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Manna issue 70 - Beware Satan's Old Trick— Sowing Discord 小心撒旦的老把戲 - 種下不合

Philip Shee—Dubai, UAE 阿聯酋杜拜 許腓力執事

“If a kingdom is divided against itself,
that kingdom cannot stand. And if a
house is divided against itself, that
house cannot stand” (Mk 3:24–25).
While Jesus made this remark in
defense against the accusations of the
scribes, it reflects an underlying truth:
“Though one may be overpowered
by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly
broken” (Eccl 4:12). The importance
of unity amongst God’s people is easy
to comprehend. However, as much
as we appreciate this and strive to
unite in faith and service to the Lord,
building on the foundation of love,
Satan often seeks to weaken this
foundation of love, sowing discord to
destroy the unity among us.

24若一國自相分爭，那國就站立不住；
25若一家自相分爭，那家就站立不住。(可 3：24-25)
正當耶穌作了回應，面對文士的控告來為自已辯護，
卻反射出其中的真理：
12有人攻勝孤身一人，若有二人便能敵擋他；三股合成的繩子不容易折斷。(傳 4：12)
神子民中要合一的重要性，是很容易為人了解的。
然而，儘管我們同意這一點，努力在信仰上聯合，來服事主，建立愛的根基，
撒旦卻常常尋索機會來弱化這個愛的根基，並撒下不同的火苗，要在我們中間破壞和諧。

GUARD THE UNITY AND LOVE IN OUR FAMILIES 小心我們家裡的合一和愛

A Christian family united in love
can accomplish much for the Lord
and bring much encouragement
to others. Such family units are the
building blocks of a strong, united
and glorious church. Consequently,
as we build up our families in the
Lord and serve Him as family units,
we must exercise extra vigilance and
guard against Satan’s attempts to
taint the love among family members
and sow discord within the family.

用愛聯合的基督家庭，可以為主完成許多事，帶給別人很多鼓勵。
這樣的家庭單位，就是一個堅強，合一，榮耀教會的堅硬磚塊。
因此，當我們在主裡建立自已家庭，以家庭為單位來服事神的時候，
我們一定要特別警醒，防備撒旦的鬼計，他想破壞家人之間的愛，在家中撒下不和的種子。

The story of Adam and Eve is
frequently quoted during Christian
wedding services to depict the pure
and deep love between spouses.
“This is the bone of my bones and
flesh of my flesh” (Gen 3:23).
Adam’s spontaneous remark when
Eve was first brought before him is
probably one of the most touching
descriptions a man could make to
express his feeling for his wife. His
love for Eve was way beyond just
skin deep. If his entire physical being
constituted the collection of his
bones wrapped beneath his flesh,
then he certainly did not see Eve as
just an ordinary part of himself. But
as bone of all his bones, and flesh of
all his flesh, he loved her as the most
precious and an indispensable part
of himself. As bone of his bones and
flesh of his flesh, there was no way
he could have loved himself without
first loving her even more. Such love
was selfless, as he deemed his spouse
more precious than himself. This
union was instituted by God with the
intention for man to be fruitful and
multiply and fill the earth with godly
people (Gen 1:28; Mal 2:15). By this,
God was to be glorified, and His
very nature of love would have been
manifested in man.

每當有基督徒婚禮的時候，亞當夏娃的故事常常被談到，
用來描寫配偶之間純潔深刻的愛。
這是我骨中的骨，肉中的肉。(創 2：23)
當夏娃第一次被帶他面前的時候，亞當立刻有了反應，
很可能就是一個男人可以表達之中，用來表示他對妻子的感覺，一種最令人感動的述說方式。
他對夏娃的愛，已經遠遠超越膚淺的程度。
若他的肉體是由整組骨架組合而成，並且包覆在血肉之內，
那麼他一定沒有把夏娃當成自已身體中很普通的一部份。
但是身為他的骨中骨，肉中肉，他完全沒辨法只愛自已，而且只能先更加愛她。
這種的情況是一種無私的愛，因為他認為自已的配偶是比自已更加珍貴。
這個組合是由神安排而成的，用意就是要讓人多子多孫，生養眾多，有敬虔的子孫充滿地上。
(創 1：28；瑪 2：15)
藉由這樣，神就得到榮耀，可以在人身上彰顯祂獨有愛的特質。

