使徒行傳 16:1-24 福音傳入歐洲
- 馬克牧師
- Jun 17, 2024
- 10 min read
提摩太跟保羅、西拉同工
1 保羅來到特庇，又到路司得。在那裏有一個門徒，名叫提摩太，是信主之猶太婦人的兒子，他父親卻是希臘人。 2路司得和以哥念的弟兄都稱讚他。 3保羅要帶他同去，只因那些地方的猶太人都知道他父親是希臘人，就給他行了割禮。 4他們經過各城，把耶路撒冷使徒和長老所定的條規交給門徒遵守。 5於是眾教會信心越發堅固，人數天天加增。
保羅看見馬其頓人的異象
6聖靈既然禁止他們在亞細亞講道，他們就經過弗呂家、加拉太一帶地方。 7到了每西亞的邊界，他們想要往庇推尼去，耶穌的靈卻不許。 8他們就越過每西亞，下到特羅亞去。 9在夜間有異象現與保羅。有一個馬其頓人站着求他說：「請你過到馬其頓來幫助我們。」 10保羅既看見這異象，我們隨即想要往馬其頓去，以為神召我們傳福音給那裏的人聽。
呂底亞歸主
11於是從特羅亞開船，一直行到撒摩特喇，第二天到了尼亞坡里。 12從那裏來到腓立比，就是馬其頓這一方的頭一個城，也是羅馬的駐防城。我們在這城裏住了幾天。 13當安息日，我們出城門，到了河邊，知道那裏有一個禱告的地方，我們就坐下對那聚會的婦女講道。 14有一個賣紫色布疋的婦人，名叫呂底亞，是推雅推喇城的人，素來敬拜神。她聽見了，主就開導她的心，叫她留心聽保羅所講的話。 15她和她一家既領了洗，便求我們說：「你們若以為我是真信主的，請到我家裏來住」；於是強留我們。
在腓立比被囚
16後來，我們往那禱告的地方去。有一個使女迎着面來，她被巫鬼所附，用法術，叫她主人們大得財利。 17她跟隨保羅和我們，喊着說：「這些人是至高神的僕人，對你們傳說救人的道。」 18她一連多日這樣喊叫，保羅就心中厭煩，轉身對那鬼說：「我奉耶穌基督的名，吩咐你從她身上出來！」那鬼當時就出來了。 19使女的主人們見得利的指望沒有了，便揪住保羅和西拉，拉他們到市上去見首領； 20又帶到官長面前說：「這些人原是猶太人，竟騷擾我們的城， 21傳我們羅馬人所不可受不可行的規矩。」 22眾人就一同起來攻擊他們。官長吩咐剝了他們的衣裳，用棍打； 23打了許多棍，便將他們下在監裏，囑咐禁卒嚴緊看守。 24禁卒領了這樣的命，就把他們下在內監裏，兩腳上了木狗。
今天我們一起來讀使徒行傳第16章，看到了一個非常感人的故事——保羅在路司德這個地方的一段經歷，以及一位重要人物的出現——提摩太。這段故事也記載了福音第一次傳入到歐洲。
提摩太在保羅的一生中佔有重要地位。在保羅年老的時候，提摩太成為了他最親密的夥伴之一，甚至被保羅視為兒子。這種師徒之情，不僅僅是傳授知識和技能，更是心靈上的相互扶持和理解。提摩太成為保羅事工的接班人，這讓保羅非常欣慰和高興。
提摩太的身世也很特別。他的母親是信仰虔誠的猶太人，而他的父親則是希臘人。這樣的背景讓提摩太在猶太傳統中有些不尋常，因為傳統猶太人是不會認這種非純正血統的人為猶太人。但是保羅卻打破了傳統，帶著提摩太四處遊歷，傳福音。
保羅原本打算前往的地方是庇推尼，但是耶穌的靈阻止了他們，並引導他們前往特羅亞，然後又有一個馬其頓人在保羅的夢裡向他顯現，呼召他們去馬其頓。馬其頓曾經是當時亞歷山大大帝的領地，保羅和他的同工們順服聖靈的引導，向馬其頓進發，進入希臘。這次旅程標誌著保羅第一次把福音帶入歐洲，這在基督教歷史上是非常重要的。
大多數人認為基督教起源於歐洲，這是因為保羅的這次宣教旅程使基督教在歐洲開始扎根，最終成為歐洲文化的重要組成部分。然而，當我們深入了解歷史，我們會發現基督教的發源地實際上是在今天的土耳其。最初的幾個基督教社群，包括安提阿教會，都是在土耳其境內建立的。現今的土耳其主要信仰伊斯蘭教，這讓人難以想像它與基督教的早期歷史有如此深厚的聯繫。
