Manna issue 67 - Four Families in the Apostolic Church (II): Cornelius’ Family 使徒教會的四個家庭(II)：哥尼流的家
Derren Liang—San Jose, California, USA
美國加州聖荷西 梁得仁傳道
II. CORNELIUS’ FAMILY—FEARED GOD 哥尼流的家 - 敬畏神
There was a certain man in Caesarea called
Cornelius, a centurion of what was called
the Italian Regiment, a devout man and
one who feared God with all his household,
who gave alms generously to the people,
and prayed to God always.
(Acts 10:1–2)
1在該撒利亞有一個人，名叫哥尼流，是義大利營的百夫長。
2他是個虔誠人，他和全家都敬畏神，多多賙濟百姓，常常禱告神。
(徒 10：1-2)
Here was a career soldier serving
the great Roman Empire—the world’s
foremost empire in those times—in a
key capital city inhabited by a colonized
people who may rise in rebellion. Busy
though he must have been, Cornelius
was a devout man who feared God with
his whole household and even had a
servant who feared God.
這裡有一個為大羅馬帝國服務的職業軍人 -
在這些時代之中，世上最為重要的帝國 -
在主要的城市之中，居住著殖民地的百姓，他們或許很可以起來反抗。
雖然他很忙碌，哥尼流是一個虔誠的人，
他和全家敬畏神，甚至有一個僕人也敬畏神。
How was Cornelius able to build and
maintain such a God-fearing family?
There were three salient factors: his
priorities, his exemplary life, and his
generosity in sharing.
哥尼流是怎麼能夠建立和維持這樣敬畏神的家庭呢？
有三個非常明顯的因素：
他的選擇，以利作則的生活方式，和樂善好施。
THE RIGHT PRIORITIES 正確的優先順序
In the Roman Legion (the Roman army),
the centurion was officer rank with
excellent prospects for promotion and
ultimately a wealthy retirement. But
we can imagine that, with fifty nine to
sixty centurions in each Roman legion,
competition to make it into the top
military ranks would be stiff.
在羅馬軍團中(羅馬軍隊)，
百夫長是具有大好前景，可能升官的軍官階級，
就算退休了，也能得到一筆財富。
但是我們所能想像的是，
在每個羅馬軍團中，大約有59到60個百夫長，
要升上高階軍官的競爭，將是非常的嚴峻。
The normal professional military man
would thus have filled his waking hours
with battle plans and his thoughts on
how to strategize his rise up the Legion
ladder. Instead Cornelius took time to
pray constantly. While his counterpart
would have carefully “invested” his fund
to network with and entertain political
and military contacts who may help his
career, Cornelius generously gave alms to
the poor.
正常的職業軍人，就會在他醒著的時候，
腦中總是充滿者各種戰場的計劃，
他的思想之中，會一直想要如何用計策，
才能讓他在軍團升職的階梯上，往上爬。
相反地，哥尼流會把屋時間，時常禱告。
而他的同事，就可能會小心的"投資"自已的金錢，
來編織自已與那些政治及軍事相關人員的關係，
來取悅那些可以幫助他升官的人，
哥尼流就是很慷慨地賙濟窮人。
In short, God and faith were integral to
Cornelius’ life. Good or bad day, happy
or frustrated… he prayed to God always.
Religion was not just an accessory to
ingratiate himself with the community or
a crutch that he leaned on when troubles
beset. He was so intent on building a
relationship with God that he did not just
pray but fasted as well!
簡單來說，神和信仰的事情，都整合在哥尼流的生活中。
不論日子好壞，快樂或失意...他總是向神禱告。
宗教並不只是一種配件而已，讓他可以迎合社區的要求，
或是當他遇見困難的時，像一根拐杖可以讓他依靠。
他很專心要和神建立起關係，
他不只有禱告，而且還有禁食。
Such a living sincere faith not only
touched God, but was the inspirational
benchmark for his family and friends. A
necessary condition for a God-fearing
family is a head of the family who, in
daily word and deed, gives God priority.