Unfortunately, this bond of love did
not last very long as Satan promptly
started his work to taint the love
between Adam and Eve. When they
fell to sin through their disobedience
to God’s instruction, selfless love gave
way to selfishness. When questioned
by God, Adam did not shoulder
the responsibility but was quick to
deflect the blame to Eve. Eve’s status
as “bone of my bones and flesh of
my flesh” was promptly relegated to
an impersonal and debased status of
“the woman whom You gave to be
with me” (Gen 3:12).

不幸的是，這個愛的聯合並沒有持續非常久，
撒旦立刻他的工作來破壞亞當夏娃之間的愛。
當他們沒有遵守神的命令而犯了罪，無私的愛向自私的心屈服了。
當神在質問他們的時候，亞當並沒有背負起自已的責任，
而是馬上把過錯推給夏娃。
夏娃"骨中骨，肉中肉"的身份，馬上被降級成一種非人且貶低的狀態，
被說成好像與亞當無關，
你所賜給我與我同居的女人。(創 3：12)

When Christian couples first
exchange marriage vows in
church, the bond between them is
undoubtedly similar to that between
Adam and Eve when she was first
brought before him. Nevertheless,
it is not uncommon to see even
Christian couples’ relationships
wane over time. This is often due
to differences that surface with time
or intolerance over character flaws
that were previously camouflaged
or conveniently overlooked.
While they may physically remain
together out of basic fear for God,
Satan successfully blemished the
love between them. Undoubtedly,
Christian couples ending in this state
are negatively affected in both their
faith and their service to God. This
provides an important reminder to
Christian couples to make special
effort to nurture their relationships, to
endeavor to have God remain as the
foundation of their relationship and
not to give Satan any opportunity to
plant any seed of discord between
them.

當基督徒夫婦在教會交換結婚盟誓的時候，
他們之間的連結毫無疑問和亞當夏娃的連結一樣，由其是當夏娃第一次被帶到亞當面前的時候。
雖然如此，甚至會看到基督夫婦關係，隨著時間的原故而減弱，也不是一種不平常的情況。
這些情況常常因為隨著時間，而浮現了彼此之間的差異，
或是因為性格上的缺失無法彼此容忍，但之前因為偽裝的原故，或是特意忽略的。
雖然他們可能因為原本敬畏神的心，仍然住在一起，
但撒旦已經成功污染了他們之間的愛。
毫無疑問地，基督徒夫婦到最後若成為這個情況，
就會對他們的信仰和服事神，有負面的影響。
這對基督徒夫婦就是一種很重要的提醒，
要特別努力來滋養彼此的關係，努力讓神成為他們關係之間的基礎，
而不是給撒旦機會，把不和的種子撒在彼此之間。

By the wonderful arrangement of
God, the siblings, Aaron, Miriam,
and Moses were blessed with the
opportunity of serving God together,
playing the critical role of leading His
people in the journey through the
wilderness. While they had worked
well together for some time and
undoubtedly loved and cared for one
another, strangely, there came a time
when Aaron and Miriam partnered
to turn against Moses. They spoke
against Moses and were quick to find
faults with him. They criticized His
marriage with the Ethiopian woman.
They questioned his authority, and
reasoned that God had also spoken
through them and not just through
Moses (Num 12:1–2).

