使徒行傳 11:19-30
- 馬克牧師
- May 26, 2024
- 7 min read
安提阿的教會
19那些因司提反的事遭患難四散的門徒直走到腓尼基和塞浦路斯，並安提阿；他們不向別人講道，只向猶太人講。 20但內中有塞浦路斯和古利奈人，他們到了安提阿也向希臘人傳講主耶穌。 21主與他們同在，信而歸主的人就很多了。 22這風聲傳到耶路撒冷教會人的耳中，他們就打發巴拿巴出去，走到安提阿為止。 23他到了那裏，看見神所賜的恩就歡喜，勸勉眾人，立定心志，恆久靠主。 24這巴拿巴原是個好人，被聖靈充滿，大有信心。於是有許多人歸服了主。 25他又往大數去找掃羅， 26找着了，就帶他到安提阿去。他們足有一年的工夫和教會一同聚集，教訓了許多人。門徒稱為「基督徒」是從安提阿起首。
27當那些日子，有幾位先知從耶路撒冷下到安提阿。 28內中有一位，名叫亞迦布，站起來，藉着聖靈指明天下將有大饑荒。（這事到克勞第年間果然有了。） 29於是門徒定意照各人的力量捐錢，送去供給住在猶太的弟兄。 30他們就這樣行，把捐項託巴拿巴和掃羅送到眾長老那裏。
今天我們讀的是《使徒行傳》第11章的後半段，關於安提阿的教會。因著司提反受迫害，教會受壓迫四散到各地，但這些使者們、這些門徒們開始把福音傳揚出去了。他們不只是待在耶路撒冷，而是到了腓尼基、賽普勒斯。他們走到哪裡，就把福音傳到哪裡，他們是偏向傳給猶太人，因為他們可能還不知道該怎麼跟外邦人分享這些話。然而，我們也看到外邦人不斷地來想要聽這個福音，並且當他們把福音傳揚出去時，外邦人也願意歸信主。
我們看見了一個很美的畫面，就是從猶太人開始的這些猶太使徒們、猶太門徒們，他們不斷地把福音傳出去，而外邦人就被吸引過來。在那個時代背景中，許多人正在找尋一個純真的信仰、一個道德高尚的信仰，而基督教就是他們正在找尋的福音。這麼多人信主的風聲傳到了耶路撒冷，耶路撒冷的門徒們也非常高興，於是他們希望能夠把純正的教導分享給這些新人，所以他們派了巴拿巴來到這裡傳福音。巴拿巴知道這件事情非常重要，他特別去找了一個擁有猶太背景、羅馬公民背景，擁有舊約的知識背景，可以正確引經據典，口才好，並且能夠流利使用希臘文和亞蘭文的人，他就是保羅。
保羅在這個時候已經很多年沒有出現了，因為他回到了他的家鄉大數，沉潛下來重新研究舊約。巴拿巴特別跑去大數找他，對他說了現在教會的發展情況，對他說，這件事情要你出來做才行。我們看見保羅的宣教生涯其實都離不開巴拿巴。普通歷史常常只記得保羅，但卻沒有看到巴拿巴在啟發保羅的宣教生涯中所扮演的重要角色。從一開始保羅轉變過來成為基督徒，他是第一個接納保羅的人，到後來去大數找尋保羅，請他出來建造教會，再到陪伴保羅去各地宣教，巴拿巴在基督教歷史上其實是非常關鍵的一個人物。他的名字沒有經常被提起，但我們看到他的事跡時，必須也感謝上帝有這樣一個巴拿巴來幫助保羅，使保羅能夠完成他的旅行，把福音傳到各地。而且巴拿巴是個很謙卑的人，他樂於做一個助手的角色，沒有想要搶保羅風頭的意思，就是默默地付出，默默地做為那個重要的幫助者。
在教會歷史上，著名的宣教士很多，但我們也不要忽略了，通常他們身邊都會有一位得力助手，或是幫助他們的人。而這些隱藏人物的重要性，往往只有宣教士本身知道，所以，當我們看到一個成功的事奉，都不是只有一個人在做的。
我們看到巴拿巴和保羅在這裡建立了教會，並且花了至少一年的時間來建造這些門徒，建立正確的信仰。這個時候，他們開始被人稱為 “基督徒”。在當時的希臘文中，這個詞語有點像是某一群人或某一個幫派的人，被稱為基督黨或基督幫。其實一開始這是一種嘲諷的意思，但這個稱呼後來卻成為了教會的榮耀稱號。每一個基督徒都可以非常榮耀地說，我信的是耶穌基督，這位在十字架上為我死而復活的永恆的主。今天，基督徒成為了一個非常榮耀的稱號。
安提阿這個地方在敘利亞。在《使徒行傳》第13章中，我們會提到另外一個安提阿。這個敘利亞的安提阿當時是一個非常龐大的城市，僅次於羅馬首都和亞歷山大這兩個大城市，可以說是當時帝國裡非常興盛繁榮的地方。保羅非常擅長在大城市中布道。在接下來的《使徒行傳》故事中，我們會看到保羅不是去窮鄉僻壤的地方布道，而是不斷地在各個大城市如以弗所、哥林多等地布道。保羅擁有非常大的能力，能夠吸引地方上的官長、有錢人及各界人士來聽福音並且信福音。這也是為什麼他能夠在這麼短時間內就影響了整個羅馬帝國。
這是保羅宣教旅程的開始，接下來的故事就是保羅第一次的宣教之旅。我們繼續看下去，故事越來越精彩！
The Church in Antioch
Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
Today we are reading the second half of Acts 11, about the church in Antioch. Due to the persecution of Stephen, the church was oppressed and scattered to various places. However, these messengers and disciples began to spread the gospel. They didn't just stay in Jerusalem; they went to Phoenicia and Cyprus. Wherever they went, they spread the gospel, mainly to Jews because they might not have known how to share these messages with Gentiles. However, we also see that Gentiles continuously came wanting to hear the gospel, and as they spread the gospel, Gentiles were willing to convert as well.
We see a beautiful picture: starting with the Jews, these Jewish apostles and disciples continuously spread the gospel, and Gentiles were drawn in. In that historical context, many people were searching for a pure and morally elevated faith, and Christianity was the gospel they were seeking. The news of so many converts reached Jerusalem, and the disciples there were very happy. They wanted to share their pure teachings with these new believers, so they sent Barnabas to spread the gospel.