這樣活出來真誠的信仰，不只感動了神，
而且也是一種啟發示的指標，讓他的家人和朋友可以效法。
對一個敬畏神的家庭而言，所必要成立的條件是，
每日的言行，都會先把優先順序給神。
In Deuteronomy 6, Moses speaks to
a new generation of Israel preparing to
enter the Promised Land. Their fathers and
grandfathers had died in the wilderness
because of unbelief. So Moses carefully
and comprehensively sets out what they
have to do in order for things to be well
with them, and that they may multiply
greatly in a land flowing with milk and
honey. His first instruction was directed
at each Israelite and remains relevant for
us as spiritual descendants of Abraham:
申命記六章，摩西向以色列新的一代說話，
要準備進去應許之地。
他們的父親和祖父，因為不信，就已經死在曠野了。
所以摩西很小心地，用容易了解的方式，制定了他們所要作的事，
為了讓他們所作的事情都可以作對，
這樣他們才可以在流奶與蜜之地，人口大大的增添。
他的第一道命令，就是指著每一個以色列人說的，
要讓他們成為亞伯拉罕屬靈的子孫，
對今日的我們仍有很大的關係：
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the
LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your
God with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your strength. (Deut 6:4)
4以色列阿，你要聽！耶和華─我們神是獨一的主。
5你要盡心、盡性、盡力愛耶和華─你的神。
(申 6：4-5)
“Hear O Israel” was a call for the people
to remember who they really were—God’s
chosen people. Today, we must always be
mindful of the unmatchable value of our
special status as God’s people. Through
Jesus Christ and our faith, we have been
made part of a royal priesthood and holy
nation. Therefore, we must take our faith
seriously.
"以色列阿，你要聽！是一種對百姓的稱呼，
要讓他們記起來，他們真正是誰的子民。
今日，我們我們一定要常常留意到，
身為神子民，我們這個特殊的身份，具有無可比擬的價直。
經由耶穌基督和我們的信仰，
就我已經成為君尊祭司，聖潔國度的一部份。
所以我們一定要認真看待自已的信仰。
“The LORD our God, the LORD is
one!” was the reminder that the Lord
is our God and our most important
inheritance. As Paul tells us, because this
inheritance is incorruptible and eternal,
everything else pales in comparison.
Today, if we truly regard God as our most
precious possession, setting the right
priorities and making godly decisions will
follow naturally.
"耶和華─我們神是獨一的主。"
就是在提醒我們，耶和華是我們的神，
也是我們最重要的資產。
就如保羅告訴我們，
這個資產是不會朽壞，永遠存在，
任何其他的事物與其比較，都會相形失色。
今日，若我們真的認為神就是我們最重要的資產，
作出正確的優先順序選擇，
自然而然就會能夠作出符合心意的決定。
Let us measure our priorities against
that of Cornelius the Centurion—where
do we place God and faith in our daily
lives? Right in the centre of our work
and family lives? Or do we tuck God
neatly into the book case together with
our Bible and hymn book—prominently
displayed but only used once a week (or
once a month!)?
讓我們來衡量自已的優先順序選擇，
來和百夫長哥尼流所作的選擇，來加以比較，
我們有沒有把神和信仰，放在日常生活中呢？
我們是不是好好的把神整整齊齊的收起來放在書架上，
和聖經及讚美詩放在一起嗎？
很明顯的擺放在那裡，但是一周只用一次而已？
(更甚者一個月才用一次？)
Centurion Facts 百夫長的真象
‧ The ordinary centurion
earned about 5,000 denarii a
year and if he made it to chief
centurion, 20,000 denarii a
year. The common soldier received
200–300 denarii a year.
．普通的百夫長一年會賺到大約5000銀子，
若他可以晉升為百夫長首領，一年就會賺大約20000銀子。
一般的士兵一年大約收到200-300銀子。
‧ The ultimate advancement
was to the position of camp
prefect, third in command of
a whole legion, which would
result in a wealthy retirement.
．最終的晉升就是營長的位置，
整個軍團是第三個最大的軍官，
到最後也會得到很豐厚的退休金。
Sources: 來源
1. http://www.bible-history.com/sketches/
ancient/roman-centurion.html
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_
legion#Legionary_ranks
LEADING BY EXAMPLE 以身作則
Once we have set the right priorities for
ourselves, the next step is to build up the
faith of the next generation.
一旦我們可以自已設定了正確了優先選擇順序，
下一步就是要為了下一代建立信仰。
And these words which I command you
today shall be in your heart. You shall teach
them diligently to your children, and shall
talk of them when you sit in your house,
when you walk by the way, when you lie
down, and when you rise up. You shall bind
them as a sign on your hand, and they shall
be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall
write them on the doorposts of your house
and on your gates.
