第廿五章

1 非斯都到了任，過了三天，就從凱撒利亞上耶路撒冷去。2 祭司長和猶太人的首領向他控告保羅， 3 又央告他，求他的情，將保羅提到耶路撒冷來，他們要在路上埋伏殺害他。4 非斯都卻回答說：「保羅押在凱撒利亞，我自己快要往那裡去。」 5 又說：「你們中間有權勢的人與我一同下去，那人若有甚麼不是，就可以告他。」 6 非斯都在他們那裡住了不過十天八天，就下凱撒利亞去。第二天坐堂，吩咐將保羅提上來。7 保羅來了，那些從耶路撒冷下來的猶太人周圍站著，將許多重大的事控告他，都是不能證實的。8 保羅分訴說：「無論猶太人的律法、或是聖殿、或是凱撒，我都沒有干犯。」 9 但非斯都要討猶太人的喜歡，就問保羅說：「你願意上耶路撒冷去，在那裡聽我審斷這事嗎？」10 保羅說：「我站在凱撒的堂前，這就是我應當受審的地方。我向猶太人並沒有行過甚麼不義的事，這也是你明明知道的。11 我若行了不義的事，犯了甚麼該死的罪，就是死，我也不辭！他們所告我的事若都不實，就沒有人可以把我交給他們。我要上告於凱撒。」 12 非斯都和議會商量了，就說：「你既上告於凱撒，可以往凱撒那裡去。」

 

默想                     

1. 保羅守住了他羅馬人、猶太人、基督徒的身份，他竭力的為主盡上基督徒的本份，卻沒有因此不顧他身為羅馬人、猶太人的身份；他遵守羅馬的法律，也沒有干犯污穢聖殿，所以非斯都和亞基帕王根據羅馬法律，證明他是無罪的。
2. 每個人在這世界上，有好幾種身份，一個國家的國民、公司或學校的成員、你朋友的朋友（不管是教會中還是沒有信主的朋友）、家中的一分子。每個角色都有權利和義務。在我諸多的身份中，我是否盡力地守住？
3. 求聖靈光照，讓我看見有什麼地方需要改善的？並懇求神賜力量。

 

禱告與筆錄：

繼續安靜在神面前，與神對話，並聆聽祂對我說的話。將心中的思想（心得），或是與神的禱告，記錄在“靈程筆記”簿上面。

 

Chapter 25

¹Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, ²where the chief priests and Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. ³They urgently requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. ⁴Festus answered, “Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. ⁵Let some of your leaders come with me and press charges against the man there, if he has done anything wrong.”  ⁶After spending eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. ⁷When Paul appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove.  ⁸Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.”  ⁹Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?”  ¹⁰Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. ¹¹If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”  ¹²After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”

 

Meditation

1. Paul has kept his identity as a Roman, a Jew, and a Christian.  He diligently laboured for the Lord, he obeyed the Roman’s law, and he didn’t defy the Temple.  Therefore, Festus and King Agrippa knew he was innocent.
2. Everyone has different identities, a citizen of a country, an employee of a company, a student of a school, a friend to someone, a member of a family.   How am I keeping my various identities?  In trying to maintain one identity, am I overlooking the others?  Who am I at the core of my identity?
3. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show me where I need to change and improve.  Ask God for the needed strength.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the 2011 “Spiritual Journal” book.