9. Manna issue 66 - Four Families in the Apostolic Church (I) The Jailer’s Family 使徒教會的四個家庭(一)獄卒的家庭
Based on a sermon by Derren Liang—San Jose, California, USA
The gray and white-haired seated with the ministers (easily identified by their ties);
young (or younger) men and women in tiered rows behind them;
scores of children crouched, squatting or sitting cross-legged in front;
and occasionally a big banner at the back proclaiming the “xx-th Spiritual and Evangelistic Meeting”.
They gaze straight into the camera, smiles, accidental frowns or grimaces frozen in time…
白髮蒼蒼的長輩和負責人坐在一起（根據他們的領帶很容易辨認）；
青年（或更年輕）的男女在他們身後排成一排一排；
許多兒童單腳蹲著、蹲坐著或盤腿坐在前面；
後面偶爾還豎著大旗子，上面寫著“第幾屆靈恩佈道大會”。
他們直視相機鏡頭，微笑、不經意的皺眉或扮鬼臉瞬間凝固……
This is the typical photograph found in many a TJC commemorative publication.
Looking at such, we laugh at the outdated modes of hair and dress
or tease brethren we recognize as having “grown in [sideways] stature through the years”.
We may smile in reminiscence and thank God for making us part of this one big family in Christ…
but do we invariably find ourselves wondering…
這是在許多 TJC 真耶穌教會紀念刊物中，可以看到的經典照片。
看著這種照片，我們嘲笑過時的髮型和穿著，
或取笑我們認識的弟兄姐妹“多年來[兩側]身材橫著長大了”。
我們可能會在回憶中微笑，感謝神讓我們成為這個基督大家庭的一份子…
但我們是否始終都會發現，自己很想知道……
How many of those cute-as-a-button children grew up to be strong youths?
這些非常可愛的小孩，有多少長大後，成為信仰堅強的年輕人呢？
How many of the strong youths are still fervently serving the Lord?
有多少信仰堅強的年輕人，還在熱心事奉主呢？
How many have gone on to have families in the Lord?
有多少人會繼續在主裡成家呢？
Indeed, how many remain in this big family?
實際上，這個大家庭還剩下多少人留下來呢？
We often hear from the pulpit
that just as healthy societies are built on the foundation of strong families,
so too is the church, the body of Christ.
And just as maintaining health takes effort,
so too does nurturing strong families.
我們經常從講台上聽到，
正如健康的社會，是建立在強大的家庭基礎之上，
教會也是如此，基督的身體也是如此。
就像保持健康需要花費心力一樣，
同樣培養強健的家庭也是如此。
Indeed this message runs through the Old and New Testaments.
In the Book of Nehemiah,
a critical aspect of Jerusalem’s physical restoration
were people making repairs “by [their own] house”,
just as the priests did “each in front of his own house”[1].
Similarly, Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians
to build a glorious church includes exhortations on the importance of and ways
to nurture a harmonious and God-fearing home[2].
事實上，這個信息貫穿了舊約和新約。
在尼希米記中，
耶路撒冷實體重建的一個重要關鍵因素，
就是百姓是否“沿著[他們自己的]房屋”進行城牆維修，
正如全部祭司的行動那樣，“每個人都站在自己的房子前面”[1]。
同理，保羅寫給以弗所教會的書信，
要建立一個榮耀的教會，包括了勸勉培養和諧、敬畏神家庭方法的重要性[2]。
Unfortunately, the unstoppable societal wave of broken homes and single-parent families
has not spared the church.
Although families in the church may remain physically complete,
the children have spiritually separated
—growing up and away from the faith of their fathers.
不幸的是，破碎家庭和單親家庭的社會風氣無法阻擋，
亦沒有放過教會。
雖然教會的家庭可能仍然實體完整，
許多孩子在屬靈上分離了
—長大後背離了他們父親的信仰。
How do we arrest this trend?
How can we protect our families
and ensure that God’s word, Spirit and blessing come upon our households,
and importantly, remain with us generation after generation?
我們如何阻止這種趨勢？
我們要如何保護我們的家庭，
確保神的話語、聖靈和祝福臨到我們的家庭，
更重要的是，能夠一代又一代與我們同在？
Four families in Acts have some important lessons for us.