(Deut 6:6–9)
6我今日所吩咐你的話都要記在心上，
7也要殷勤教訓你的兒女。無論你坐在家裡，行在路上，躺下，起來，都要談論。
8也要繫在手上為記號，戴在額上為經文；
9又要寫在你房屋的門框上，並你的城門上。
(申 6：6-9)
These were Moses’ unequivocal
instructions to every parent of the chosen
nation. Education experts have developed
many theories for enhanced learning. But
when it comes to faith, the best way to
teach our children is by walking the talk
of faith and to set an example in loving
God.
這些就是摩西對整個選民之國，身為父母的人，清清楚楚的指示。
教育專家已經研究出，許多增強學習的理論。
但是談到有關信仰的時候，
教導我們的子女最好的方法，就是在信仰上言出必行，
在愛神的事上，立下好榜樣。
It was easy for Cornelius to gather
his friends and family to listen to God’s
words because he worshipped God not
just with his lips but in deed and conduct.
Many people are on their best behavior in
public but when they are at home, it may
be a completely different story.
對哥尼流而言，要聚集朋友和家人，來聽神的話是容易的，
因為他沒有只是用嘴唇來敬拜神而已，而是行為舉止實行出來。
許多人在面對公眾的時候，都有段好的行為，
但是當他們在家的時候，
或許就完全不是這麼一回事了。
Many people treat their superiors
with great respect but are aloof to and
dismissive of their subordinates. But
Cornelius was not two-faced. His
servants and subordinates attested
to his uprightness among the whole
community.1 His friends saw how his
love for God was complemented by
his compassion for his fellow men. His
children would have learned from him to
generously share with others what God
had provided for them.
許多人都會抱著很大的敬畏來面對自已的長官，
但是對於部屬，卻是又冷淡又輕視。
但是哥尼流並不是一個雙面人。
他的僕人和部屬，都可以作見証說，
哥尼流是在整個社區中，是最正直的人。1
他的朋友看得到哥尼流為神付出多少的愛，
藉著他對同胞的同情心給予了多少的施捨。
他的子女也會從他身上學到，如何慷慨地和別人分享，
讓他們也同享神為他們的預備。
Still, the history of Israel has many
examples of parents who were the
religious leaders of their time—people
who ought to have known better—but
had failed to pass the legacy of faith to
their children.
然而，以色列的歷史中，有許多的例子，
父母是當代時期中的宗教領導人物 -
他們應該是了解最深的人 -
但是卻不能成功把自已在信仰上的遺產，傳承給自已的兒女。
Eli and his two sons2 come immediately
to mind. We cannot help but wonder:
how had Eli’s sons become so
decadent without their father noticing?
Had he been too caught up in his priestly
duties to monitor their behavior? Or
had he actually noticed but indulgently
dismissed it as youthful exuberance?
Finally, when their behavior had become
so egregious that he had no choice but
to speak up, Eli’s “rebuke” was extremely
mild compared to how he had once told
Hannah off.3 Indeed, Eli has to take a fair
share of the responsibility for his sons’
downward spiral in faith.
這時就立刻想到以利和他的兩個兒子。
我不得不這麼想：
為何以利的兒子會變得這麼的敗壞，但是父親卻沒有注意到？
難到一直在祭司的職份上太過忙碌，而忘記到自已兒子的行為嗎？
還是他有注意到發生什麼事，但是卻持續的加以忽略，
認為這不過是一種年青氣盛，多釆多姿的生活而已？
最後，當他們的行為已經變得非常的惡名昭彰之時，
以利已經沒有其他選擇，只能大聲說出來的時候，
以利的"斥責"卻是極度的溫和，和他曾經對哈拿所說出的話，天差地遠。3
是的，以利一定要負上一定比例的責任，
要為自已兒子信仰靈性墮落負上一定的責任。
A sister, an experienced school and
Religious Education teacher, once
commented that, “there are no problem
students; there are only problem
parents.” Children unconsciously absorb
their parents’ values, and learn from their
words and actions.
有一位姐妹，她是一位經驗老道的學校老師，也是教會的宗教教育老師，
有一次這樣評論說，
"沒有問題的學生，只有父母才會有問題。"
兒好在無意之間，會吸收了父母的價值觀，
從他們的言行中學習。
In the context of the church, if we
are constantly late for service, children
get the message that being punctual
for church is not important. If we
consistently take our children away for
holidays when their peers attend Bible
camps in church, children learn that these
training opportunities are less critical than
our leisure. If children see us behaving
very differently in and out of church, they
too learn to put up a false front of piety
for an hour every week.
