶稣基督的门徒。拉丁后缀是指“属于党的”。在叛乱中，安提阿的一些异教公民加入了这个拉丁语后缀，以希伯莱名字“基督”，并提出了基督徒。这个名字在整本新约只有三次：使徒行传11:26; 26:28;彼得前书4:16。
Unfortunately, the word Christian has lost a great deal of
significance over the centuries and no longer means “one who has turned from
sin, trusted Jesus Christ, and received salvation by grace” (Acts 11:21–23).
Many people who have never been born again consider themselves “Christians”
simply because they say they are not “pagans.” After all, they may belong to a
church, attend services somewhat regularly, and even occasionally give to the
work of the church! But it takes more than that for a sinner to become a child
of God. It takes repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ, who died for
our sins on the cross and rose again to give us eternal life.
不幸的是，基督徒在几个世纪以来已经失去了很大的意义，不再意味着“从罪恶转变，信靠耶稣基督，得到恩典的救恩”（徒11：21-23）。许多从未出生过的人自认是自己的“基督教徒”，只因为他们说他们不是“异教徒”，毕竟他们可能属于一个教会，有些经常上班，甚至偶尔给教会的工作！但是，为了罪人成为上帝的孩子，这需要更多的东西。它要从赎罪孽和耶稣基督的信心，耶稣基督在十字架上为我们的罪而死，再次起来给我们永生。
The believers in the early church suffered because they were
Christians (1 Peter 4:16 ).
Dr. David Otis Fuller has asked, “If you were arrested for being a Christian,
would there be enough evidence to convict you?” A good question! And the answer
is a matter of life or death!
早期教会的信徒遭受了因为他们是基督徒（彼得前书4:16）。 David Otis Fuller博士问：“如果你因为基督徒而被捕，那么有足够的证据来定罪你吗？”一个很好的问题！答案是生死攸关的事情！
3. They Received Help
from the Gentiles (11:27 –30)
3. 他们得到了外邦人的帮助（11：27-30）
The foundation for the church was laid by the apostles and
prophets (Eph. 2:20 ), and
then both eventually moved off the scene. After all, you don’t keep laying the
foundation! The New Testament prophets received their messages from the Lord by
the Holy Spirit, and delivered them to the people, sometimes in a tongue. The
message would then have to be interpreted, after which the people would
evaluate the message to make sure it came from God (note 1 Cor. 12:10 ; 14:27 –33; 1 Thess. 5:19–21).
教会的基础由使徒和先知所写（以弗所书2:20），然后最终都离开了现场。毕竟，你不要奠定基础！新约先知的先知借着圣灵接受了耶和华的信息，并把它们传给人民，有时是舌头。然后，这个讯息必须被解释，之后人们将评估信息，以确保它来自神（注1：林前12：10;
14：27-33; 1撒上5：19-21）。
The New Testament prophets received their messages from the
Lord immediately, but ministers and teachers today get their messages mediately
through the Scriptures. We today have the completed Word of God from which the
Holy Spirit teaches and guides us. First Corinthians 12:10 ties together the gifts of prophecy,
discernment, and tongues and the interpretation of tongues. Of course, the
Spirit is sovereign and can give to a believer any gift He desires (1 Cor. 12:11 ), but the passing of apostles
and prophets from the scene, and the completing of God’s revelation in the
Word, suggest that a change has taken place.
新约先知立即接受了耶和华的消息，但是今天的部长和教师通过圣经来调停他们的信息。我们今天有完整的圣言，圣灵教导和引导我们。哥林多前书12:10将预言，辨别和舌头的礼物和舌头的解释联系在一起。当然，圣灵是主权的，可以给信徒任何他所希望的礼物（林前12:11），但使徒和先知从现场过来，完成上帝在道中的启示，表明发生了变化。
There are people today who claim to receive special “words
of revelation” or “words of wisdom” from the Lord, but such revelations are
suspect and even dangerous. “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not
according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isa. 8:20 ). “Hearken not unto the words of
the prophets that prophesy unto you,” warned Jeremiah. “They make you vain
[fill you with false hopes]; they speak a vision of their own heart, and not
out of the mouth of the Lord” (Jer. 23:16 ).