使徒行傳的四個家庭，為我們提供了一些重要的教訓。
I. THE JAILER’S FAMILY—BELIEVED IN GOD 獄卒的家庭-信主
“He…ran in, and fell down trembling...
he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’”
(Acts 16:29–30)
29禁卒叫人拿燈來，就跳進去，戰戰兢兢的俯伏在保羅、西拉面前；
(徒 16：29-30)
Here was a man who, in a few short moments, faced death twice:
first from a great earthquake and second, by his own hand.
But exemplary behavior and fearless testimony from the Lord’s witnesses saved him,
first physically and second spiritually.
這裡有一個人，他在短短的幾分鐘之內，就兩次面臨死亡：
首先來自大地震的威脅，再來是用他自己的雙手自殺。
但是主耶和華見證人的模範行為和無畏的見證，拯救了他，
首先是拯救肉體，其次是拯救靈命。
The jailer had asked what he had to do to be saved.
When the answer came
– Believe on the Lord!
– the promised deliverance was not just for him but for his whole household.
So when he heard this, the jailer hastened to gather “all who were in his house”
to listen to Paul and Silas.
The event ends on a joyous note
—the jailer and his whole household rejoiced,
having all believed in the Lord and been immediately baptized[3].
獄卒發問，他必須要做什麼才能得救。
當聽到答案的時候
—相信主！
—所應許的拯救，不僅賜給他，也是為了他的全家。
獄卒聽到這話，連忙把“所有在他家裡的人”召集起來。
來聽保羅和西拉講道。
此次事件於歡樂語氣結束
—獄卒和他全家都歡欣鼓舞，
全都信了主，並且立刻受洗[3]。
Therein lies the first step towards building a blissful family of faith
—we must bring our whole family to believe in God.
要建立幸福有信仰家庭，其中的第一步是，
—我們必須要全家人信主。
The Best Gift 最好的賞賜
Most of us love our family and seek to provide the best for them
—education, leisure and all we can afford of life’s little luxuries.
But whatever “joy” we get out of these is often short-lived;
they are only useful while we are alive to enjoy them.
One day, inevitably,
the string of qualifications, huge house, well-padded bank account or luxurious holidays will cease to matter.
It is ironic that such things viewed by many as concrete goals worth toiling for are actually so ephemeral.
我們大多數人都愛自已的家人，並尋求供給他們最好的，
—教育、休閒和生活中一切我們所能負擔的的小奢侈。
但無論我們從中獲得任何“快樂”，往往都是短暫的。
它們只在我們活著時，享受它們才有用。
有一天，不可避免的，
一連串的資歷、巨大的房子、豐厚的銀行賬戶，或豪華的假期將不再重要。
很諷刺的是，這些事物被許多人認為是值得為之努力的具體目標，實際上是轉瞬即逝的。
In contrast, salvation is not “tangible”.
Yet it has true and eternal value
because it is about how a person turns from darkness to light,
from despair to hope and from eternal death to everlasting life.
相反，救恩不是“有形的”。
然而它具有真實和永恆的價值，
因為它是關於，人如何從黑暗轉向光明，
從絕望到希望，從永遠沉淪到永生。
… to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light,
and from the power of Satan to God,
that they may receive forgiveness of sins
and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.
(Acts 26:18)
18我差你到他們那裡去，要叫他們的眼睛得開，從黑暗中歸向光明，
從撒但權下歸向神；
又因信我，得蒙赦罪，
和一切成聖的人同得基業。
(徒 26：18)
Consider the jailer and his family post-baptism.
They were sitting down to a simple meal in their own familiar house
with two strangers whom they barely knew.
There weren’t any dramatic changes in physical circumstances,
but this whole family rejoiced because a great spiritual transformation had taken place.
God was in their midst.
Their hearts must have been filled with true contentment
as they reflected on the amazing turn of events which was evidence
that God has His beautiful will in all things.
想想洗禮後的獄卒和他的家人。
他們在自己熟悉的房子裡, 坐下來吃一頓簡單的飯
與兩個他們幾乎不認識的陌生人。
實際情況並沒有任何戲劇性的變化，
但全家人都很高興，因為發生了很大的屬靈轉變。
神就在他們中間。
他們的心中一定是充滿了真正的滿足，
當他們回想事情驚人的轉折時，這就是證明，
萬事萬物，神都有祂美好的旨意。
We may or may not be able to leave our families large monetary legacies,
but what all of us can definitely give them is an inheritance precious beyond compare
—Jesus and the hope of salvation.
When we do so, we shall experience the jailer’s joy.
