使徒行傳8:9-25

 

8:9 有一個人，名叫西門，向來在那城裡行邪術，妄自尊大，使撒馬利亞的百姓驚奇；
8:10 無論大小都聽從他，說：「這人就是那稱為上帝的大能者。」
8:11 他們聽從他，因他久用邪術，使他們驚奇。
8:12 及至他們信了腓利所傳上帝國的福音和耶穌基督的名，連男帶女就受了洗。
8:13 西門自己也信了；既受了洗，就常與腓利在一處，看見他所行的神蹟和大異能，就甚驚奇。
8:14 使徒在耶路撒冷聽見撒馬利亞人領受了上帝的道，就打發彼得、約翰往他們那裡去。
8:15 兩個人到了，就為他們禱告，要叫他們受聖靈。
8:16 因為聖靈還沒有降在他們一個人身上，他們只奉主耶穌的名受了洗。
8:17 於是使徒按手在他們頭上，他們就受了聖靈。
8:18 西門看見使徒按手，便有聖靈賜下，就拿錢給使徒，
8:19 說：「把這權柄也給我，叫我手按著誰，誰就可以受聖靈。」
8:20 彼得說：「你的銀子和你一同滅亡吧！因你想上帝的恩賜是可以用錢買的。
8:21 你在這道上無分無關；因為在上帝面前，你的心不正。
8:22 你當懊悔你這罪惡，祈求主，或者你心裡的意念可得赦免。
8:23 我看出你正在苦膽之中，被罪惡捆綁。」
8:24 西門說：「願你們為我求主，叫你們所說的，沒有一樣臨到我身上。」
8:25 使徒既證明主道，而且傳講，就回耶路撒冷去，一路在撒馬利亞好些村莊傳揚福音。

 

⁹ Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, ¹⁰ and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” ¹¹ They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. ¹² But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. ¹³ Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

¹⁴ When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. ¹⁵ When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, ¹⁶ because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷ Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸ When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money ¹⁹ and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

²⁰ Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! ²¹ You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. ²² Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. ²³ For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

²⁴ Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

²⁵ After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

 

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    上帝的權柄是不能用金錢收買的，這是使徒彼得要對那行邪術後來信主的西門說的信息，而且使很嚴重的信息，正如經文所說：「「你的銀子和你一同滅亡吧！因你想上帝的恩賜是可以用錢買的。你在這道上無分無關；因為在上帝面前，你的心不正。你當懊悔你這罪惡，祈求主，或者你心裡的意念可得赦免。我看出你正在苦膽之中，被罪惡捆綁。」

 

    彼得這段話讓我們看見，恩賜是上帝的主權，不是人的欲求，人想盡辦法要得的恩賜，若不是上帝所賜的，是人無法所得著的，更不用說要以金錢來購買，這是行不通的！

 

    我們得恩賜是上帝自己有主權要賜給誰就是給誰，所以我們不可以用「野心」來想得到怎樣的恩賜，好來彰顯自己的名聲，這樣的動機不正確，是上帝所恨惡的，也是上帝所唾棄的，凡不順上帝的心意的，就是與上帝為敵，最後的下場就敗亡！

 

    今日有許多人以為「傳道」是教會最重要的恩賜，不盡自己想傳道還鼓勵許多人同走傳道的路。然而有些人以為傳道是自願的，只要自己覺得喜歡就認為是上帝的呼召。其實不然，真正的呼召常常不是個人喜歡，上帝常常會使用不喜歡傳道的人來成為傳道人，這是很弔詭的事情！

 

    因此，一切都要看上帝的作為，人的動機只有一個就是要順從上帝的心意，而不是顯揚自己的名聲或是追求任何利益，若是為了利益和名聲就不要成為專職的傳道人！