藉由神奇妙的安排，亞倫、米利暗和摩西，他們手足都受到神的祝福，
有機會一起服事神，在帶領百姓通過曠野的旅程中，扮演重要的角色。
正當他們完美配合一起工作的時候，毫無疑問地，會互相愛護關心對方，
然而奇怪的是，有一次亞倫和米利暗轉而一起對付摩西。
他們說摩西壞話，而且很快就針對他的缺點。
他們因為衣索比亞女人的原故，批評他的婚姻。
他們質疑他的權柄，推斷說，
神也會透過他們來說話，並不是只有透過摩西而已。

It is not obvious what wrong Moses
had done to trigger such adverse
change and senseless hostility from
his siblings given that “he was very
humble, more than all men who
were on the face of the earth”
(Num 12:3). However, this discord
between the siblings threatened
the work of God, as it could have
compromised the great partnership
among them. It would weaken their
ability to stand before the people as
positive examples of a godly family.
It could also have created confusion
and triggered a division among the
people. God’s reaction reinforced
Moses’ innocence, which thankfully,
triggered Aaron and Miriam’s
repentance.

我們不清楚摩西作了什麼錯事，而引發了這麼敵對的改變，
毫無理由的敵意來自於親人，雖說，
3摩西為人極其謙和，勝過世上的眾人。(民 12：3)
然而，這次兄弟姐妹之間的不和，威脅到神的工作。
因為這件事有可能破壞了他們之間完美的合作關係。
會弱化他們站在百姓面前的能力，影響到身為神同在家庭的正面典範。
也可能在百姓之中，產生混亂，引起分裂。
神的反應再次強調了摩西是無辜的，
讓人很感謝的是，這讓亞倫和米利暗懂得悔改。

The incident further reminds us
that we are vulnerable to dissension.
Although Aaron and Miriam were not
evil, unfaithful to God or unloving
to Moses, they were senselessly
caught up in initiating the dispute.
Christian families fervent in serving
God together must pay even more
attention to this. Satan attacked the
family of Moses, of David and many
others. It is not unlikely for the same
trick to be applied to us.

這個事件進一步提醒我們，我對各種紛爭是難以防備的。
雖然亞倫和米利暗並不壞，也不是對神不忠心，更沒有不愛摩西，
他們不知不覺之中卻被抓到引起了這個糾紛。
基督徒的家庭很熱心一起服事神，一定要更加注意這一點。
撒旦攻擊摩西的家庭，大衛的家，及其他許多人的家。
用同樣的技倆放在我們身上，這種情況不是不可能的。

Therefore, as we serve God
together as a family, we must be
constantly on our guard against
Satan, who will likely attempt to sow
the seeds of discord to compromise
our service. After all, squabbling
families don’t bring any glory to
God and the unhappiness will likely
distract members from their service.

所以，當我們像一家人在一起服事神的時候，
我們一定要一直小心防備撒旦，
他很可能會試著撒下不和的種子，讓我們的服事受到破壞。
畢竟，吵吵鬧鬧的家庭，是不可能讓神得到任何榮耀的，
而這種不幸福的情況，會讓信徒從自已的服事中，容易分心。

EXTEND THE RIGHT HAND OF FELLOWSHIP TO CO-WORKERS

向同工伸出同靈的右手

“After these things the Lord
appointed seventy others also, and
sent them two by two before His
face into every city and place where
He Himself was about to go.” (Lk 10:1)

1這事以後，主又設立七十個人，差遣他們兩個兩個的在他前面，往自己所要到的各城各地方去，
(路 10：1)

By sending His disciples out two by
two, the Lord showed that the work
of God is not the exclusive privilege
of any individual hero. He wanted
His disciples to support one another
and work together. This remained the
approach in the early church. As the
church grew following the downpour
of the Holy Spirit on the Day of
Pentecost, the apostles continued to
work as an integrated team of coworkers,
teaching the new believers
as “they continued steadfastly in the
apostles’ doctrine” (Acts 2:42).

