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Manna issue 76 - The Workers in Acts 使徒行傳的工人

The brave and zealous spirit of the workers in the early church.

早期教會工人的勇敢和火熱的精神

Steven Shek—Edinburgh, U.K. 英國艾丁堡 石文彬弟兄

As we read the Book of Acts, we
notice the remarkable spirit of
God’s servants. The ministry of
these workers is defined by their
courage, conviction and power in
the Spirit, and also by their humility
and willingness to learn. The spirit
in which the early church served the
Lord stands as a guide for our own
ministry today. In this article, we will
look at the attitude of three early
workers, Peter, Paul and Apollos,
whom we should seek to emulate.

當我們讀使徒行傳的時候，我們會注意到，神的僕人有另人敬佩的精神。
這些工人傳福音與眾不同的地方，就是勇氣十足，有堅定的信仰，並且靠著聖靈的能力四處施行神蹟，
並且他們是十分的謙卑，樂意去學習。
早期教會服事神的精神，對今日我們的福音事工而言，是一個很好的指引。
在本篇文章裡，我們會來查考三位早期的工人，彼得，保羅和阿波羅，他們是我們來效法的對象。

BOLDNESS TO SPEAK THE TRUTH 放膽講論神的直理

After Jesus’ death, Peter was among
the disciples who hid behind closed
doors for fear of the Jews. However,
after he saw the resurrected Christ,
witnessed His ascension, and received
the promised Holy Spirit (Lk 24:50–
53; Jn 20:19; Acts 2:1–4), his heart
was changed. He received a heart of
boldness, which enabled him to go
out and tell the whole world about
the truth.

耶穌死後，彼得是眾多門徒的其中之一，因為害怕猶太人，而躲在緊閉的大門之後。
然而，在他看到基督的復活之後，見証耶穌昇天，並且領受了應許的聖靈(加 24：50-53，約 20：19；徒 2：1-4)，他的心就改變了。
他有一個剛強勇敢的心，讓他可以走出去，向全世界宣揚真理。

After he received the gift of the
Holy Spirit, Peter immediately began
to preach Jesus in Jerusalem. He
boldly stood up with the eleven and
preached to the devout Jews who
were gathered from every nation
under heaven (Acts 2:14). In that
sermon, Peter confidently told them
that Jesus, whom they had killed with
“lawless hands,” was the Christ they
had all been waiting for (Acts 2:22–
23).

他領受了聖靈之後，彼得立刻就開始在耶路撒冷傳耶穌。
他大膽地和11位使徒一起站起來，向虔誠的猶太人傳福音，而這些猶太人是從普天之下的每一國，一起聚集到這裡來。(徒 2：14)

With all good conscience, Peter
unreservedly proclaimed what he and
others had seen: that the same Jesus
who had died had truly resurrected.
He told them, “This Jesus God raised
up, of which we are all witnesses”
(Acts 2:32). You can feel the truth
running through Peter as he recounts
Jesus’ ascension, not withholding any
details (Acts 2:33).

彼得心懷著他全部的良心，毫無保留的大聲宣揚，他和其他人一起見証的事：
同一個耶穌，他不但死去，也真的再度復活。
他告訴他們，"32這耶穌，神已經叫他復活了，我們都為這事作見證"。 (徒 2：32)
你可以感覺到，當彼得在敘述耶穌復活昇天的時候，真理就透過他的傳達，並沒有保留任何細節。(徒 2：33)

Then Peter, filled with wisdom and
conviction through the Holy Spirit,
testified that this exalted Jesus was
the One who had poured out the
Holy Spirit upon them, proving that
Jesus is Lord and Christ. It was the
fulfillment of what God had said
through Joel: “I will pour out My
Spirit on all flesh” (Acts 2:17). The
Jews could not deny the truth, as
they believed that there is only one
Lord and the Lord is one (Deut 6:4);
they were cut to the heart. This
happened because God’s Spirit had
inspired Peter to boldly preach the
gospel (Mt 10:20; Lk 12:12).