今天有人要求从主那里得到特别的“启示言”或“智慧之言”，但这样的启示是怀疑甚至是危险的。 “向法律和见证;如果他们不按照这个话说话，那是因为他们没有光“（以赛亚书8:20）。耶利米说：“你们不要听从先知预言给你们的话。 “他们让你虚虚[给你虚假的希望];他们说出自己心中的想法，不要离开耶和华的口“（耶23:16）。
The Spirit told Agabus (see Acts 21:10 –11) that a great famine was soon to come,
and it did come during the reign of Claudius Caesar (AD 41–54), when crops were
poor for many years. Ancient writers mention at least four famines: two in Rome , one in Greece , and one
in Judea . The famine in Judea
was especially severe, and the Jewish historian Josephus records that many
people died for lack of money to buy what little food was available.
圣灵告诉阿加布斯（见使徒行传21：10-11），即将来临的大饥荒，在克劳狄斯·凯撒（公元41-54年）统治时期，农作物多年来一直很穷。古代作家至少提到四个饥荒：两个在罗马，一个在希腊，一个在犹太。犹太人的饥荒特别严重，犹太历史学家约瑟夫斯（Josephus）记录说，许多人因缺钱而死亡，购买了少量食物。
Agabus delivered his message to the Antioch believers, and they determined to
help their fellow Christians in Judea . The
purpose of true prophecy is not to satisfy our curiosity about the future but
to stir up our hearts to do the will of God. The believers could not stop the
famine from coming, but they could send relief to those in need.
阿加布斯向安提阿信徒传达信息，决心帮助犹太人的基督徒。真实预言的目的不是为了满足我们对未来的好奇心，而是为了激励我们的心来做神的旨意。信徒们不能阻止饥荒来临，但他们可以向有需要的人发放救济。
An important spiritual principle is illustrated in this
passage: if people have been a spiritual blessing to us, we should minister to
them out of our material possessions. “Let him who is taught in the word share
in all good things with him who teaches” (Gal. 6:6 nkjv). The Jewish believers
in Jerusalem
had brought the gospel to Antioch .
Then they had sent Barnabas to encourage the new believers. It was only right
that the Gentiles in Antioch
reciprocate and send material help to their Jewish brothers and sisters in Judea . Some years later, Paul would gather a similar
offering from the Gentile churches and take it to the saints in Jerusalem (Acts 24:17;
and see Rom. 15:23 –28).
这段经文说明了一个重要的精神原则：如果人们对我们有一种精神上的祝福，我们就应该从我们的物质财产中脱离出来。“让这个人所教的人，与教导的人分享一切美好的东西”（加6：6
nkjv）。耶路撒冷的犹太信徒将福音带到安提阿。然后他们派巴拿巴人鼓励新的信徒。安提阿的外邦人对犹太的犹太兄弟姐妹进行回报和物质帮助是正确的。几年后，保罗将从外邦教会那里收集类似的献祭，并把它交给耶路撒冷的圣徒（徒24:17;见罗马书15：23-28）。
It is important to note that a change had taken place in the
Jerusalem
church. At one time, nobody in the church had any need (Acts 4:34 ), nor was it necessary to ask
others for help. Those early years were “days of heaven on earth” as God richly
blessed His people and used them as witnesses to the unbelieving nation. They
were “times of refreshing” from the Lord (Acts 3:19 ). But when the message moved from the Jews to the
Samaritans and the Gentiles, the Jerusalem
“sharing program” gradually faded away and things became more normal. 重要的是要注意耶路撒冷教会发生了变化。有一次，教会里没有人有任何需要（使徒行传4:34），也没有必要请他人帮忙。那些早年是“天上天”，因为神丰富地祝福他的子民，并用他们作为不信的国家的证人。他们是从主的“时代”（使徒行传3:19）。但是，当信息从犹太人移到撒马利亚人和外邦人时，耶路撒冷的“分享方案”逐渐消失，事情变得更加正常。
The pattern for Christian giving today is not Acts 2:44 –45 and 4:31 –35, but Acts 11:29 , “every man according to his ability.” It is this
pattern that Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 8—9. The practice of “Christian
communism” was found only in Jerusalem
and was a temporary measure while the message was going “to the Jew first.”