藉著把門徒兩個兩個送出去傳福音，
主表明了，神的聖工並不是任何個別英雄人物，所擁有且獨享的特權。
他們自已的門徒互相幫補，一起作工。
這種方式仍是早期教會工作的方式。
隨著五旬節聖靈降臨，教會大大成長，
眾使徒持續作工，就如同是一個整合的同工團隊，教導新的信徒，
如下的情況，
42都恆心遵守使徒的教訓。(徒 2：42)

Though Peter was a well-respected
apostle, he did not operate alone
but frequently worked together
with John. They prayed together,
and, together, they performed the
miracle at the gate called Beautiful
(Acts 3:1–11). They continued to
preach to the people and were taken
into custody together (Acts 4:1–3).
Both of them then faced the council
together and jointly responded to
their threats (Acts 4:18–20). Even
when the people in Samaria had
already believed and were baptized
by Philip, the apostles in Jerusalem
sent Peter and John together to work
with Philip, to help the new believers
pray for the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:5–17).
Such integration and unity in service
among co-workers contributed to the
continued growth of the apostolic
church.

雖然彼得是一位很受尊敬的使徒，
他並不是單獨作工，常常和約翰一起工作。
他們一起禱告，一起在美門行神蹟。(徒 3：1-11)
他們繼續向人傳道，一起被抓去關。(徒 4：1-3)
然後他們兩個一起面對議會的質詢，聯合面對各樣的威脅。(徒 4：18-20)
即使是撒馬利亞的人已經信了，也受了腓利的洗禮，
耶路撒冷的眾使徒就送彼得和約翰一起去和腓利同工，
去幫助新的信徒祈求聖靈。(徒 8：5-17)
這樣同工之間的服事上整合合聯合，造就了使徒教會的不斷成長。

Paul’s conversion marked the next
phase of growth in the early church.
He was an important apostle who
was personally called by the Lord
to minister to the Gentiles (Acts
9:4–18). Unlike many believers in
the early church, Paul’s training in
the word was not on account of
the apostles’ teaching but from the
abundance of direct revelations from
the Lord (2 Cor 12:7; 1 Cor 11:23; 2
Cor 12:1–4).

保羅信主就代表了早期教會另一階段的成長。
他是一個很重要的使徒，是親自被主所揀選的，要把福音傳給外邦人。(徒 9：4-18)
不像其他早期教會的信徒，保羅所接受的聖經訓練，並不是來自於使徒的教導，
而從主直接得到非常豐富的啟示。(林後 12：7；林前 11：23；林後 12：1-4)

Notwithstanding, Paul did not get
carried away to initiate a separate
line of ministry divided from the
other apostles or the wider church.
On the contrary, Paul humbled
himself and took the initiative to
go to Jerusalem to see Peter, with a
clear intention to join the disciples
(Gal 1:18–19; Acts 9:26–28). He
maintained that integration with the
apostles in Jerusalem throughout his
ministry, visiting them again fourteen
years later together with Barnabas
(Gal 2:1).

雖然這樣，保羅並沒有昏了頭，開始傳另一個福音，和其他使徒和眾教會所傳的有所不同。
相反地，保羅自已很謙卑，自已起頭就去耶路撒冷見彼得，很明白表示要加入使徒的行列。
(加 1：18-19；徒 9：26-28)
他在耶路撒冷，以所傳的福音和眾使徒融合在一起，而14年之後，又一起和巴拿八再度訪問他們。

Paul and Barnabas also did not
make their individual conclusion
over the dispute that arose around
the necessity of circumcision for
salvation. Instead, they consulted
the apostles and elders in Jerusalem
and participated in the Jerusalem
council (Acts 15:1–29). In response,
Peter and the other apostles gladly
accepted Paul, appreciated his
calling, and gave Paul and Barnabas
“the right hand of fellowship” (Gal
2:9). With no rivalry or personality
conflicts among the co-workers,
such unity in service triggered further
growth within the church.

