7. Manna issue 90 - Evangelism During The Covid-19 Pandemic And Lockdown 新冠疫情封城時傳福音
Philip Shee—Singapore 新加坡 Philip Shee
The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic
has resulted in countries tightening their borders and restricting overseas travel.
Many have also implemented further lockdowns domestically,
with business activities curtailed, schools, and even church services suspended.
Against this backdrop, overseas missionary trips have ground to a halt.
Conventional evangelism activities cannot be executed
as we are unable to meet people and invite them to church.
What does this mean for the great commission of our Lord
to preach the gospel to the entire world?
全球新冠疫情大流行的反應，
導致各國收緊邊境，並限制海外旅行。
許多國家，國內還實施了進一步的封鎖，
隨著商業活動的減少，學校甚至教會聚會都暫停了。
在此背景下，海外宣教活動陷入停頓。
常態的佈道活動無法進行，
因為我們無法見到人，並邀請他們去教會。
這對主給我們的大使命，要向全世界傳福音，
產生了什麼影響呢？
IN SEASON AND OUT OF SEASON 不論得時不得時
“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season”
(2 Tim 4:2).
This is a reminder that the work of evangelism must continue under all circumstances.
While current conditions have brought unanticipated challenges,
we must have the correct mindset to remain ready to preach at all times.
"2務要傳道，無論得時不得時"
(提後 4：2)
這個提醒，福音工作於任何情況下都必須繼續。
雖然目前的情況，帶來了意想不到的挑戰，
我們必須有正確的心態，隨時準備好傳道。
He who observes the wind will not sow,
And he who regards the clouds will not reap.
(Eccl 11:4)
4看風的，必不撒種；望雲的，必不收割。
(傳 11：4)
In the morning sow your seed,
And in the evening do not withhold your hand;
For you do not know which will prosper,
Either this or that,
Or both alike will be good.
(Eccl 11:6)
6早晨要撒你的種，
晚上也不要歇你的手，
因為你不知道哪一樣發旺；
或是早撒的，或是晚撒的，或是兩樣都好。
(傳 11：6)
The above passages remind us how we should sow the seeds of the gospel
(cf. Mk 4:3–8, 14–20; 1 Cor 3:6).
It reinforces the message that
the current global pandemic is not a time for us to stop the work of evangelism.
Instead, we must find a way to continue this vital work
without compromising the necessary precautions taken to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
以上經文提醒我們，應該如何播下福音種子
（參考，可 4:3-8、14-20；林前 3:6）。
它再次強調以下的信息，
當前全球疫情，不是我們停止傳福音工作的時候。
相反的，在不影響阻止病毒傳播，所採取的必要預防措施下，
我們必須找到方法，繼續這項重要的工作。
THE GOSPEL CANNOT BE CHAINED 福音不受捆綁
As we face the physical hindrances to our work of evangelism,
it is useful to be reminded that
the apostles’ ministry faced challenges similar in scope,
but different in form.
Travel and communications infrastructure were not as advanced in those days,
and reaching out to a mass audience was not easy.
They also faced constant persecution, dangers, and opposition throughout their ministry,
as described by Paul:
當我們面對福音工作的外在有形的障礙時，
能有提醒是有用的，
使徒的事工面臨著類似情況的挑戰，
但形式有所不同。
在那個時候，旅行和通信基礎設施，並不很先進，
要接觸到大眾並不容易。
他們整個事奉的過程，還面臨不斷的迫害、危險和反對
正如保羅所說：
Three times I was beaten with rods;
once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked;
a night and a day I have been in the deep;
in journeys often, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles,
in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst,
in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
(2 Cor 11:25–27)
25被棍打了三次；被石頭打了一次，遇著船壞三次，一晝一夜在深海裡。
26又屢次行遠路，遭江河的危險、盜賊的危險，同族的危險、外邦人的危險、
城裡的危險、曠野的危險、海中的危險、假弟兄的危險。
27受勞碌、受困苦，多次不得睡，又飢又渴，多次不得食，受寒冷，赤身露體。
(林後 11：25-27)
The apostles were often arrested and imprisoned.