我們可能會，也可能不會，給我們的家人留下大量的金錢遺產，
但我們大家絕對能給他們的是，一種無法比擬的寶貴遺產
—耶穌和救恩的盼望。
當我們這樣做的時候，就會體驗到獄卒的喜樂。
Sense of Urgency 急迫感
As the jailer listened to Paul and Silas,
he might have recognized the great irony
that he had really been the one under bondage all this while.
But through marvelous grace, he was now freed;
his utter despair was transformed to hope.
獄卒聽了保羅和西拉的話，
他可能已經意識到了巨大的諷刺，
這短短的時間內，他真的成為一個被束縛的人。
但由於奇妙的恩典，他現在被釋放了；
他徹底的絕望變成了盼望。
As responsible husband/father/son,
he was anxious and determined to share this tremendous experience with his family.
The Bible succinctly captures his sense of urgency:
作為負責任的丈夫/父親/兒子，
他急迫決心與家人分享這一驚人的體驗。
聖經簡潔地抓住了他的緊迫感：
Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes.
And immediately he and his family were baptized.
(Acts 16:32–34)
32他們就把主的道講給他和他全家的人聽。
33當夜，就在那時候，禁卒把他們帶去，洗他們的傷；他和屬乎他的人立時都受了洗。
(徒 16：32-34)
So often heard is the injunction
to share the gospel with our friends and relatives
that some of us might have become numb to its significance.
The reality is that they are in bondage!
Even worse, they will not know
that they are careening towards eternal condemnation if we don’t say or do anything.
經常聽到的就是禁令，
不能與我們的朋友和親戚分享福音，
我們中有一些人，可能對它的重要性已經麻木了。
現實是他們被束縛了！
更糟的是，他們不會知道，
如果我們不說，或不作任何行動，他們就會偏斜走向永恆的譴責。
As our family members are always around us,
we may think that there will always be time.
We excuse our procrastination
—e.g., we did not want to ruin the dinner atmosphere by bringing up the topic of religion, etc.
We comfort ourselves with the Bible’s words that there is a time for everything.
Days into weeks into years,
and suddenly when our family member falls seriously ill
but has yet to believe, we panic!
正如同家人總是在我們身邊，
我們可能認為總會有時間。
我們原諒自已的拖延
—例如，我們不想因為說到宗教等話題，來破壞晚餐氣氛。
我們用聖經的話安慰自己，凡事都有定期。
日子一多變成好幾個星期，到後來就拖了好幾年，
突然，當我們的家人病重的時候，
但還沒有信主，我們就恐慌了！
Hence, we must constantly place this thought before ourselves:
Our family members can only look forward to receiving eternal life along with us
if they believe in God and receive forgiveness of their sins.
If they remain in the dark dungeons of sin and die in their iniquity[4],
we will have to be accountable[5].
因此，我們必須不斷地把這個想法，擺在自己面前：
我們的家人只能期待與我們一起獲得永生，
如果他們信主，並得到赦罪。
如果他們停留在罪的黑暗地牢中，並死於自已的罪孽[4]，
我們就必須承擔責任[5]。
Perseverance and Wisdom 毅力和智慧
Sometimes we may feel that
leading our family members to believe in Christ is easier said than done.
We have tried but have been rejected many times.
We have prayed but nothing has changed over all the years.
The jailer’s behavior is not just a lesson on honing our sense of urgency
but also reminds us to persevere.
有時我們可能會覺得，
帶領家人信耶穌，說起來容易做起來難。
我們嘗試過但多次，但都被拒絕了。
我們有禱告，但多年來都沒有任何改變。
獄卒的行為不僅僅是訓練我們緊迫感的課程，
也提醒我們要堅持下去。
While the other prisoners were listening to Paul and Silas singing hymns to praise God,
the jailer had fallen asleep[6].
But the crisis in his life literally shook him up;
it brought him trembling before the disciples,
and subsequently opened the way for God’s word to be preached to him and his family.
Another critical factor was Paul and Silas’ response to the earthquake.
They chose to stay.
Paul chose to speak up when the jailer was about to kill himself.
當其他囚犯聽到保羅西拉唱詩讚美神的時候，
獄卒睡著了[6]。
但他生命中的危機確確實實嚇壞了他。
這使他在門徒面前戰兢顫抖，
隨後為傳福音給他和家人開路。
另一個關鍵因素是，保羅與西拉對地震的反應。
他們選擇留下來。
當獄卒將要自殺時，保羅選擇了出聲。
Analogously, our family members may be more open to Christ
in times of sickness, career setbacks or other personal difficulties.
