使徒行傳5:1-11

 

5:1 有一個人，名叫亞拿尼亞，同他的妻子撒非喇賣了田產，
5:2 把價銀私自留下幾分，他的妻子也知道，其餘的幾分拿來放在使徒腳前。
5:3 彼得說：「亞拿尼亞！為甚麼撒但充滿了你的心，叫你欺哄聖靈，把田地的價銀私自留下幾分呢？
5:4 田地還沒有賣，不是你自己的嗎？既賣了，價銀不是你作主嗎？你怎麼心裡起這意念呢？你不是欺哄人，是欺哄上帝了。」
5:5 亞拿尼亞聽見這話，就仆倒，斷了氣；聽見的人都甚懼怕。
5:6 有些少年人起來，把他包裹，抬出去埋葬了。
5:7 約過了三小時，他的妻子進來，還不知道這事。
5:8 彼得對她說：「你告訴我，你們賣田地的價銀就是這些嗎？」她說：「就是這些。」
5:9 彼得說：「你們為甚麼同心試探主的靈呢？埋葬你丈夫之人的腳已到門口，他們也要把你抬出去。」
5:10 婦人立刻仆倒在彼得腳前，斷了氣。那些少年人進來，見她已經死了，就抬出去，埋在她丈夫旁邊。
5:11 全教會和聽見這事的人都甚懼怕。

 

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. ² With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

³ Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? ⁴ Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

⁵ When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. ⁶ Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

⁷ About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

⁹ Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

¹⁰ At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

 

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    亞拿尼亞和撒非喇奉獻的事情，給我們許多的提醒，尤其是對錢財看重的人弟兄姊妹。

 

    一般人認為錢財是重要的，而且是很有力量的。於是許多人的心目中，把錢財看得比上帝還重要，認為有錢才會有勢，甚至有些基督徒利用錢財來控制教會和弟兄姊妹，忘記「教會的主是上帝，而非錢財」！

 

    亞拿尼亞和撒非喇表面是「全然奉獻」，但是卻為自己留下幾分，在上帝看來是欺哄，所以上帝大大責罰，好做教會的警戒！對今日的信徒，這一段聖經是非常震撼的，因為許多人的行徑和亞拿尼亞和撒非喇相去不遠，上帝仍然寬容，希望人能夠悔改！

 

    然而亞拿尼亞和撒非喇被上帝擊殺的事件若發生在今日的教會，有一群「得了便宜又賣乖」的信徒，一定出來抗議上帝不仁慈，正如有些人認為：上帝既然是愛，就不可為犯罪的人以設立地獄！一旦強調上帝的主權，就說這是汙衊上帝、醜化上帝！

 

    現代的基督徒受到世界的思潮影響甚於聖經的教訓，這是令人非常憂心的事情！但是我們相信，上帝有預備「七千人」是不受影響的，是忠心於上帝的，你有沒有在其中？

 

以斯拉記1:1-11

 

1:1 波斯王塞魯士元年，耶和華為要應驗藉耶利米口所說的話，就激動波斯王塞魯士的心，使他下詔通告全國說：
1:2 「波斯王塞魯士如此說：『耶和華天上的上帝已將天下萬國賜給我，又囑咐我在猶大的耶路撒冷為他建造殿宇。
1:3 在你們中間凡作他子民的，可以上猶大的耶路撒冷，在耶路撒冷重建耶和華─以色列上帝的殿（只有他是上帝）。願上帝與這人同在。
1:4 凡剩下的人，無論寄居何處，那地的人要用金銀、財物、牲畜幫助他，另外也要為耶路撒冷上帝的殿甘心獻上禮物。』」
1:5 於是，猶大和便雅憫的族長、祭司、利未人，就是一切被上帝激動他心的人，都起來要上耶路撒冷去建造耶和華的殿。
1:6 他們四圍的人就拿銀器、金子、財物、牲畜、珍寶幫助他們（原文是堅固他們的手），另外還有甘心獻的禮物。
1:7 塞魯士王也將耶和華殿的器皿拿出來，這器皿是尼布甲尼撒從耶路撒冷掠來、放在自己神之廟中的。
1:8 波斯王塞魯士派庫官米提利達將這器皿拿出來，按數交給猶大的首領設巴薩。
1:9 器皿的數目記在下面：金盤三十個，銀盤一千個，刀二十九把，
1:10 金碗三十個，銀碗之次的四百一十個，別樣的器皿一千件。
1:11 金銀器皿共有五千四百件。被擄的人從巴比倫上耶路撒冷的時候，設巴薩將這一切都帶上來。

 

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

² “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

“‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. ³ Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. ⁴ And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’”

⁵ Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. ⁶ All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings.

⁷ Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.^{[a] 8} Cyrus king of Persia had them brought by Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah.

⁹ This was the inventory:

gold dishes	30
silver dishes	1,000
silver pans[b]	29
10 gold bowls	30
matching silver bowls	410
other articles	1,000

¹¹ In all, there were 5,400 articles of gold and of silver. Sheshbazzar brought all these along with the exiles when they came up from Babylon to Jerusalem.

