復 原 耶 穌 基 督 教 會 台 灣 佈 道 所
The Church of Jesus Christ Taiwan Restoration Mission
January 11th, 2015 改變 Change
(長老 多道福 Elder Duff Daugherty)
大家好,我身邊這位你們應該已見過幾次面了吧?大家知道他是個 “男丁格爾”嗎?一開場,愛熱鬧的長老道福,就忙不迭的介紹起亞當Adam,還說他年輕有為(24歲),歡迎大家臉書加他為朋友.
今天,我想跟大家分享的是聖經裡使徒行傳的主角:掃羅Saul(也就是後來受洗成為基督徒後的保羅Paul),他本是朝廷命官,是奉教廷之命,專門緝拿異教徒(指當時非羅馬天主教徒的基督徒)握有生殺大權; 神,知人善用,先讓掃羅歷劫,再恩賜醫治他,使他親身體驗 神威無窮, 神恩浩蕩,保羅再現身說法以教化眾人.
使徒行傳 Acts 9:1-19
1 掃羅仍然向主的門徒、口吐威嚇兇殺的話、去見大祭司、
Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest
2 求文書給大馬色的各會堂、若是找著信奉這道的人、無論男女、都准他捆綁帶到耶路撒冷。
and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
3 掃羅行路、將到大馬色、忽然從天上發光、四面照著他．
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
4 他就仆倒在地、聽見有聲音對他說、掃羅、掃羅、你為甚麼逼迫我。
He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
5 他說、主阿、你是誰。主說、我就是你所逼迫的耶穌．
"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied.
6 起來、進城去、你所當作的事、必有人告訴你。
"Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
7 同行的人、站在那裡、說不出話來、聽見聲音、卻看不見人。
The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.
8 掃羅從地上起來、睜開眼睛、竟不能看見甚麼．有人拉他的手、領他進了大馬色．
Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.
9 三日不能看見、也不喫、也不喝。
For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10 當下在大馬色、有一個門徒、名叫亞拿尼亞．主在異象中對他說、亞拿尼亞．他說、主、我在這裡。
In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered.
11 主對他說、起來、往直街去、在猶大的家裡、訪問一個大數人名叫掃羅．他正禱告．
The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.
12 又看見了一個人、名叫亞拿尼亞、進來按手在他身上、叫他能看見。
In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight."
13 亞拿尼亞回答說、主阿、我聽見許多人說、這人怎樣在耶路撒冷多多苦害你的聖徒．
"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.
14 並且他在這裡有從祭司長得來的權柄捆綁一切求告你名的人。
And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."
15 主對亞拿尼亞說、你只管去．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。
But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.
16 我也要指示他、為我的名必須受許多的苦難。
I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
17 亞拿尼亞就去了、進入那家、把手按在掃羅身上說、兄弟掃羅、在你來的路上、向你顯現的主、就是耶穌、打發我來、叫你能看見、又被聖靈充滿。
Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
18 掃羅的眼睛上、好像有鱗立刻掉下來、他就能看見、於是起來受了洗．
Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,
19 喫過飯就健壯了。掃羅和大馬色的門徒同住了些日子．
and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.
神一直都在敲每一個人的心門,尋找可用並願為 神所用之人,一如重生後的保羅,因亙古不變、始終如一的 神,點化並給予傳道解經的權柄,遂在聖經中佔有相當重要的一環.
耶穌基督的臨世,除了要成為我們的好朋友以外,最重要的就是帶領大家回歸天父的身邊,同時也尋覓可堪使用、並願意服侍 神的人.如果你覺得 神沒有敲你的心門,或並不為 神所器重,那麼何不捫心自問:該如何做,才能得到 神的青睞?
使徒行傳 Acts 8:26-39
26 有主的一個使者對腓利說、起來、向南走、往那從耶路撒冷下迦薩的路上去。那路是曠野。
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."
27 腓利就起身去了．不料、有一個埃提阿伯〔即古實見以賽亞十八章一節〕人、是個有大權的太監、在埃提阿伯女王干大基的手下總管銀庫、他上耶路撒冷禮拜去了．
So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
28 現在回來、在車上坐著、念先知以賽亞的書。
and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.