然後，彼得因為聖靈充滿，變得有智慧且非常堅定的相信，來作見証，那位已經升上高天的耶穌，
就是如今把聖靈澆灌給大家的神，並且見証耶穌是神，也是基督。
這就應驗了神藉著先知約珥說："我要將我的靈澆灌凡有血氣的。"(徒 2：17)
猶太人無法否認真理，因為他們相信，只有一位神，而且神只有一位(申 6：4)；
這些話被刻在他們的心上。
會發生這種事，是因為神的靈已經感動彼得，所以他能勇敢的傳福音。(太 10：20；路 12：12)

In the end time, the True Jesus
Church needs members, especially
youths, who are more than just
acquainted with a few verses of
Scripture that outline the basic
beliefs. We need more people who
are strongly grounded in their faith,
with full conviction and courage
to share the truth. For only when
the truth is boldly proclaimed can
people have the opportunity to hear
and choose to follow it to salvation.
So, if you do not know, ask. If you
know a bit, increase it, and share. The
more you know, the wider the scope
of people to whom you can convey
the truth. Let us therefore learn from
Peter’s spirit of conviction and equip
ourselves with a deeper knowledge
of the truth so that we, too, may be
able to boldly preach the gospel.

在末後的日子裡，真耶穌教會需要信徒，特別是年輕人，不是只能熟悉幾節聖經，而且充滿聖經的知識，讓人能夠了解基本的信仰。
我們需要有更多的人，他們都能夠在信仰上站立得穩，能夠完全堅定的相信神，並且有勇氣來向別人分享真理。
只有當真理被人勇敢的四處傳揚，人們才會有機會聽到神的話，並且選擇來相信，跟隨這個得救之道。

UNRELENTING—TO MOVE FORWARD AND BEYOND 不屈不撓 - 往前行到遠方

Unlike Peter, Paul had always been
a courageous person. So, as a new
convert, he took up his newfound
faith with great zeal:
Immediately he preached the Christ
in the synagogues, that He is the
Son of God.
(Acts 9:20)

保羅不像彼得，一直以來，他都是一個很勇敢的人。
所以，他剛成為一個新信主的信徒，馬上就極度熱心地接納了這個新發現的信仰。
20就在各會堂裡宣傳耶穌，說他是神的兒子。(徒 9：20)

He was not ashamed to tell
everyone that he had been wrong
and that Jesus is the Christ (Acts
9:22). Even when faced with possible
death, Paul carried on speaking
boldly and disputed with those who
held on to the erroneous beliefs that
he himself had previously shared
(Acts 9:29). In his ministry, Paul met
with many more hardships: he was
expelled from a city (Acts 13:50–51),
stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19),
and even faced disputes within the
church (Acts 15:1–5). Yet he never
once gave up; he continued boldly
to go where Jesus sent Him. He was
armed with the mission Jesus had
given him, for Jesus had said: “[H]e
is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My
name before Gentiles, kings and the
children of Israel. For I will show him
how many things he must suffer for
My name’s sake” (Acts 9:15–16). In
addition, Jesus personally told Paul,
“Depart, for I will send you far from
here to the Gentiles” (Acts 22:21).
So, despite having to brave the
tempestuous sea and being bitten
by a poisonous viper, Paul continued
preaching, even to Rome (Acts
28:14–16).

他並不恥於向每一個人說，過去他作錯了，耶穌才是救世主，基督。(徒 9：22)
即使要面對可能臨到的死亡威脅，保羅還是繼續大膽的宣揚福音，並且和那些堅持錯誤信仰的人爭辯，他自已以前也同樣相信這些錯誤的信仰。(徒 9：29)
他傳福音的工作中，保羅也遇到許多苦難：他曾經被人驅逐出城(徒13：50-51)，被別人丟石頭，直到他好像死了(徒 14：19)，甚至在教會裡面，也要面對許多論斷。
然而，他重來沒有一次去放棄；繼續大膽地往耶穌要他去的地方走。
他被耶穌裝備了所給他的任務，因為耶穌曾經說：
15他是我所揀選的器皿，要在外邦人和君王，並以色列人面前宣揚我的名。
16我也要指示他，為我的名必須受許多的苦難。(徒 9：15-16)
除此之外，耶穌更親自告訴他，你去罷！我要差你遠遠的往外邦人那裡去。(徒22：21)
所以，雖然要勇敢去面對暴風雨，或是被致命的毒蛇咬到，保羅依然持續傳揚福音，甚至一路傳到羅馬去。(徒 28：14-16)

Paul’s life illustrates what kind of
spirit we need to have if we are to
complete our mission in the end time:
we need to have Paul’s unrelenting
drive to fulfill the will of the Lord!