保羅和巴拿八，對於有關是否行割禮才能得拯救的爭論，也沒有自已下結論。
反而是，他們請教耶路撒冷的眾使徒和長老，一起參加耶路撒冷會議。(徒 15：1-29)
相對的是，彼得和其他的使徒都很高興的接受保羅，很高興他能得到主的召喚，
他們並且給予保羅和巴拿八"用右手所行的相交之禮"。(加 2：9)
眾同工之中，並沒有任何敵意及個人衝突，
在服事工作中的這種聯合，引發了教會的更進一步成長。

While the apostles enjoyed such
unity in service, Satan started
to strike. Peter gave way to his
weakness and displayed his hypocrisy
when he visited Antioch. Before
certain men from James arrived, he
would eat with the Gentile believers,
but he withdrew himself when they
arrived. Such inconsistency was
unacceptable, as he not only failed
to uphold the truth courageously, but
also set a bad example for Barnabas
and the other Jews. He also risked
hurting the Gentile believers by his
double standard.

正當使徒享受這份服事工作上的聯合，撒旦就開始出手打擊。
彼得屈服了自已的軟弱，在訪問安提阿的時候，現出了他虛假的一面。
在那些從雅各的地方來的一些人到達之前，他會和外邦信徒一起吃飯，
當他們到達之後，他就自行退了開來。
這種不一致的情形是不能被接受的，
因為他不只不能鼓起勇氣來堅守真理，而且也為巴拿八和其他的猶太人立下了一個壞榜樣。
他也因為自已的雙重標準，而有可能傷害到外邦的信徒。

This led to Paul confronting Peter
(Gal 2:11–14), which was a dangerous
development, as two very important
workers could have fallen out and
compromised the ministry of the
Lord. It would have been disastrous
if Peter had let his ego surface and
reacted negatively to Paul’s rebuke. It
would have been equally disastrous
if Paul had regarded this one-off
weakness in Peter as his inherent
nature and lost his trust and respect
for Peter. Thankfully, both Peter
and Paul were spiritual workers who
did not fall into the trap of Satan to
allow this incident to drive a wedge
between them. This was evident
in Peter’s second epistle, in which
he addressed Paul as “our beloved
brother,” recognizing his wisdom and
also endorsing the epistles that Paul
had written (2 Pet 3:15–16).

這個情況導致保羅責怪彼得，(加 2：11-14)
也是一種很危險的發展情況，
因為二個非常重要的工人，有可能因此就墮落了，並且在主的福音上作出一些妥協。
若是彼得讓自已的自尊來抬頭，對於保羅的斥責有了負面的反應，那將會是一種災難。
若保羅把彼得這一次的軟弱，當成是他原來的本質，而對他沒有信心，也不再尊敬他，同樣地也是一種災難。
很感謝神，彼得和保羅二個人，都是屬靈的工人，不會掉入撒旦的詭計，不讓這個事情變成他們之間的裂縫。
在彼得後書就寫的很明白，他說保羅就像是"我們最愛的弟兄"，
認同他的智慧，也為保羅所寫的書信來背書。

Another incident also threatened
the unity between two co-workers,
Paul and Barnabas, who had differing
views over John Mark. Barnabas was
determined to bring Mark along for
their missionary journey, but Paul
was adamantly against the idea. The
contention became so sharp that
both actually decided to part with
each other. Paul then started working
with Silas while Barnabas continued
with Mark (Acts 15:36–40).

另一個事件，也威脅著這兩個同工的聯合，就是保羅和巴拿八，
他們對約翰馬可各有不同的看法。
巴拿八決心要帶馬可一起來旅行傳福音，但保羅卻固執地反對這個想法。
這個爭論變得非常的嚴重，他們兩個人真的決定要彼此分開一下。
然後，保羅開始和西拉一起作工，而巴拿八則繼續和馬可工作。(徒 15：36-40)

This was another dangerous
development, as the work of
God could have been hindered.
Thankfully, the church continued to
be strengthened and to increase in
number daily (Acts 15:41, 16:4–5).
While it was not ideal, on the surface,
for Paul and Barnabas to part ways,
both were spiritual workers who
remained integrated into the wider
church.

