8:26 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。
8:27 腓利就起身去了,不料,有一個衣索匹亞(就是古實,見以賽亞十八章一節)人,是個有大權的太監,在衣索匹亞女王甘大基的手下總管銀庫,他上耶路撒冷禮拜去了。
8:28 現在回來,在車上坐著,念先知以賽亞的書。
8:29 聖靈對腓利說:「你去!貼近那車走。」
8:30 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,你明白嗎?」
8:31 他說:「沒有人指教我,怎能明白呢?」於是請腓利上車,與他同坐。
8:32 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。
8:33 他卑微的時候,人不按公義審判他(原文是他的審判被奪去);誰能述說他的世代?因為他的生命從地上奪去。
8:34 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?」
8:35 腓利就開口從這經上起,對他傳講耶穌。
8:36 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?」(有古卷加:
8:37 腓利說:「你若是一心相信,就可以。」他回答說:「我信耶穌基督是上帝的兒子。」)
8:38 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。
8:39 從水裡上來,主的靈把腓利提了去,太監也不再見他了,就歡歡喜喜地走路。
8:40 後來有人在亞鎖都遇見腓利;他走遍那地方,在各城宣傳福音,直到凱撒利亞。
26 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 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian[a] eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
30 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 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
“He
was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”[b]
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” [37] [c] 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 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. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
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人的信主真的是上帝的作為,是出於上帝的恩典!要不是上帝感動腓利,藉由天使說:「起來!向南走,往那從耶路撒冷下迦薩的路上去。」
雖然那路是曠野,或許腓利走也不會走到那裏,但是上帝催逼,腓利就起身去了,遇到一個衣索匹亞人,是個有大權的太監,在衣索匹亞女王甘大基的手下總管銀庫,他上耶路撒冷禮拜去了。
這個外邦大臣是敬虔人,在車上坐著,念先知以賽亞的書。聖靈對腓利說:「你去!貼近那車走。」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,你明白嗎?」
也因為這樣,他說:「沒有人指教我,怎能明白呢?」於是請腓利上車,與他同坐。也在這時候,腓利透過《以賽亞書》的經文,讓衣索匹亞太監任是先之所說的就是耶穌基督,也因為這樣就受洗信主了!
上帝就是這樣奇妙,不管領人信主或是聽福音信主,都是聖靈的工作,而我們成為基督徒,就是上帝呼召我們來成就這工作,這一切都是上帝的作為與恩典,感謝主!