在末後的日子，保羅的一生就是最好的例子，讓我們知道要用什麼樣的精神去面對前面的挑戰：
我們一定要有像保羅一樣，不屈不撓的動力，來完成主的旨意。

Today, there are many brothers
and sisters in our church who have
made sacrifices to join in the mission
to spread the gospel. Partnering with
preachers and other volunteers, they
encounter challenges that they could
have avoided if they had stayed in
the comfort of their homes. Yet they
continue to go to distant countries,
braving hardships and giving what
they have to those deprived of the
true gospel. Their testimonies serve
as an example for us to follow, but
also as our encouragement.
今日，我們教會有許多弟兄和姐妹，他們都犧牲自已加入事工，來傳揚福音。
有些人和傳道者合作，有些人獻身為志工，他們都會遇到許多挑戰，若是他們只留在他們自已舒適的家中，這些困難都不會遇到。
然而，他們繼續跑去許多遙遠的國家，勇敢面對困難，對於那些還沒有領受純正福音的人，他們盡自已的所能把自已所知福音的告訴那些人。
他們的見証，對我們來說，就是非常值得效法的模範，同時對我們也是一種鼓勵。

All of us need to have the vision
that the True Jesus Church is not
limited to the boundary of our own
local church. Our home church is
like a member of the whole body of
Christ. The body of Christ is made
up of members and congregations
throughout the world. Some areas
have plenty of workers to look after
the churches there. Churches in other
areas require many more workers to
go the extra mile in order to minister
to them, so that they can one day
stand up, be self-sufficient, know the
truth and pass it on. Why not pray
for the heart to go forward? Why
not let the love of God compel us
to move beyond what we are used
to, week-in week-out? Why not rely
on God and let Him show us His
grace working in those to whom we
minister the truth?

我們全部都要有遠見，真耶穌教會並不只有侷限在我們自已當地教會的範圍而已。
我們所屬的教會，只不過是基督整個身體的一個肢體。
基督身體是由所有世界各地的信徒和會眾所組成的。
有一些地方，會有許多的工人來照顧那裡的教會。
在其他地方的教會，會需要更多的工人，多走幾哩路，這樣才可以牧養他們，這麼一來，
有一天他們才可以靠自已的力量站起來，能夠自已自足，了解直理，並且把它傳承下去。
何不為了讓我們的心能夠往前多走一些路來傳福音，而多多禱告呢？
何不讓神的愛來驅使我們前進，花幾個星期到遠方那些我們還不熟悉的地方去呢？
何不依賴神，讓祂動工，施展祂的恩典給那些我們想要傳福音給他們聽的人呢？

STAND CORRECTED, BUT STAND STRONGER 不但要虛心接受指正，而且還要變得更加勇敢

Another notable worker recorded in
Acts is Apollos; he was no ordinary
Jewish convert. He possessed qualities
that many would be glad to have. He
was eloquent. He was well-versed in
the Scriptures, which meant that he
had a substantial understanding of
the Bible. He was instructed in the
way of the Lord, which also indicated
that he must have spent time to
learn the truth. He must have gained
awareness of what the Scriptures
said about Christ and how it had
been fulfilled. No one would doubt
Apollos’ credentials as a speaker of
God’s word. He did not speak off-the-
cuff but made sure what he said
was accurate; as far as he could,
Apollos did his homework (Acts
18:25). Although he had just started
out, “he began to speak boldly in the
synagogue” (Acts 18:26a). When
a person speaks boldly, he must be
confident that his knowledge is true
and complete.

而另一個記載在使徒行傳，值得注意的工人就是亞波羅；他並不是一個普通的信主猶太人。
他身上有一些特質，是我們許多人都很想要有的。就是他的口才很好。
他也很熟悉聖經裡面的經文，這就代表著，他對聖經的內容有根本上的了解。
他從小就遵造神的指示接受教導，這也代表，他一定花了不少時間來學習真理。
他一定有得到聖經對記載了基督的事蹟，和祂如何成全神的旨意，有一些的了解。
所以一定不會有人，對亞波羅身為神代言人的權柄，會有所懷疑。
他所說出的道理並不是隨便說的，而是已經確定過，他們說的事是正確的；
只要他作得到的話，亞波羅都先作好他事前的功課(徒 18：25)。
雖然他只是剛剛才開始，"他在會堂裡放膽講道"(徒 18：26a)。
當一個人能夠大膽說話，他一定是對自已很有信心，確定他的知識是真理，也是完全的。

Imagine you were Apollos. You are
fervent in spirit (Acts 18:25), but then
Aquila and Priscilla, a couple who are
merely tentmakers by occupation
(Acts 18:3), hear you preaching
and take you aside to correct you
(Acts 18:26b). How would you feel?
Apollos could have felt so ashamed
that he dared not speak again for
fear of getting it wrong. Or he could
have become angry because of pride,
ignored the couple’s good intentions,
and continued to spread incomplete
teachings of salvation. But rather than
having a defeatist attitude, Apollos
stood corrected and stood stronger:
“And when he desired to cross to
Achaia...he greatly helped those who
had believed through grace; for he
vigorously refuted the Jews publicly,
showing from the Scriptures that
Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 18:27–28).