Nevertheless, the spread of the gospel continued despite these restrictions,
with God’s intervention and the relentless dedication of the early church.
使徒常常被捕入獄。
儘管有很多限制，
因著神的伸手幫助，及早期教會無怨無悔的奉獻付出，
福音仍然繼續傳播。
And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day,
for it was already evening.
However, many of those who heard the word believed;
and the number of men came to be about five thousand.
(Acts 4:3–4)
3於是下手拿住他們；因為天已經晚了，就把他們押到第二天。
4但聽道之人有許多信的，男丁數目約到五千。
(徒 4：3-4)
At that time a great persecution arose against the church at Jerusalem;
and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria,
except the apostles.
…Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
(Acts 8:1b, 4)
1從這日起，耶路撒冷的教會大遭逼迫，除了使徒以外，門徒都分散在猶太和撒瑪利亞各處。
4那些分散的人往各處去傳道。
(徒 8：1，4)
The two passages above give us a glimpse of the evangelistic mindset of the early church.
Regardless of circumstance, challenge, or restriction,
even in their flight from persecution, they resolutely preached the gospel wherever they went.
Even while fearing for their safety, evangelism did not take a back seat.
上面的兩段經文，讓我們對早期教會的傳福音心態有所了解。
無論環境、挑戰或限制，
即使在逃避迫害的過程中，無論走到哪裡，他們都下定決心要傳福音。
即使他們會擔心人身安全，傳福音仍是最優先的工作。
And when the apostles’ movements were restricted through imprisonment,
God intervened directly to open the way.
He delivered them from prison so that they could continue their ministry
(Acts 12:3–12, 16:23–36).
In the case of Paul in Philippi,
God’s intervention even paved the way for him to preach to
and baptize the jailer and his family.
Yet again, we witness the progress of the gospel
even in the face of opposition and restriction.
當使徒的行動，因監禁而受到限制時，
神直接介入打開道路。
祂從監獄裡，把他們救出來，讓他們可以繼續事奉，
(徒 12:3-12，16:23-36)。
保羅在腓立比的時候，
神的介入，甚至為他傳道鋪平了道路，
為獄卒及其家人施洗。
再一次，我們見證了福音的進程，
即使面對反對限制。
During his house arrest in Rome,
Paul could no longer travel to preach the gospel.
It would be natural to assume that this would have finally locked down the spread of the gospel.
After all, the preacher was now bound.
However, the gospel itself was not bound, as shown in the passage below:
在羅馬被軟禁期間，
保羅再也不能出去旅行佈道。
自然而然會認為，這終究會抑制福音的傳播。
畢竟，傳教士現在被關起來。
然而，福音本身不受捆綁，正如下面節文所展現的：
Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house,
and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God
and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence,
no one forbidding him.
(Acts 28:30–31)
30保羅在自己所租的房子裡住了足足兩年。凡來見他的人，他全都接待，
31放膽傳講神國的道，將主耶穌基督的事教導人，並沒有人禁止。
(徒 28：30-31)
Not only did the gospel continue to be preached,
but Paul also wrote his prison epistles during this time.
And these epistles became part of the New Testament Scriptures.
If his freedom had not been restricted, his time and energy
might very well have been focused on traveling and preaching.
If this had been the case,
he would have been physically able only to reach a small audience within this limited timeframe.
Instead, he completed these letters during this period,
enabling the word of God to transcend space and time,
reaching countless people over an indefinite period.
Today, while we will never meet Paul physically,
we continue to receive his preaching through his epistles.
We also use the same Scriptures to preach to others.
It is, therefore, fitting for Paul to acknowledge that, for the gospel, he suffered
“as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained”
(2 Tim 2:8–9).