Like God’s care of the Jews in the wilderness, it was a living exhibition of
the blessings God would bestow if the nation would repent and believe.
今天基督徒奉献的模式不是使徒行传2：44-45和4：31-35，而是使徒行传11:29，“每个人都按照他的能力”。保罗在哥林多前书8-9兩章中教导的是这种模式。 “基督教共产主义”的做法只在耶路撒冷才被发现，这是一个临时措施，而信息是“先到犹太人”。像上帝在旷野对犹太人的关心一样，这是上帝给予的祝福的活生生的展览。如果国家会悔改和相信。
The pattern for
Christian giving today is not Acts 2:44–45 and 4:31–35, but Acts 11:29, “every
man according to his ability.” It is this pattern that Paul taught in 2
Corinthians 8—9. The practice of “Christian communism” was found only in Jerusalem and was a
temporary measure while the message was going “to the Jew first.” Like God’s
care of the Jews in the wilderness, it was a living exhibition of the blessings
God would bestow if the nation would repent and believe.
今天基督徒奉献的模式不是使徒行传2：44-45和4：31-35，而是使徒行传11:29，“每个人都按照他的能力”。保罗在哥林多前书8-9中教导的是这种模式。 “基督教共产主义”的做法只在耶路撒冷才被发现，这是一个临时措施，而信息是“先到犹太人”。像上帝在旷野对犹太人的关心一样，这是上帝给予的祝福的活生生的展览。如果国家会悔改和相信。
The fact that the church elected Barnabas
and Saul to take the relief offering to Jerusalem is evidence that they had
confidence in them. The men had been working together in the teaching of
the Word, and now they joined hands in the practical ministry of relieving the
wants of the Jerusalem
believers. No doubt they also ministered the Word along the way as they made
the long journey from Antioch
to Jerusalem .
In a short time, the Spirit would call these two friends to join forces and
take the gospel to the Gentiles in other lands (Acts 13:1ff.), and they would
travel many miles together.
教会选举巴拿巴和扫罗向耶路撒冷提供救济的事实证明他们对他们有信心。这些人一直在这个道德教训中一起工作，现在他们在实际的部门手中，纾解耶路撒冷信徒的意愿。当他们从安提阿到耶路撒冷漫长的旅程时，毫无疑问他们也一路走来。在短时间内，圣灵会呼召这两个朋友联手，把福音传给别国的外邦人（使徒行传13：1ff。），他们会一起旅行许多英里。
Another significant
result from this ministry was the addition of John Mark to their “team” (Acts
12:25). It is likely that Mark was converted through the ministry of Peter (1
Peter 5:13). His mother’s house was a gathering place for the Jerusalem believers (Acts
12:12 ), and she and
Barnabas were related (Col. 4:10). Even though John Mark failed in his first
“term” as a missionary (Acts 13:13 ),
and helped cause a rift between Barnabas and Paul (Acts 15:38 –40), he later became an effective
assistant to Paul (2 Tim. 4:11 )
and was used of God to write the gospel of Mark.