想像，若你是亞波羅。
你的內心很火熱(徒 18：25)，然後有一對夫婦叫作亞居拉和百基拉(普莉西拉)，他們的工作不過只是會作帳棚而已(徒 18：3)，
聽到了你在宣傳福音，就把你帶到旁邊去，想要來糾正你(徒 18：26b)。
你會怎麼想呢？
亞波羅或許可能會感到丟臉，接下來他很有可能就不敢再一次去傳道，因為會害怕再一次又說錯了。
或是他有可能生氣，因為他有自尊，就會忽略這對夫婦的好意，而接著去傳他不完全的救贖之道。
但是，他不但沒有一種被打敗的態度，亞波羅接受別人的糾正，而變得更加勇敢：
27他想要往亞該亞去，弟兄們就勉勵他，並寫信請門徒接待他（或作：弟兄們就寫信勸門徒接待他）。他到了那裡，多幫助那蒙恩信主的人，
28在眾人面前極有能力駁倒猶太人，引聖經證明耶穌是基督。
(徒 18：27-28)

In the end time, the future pillars
of the church must progress to
face the challenges that lie ahead.
Having the heart and fervency is a
great start. Studying the Bible and
equipping ourselves with God’s word
and spiritual understanding is crucial
to say the least. But, incorporated
with that sense of urgency should be
a humble spirit and the willingness
to receive correction. To receive
correction is part and parcel of
our service to the Lord. Peter was
corrected. Paul was corrected.
Jeremiah was corrected. Moses was
corrected. Being corrected is not
easy to take. However, if our heart
is sincere for God, we will cut away
and cut through how the correction
makes us feel, and grasp its immense
value for our continual service for
God and the next generation.

在末日的時候，教會未來的棟樑，一定要經歷過在他們面前的挑戰。
具備一顆火熱的心，就是一個好的開始。
退一步來說，研讀聖經，把神的話裝備在我們身上，明白各種屬靈的知識是很重要的。
但是和這股急迫感伴隨在一起的，應該是有一個謙卑的心，並且樂意接受別人的指教。
要能夠接受別人的指教，也是我們服事主工作的一部份，是跟含在服事主裡面。
彼得被糾正。
保羅被糾正。
耶利米被糾正。
摩西被糾正。
被糾正不是那麼容易就可以接受的。
然而，若是我們有一顆對神真誠的心，我們就會拋棄那些不好的感覺，讓那些對我們的指教可以進入心中。
去抓住隱藏在其中所包含的巨大價值，為主，以及為了下一代，可以繼續我們的事奉。

So, let us become noble vessels
for the Lord, ready to be filled
with God’s truth as we gain more
experience. As we grow and mature
in our ministry, we will gradually
learn to serve according to the spirit
of Jesus’ teachings, for the glory of
His name. Eventually we may share
our knowledge and experiences with
future generations of workers.

所以，讓我們為主成為貴重的器皿，當我們得到更多的經驗時，就能夠準備好去完成神的真理。
當我們在服事的工作上，逐漸成長，變得成熟，就會學會根據耶穌教導的精神，來服事主，一切都為了榮耀主的名。
最後，我們要把自已的知識和經驗，來和下一代的工人作分享。

CONCLUSION 結論

Let us learn from these three workers
in Acts: Peter, Paul and Apollos. May
we follow their footsteps to have
the conviction to share the truth, to
continuously carry the truth to regions
beyond in the face of challenges, and
to come clean when corrected so that
God may use us. Amen.

讓我們來向這三個使徒行傳的工作來學習：彼得，保羅和亞波羅。
讓我們跟隨他們的腳蹤，有堅定的信心來分享真理，繼續帶著真理到遙遠的地方，來面對許多挑戰，
當受到教導的時候，可以完全坦白接受，這麼一來，神才會來使用我們。阿們。

小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com