But we need to know how to use these opportunities to bring the gospel to them.
Think of ways to share our personal faith with them.
Be ready in season and out of season to preach to them,
be it through word or our exemplary behavior[7].
類似地，我們的家人在生病、事業受挫或其他個人困難的時候，
可能特別容易接受基督。
但我們需要知道，如何利用這些時機，將福音傳給他們。
想辦法與他們分享自已的個人信仰。
隨時準備好向他們傳道，
無論是通過文字，還是我們的好行為[7]。
Things went quite smoothly for the jailer
as his family willingly accepted the gospel and their midnight baptism.
However, some believers may continue to face objection from their families after conversion.
Their dilemma is whether to lie in order to come to church in peace,
or to tell the truth and be rebuked or even abused.
The Lord Himself has warned us that His gospel would divide families[8].
He also instructs us to take up the cross[9] by manifesting Christian virtues;
this includes telling the truth about all aspects of our faith.
By choosing to lie, we seem to have solved our problem temporarily;
but we are in fact taking matters into our hand,
and acting according to our own will[10].
In contrast, if we choose to be honest,
we are entrusting our difficulty and suffering to Him
and providing Him with the opportunity to work even more wonders in our life.
獄卒的事情進展得很順利，
因為他的家人樂意接受福音，並且三更半夜接受洗禮。
然而，一些信徒信主後，可能會繼續面臨家人的反對。
他們的兩難是，是否為了平安來教堂而說謊，
或者說真相，被斥責甚至受辱罵。
主耶穌親自警告我們，祂的福音會分裂家庭[8]。
祂還指示我們，表現基督徒的美德[9]來背起十字架；
這包括，我們講述信仰各個方面的真理。
若選擇撒謊，我們似乎暫時解決了自已的問題；
但實際上，我們正把事情放到自已手中，
並按照自己的意願行事[10]。
相反，如果我們選擇誠實，
我們把自已的困難和苦難交託給神，
並讓祂有機會在我們的生活中創造更多神蹟。
Our Lord is merciful and faithful[11],
and knows exactly what we are going through,
especially in this respect,
since His own earthly family was also initially non-believing[12].
He won them over by His truth, love and ultimate sacrifice.
我們的主是慈愛信實的[11]，
並且完全知道我們正在經歷什麼情況，
尤其是這方面，
因為祂自己世上的家人，最初也是不信的[12]。
祂用自已的真理、愛心和最後的犧牲，贏得他們。
So entreat God to give us the wisdom to seize each opportunity to save our families’ souls;
ask the Lord to help us to persevere and to meet every rebuke with patience and forgiveness.
We cannot afford to give up in this worthy quest for it is a matter of spiritual life and death.
所以懇求神賜予我們智慧，能抓住每一個機會拯救自已家人的靈魂；
求主幫助我們堅持下去，以耐心寬恕面對每一次的責備。
我們損失不起放棄這個高價值的追求，因為這關乎屬靈的生死。
Resolution 決心
For those “born into the TJC”, our baptism in infancy makes us freed men.
It would be utter tragedy if we voluntarily renounced this status,
put our families and ourselves into prison and fastened our feet in stocks!
對於那些“出生於真耶穌教會”的人來說，我們嬰儿時期的洗禮，使我們獲得了自由。
如果我們自願放棄這個身份，那將是徹底的悲慘，
把我們的家逞和自己捆綁起來，把我們的腳銬起來！
When it is time to set up our own families,
we should not ignore the constant exhortation to marry in the Lord.
Once we follow our heart instead of our faith and marry a non-believer,
we do not want to jeopardize marital bliss by bringing up the sensitive topic of religion.
So we make little or no further attempt to convert our spouse.
當需要建立自己家庭的時候，
我們不應該忽視不停的勸勉，要在主裡結婚。
一旦我們跟隨自已的內心，而不是追隨信仰，並嫁給一個沒信主的人，
我們就不會想，因為提出敏感的宗教話題，而來危害婚姻的幸福。
所以我們很少嘗試，或根本沒有進一步的動作，試圖改變我們配偶的信仰。
We should never think,
“I can always bring him/her to church after marriage.
He/she will love me so much, he/she won’t refuse.”
For the many cases of successful “marry-first-convert-later”,
there are just as many,
if not more,
“marry-first-lost-later”.