在教會環境中，若我們一直很晚才到教會聚會，
小孩子就會得到一種訊息，準時到教會聚會一點都不重要。
若我們一直在假日的時候，把小孩子帶出去，
而他們的同學卻是在教會參加聖經研習營，
小孩子就會學到，這些訓練的機會，比起我們的休閒活動一點都不重要。
若兒好看到我們的行為舉止，不論在教會內外都非常的不一樣，
他們也學會，在每周一小時的聚會時間裡，帶上虛假虔誠的面具。
Therefore, besides ensuring that God
and faith are integral to our lives, we must
also put in effort to nurture our children;
and put in time to pray so that they can
experience God for themselves and build
a faith of their own. We need to rely on
God to build up our children’s faith, for
“unless the LORD builds the house, they
labor in vain who build it.”4
所以，除了確保神和信仰都能融入我們的生活中，
我們一定也要付出精力好好養育自已的兒女；
花時間來禱告，這樣他們自已才能體驗到神，建立起他們自已的信仰。
我們要依靠神，建立自已兒女的信仰，
因為
127（所羅門上行之詩。）若不是耶和華建造房屋，建造的人就枉然勞力；4
It was easy for Cornelius to
gather his friends and family
to listen to God’s words
because he worshipped God
not just with his lips but in
deed and conduct.
對哥尼流而言，要聚集朋友和家人，來聽神的話是容易的，
因為他沒有只是用嘴唇來敬拜神而已，而是行為舉止實行出來。
Besides ensuring that God and faith are integral to our lives, we must also
put in effort to nurture our children; and put in time to pray so that they
can experience God for themselves and build a faith of their own. We need
to rely on God to build up our children’s faith, for “unless the LORD builds
the house, they labor in vain who build it.”
除了確保神和信仰都能融入我們的生活中，
我們一定也要付出精力好好養育自已的兒女；
花時間來禱告，這樣他們自已才能體驗到神，建立起他們自已的信仰。
我們要依靠神，建立自已兒女的信仰，
因為
127（所羅門上行之詩。）若不是耶和華建造房屋，建造的人就枉然勞力；4
SHARING THE GOODNESS 樂善好施
Cornelius was a man with a big heart.
He shared the good things in his life with
others. He did not just give alms, he gave
alms generously. His faith was a good
and important thing to him. So when
he had an exciting vision carrying the
promise of God’s reward5 for his faith, he
quickly called together his relatives and
close friends.
哥尼流是一位心胸寬大的人。
他會和別人來分享生活中的好東西。
他並沒有只是施放睭濟物，而是非常慷慨的大大施予別人。
他的信仰對他而言，是又好又重要的事情。
所以當他得到令人興奮的異象之時，
而其中又帶著神對他的信仰給予報酬的應許之時，
立刻就把自已的親戚和親密朋友招聚起來。
His consistently exemplary conduct
moved his entire family, relatives and close
friends to respond to his sharing. With
God’s marvelous work, an unprecedented
miracle and blessing came upon them—
as they just sat there listening to the
invited preacher’s message about Jesus,
the Holy Spirit fell upon them!
他持續性的模範行為，感動了整個家，親戚和密友，
對他的分享有所回應。
因著神奇妙的工作，神所賞賜，史無前例的神蹟和祝福就臨到了他們 -
正當他們只是坐在那裡，聽著受邀而來的傳道者，講到有關耶穌的訊息，
這時聖靈就降在他們身上！
When we make Jesus an integral part
of our family lives, great blessings can
come upon our family. For instance, on
one occasion Jesus had gone to Peter’s
house only to be told Peter’s mother-inlaw
was sick. The Lord healed Peter’s
mother-in-law, inspiring her in turn to rise
and serve Him.6
當我們讓耶穌成為自已家庭生活中的一部份之時，
神大大的祝福就會臨到我們的家庭。
例如，有一次，耶穌因為聽到彼得的岳母生病了，就去彼得的家去。
耶穌醫治了彼得的岳母，啟發了祂接著起來服事祂。6
Inevitably our children will find
television, computer games, and
increasingly, the social media, much
more interesting than Bible study. They
will much prefer the songs of the world
to hymns in praise of God (unless these
sound like secular and contemporary
music). Yet we have to persist in teaching
them God’s word, instead of giving up at
the first sign of disinterest from them.