29 聖靈對腓利說、你去貼近那車走。
The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
30 腓利就跑到太監那裡、聽見他念先知以賽亞的書、便問他說、你所念的、你明白麼。
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
31 他說、沒有人指教我、怎能明白呢。於是請腓利上車、與他同坐。
"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 他所念的那段經、說、『他像羊被牽到宰殺之地、又像羊羔在剪毛的人手下無聲、他也是這樣不開口。
The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
33 他卑微的時候、人不按公義審判他．〔原文作他的審判被奪去〕誰能述說他的世代、因為他的生命從地上奪去。』
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."
34 太監對腓利說、請問、先知說這話、是指著誰、是指著自己呢、是指著別人呢。
The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?"
35 腓利就開口從這經上起、對他傳講耶穌。
Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36 二人正往前走、到了有水的地方．太監說、看哪、這裡有水、我受洗有甚麼妨礙呢。〔有古卷在此有若是一心相信〕
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"
37 〔腓利說你可以他回答說我信耶穌基督是 神的兒子〕
38 於是吩咐車站住、腓利和太監二人同下水裡去、腓利就給他施洗。
And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.
39 從水裡上來、主的靈把腓利提了去、太監也不再見他了、就歡歡喜喜的走路。
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.
人生的旅途當中, 神無時無刻都在對我們說話,一如祂對掃羅(保羅),或上述太監一樣,只是我們有時沒有聽進耳裡,更沒有放在心上;以下我來說一個有關我祖父雷同保羅般的的經歷.
見證Testimony：
我祖父雅各 James兩歲時,曾祖就過世了,因此在他人生成長的漫漫路途中,不只少了父愛,也沒有模仿的對象,欠缺強而有力、明確善念的導引,所以染上時下年輕人的惡習：既抽煙又喝酒,生活並不檢點,常常爆粗口;雖然沒有為非作歹,但你絕不會把他歸類成是什麼好人.
他曾參加美國職棒,效力紐約洋基隊,是一名投手;球季之外也要打工,才能維持生活.一天,在工地鏟土時,兩邊擋土牆,忽然坍塌,連我祖父在內的數名工人,瞬間被掩埋在土堆中.我祖父心想,這下子死定了,但仍抱持一絲希望,馬上向天父祈求禱告,如果脫險願意接受洗禮….
雖然祖父手折腳斷,養傷躺了好幾個月,總算是撿回一條命(後來得知有好幾位同伴當場死亡);祖父自此性情大改,除了受洗成為基督徒,還勤於攜家帶眷上教會.當時有位長老為我父親做嬰兒祈福禮時,曾預告我父親將來會是個離鄉背井的佈道家,果然,我父親如長老所言,後來成為神職人員,一生駐守在夏威夷.
我祖父斷煙酒、收粗口,研讀經文的轉變,不僅改變他的人生,也直接影響到我父親、我,以及我的孩子虔敬的人生;所以,從你們接受洗禮的那一天開始,我也可以預期到你們的,以及你們的子孫的未來.
經文提到的保羅和太監,由開始的一人,繼而的影響渲染,那股力量是影響深遠的.如同,今天的你們,由點、線、面造成漣漪的影響,將是無遠弗屆的.
我們回視一下牆壁上的圖像,我們就如同受眷顧的羊隻,尤其是在座已領洗的各位,應該把你們蒙恩受惠的親身體驗,告訴周遭的親朋好友;更要懷著虔敬的心,等待著被祂敲開你的心門,讓你知道是被 神所召喚使用的時候到了.現在就讓台美兩邊,一起來禱告,期望台灣佈道所,總有一天,也能開花結果.
莫忘記,傾聽來自上帝的聲音!
一切就從你接受洗禮開始!
(Those Who Came : Paul Lin; Belinda Kao; Eric Ho, Eileen Chen; Steve Lee; Jimmy Hsu; Sharon Wu; Rachel Yang)(Tom Lin; Ruby Chen; Joanna Lin)
今天,美方有兩個現場,於是三方通話,Skype的免費多方視訊,唯因受限於頻寬,畫面時而模糊,語音時大時小,要不還真的是值得嘉獎.
(Skype 1 : Duff Daugherty; <Moellmann> Jai-yu, Joshua; <Lade> Nancy, Amanda, David, Anna, Joseph; Adam Brendel; Frank Van Fleet; Elizabeth Woodward; Maggie, Sashay, Uncel)
(Skype 2 : Sarah Lade)
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