2022-11-6 “Do Not Hesitate to Go with Those God Sent不要疑惑跟那些神差來的一起去”（Acts 使徒行傳 10:17-23）
… While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.’ … The men replied, ‘We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.’ Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests. …
… 彼得還在思量那異象，聖靈對他說：“你看，有三個人來找你！起來，下去吧，跟他們一起去，不要疑惑，因為是我差他們來的。”… 他們說：“百夫長哥尼流是個義人，敬畏神，全猶太族都稱讚他。他得到一位聖天使的指示，請你到他家裡，要聽你的話。”彼得就請他們進去 …
Here, Peter did not have the vision (and associated ‘verbal’ instruction) all figured out. All that came to make sense to him when the Holy Sprit spoke to him through his three unknown / unexpected visitors just arriving at his door. Peter would have been shocked when he immediately found out that they were not Jews. He would have wondered why God told him to go with these Gentile messengers and why God had sent them. Indeed God was expanding Peter’s mind and heart through their invitation for Peter to share his message (Christ’s gospel) to their master (and his household). We could see the change in Peter’s heart by the way he treated them as welcomed guests, going against every Jewish custom and tradition of that day. Peter reached out in love to his Gentile neighbours in obedience to what God told him to do.
在這裡，彼得還沒有弄明白那異象（及相關「聲音說出」的吩咐）所有的意思。當聖靈透過彼得有三位不認識/想不到，剛剛來到他門前的訪客對他說話時，那一切來得具有意義了。當彼得即時發現他們不是猶太人時，他會驚訝極了。他會好奇極了為什麼神要他與這些外邦的信差一起去，為什麼神派了他們。確實，神透過他們給彼得的邀請去向他們的主人（及全家）分享他的信息（基督的福音），正在擴展彼得的思想和心靈。我們可以透過彼得把他們當作無任歡迎的客旅來招待的方式，看出他心中的改變，違反了當時猶太人所有的習俗和傳統。彼得聽從神所吩咐他要作的，在愛里向外邦的鄰居伸出援助之手。
Prayer:
God of Trinity, the idea that you could send and use someone we don’t know nor expect to lead us onto your desired way could be entirely new to us since most of us had ever done anything like what Peter did before! How would we respond? Thank you for the example of Peter who was willing to re-examine his traditions and prejudices in light of God’s word, sharing your heart for a lost world. Help us not to be like Prophet Jonah who ran from your call, thinking that he could get away from you, but to share your heart for the lost in loving obedience to what you tell us to go and do. Amen.
禱告: 三一真神啊，你可以差派和使用我們不認識或想不到的人，引領我們走上你心意的道上，這概念對我們來說可以是全新的，因為我們中間大多數人以前未曾作過任何事像彼得所作的！我們會如何回應呢？為著彼得的榜樣感謝你，他願意在神話語的亮光中，重新審視他的傳統和偏見，分擔你對失喪世界的愛心。求你幫助我們不要像先知約拿一樣，逃離你的呼召，以為自己可以遠離你，卻要在愛裡聽從你所吩咐我們要去作的，分擔你對失喪者的愛心。阿們。