無可避免地，我們的子女會發現電視，電腦遊戲，
而且漸漸地，也會發現社群媒體。而這一切都會比查經更加有趣。
他們會更加傾向喜愛去聽世上的歌典，
而不是愛聽讚美詩來讚美神，
(除非這些音樂和世俗和當代的音樂很像)
然而，我們一定要堅持教道他們神的話，
而不是在他們出現了一絲一毫不敢興趣的時候，就放棄了。
Once again, we also have to reexamine
our lives to see how we may
have accidentally sent conflicting signals
to our children regarding the importance
of God, church and faith in our lives.
再一次，我們也要重新檢視自已的生活，
看看我們有沒有或許無意之中，把一些相衝突的訊息傳給了自已的兒女，
讓他們在有關神，教會，及自已生活信仰重要性的選擇，有了錯誤的認知。
CAPTURING THE CORNELIUS JOY 看到了哥尼流的喜悅
Cornelius moved God by his sincere
reverence as well as his ability to inspire
his family to the same level of reverence.
哥尼流因者真誠的敬畏神，而感動神，
就如同他有這個能力，
來啟發的家庭有同樣等級的敬畏神之心。
In contrast to Cornelius, today we
see many initially-fervent members who
grow less so once they have established
families. We also see individually fervent
members whose families, though
baptized, do not share the same level of
zeal in worshipping or serving God. Sadly,
we see an increasingly common scenario,
where the first generation deeply loves
God, the second generation knows
Him and loves Him less, while the third
generation only knows of God and does
not even have a personal relationship
with Him.
若是對照哥尼流的情況，
今日我們看見很多一開始就很熱心的信徒，
一旦他們建立了自已家庭之後，
他們逐漸變得越來越沒有成長。
我們也看見很多個人火熱的信徒，雖然他的家庭也受洗了，
但是他們敬拜服事神的時候，並沒有同樣的熱心。
很可悲的是，我們看見一種很普通的景況逐漸增加，
那就是第一代的信徒深深的愛神，
第二代不太認識神，也不太愛神，
而到第三代的時候，只知道神而已，
甚至和神沒有一種個人的關係。
We might have met truth-seekers
with parents or grandparents who used
to belong to the True Jesus Church but
have not come for a long time. These
truth-seekers finally find their way to the
true church by God’s grace. But there
are undoubtedly many families who have
been lost.
我們或許曾經遇過一些慕道者，
而他們的父母，或是祖父母，曾經也屬於真耶穌教會，
但是已經很久沒來教會了。
這些慕道者，因著神的恩典，最後找到自已的方式回到真教會。
但是無可懷疑的是，有更多的家庭卻已經迷失了。
Will your family be like that of Cornelius?
Regularly gathering together to listen to
the word of God and enjoying the gift of
the Holy Spirit poured on them? Or will
they become another sad statistic under the
list entitled “Lost BUT Found… AND Lost
Again”?
你的家庭也像是哥尼流的家一樣嗎？
有沒有定期聚集一起來聽神的話，
享受聖靈降臨在他們身上，所帶來的恩賜呢三
或者他們會不會變成另一組另人傷心的統計數字，
這些數字列在一張名單裡，寫著
"曾經迷失，但如今尋回...然後又再一次迷失了？"
Cornelius moved God by his sincere reverence as well as his ability to
inspire his family to the same level of reverence.
哥尼流因著真誠的敬畏神，而感動了神，
同時他這樣的能力，同時也啟發了他的家庭，有了相同的敬畏神之心。
1 Acts 10:22 徒 10：22
2 1 Sam 2:12 撒上 2：12
3 1 Sam 2:23–25; 1 Sam 1:14 撒上 2：23-25；撒上 1：14
4 Ps 127:1 詩 127：1
5 Acts 10:4 徒 10：4
6 Mt 8:14–15 太 8：14-15
3 LESSONS FROM CORNELIUS 從哥尼流身上學到的三堂課
‧ DO SET THE RIGHT PRIORITIES 對出對的優先順序選擇
Your heart is where your treasure is. Set your heart
and mind on the imperishable things above. Pray for
the next generation to be able to keep their faith.
因為你的財寶在那裡，你的心也在那裡。
把你的心思意念放在天上永不毀滅的事物。
為下一代禱告，讓他們能夠保守信仰。
‧ DO WALK THE TALK 以身作則
Children see, children do. Set an example in loving
God and His word. Persistently teach our children
God’s word.
孩子看見就模仿。
在愛神和聖經上以身作則。
堅持下去以神的話語來教導孩子
‧ DO SHARE THE GOODNESS 樂善好施
Make Jesus central to our family lives.
使耶穌成為我們家庭生活的核心
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
歡迎主內同靈來信加入翻譯
Manna 嗎哪 56 (1)