詩篇37:37

你要細察那完全人，觀看那正直人，因為和平人有好結局。

 

Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
    a future awaits those who seek peace

 

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    「和平」在西伯來文是[shalom]，有完全與美好的意思，是與上帝同在的表現。而這樣的人自然會讓人感覺是正直的、祥和的。而我們也希望自己成為這樣的人，就當留心觀察來學習。

 

    當然這樣的人完美榜樣就在主耶穌，主耶穌曾說：「凡勞苦擔重擔的人可以到我這裡來，我就使你們得安息。我心裡柔和謙卑，你們當負我的軛，學我的樣式；這樣，你們心裡就必得享安息。」(馬太福音11:28-29)

 

    在今日的人群中似乎沒有學習「安息」和「平安」的功課的機會，因為人們想的都是如何讓自己表現更好，都是在那裏耗損自己的資本，卻又得不著補充。這個補充是從哪裡來呢﹖就是來就近主耶穌好連節於上帝，好得著供應，享受安息。

 

    因此，我們要細察與觀看的就是主耶穌，進一步我們要去效法主耶穌，如保羅所說：「你們該效法我，像我效法基督一樣。」(哥林多前書11:1)

 

    所謂「效法」就是看了以後，跟著去做，邦然這個做是要經過反思與更新自己的，由其是和自己本性相左的時候，更是要放下自己的習慣與感覺，讓主的心意來取代，這是要付極大的代價！

 

    所以，跟隨主耶穌的人，必須徹徹底底的「死了」！

 

 

使徒行傳20:36-38

 

20:36 保羅說完了這話，就跪下同眾人禱告。
20:37 眾人痛哭，抱著保羅的頸項，和他親嘴。
20:38 叫他們最傷心的，就是他說「以後不能再見我的面」那句話，於是送他上船去了。

 

³⁶ When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. ³⁷ They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. ³⁸ What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

 

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    保羅向同工告別，讓人感受到人的限制，可是無論如何，將來在上帝國實現時，大家還是要再相見呢！

 

 

 

使徒行傳20:13-24

 

20:13 我們先上船，開往亞朔去，意思要在那裡接保羅；因為他是這樣安排的，他自己打算要步行。
20:14 他既在亞朔與我們相會，我們就接他上船，來到米推利尼。
20:15 從那裡開船，次日到了基阿的對面；又次日，在撒摩靠岸；又次日，來到米利都。
20:16 乃因保羅早已定意越過以弗所，免得在亞細亞耽延，他急忙前走，巴不得趕五旬節能到耶路撒冷。
20:17 保羅從米利都打發人往以弗所去，請教會的長老來。
20:18 他們來了，保羅就說：「你們知道，自從我到亞細亞的日子以來，在你們中間始終為人如何，
20:19 服事主，凡事謙卑，眼中流淚，又因猶太人的謀害，經歷試煉。
20:20 你們也知道，凡與你們有益的，我沒有一樣避諱不說的，或在眾人面前，或在各人家裡，我都教導你們；
20:21 又對猶太人和希臘人證明當向上帝悔改，信靠我主耶穌基督。
20:22 現在我往耶路撒冷去，心甚迫切（原文是心被捆綁），不知道在那裡要遇見甚麼事；
20:23 但知道聖靈在各城裡向我指證，說有捆鎖與患難等待我。
20:24 我卻不以性命為念，也不看為寶貴，只要行完我的路程，成就我從主耶穌所領受的職事，證明上帝恩惠的福音。

 

¹³ We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. ¹⁴ When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. ¹⁵ The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. ¹⁶ Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.

¹⁷ From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. ¹⁸ When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. ¹⁹ I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. ²⁰ You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. ²¹ I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

²² “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. ²³ I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. ²⁴ However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

 

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   保羅知道自己這一生奔跑的方向：「但知道聖靈在各城裡向我指證，說有捆鎖與患難等待我。我卻不以性命為念，也不看為寶貴，只要行完我的路程，成就我從主耶穌所領受的職事，證明上帝恩惠的福音。」

 

    這也就是告訴我們服事主必定要有勇敢的心，甚至要願意為主面對各樣的苦難和考驗，因為主耶穌說：「若有人要跟從我，就當捨己，背起他的十字架來跟從我。因為，凡要救自己生命（生命：或譯靈魂；下同）的，必喪掉生命；凡為我喪掉生命的，必得著生命。」(5)

 

    因此，我們要將自己的生命勇敢交託給主耶穌，正如保羅一樣！主耶穌也應許說：「人子要在他父的榮耀裡，同著眾使者降臨；那時候，他要照各人的行為報應各人。」(馬太福音16:27)

 

使徒行傳20:7-12

20:7 七日的第一日，我們聚會擘餅的時候，保羅因為要次日起行，就與他們講論，直講到半夜。
20:8 我們聚會的那座樓上，有好些燈燭。
20:9 有一個少年人，名叫猶推古，坐在窗臺上，困倦沉睡。保羅講了多時，少年人睡熟了，就從三層樓上掉下去；扶起他來，已經死了。
20:10 保羅下去，伏在他身上，抱著他，說：「你們不要發慌，他的靈魂還在身上。」
20:11 保羅又上去，擘餅，吃了，談論許久，直到天亮，這才走了。
20:12 有人把那童子活活地領來，得的安慰不小。

 

⁷ On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. ⁸ There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. ⁹ Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. ¹⁰ Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” ¹¹ Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. ¹² The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

 

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    「七日的第一日」表是教會開始將敬拜時間放在一週的開始，就是所謂的主日，紀念主耶穌的復活！

 

 

 

 

使徒行傳20:1-6

 

20:1 亂定之後，保羅請門徒來，勸勉他們，就辭別起行，往馬其頓去。
20:2 走遍了那一帶地方，用許多話勸勉門徒（或譯：眾人），然後來到希臘。
20:3 在那裡住了三個月，將要坐船往敘利亞去，猶太人設計要害他，他就定意從馬其頓回去。
20:4 同他到亞細亞去的，有庇哩亞人畢羅斯的兒子所巴特，帖撒羅尼迦人亞里達古和西公都，還有特庇人該猶，並提摩太，又有亞細亞人推基古和特羅非摩。
20:5 這些人先走，在特羅亞等候我們。
20:6 過了除酵的日子，我們從腓立比開船，五天到了特羅亞，和他們相會，在那裡住了七天。

 

When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. ² He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, ³ where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. ⁴ He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. ⁵ These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. ⁶ But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

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    保羅經過三次佈道旅行，事功慢慢轉移到外邦人了！