腓立比這個地方是今天歐洲希臘的卡瓦拉這個城市的北邊一點點的距離。卡瓦拉是一個海港，是希臘的海邊城市。而在這裡，保羅首先遇到了一個賣紫色布匹的婦人，名叫呂底亞。呂底亞是一個有錢的商人，因為在當時，紫色染料非常稀有，因此紫色布匹非常昂貴。能夠買得起的人非富即貴。所以，呂迪亞能夠賣這些昂貴的布匹，意味著她的客戶也非常有錢，她所服侍的應該是上流社會的富裕階層。
而在這裡，我們看到了呂底亞是一向敬拜神的人。她聽見了保羅的話，主就開導了她的心，她便願意受洗，成為了歐洲當時第一批基督徒之一。
當我們看見這段故事時，我們明白到，傳福音的對象不僅僅是一般人，實際上，各個社會階層的人都對福音有著渴望。當我們憑著信心去傳福音時，上帝會開路。無論是有錢人、貴族，還是不同社會階層的人，其實都在尋求福音所帶來的安慰和平安。
接下來，我們來看第16節，看到有一個女奴。這個女奴其實只是為了幫她的主人們賺錢。她身上有一個奇怪的情況，就是有一個靈在她身上，她能夠算命，知道一些奇妙的事情。她的主人就利用她的這個能力賺了很多錢。
但是，我們看到的是，這個靈認識保羅，也認識耶穌。所以，當她遇到保羅時，這個靈就不停地大叫，說：“這些人是至高神的僕人，要向你們傳講救人的道。”這樣一直講個不停。最後，保羅不耐煩了，就命令這個靈離開這個女奴。這樣，這個女奴就恢復了正常。
這件事情本來是一個奇蹟，但因為這個女奴失去了她的算命能力，她的主人們失去了賺錢的機會，非常不高興。因此，這件事情引發了這些有錢人把保羅和西拉抓起來，並送到官府。
這些主人們為保羅和西拉捏造了一個罪名，說他們在製造整個城市的混亂，企圖讓他們被關進監獄。羅馬政府非常講究秩序，所以當局就用很嚴厲的方式對待他們。他們被鞭打、棍打了一頓，然後被關進監獄裡，成為重刑犯。
當我們在傳福音的時候，我們看見有些人歡喜樂意地接受，因為他們盼望已久的事情終於發生了。但同時，福音也不一定總是受人歡迎，因為福音要求人改變，而這些改變不一定會讓人高興。
尤其是當我們的一些工作或者生意的原則受到影響的時候，福音可能會與我們的經濟來源發生衝突，這會讓聽到福音的人面臨非常大的挑戰和抵抗。可能福音點出這些生意的錯誤，不道德之處，或是讓人不能夠再繼續昧著良心賺錢，總而言之，當福音來到的時候，就像是光芒照進來，在暗處盼望光明的人會歡喜快樂，而行不義之事的人被顯明出來，勢必會和帶來光明的人有一場爭戰。這就是傳福音的人所需要面對的景況。
我們看到保羅和西拉被打成重傷，然後又關進監獄之中。他們的命運會如何呢？我們明天繼續讀第十六章下半段的故事。感謝各位的聆聽！
Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
1Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia
6Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi
11From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
13On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Paul and Silas in Prison
16Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.