Barnabas knew this was a very important task, so he specifically sought out Paul, who had a Jewish background, was a Roman citizen, possessed deep knowledge of the Old Testament, could accurately quote scriptures, was eloquent, and fluent in both Greek and Aramaic. At that time, Paul had not been seen for many years because he had returned to his hometown of Tarsus to study the Old Testament. Barnabas went to Tarsus to find him, explained the development of the church, and told him, "This task needs you." We see that Paul's missionary career was inseparable from Barnabas. History often only remembers Paul, but it overlooks the crucial role Barnabas played in inspiring Paul's missionary career. From initially accepting Paul after his conversion, to later finding Paul in Tarsus and asking him to help build the church, to accompanying Paul on his missionary journeys, Barnabas was a pivotal figure in Christian history. Although his name is not frequently mentioned, when we see his deeds, we must also thank God for having a Barnabas to help Paul complete his journeys and spread the gospel to various places. Additionally, Barnabas was a humble person, content to be a helper without seeking to overshadow Paul, quietly contributing as an essential supporter.
In church history, many famous missionaries had key assistants or supporters who helped them. The importance of these hidden figures is often only known to the missionaries themselves. So, when we see a successful ministry, it is never just one person working alone.
We see that Barnabas and Paul built a church in Antioch, spending at least a year teaching and building up the disciples, establishing correct beliefs. During this time, they began to be called "Christians." In the Greek language of that time, this term was somewhat like calling them "Christ's followers" or "Christ's gang." Initially, it was a term of mockery, but it later became a glorious title for the church. Every Christian could proudly say, "I believe in Jesus Christ, the eternal Lord who died and rose again for me." Today, being called a Christian is a very honorable title.
Antioch was in Syria. In Acts 13, we will mention another Antioch. This Syrian Antioch was a massive city at that time, second only to the capital Rome and Alexandria. It was one of the most prosperous places in the empire. Paul was very adept at preaching in large cities. In the upcoming stories in Acts, we will see that Paul did not go to remote areas to preach, but continuously preached in large cities like Ephesus and Corinth. Paul had great ability to attract local officials, wealthy individuals, and people from all walks of life to hear and believe in the gospel. This is why he could influence the entire Roman Empire in such a short time.
This marks the beginning of Paul's missionary journeys. The next stories will cover Paul's first missionary journey. Let's continue reading; the story gets more and more exciting!
Comments