不僅福音繼續傳揚，
而且保羅也在這段時間，寫下了他的獄中書信。
這些書信亦成為了新約聖經的一部分。
如果他的自由，時間和精力，沒有受到限制，
就很可能一直專心於旅行傳道。
如果事情能這樣發展的話，
他不會在有限的時間內，只能觸及到一小部分聽眾。
相反的，他這期間完成了這些書信，
使神的道理超越了時間空間的限制，
在無限的時間裡觸及到無數人。
今天，雖然我們不會親眼見到實體的保羅，
我們仍繼續經由他的書信，領受他的講道。
我們也使用相同的經文向別人傳道。
因此，若保羅自認為福音受苦，是很合宜的，
"9甚至被捆綁，像犯人一樣。然而神的道卻不被捆綁。"
(提後 2：8-9)
While the nature of restrictions faced by the early church differ from ours today,
there are clear parallels we can draw.
Hence, even with the limits imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the door of the gospel remains open.
As long as we stay focused on evangelism,
there will be avenues by which we can still preach the word.
雖然早期教會面臨的限制性質，與我們今天的情況不同，
但我們可以得出很明顯的相似之處。
因此，即使受到新冠疫情的限制，福音的大門仍然敞開。
只要我們專心傳福音，
終會有一些途徑，我們仍然可以傳講神的道。
TURNING CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES 困難轉為機會
In the day of prosperity be joyful,
But in the day of adversity consider:
Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other.
(Eccl 7:14a)
14遇亨通的日子你當喜樂；遭患難的日子你當思想；因為神使這兩樣並列。
(傳 7：14a)
When life is smooth sailing,
people busy themselves in their worldly pursuits,
ever striving to acheive the next milestone,
or indulging in the next pleasurable experience.
Adversities usually trigger people to reflect on the more profound meaning and purpose of life,
reminding them of the sobering reality of the fragility of life.
As they grapple with future uncertainty,
they may feel a sense of helplessness and anxiety,
despite their worldly achievements.
當人生一帆風順時，
人們忙於自已世俗的追求，
一直忙於實現下一個里程碑，
或沉迷於下一次歡愉的體驗。
逆境通常會引發人們，反思更深遠的人生意義和目的，
提醒他們生命的脆弱，令人深省的現實。
當他們努力掙扎於未來不確定性的時候，
儘管他們有很多世俗的成就，可偌會有無助感和焦慮感。
In the work of evangelism,
we often grapple with how to get the conversation started or how to keep it going.
Times of adversity present an excellent opportunity for us to share our hope in Christ.
When anxiety, doom, and gloom dominate conversations,
we can seize the opportunity to present an alternative
—that we can have peace that surpasses all understanding
because Jesus has overcome the world
(Phil 4:6–7; Jn 16:33).
我們傳福音工作時，
常常掙扎，要如何開啟對話，或是如何持續聊下去。
我們之前幾次遇到逆境的情況，提供了很好的機會，可以分享自已在基督裡的盼望。
當憂慮、卮運和憂鬱掌控了談話時，
我們可以抓住機會，提出另一種選項，
——我們能擁有，超越人一切所理解的平安
因為耶穌已經戰勝了世界
（腓 4：6-7；約 16：33）。
The conversation may turn to the negative impact of the pandemic on the economy,
which has gone from boom to bust within months,
with businesses failing and individuals losing their livelihoods.
We can then highlight the uncertainty of riches in this world,
and how we should not build our trust in them but trust instead in the living God
(1 Tim 6:17).
Finally, we can conclude by encouraging them to lay up treasures in heaven rather than on earth
(Mt 6:19–20).