19When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”
22The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
Today, we will read Acts 16 together and witness a touching story—Paul’s experience in Lystra and the appearance of an important figure, Timothy. This chapter also records the first time the Gospel was brought to Europe.
Timothy played a significant role in Paul’s life. When Paul grew older, Timothy became one of his closest companions and was even regarded as a son. This teacher-student relationship was not only about imparting knowledge and skills but also about mutual support and understanding. Timothy became the successor to Paul’s ministry, which brought Paul great joy and comfort.
Timothy's background was also quite special. His mother was a devout Jew, while his father was Greek. This background made Timothy somewhat unusual in Jewish tradition, as traditional Jews did not recognize people of mixed heritage as Jews. However, Paul broke with tradition and took Timothy on his travels, spreading the Gospel together.
Originally, Paul planned to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus prevented them and led them to Troas. Then, a man of Macedonia appeared to Paul in a vision, calling them to Macedonia. Macedonia was once the territory of Alexander the Great. Paul and his companions obeyed the Holy Spirit's guidance and went to Macedonia, entering Greece. This journey marked the first time Paul brought the Gospel to Europe, which is very significant in Christian history.
Most people think Christianity originated in Europe because Paul's missionary journey helped Christianity take root in Europe, eventually becoming an integral part of European culture. However, when we delve into history, we find that Christianity actually originated in what is now Turkey. The earliest Christian communities, including the church in Antioch, were established in Turkey. Today, Turkey is predominantly Muslim, making it hard to imagine its deep connection with early Christian history.
Philippi, the place Paul visited, is located a short distance north of modern-day Kavala in Greece. Kavala is a port city on the coast of Greece. Here, Paul first met a woman named Lydia, a seller of purple cloth. Lydia was a wealthy merchant because, at the time, purple dye was very rare and expensive, making purple cloth very costly. Only the rich could afford it. Lydia’s clientele was likely wealthy, high-society individuals.
We also see that Lydia was a worshiper of God. When she heard Paul’s words, the Lord opened her heart, and she was willing to be baptized, becoming one of the first Christians in Europe.
When we see this story, we understand that the recipients of the Gospel are not just ordinary people. In fact, people from all social strata have a yearning for the Gospel. When we preach the Gospel with faith, God will open the way. Whether rich, noble, or from different social classes, people seek the comfort and peace that the Gospel brings.
Next, we look at verse 16 and see a slave girl. This girl was used by her masters to make money. She had a strange condition: a spirit possessed her, enabling her to predict the future and know some mysterious things. Her masters exploited this ability to make a lot of money.
However, we see that this spirit recognized Paul and Jesus. When she encountered Paul, the spirit constantly shouted, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept saying this repeatedly. Finally, Paul, fed up, commanded the spirit to leave the girl, and she was restored to normal.
This event, initially a miracle, caused great distress because the girl lost her ability to predict the future, and her masters lost their source of income. They were very upset and took Paul and Silas to the authorities.
The masters fabricated charges against Paul and Silas, accusing them of causing trouble in the city, aiming to have them imprisoned. The Roman government highly valued order, so the authorities severely punished Paul and Silas. They were beaten with rods and then imprisoned as heavy criminals.
When we preach the Gospel, we see some people gladly accept it because their long-awaited hope has finally arrived. But at the same time, the Gospel is not always welcomed because it demands change, and these changes may not always bring happiness. Especially when our work or business principles are affected, the Gospel may conflict with our source of income, presenting significant challenges and resistance for those who hear it.
The Gospel may highlight the errors and unethical aspects of certain businesses, or make people unable to continue earning money unethically. When the Gospel arrives, it is like light shining into darkness. Those who hope for light will rejoice, while those who commit unrighteous deeds and are exposed will inevitably clash with the bringers of light. This is the situation that those who preach the Gospel must face.
We see Paul and Silas severely beaten and then imprisoned. What will happen to them? Let’s continue reading the second half of chapter 16 tomorrow. Thank you for listening!
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