这个部门的另一个重大成果是将约翰·马克添加到他们的“团队”（使徒行传12:25）。马可以通过彼得的事工进行转换（彼得前书5:13）。他母亲的家是耶路撒冷信徒的聚集地（徒12:12），她和巴拿巴有关（列4:10）。尽管约翰·马克在宣教士的第一个“任期”中失败了（使徒行传13:13），并且帮助巴拿巴与保罗之间造成裂痕（徒15：38-40），后来成为保罗的有效助手4:11），并被用来上帝写福音的马可福音。
The word elders in Acts 11:30 has not been used before in
Acts, except to refer to the Jewish leaders (Acts 4:5, 23; 6:12 ). In the church, the elders were mature
believers who had the spiritual oversight of the ministry (1 Peter 5:1; 2 John
1). When you compare Acts 20:17 and 28, and Titus 1:5 and 7, you learn that
“elder” and “bishop” [overseer] are equivalent titles. The elders/bishops were
the “pastors” of the flocks, assisted by the deacons, and the qualifications
for both are found in 1 Timothy 3.
使徒行传11:30的长老一词在使徒前没有被使用过，除了提到犹太领袖（使徒行传4：5,23; 6:12）。在教会里，长老是成熟的信徒，他们对该部进行了精神的监督（彼得前书5：1;约翰一书2）。当你比较使徒行传20:17和28，提多书1：5和7，你们知道“长辈”和“主教”[监督]是相同的标题。长老/主教是牧师的“牧师”，由执事协助，两人的资格都在提摩太3中找到。
Wherever Paul established churches, he saw to it that
qualified elders were ordained to give leadership to the assemblies (Acts
14:23; Titus 1:5). In the Jerusalem
church, the apostles and elders gave spiritual oversight (Acts 15:2, 4, 6, 22).
The delegation from the Antioch
church did not ignore the spiritual leaders in Jerusalem , but delivered the gift to them for
distribution to the needy members. This is an important principle and should be
heeded in this day when so many organizations want to get support from local
churches.
保罗建立教会的地方，他看到有资格的老人被指定领导集会（使徒行传14:23;提多书1：5）。在耶路撒冷教会里，使徒和长老都给了属灵的监督（使徒行传15：2,4,6,22）。安提阿教会的代表团并没有忽视耶路撒冷的精神领袖，而是把礼物交给他们分发给有需要的人。这是一个重要的原则，在当今许多组织希望得到当地教会的支持的今天应该注意。
Was it a humbling experience for the Jewish believers to
receive help from the Gentiles? Perhaps, but it was also a beautiful
demonstration of love and a wonderful testimony of unity. Sir Winston Churchill
said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” It
was an enriching experience for the churches in Jerusalem and in Antioch , for there is blessing both in giving
and receiving when God’s grace is in control.
犹太信徒得到外邦人的帮助，是一个愚蠢的经历吗？也许，这也是一个美丽的爱情示威和一个美好的团结证言。温斯顿·丘吉尔爵士说：“我们通过我们所得到的生活，但我们通过我们所得到的生活。”这是耶路撒冷和安提阿教会丰富的经验，因为在给予和接受时都有祝福上帝的恩典在控制之中。
It is unfortunate when individual Christians and local
churches forget those who have been a spiritual blessing to them. The church at
Antioch is a
splendid example of how we as believers ought to show gratitude in a practical
way to those who have helped us in our Christian life. Phillips Brooks was
asked what he would do to revive a dead church, and he replied, “I would take
up a missionary offering!”
当个别的基督徒和当地教会忘记那些对他们有精神上的祝福的人是不幸的。安提阿教堂是一个很好的例子，我们作为信徒应该以实际的方式感谢帮助我们在基督徒生活中的人。菲利普斯布鲁克斯被问到他会如何恢复一座死去的教会，他回答说：“我会接受传教士的献祭！”
Sincerely thinking of others is still the best formula for a
happy and useful Christian life, both for individuals and for churches.
无论是个人还是为了教堂, 真诚地想到别人, 仍然是快乐和有力的信徒生活的最佳形象。
No comments:
Post a Comment