這是另一個危險的展開，因為神的工作有可能受到影響。
感謝神的是，教會一直加強力量，每天增加信徒。(徒 15：41，16：4-5)
雖然表面上看起來，保羅和巴拿八分開，這樣很不好，
因為兩位都是屬靈的同工，但仍持續融入眾教會。

More importantly, while they had
different opinions, they respected
each other’s opinion and did not
undermine each other’s work. In
reality, both had valid reasons for
the different stand they took. Paul
regarded the work of God very
seriously and did not feel that Mark
was ready for it as he did indeed leave
the ministry midway in Pamphylia
(Acts 13:13). Barnabas, on the other
hand, was true to his name as “Son
of Encouragement” (Acts 4:36), and
he wanted to give Mark another
chance. This was consistent with his
very nature, just as he trusted Paul
and sought him out in Tarsus when
others were still wary of him (Acts
9:26–28, 11:25–26). Over time,
both Paul and Barnabas were proven
right as God blessed their work. Paul
continued to strengthen the church
while Mark was turned around, such
that even Paul finally acknowledged
Mark to be useful for the ministry (2
Tim 4:11). This also points to the fact
that Paul and Barnabas must have
remained integrated through the
church.

更重要的是，當他們有不同意見的時候，會尊重對方的看法，
不會偷偷破壞對方的工作。
事實上，他們兩個都有各個的原因，而採取相對應的作法。
保羅非常嚴肅地看待神的工作，並不覺得馬可已經作好了準備，
因為他真的在旁非利亞的時候，中途離開福音的工作。(徒 13：13)
另外一方面，巴拿八就像他的名字一樣，"勸慰子"(徒 4：36)，
他希望給馬可另一次機會。
這也和他本來的性情符合，就如同他當時就信賴保羅，
當時其他人都對保羅很小心的時候，巴拿八就去大數找保羅。
(徒 9：26-28，11：25-26)
隨著時間的發展，保羅和巴拿八被証實是對的，因為神祝福他們的工作。
當馬可回頭的時候，保羅就繼續加添教會的力量，
甚至保羅也承認，馬可是一位福音事工上，非常有用的工人。(提後 4：11)
這也指出一個事實，保羅和巴拿八一定要透過教會，聯合在一起。

As these developments in the early
church provide a glimpse of Satan’s
work in the church, we can learn
several important lessons. Firstly,
we must recognize that even good,
sincere, and spiritual workers, like
Peter, can have their moments of
weakness. Hence, even if we observe
a mistake in a co-worker, we must
not be too quick to judge that to be
an incorrigible character flaw and
thereby completely lose our trust and
respect, writing the co-worker off.
While we may very well point out the
errors of our co-workers, let us do so
with the intention of turning them
around rather than writing them off.

因為有早期教會的這些發展情況，讓我們得已一窺撒旦在教會的工作，
我們可以學到一些重要的課程。
第一，我們一定要知道，甚至是良善的，虔誠的，屬靈的工人，
就如像是彼得，也會有他們軟弱的時刻。
因此，即使我們看到同工一時的軟弱，我們不要因此很快下定論，
認為這就是性格上，一種無可就樂的缺失，
因此完全對他們失去信心和尊敬，趕走這位工人。
雖然我們可以好好的指出這位工人的錯誤，
讓我們用回轉他們的心意來作，而不是出於把他們趕走的心。

Secondly, we must accept that
upright, sincere, and spiritual
workers may have good intentions,
which trigger different views. In such
situations, it is critical to prevent
different views from developing
into animosity and suspicion of each
other’s intention, goodness, and
sincerity. Like Paul and Barnabas,
we need to remain respectful of the
differences and not undermine or
discredit our co-workers. We need to
resist the temptation of devoting our
efforts thereafter to proving our view
to be right and our co-workers’ to be
wrong, which is counter-productive.
We should, rather, learn from Paul
and Barnabas in moving forward,
focussing on progressing the work of
God.