 

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    從一位外邦的君王說出：「耶和華天上的上帝已將天下萬國賜給我，又囑咐我在猶大的耶路撒冷為他建造殿宇。在你們中間凡作他子民的，可以上猶大的耶路撒冷，在耶路撒冷重建耶和華─以色列上帝的殿（只有他是上帝）。願上帝與這人同在。凡剩下的人，無論寄居何處，那地的人要用金銀、財物、牲畜幫助他，另外也要為耶路撒冷上帝的殿甘心獻上禮物。」實在是很難想像，這也是上帝奇妙之處，祂要成就的事，常常是超越人的想法！

 

    正如主耶穌的降臨，並沒有違背先知的預言，卻從一位卑微的木匠之家，為世人預備基督，使人透過這位不被世人注意的大衛之子，甚至以十字架的死，承擔世人的罪孽，藉由死敗壞掌死權的惡者，拯救世人脫離罪與死！

 

    猶太人從巴比倫被擄歸回，本是不可能的，也是很難想像的，上帝卻透過一位征服巴比倫的波斯王來成就，這就是上帝奇妙之處！同樣，基督的再來也是要以征服舊世界的榮耀君王之形式來顯現上帝的拯救！讓我們盼望與相信：上帝榮耀的國必定降臨，我們必定完全得贖！

 

   

 

 

使徒行傳4:32-37

 

4:32 那許多信的人都是一心一意的，沒有一人說他的東西有一樣是自己的，都是大家公用。
4:33 使徒大有能力，見證主耶穌復活；眾人也都蒙大恩。
4:34 內中也沒有一個缺乏的；因為人人將田產房屋都賣了，
4:35 把所賣的價銀拿來，放在使徒腳前，照各人所需用的，分給各人。
4:36 有一個利未人，生在塞浦路斯，名叫約瑟，使徒稱他為巴拿巴（巴拿巴翻出來就是勸慰子）。
4:37 他有田地，也賣了，把價銀拿來，放在使徒腳前。

 

³² All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. ³³ With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all ³⁴ that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales ³⁵ and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

³⁶ Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), ³⁷ sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

 

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    教會因著使徒大有能力，見證主耶穌復活；眾人也都蒙大恩。但是在這種情況下也有現實要面對的問題，就是生活上所需用的事物。然而大家因為基督的救恩所帶來的新的生活與經濟型態：「內中也沒有一個缺乏的；因為人人將田產房屋都賣了，把所賣的價銀拿來，放在使徒腳前，照各人所需用的，分給各人。」

 

    這也就是說初代教會的信徒是如同「共產」的經濟型態，這樣的型態目前只有天主教的修會採用這樣的方式：他們凡物公用，一起吃飯、居住，每個人有三千新台幣零用金。

 

    當然這不是必定如此，一般的基督教會是各人有各人的財產，每月奉獻十分之一公教會的福音傳播使用。當然一切都要出於甘心樂意，不可勉強。正如保羅所說：「各人要隨本心所酌定的，不要作難，不要勉強，因為捐得樂意的人是上帝所喜愛的。」（哥林多後書9:7）

 

    因此，我們要樂意的奉獻，不要害怕奉獻太少上帝不賜福，反而愛表現奉獻太多，反而使自己受虧損又不得上帝的喜愛！

 

使徒行傳4:23-31

 

4:23 二人既被釋放，就到會友那裡去，把祭司長和長老所說的話都告訴他們。
4:24 他們聽見了，就同心合意地高聲向上帝說：「主啊！你是造天、地、海，和其中萬物的，
4:25 你曾藉著聖靈，託你僕人─我們祖宗大衛的口，說：外邦為甚麼爭鬧？萬民為甚麼謀算虛妄的事？
4:26 世上的君王一齊起來，臣宰也聚集，要敵擋主，並主的受膏者（或譯：基督）。
4:27 希律和本丟•彼拉多，外邦人和以色列民，果然在這城裡聚集，要攻打你所膏的聖僕（僕：或譯子）耶穌，
4:28 成就你手和你意旨所預定必有的事。
4:29 他們恐嚇我們，現在求主鑒察，一面叫你僕人大放膽量講你的道，一面伸出你的手來醫治疾病，並且使神蹟奇事因著你聖僕（僕：或譯子）耶穌的名行出來。」
4:30 【併於上節】
4:31 禱告完了，聚會的地方震動，他們就都被聖靈充滿，放膽講論上帝的道。

 

²³ On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴ When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. ²⁵ You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:

“‘Why do the nations rage
    and the peoples plot in vain?
²⁶ The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
against the Lord
    and against his anointed one.^[b]’^[c]

²⁷ Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. ²⁸ They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. ²⁹ Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. ³⁰ Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

³¹ After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

 

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    彼得勇敢在會堂做見證，讓那些人無法對他們做甚麼！這樣的事蹟，彼得也分享給教會的弟兄姊妹知道，大家就同心禱告感謝上帝！甚至「禱告完了，聚會的地方震動，他們就都被聖靈充滿，放膽講論上帝的道。」

 

    其實今日的基督徒也要效法彼得和約翰，靠著聖靈來向世界宣告耶穌基督的名，讓世人清楚唯有靠耶穌基督的名，人才可以享受上帝所賜的永生！正如保羅所說：「我不以福音為恥；這福音本是上帝的大能，要救一切相信的，先是猶太人，後是希臘人。」（羅馬書1:16）

 

    因此，我們不要害怕自己沒有學問，也不要擔心自己社會地位低，更不用害怕自己的經濟沒有別人好，…。我們只要靠著聖靈，就會超越人的限制，將上帝的話語，也就是福音傳講得使人願意悔改歸向上帝！