我們永遠不要想，
“結婚後我常常可以帶他/她來教會。
他/她會很愛我，所以他/她不會拒絕。”
對於許多成功的“先結婚後信主”的案例，
如果沒有那麼多的話，同樣有很多，
是“先結婚，以後迷失的”。
We should never think,
“You worship at your church,
I’ll worship at mine”
(or “You worship your God and I worship mine”).
It may morph into
“We worship together at TJC on Saturday,
and at your church on Sunday”
and eventually, if we are not careful, we will give in and say,
“Let’s just worship at your church”!
我們永遠不該想，
“你去你的宗教禮拜，
我到我的教會敬拜”
（或是“你拜你的神，我拜我的神”）。
它可能會演變成，
“週六我們在真耶穌教會一起禮拜，
週日去你的教會”，
最終，如果我們不小心的話，就會屈服並說出，
“讓我們去你的教會敬拜就好”！
We should never think that
“whole family in the Lord” means
we can marry Christians from any other denomination.
If we do, we are just deluding ourselves;
we are placing not only ourselves, but also our children in danger of losing salvation.
我們千萬不要認為
“全家信主”是指，
我們可以嫁娶給任何其他教派的基督徒。
如果我們這樣做，就只是在自欺欺人；
我們不僅將自己置於險境，也將自已的子女置於失去救恩的危險之中。
For true family bliss,
we must learn from Moses’ insistence on having the whole family worship together.
When Pharaoh attempted time and again to get Moses to compromise on who could leave Egypt,
Moses was adamant:
為了真正的家庭幸福，
我們必須學習摩西，堅持全家人一起敬拜的做法。
當法老一次一次地試探摩西妥協，決定誰可以離開埃及，
摩西堅定地說：
“We will go with our young and with our old;
with our sons and our daughters,
with our flocks and our herds we will go,
for we must hold a feast to the Lord.”
(Ex 10:9)
9摩西說：我們要和我們老的少的、
兒子女兒同去，
且把羊群牛群一同帶去，
因為我們務要向耶和華守節。
(出 10：9)
This will not be an easy resolution to make and maintain.
But for salvation’s sake, we must.
The jailer freed his family.
Let us not imprison ours.
這是很不容易下決心的，而且要維持下去。
但為了救恩的原故，我們必須要這樣做。
獄卒解放了他的家人。
讓我們不要囚禁自已的家人。
3 LESSONS FROM THE JAILER 獄卒的教訓
·DO FREE OUR FAMILIES
要真的解脫我們的家
·Knowing Jesus and His salvation is the best gift we can bring to our family.
Have a sense of urgency about preaching to them.
·認識耶穌和祂的救恩，是我們給家人最好的禮物。
要感到急迫向他們傳道。
·DO PERSEVERE
堅持不懈
·Preaching Jesus and His salvation may be difficult.
Pray for wisdom to seize opportunities.
Move them by your exemplary conduct.
·傳講耶穌和糸的救恩可能很困難。
祈求神賜智慧能抓住機會。
用你模範的行為來感動他們。
·DO NOT LOSE YOUR OWN FREEDOM
不要失去你的自由
·Rely on God in matters of marriage.
Resolve to marry in the Lord so as to keep our family in Christ.
·在婚姻問題上依靠神。
立志在主裡結婚，以使我們的家庭保守在基督裡。
[1] Neh 3:23, 28, 30 尼 3：23，28，30
[2] Eph 5:22–6:4 弗 5：22-6：4
[3] Acts 16:33–34 徒 16：33-34
[4] Ezek 3:17–18 結 3：17-18
[5] 1 Cor 9:16–17 林前 9：16-17
[6] Acts 16:25, 27 徒 16：25，27
[7] 2 Tim 4:2, 5 提後 4：2，5
[8] Mt 10:34–36 太 10：34-36
[9] Mt 10:37–38 太 10：37-38
[10] cf. 1 Sam 13:11–14 參考，撒上 13：11-14
[11] Heb 2:17–18 來 2：17-18
[12] Jn 7:5; Mk 3:21 約 7：5：可 3：21
Four Families in the Apostolic Church
Four Families in the Apostolic Church (I): The Jailer’s Family
Four Families in the Apostolic Church (II): Cornelius' Family
Four Families in the Apostolic Church (III): Philip's Family
使徒教會的四個家庭
使徒教會的四個家庭(一)獄卒的家庭
使徒教會的四個家庭(二)哥尼流的家庭
使徒教會的四個家庭(三)腓利的家庭
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
歡迎主內同靈來信加入翻譯
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