以弗所教会的信 To the Church in Ephesus

讲员：张文旭牧师 Rev. Ivan Teo
启示录 Revelation 2: 1-7

以弗所教会的信 / To the Church in Ephesus

国度真理 (5) / The Kingdom of God 5

经文 / Scripture: 启示录 Rev. 2: 1-7

1. 七灯台与教会的奥秘 / The Mystery of the Lampstands

【启 1:20】 论到你所看见、在我右手中的七星和七个金灯台的奥秘,那七星就是七个教会的使者,七灯台就是七个教会。”

【Rev 1:20】 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

主耶稣用金灯台来象征教会,显示新约教会与旧约以色列————神的选民 之间的连续关系。 / The Lord Jesus used the golden lampstand as a symbol of the church, showing the continuity between the New Testament church and Old Testament Israel, God's chosen people.

【弗 3:6】 这奥秘就是外邦人在基督耶稣里,借着福音,得以同为后嗣,同为一体,同蒙应许。

【Eph 3:6】 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

2. 赞许与果子的辨识 / Commendation and Discerning Fruit

【启 2:1-3】 “你要写信给以弗所教会的使者,说:『那右手拿着七星、在七个金灯台中间行走的,说: 我知道你的行为、劳碌、忍耐,也知道你不能容忍恶人。你也曾试验那自称为使徒却不是使徒的,看出他们是假的来。你也能忍耐,曾为我的名劳苦,并不乏倦。

【Rev 2:1-3】 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

【太 Mat 7:20】 所以,凭着他们的果子就可以认出他们来。 / Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

3. 离弃起初的爱 / Forsaking the First Love

【启 Rev 2:4】 然而有一件事我要责备你,就是你把起初的爱心离弃了。 / Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.

爱 agape 一般用来形容从神来的爱。是agape也可以用来形容“爱神爱人”。

【约壹 1Jn 4:20】 ...不爱他所看见的弟兄,就不能爱没有看见的神。 / For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

起初的爱,就是一种从神来的爱,使我们能以基督的爱去爱人。 / The first love is a love that comes from God, enabling us to love others with the love of Christ.

【约壹 1Jn 3:11】 我们应当彼此相爱。这就是你们从起初所听见的命令。 / For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

【约壹 1Jn 3:16】 主为我们舍命,我们从此就知道何为爱;我们也当为弟兄舍命。 / This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

【路 Luk 7:47】 所以我告诉你,她许多的罪都赦免了,因为她的爱多;但那赦免少的,他的爱就少。” / Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little."

4. 为什么会离弃起初的爱? / Why Would One Abandon the First Love?

① 以弗所城是个商业化的大都会,人际关系很容易以利益作价值单位。 / Ephesus was a highly commercialized metropolis, where interpersonal relationships could easily be measured by profit and self-interest.

② 以弗所异教盛行,但基督徒因着基督的爱,在众多信仰中被辨认出来是属于基督的人。(约Jn 13:35) / Ephesus was filled with pagan religions, but Christians were recognized as belonging to Christ through the love of Christ.

③ 以弗教会中有假使徒,为了要辨别真假使徒难免会落入冷酷无情的批判。 / In the Ephesian church, there were false apostles. In the process of discerning true apostles from false ones, they could easily fall into cold and merciless criticism.

起初的爱是多走一里路的爱! / The first love is the love that goes the extra mile!

5. 恨恶尼哥拉党与警戒教会世俗化 / Hating Nicolaitan Practices and Warning Against Secularization

【启 Rev 2:6】 然而你还有一件可取的事,就是你恨恶尼哥拉一党人的行为,这也是我所恨恶的。 / But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

【启 Rev 2:14-15】 然而,有几件事我要责备你:因为在你那里有人服从了巴兰的教训;这巴兰曾教导巴勒将绊脚石放在以色列人面前,叫他们吃祭偶像之物,行奸淫的事。15你那里也有人照样服从了尼哥拉一党人的教训。 / Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

巴兰: 象征为利忘义、背叛信仰与宗教混合主义。 / Balaam symbolizes compromising righteousness for personal gain, betraying the faith, and religious syncretism.

尼哥拉党: 可理解为“人民的毁灭”,代表自由放荡、不道德的生活方式。 / The Nicolaitans may be understood as "the destruction of the people," representing immoral and unrestrained behavior.

耶稣肯定以弗所教会,因为他们恨恶尼哥拉党的行为。 / God commended the church in Ephesus because they hated the practices of the Nicolaitans.

爱基督所爱,恶基督所恶。 / Love what Christ loves and hate what Christ hates.

现今教会面对最大的危机,不是遭逼迫;而是教会世俗化。 / The greatest crisis facing the church today is not persecution, but secularization.

教会世俗化:指教会不再依靠基督,而是靠世俗的价值观。 / The secularization of the church means that the church no longer depends on Christ, but relies instead on worldly values.

6. 回想、悔改与复兴 / Remembrance, Repentance, and Revival

【启 2:5】 所以,应当回想你是从哪里坠落的,并要悔改,行起初所行的事。你若不悔改,我就临到你那里把你的灯台从原处挪去。 / 【Rev 2:5】 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

蓝赛 Sir William Mitchell Ramsay, 1851-1939

司布真 Spurgeon, (1834-1892)

司布真认为,这段经文是关于教会“复兴”的经文 / Spurgeon regarded this passage as a text about the "revival" of the church.

蓝赛指出:基督对以弗所教会的要求,并不是要他们追求什么新的东西,而是要他们恢复昔日曾经拥有的品格。 / Ramsay said that what Christ required of the church in Ephesus was not something new, but a return to the character they once possessed.

7. 得胜者的赏赐 / Reward for the Overcomer

 

【启 2:7】 圣灵向众教会所说的话,凡有耳的,就应当听!得胜的,我必将神乐园中生命树的果子赐给他吃。』” / 【Rev 2:7】 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

果子是得胜者的品格,也成为教会复兴的种子。 / The fruit reveals the character of the overcomer and becomes the seed of revival for the church.