第二，我們一定要接納，正直，虔誠，且屬靈的工人本意都是好的，
就樣就會對工人有不同的看法。
在這種情況的時候，要防止發展成互有敵意，或是猜疑對方的看法，優點及誠信，是很重要的。
就像保羅和巴拿八一樣，我們應該要對彼此的差異保持尊重，
而不是去挖對方的牆角，或是批評自已的同工。
我們要避免到最後自已掉入陷井，努力証明自已的看法是對的，
而我們的同工看法是錯的，因為這樣不會是建設性的發展。
反而，我們應該要向保羅和巴拿八學習，向前邁進，專心集中進行神的事工。

ENDEAVOR TO KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT IN THE CHURCH

盡力維持教會裡面靈裡的合一

The early church started united, as
they “continu[ed] daily with one
accord in the temple, and breaking
bread from house to house, they
ate their food with gladness and
simplicity of heart” (Acts 2:46). The
believers were so united and selfless
that they had all things in common,
and even sold their possessions and
goods and divided them among all
(Acts 2:44–45). For this reason, the
Lord added to the church daily those
who were being saved (Acts 2:47).
However as the church grew
bigger, Satan also started sowing
discord in the church to distract the
church and disrupt the ministry of
God. As the number of disciples
multiplied, there arose a complaint
against the Hebrews by the Hellenists
because their widows were neglected
in the daily distribution (Acts 6:1). If
this was not handled appropriately,
it could have resulted in unhealthy
factions within the church, with
growing mistrust and sensitivities
between the factions.

早期教會一開始就同心，因為
46他們天天同心合意恆切的在殿裡，且在家中擘餅，存著歡喜、誠實的心用飯，(徒 2：46)
信徒很同意又無私，所以凡物共用，甚至有人賣了自已的家產和財物，在大家中間分配了。(徒 2：44-45)
因為這個原因，主給教會天天加添信主的人。(徒 2：47)
然而隨著教會變的，撒旦也在教會中撒下不合的種子，要分散教會，敗壞神福音的事工。
隨著門徒的人數增加，就有就有希臘的信徒興起，抱怨猶太人，
因為照顧他們寡婦分配的事，受到忽略了。(徒 6：1)
若這件事沒有好好的處理，在教會裡面就會導致一些不健全的磨擦，
在這些磨擦的時候，各各小團體就會對教會產生不信任感，對大小事情都變得很敏感。

It is interesting to note how people
so readily and naturally gravitate
towards a common grouping and
start to take sides. Thankfully, the
apostles exercised their wisdom and
addressed this issue effectively by
having the disciples elect seven men
to assist in the work. This resolved
the issue, and furthered the growth in
the number of disciples in Jerusalem
(Acts 6:5–7).

引人注意的是，人們是如何時常都有這種傾向，自然而然會變成小團體，並且開始選邊站，是一個有趣的現象。
感謝神的是，使徒運用他們的智慧，有效地處理這個問題，從門徒中間再選出7個人來協助這項工作。
這樣就解決了問題，並且讓耶路撒冷門徒的人數更進一步的成長。(徒 6：5-7)

Taking reference from the solution,
it would suggest that the original
issue was not necessarily triggered
by a deliberate, systemic neglect
of the Hellenist widows by the
Hebrews. Rather, it was the lack of
more dedicated resources to share
the workload with the apostles.
The additional resources provided
capacity to exercise more care and
diligence in doing a fair and better
job at serving the tables. However, it
is interesting to note the sensitivities
of the Hellenists in banding together
and concluding wrongfully that they
had been victimized.