聊天的話題，可能會轉向疫情對經濟的負面影響，
在幾個月內，經濟從繁榮走向蕭條，
企業倒閉，個人失去生計。
然後我們可以強調，世上財富的不確定性，
所以，怎麼作，我們才不會建立錢財產生依賴，而反過來，應該要相信永生的真神
（提前 6:17）。
最後結論時，我們可以鼓勵他們，要積攢財寶在天上，而不是地上。
（太 6:19-20）。
The rapid spread of COVID-19 and sharp rise in COVID-related deaths,
even in the most developed countries, highlight the fragility of life and powerlessness of man.
But we can share the meaning of human life,
its brevity, and the hope of eternal life.
We can also share about God, who ultimately has power over life and death.
新冠病毒迅速傳播，新冠病毒相關的死亡人數急劇上升，
即使在最發達的國家，也突顯出了生命的脆弱和人類無能為力。
但是我們可以分享人類生命的意義，
它的短暫，以及永生的盼望。
我們也可以分享關於真神的故事，祂擁有最終控制生死的權力。
Surprisingly, the physical restriction of movement and large-scale gatherings
has opened new opportunities for evangelism.
With the church utilizing modern technology to livestream services over the internet,
we are now able to invite our friends to join us virtually for worship.
With many working from home and reducing their social activities,
they may find themselves with more time on their hands,
and be more inclined to accept our invitation.
Family members who have yet to believe may also be more willing to join our regular online services,
together with our church members who are tuning in.
Even with restricted overseas travel, we can arrange to reach out to our pioneering areas over the web.
令人驚訝的是，各種運動和大規模集會的實體限制，
卻為傳福音開闢了新的機會。
隨著教會採用現代化的技術，在網路上進行直播聚會，
我們現在可以邀請朋友，和我們一起加入線上聚會。
由於許多人在家工作，減少社交活動，
他們會發現自己有更多的空閒時間，
並且更容易接受我們的邀請。
還沒信主的家人，也會更樂意加入我們的平常的線上聚會，
他們與我們教會信徒一起打開頻道節目收看。
即使有海外旅行限制，我們也可以通過網絡，安排接近對外開拓的地區。
This period has already proven to be fruitful for our church around the world.
Friends have accepted invitations to participate in online evangelistic services.
Regular Bible studies are being held via video- and teleconferencing
for interested friends seeking to understand the truth.
And we are even facilitating cross-border Bible studies,
where preachers from one country can teach their fellow citizens,
who are working overseas as migrant workers, in their native language.
In the absence of physical church services,
God is still bestowing the Holy Spirit and moving truth-seekers to be baptized.
這段時期，已經證明對世界各地的教會，都富有成效。
許多朋友都接受邀請，參加線上佈道聚會。
通過網路影像直播和電話會議的邀請，定期舉行聖經查考，
讓有興趣的朋有，可以進一步了解真理。
我們甚至推動跨國聖經查考，
另一國的傳道，可以在那裡教導他們的同靈，
這些同靈海外移民從事工作，可以使用母語一起聚會。
由於沒有實體教堂聚會，
神仍在賜下聖靈，感動尋求慕道者受洗。
While not exhaustive, the above highlight how we can turn challenges into opportunities to preach.
We can engage with the issues close to people’s hearts,
and take advantage of the convenience and the avenues opened up by modern technology.
雖然文章並非詳盡無遺，但上述內容強調，我們如何將挑戰轉化為傳福音的機會。
我們可以著手參與到大家關心的問題，
並利用現代科技開闢的便利和方式。
Finally, while it remains unclear how the pandemic will develop,
and when it will be brought under control,
the commission of the Lord to preach the gospel to the end of the earth
remains a crucial pillar of our faith.
For this reason, even as we respond to the points made above,
let us also continue to pray
“that God would open to us a door for the word”
(Col 4:3).
最後，雖然尚不清楚疫情將會如何發展，
它何時會得到控制，
主託付的使命，就是要傳福音直到地極，
仍然是我們信仰的重要支柱。
因此，即使我們回應上述觀點，
讓我們也繼續禱告祈求，
"3也要為我們禱告，求神給我們開傳道的門"
(西 4：3)
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