從這個解決方案，我們可以用來當作是一種參考，
它就暗示著，原來發生的問題，讓猶太人在制度上忽略了希臘的寡婦，並不是故意而引起的。
而，這個問題是因為缺乏更直接投入的資源，好來分享使徒工作負擔的原因所致。
額外的資源就可以更有能力來提供更多的照顧和細心努力，好讓分配食物的工作，可以作得更加公平及美好。
然而有趣的是，希臘信徒的敏感性，導致結成一伙，並且作了錯誤的結論，並且認為自已是受害者。

Satan’s attack intensified over time
as the church spread to other cities.
In Corinth, the division in the church
was among clusters of believers who
separately deemed themselves to be
of Paul, Apollos, Peter, or of Christ
(1 Cor 1:11–12). This was strange
as the workers, Paul, Apollos, and
Peter themselves were united as one
and also, Christ is not divided (1 Cor
1:13). Hence, it was senseless for
the believers to use Christ or any
worker as an excuse or the basis to
be divided.

隨著教會傳播到其他城市，撒旦的攻擊隨著時間增加更加嚴重。
在哥林多教會，教會結黨結派，許多信徒有自已的小圈圈，
分裂並認為自已是屬於保羅的，亞波羅的，彼得的，屬基督的。(林前 1：11-12)
這種情況很奇怪，因為所有的工人，保羅，亞波羅和彼得，
他們自已是合而為一，而且基督也是不會分裂的。(林前 1：13)
因此，對信徒而言，用基督或是任何工人當作是一種藉口，
或是一種基礎來造成分裂，是完全毫無道理的。

Thankfully, Paul did not allow
himself be flattered by his fans.
Instead he corrected them by
pointing out directly that they were
not baptized in his name and that he,
like Apollos, was merely a minister
through whom they had believed,
that they were complementary coworkers
planting and watering, with
God being the one who gives the
increase (1 Cor 1:12–13; 3:4–7).

令人感謝的是，保羅並不讓自已受到擁護者的奉承。
相反地，他糾正信徒，真接指出，
信徒並不是以他的名受洗的，他也像亞波羅一樣，只不過是福音的工人，
信徒只不過是透過他們信主而已，
他們在工作上有所互補，一個裁種，一個澆灌，
而只有神唯一，才會讓信徒生長。
(林前 1：12-13；3：4-7)

As we reflect on these challenges
faced in the early church, we must
recognize that Satan will try various
means to stir up differences between
members in the church. It may be
one nationality against another, or
one age group against another, or
people who speak one language
against another. There is no end to
the differences we can find. We must
remember that we are one after we
have been baptized into Christ, with
no more distinction between Jew or
Greek, slave or free, male or female
(Gal 3:27–28). If we were to be less
sensitive and suspicious, we would
not be easily stirred up, like the
Hellenists, to believe that we are being
systemically victimized and hence,
have the need to band together with
“fellow victims” to create a faction
in church. Similarly, we must exercise
extra caution not to fall into the trap
of “hero-worshipping” any church
workers.

當我們反思這些早期教會所面臨的挑戰時，
我們一定要了解到，撒旦會用各種方法，來挑起教會信徒之間的差異。
他的方法，有可能是一國的同靈，反對另一國的同靈，
同一年齡層的信徒，對抗另一年齡層的信徒，
或是說某種語言的信徒，對抗說另一種語言的信徒。
我們所能找到的差異，是很多很多沒有停止的一天。
我們要記住在我們受洗歸入基督之後，我們就是一體的，
也就再也沒有猶太人，希臘人，為奴的，自主的，男人和女人的分別了。(加 3：27-28)
若我們可以不那麼敏感，不那麼猜疑，我們就不會很容易受到別人的挑撥，
就像希臘的信徒一樣，相信自已受到制度上的不平等待遇，
因而有需要和所有的"受害同靈"團結在一起，在教會中出現小團體。
同樣地，我們也會特別額外留心，不要掉入了"英雄崇拜"的陷井裡，而崇拜任何的教會工人。

As we observe how Satan has
worked within families, among coworkers,
and within the church, let
us stay vigilant and endeavor to keep
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace (Eph 4:3).

當我們看到，撒旦如何在家中，同工之中，或教會之內作工的時候，
讓我們保持警醒，用和平連繫彼此，來努力維持靈裡的合一。
(弗 4：3)

小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com