Was Blind But Now I See

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Hi GAMErs!
 
Today’s passage is Acts 9:1-22.  Let’s go!

Acts 9:1-22 (NIV)
1  Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest
2  and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
3  As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
4  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5  “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.
6  “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7  The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.
8  Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus…….

On verses 1-22:  As we read about Saul’s amazing conversion to Christianity, we see that God is full of grace and mercy. He does not treat His enemies as they deserve. Instead of destroying His enemies for their sins, His first choice is to woo them to His side. That’s what Jesus did with Saul. God could have easily destroyed Saul for masterminding the arrest, persecution and murder of His children. But instead He reached out to Saul with incredible grace and mercy, and won Saul over to His side.

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人不能全知

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〈約伯記〉36:25   他所行的，萬人都看見，世人也從遠處觀看。

閱讀經文：〈約伯記〉36章

你可曾有過衝動，想為神解釋，為神開脫？以利戶在此就有這樣的衝動，因為他覺得約伯對神的看法不對。但是人是如此有限，我們所看到的所明白的，都居於自己的背景、教育和經歷，我們怎能描述出神的真面目呢？讓我們一起來看以利戶眼中的神有哪些特點：第一，“這位神有大能，並不藐視人，祂的智慧甚廣。”這點我想大多數人都會同意，因為這些都是《聖經》裡的啟示。

其二，“他不保護惡人的性命，卻為困苦人申冤。”這點可能有些人像約伯一樣，有所保留。約伯說，“在多民的城內有人唉哼，受傷的人哀號，神卻不理會那惡人的愚妄。（伯24:12）”他舉了很多例子，惡人行惡，神卻容忍惡人，沒有即刻審判刑罰。我們也看到不少這樣的例子，也看到不少惡人在神的恩典裡悔改，成為神的僕人。所以人看為惡人，神不一定看其為惡人。事實上，這世上一個義人也沒有，我們看別人是惡人，我們在神的眼中也有可能是惡人，因為神知道每個人暗地裡的心思意念。神實在是饒了我們這些惡人的性命，並讓我們有回轉的機會。

其三，神看顧義人，使他們被高舉；若被苦難困住，就把他們的作為和過犯指示他們。這正是約伯的祈求，他希望知道自己錯在哪裡。這世界上曾經有的義人，並不像以利戶所言，時時被高舉，相反地，他們經常遭受迫。如施洗約翰和主耶穌，還有使徒，哪一個不是被迫害至死？度日亨通，歷年福樂的義人不是沒有，但是許多為神而活的義人，都遭到不義之手的殺害。

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人的作為與神何干

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〈約伯記〉35:5    你要向天觀看，瞻望那高於你的穹蒼。

閱讀經文：〈約伯記〉35章

我有時候很佩服這種可以抓住一句話就大肆發揮的人，我一和人吵架，往往吵到第三句就忘了人家說過什麼話了。因為當你看著對方意興橫飛，口沬四噴的樣子，就不自覺要退後幾步，想找個藉口去擦拭臉。尤其春夏秋冬換季之時最容易有流行性感冒，最好不要被人家的唾液噴到為妙。可憐的約伯坐在那裡，被噴得心火冒升，卻毫無逃逸之法。我常在思考，假如約伯的朋友們說的都不怎麼對，還要約伯為他們的錯誤獻祭，才得神的赦免。那麼讓那麼多廢話遺臭萬年，又有何意義，豈不枉費我們的功夫？

可是真的讀了，才明白為何神要這些討論留下來的原因。因為大多數人的思路都和約伯的朋友們一樣，他們說過的話，我們可能也說過，而且還沾沾自喜，不以為過。想到華理克師母在愛子馬太自殺後，被一會友質問，是否有犯過什麼罪時，真是情何以堪？在有位師母患了長年頭痛無法痊癒，卻被教會的執事叫她要悔改時，使她更痛哭不已，病情加重。這種例子不少，而且都發生在我們的身邊，有很多沒有生病就自以為是的信徒，不懂得克制自己的口舌，以致不自覺中犯罪，還以為自己代神出征了。

神要我們讀〈約伯記〉，而且要我們好好地去讀約伯的朋友所說的廢話，免得重蹈覆轍，在自大中傷害到需要幫助的人或軟弱的人。可見驕傲的情緒何等執著地依附著我們，隨時要發動它不義的攻擊。約伯從來沒有說他的公義勝於神的公義。“我不犯罪比犯罪有什麼好處呢？”那是他在苦難中的感嘆，而不是真的以為犯不犯罪無區別。

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Start With Where They’re At

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Acts 8:26-40.  Let’s go!

Acts 8:26-28 (NIV)
26  Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road–the desert road–that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
27  So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
28  and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.

On verses 26-28:  God tells Philip to go south to the desert road that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza.  God doesn’t tell Philip why.  On his way Philip meets the treasurer of the Egyptian government.  According to the New American Commentary, eunuchs in the ancient Near East were men who had been castrated at a young age and were put in charge of the royal harem and the treasury.   Not only was this eunuch therefore carrying great responsibility and authority, but also this eunuch was spiritually hungry.  In fact this Ethiopian eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship God and was reading the book of Isaiah on his way home.

What can we learn from this?

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Be Filled With The Holy Spirit

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Acts 8:14-25.  Let’s go!

Acts 8:14-17 (NIV)
14  When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
15  When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
16  because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
17  Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
 
On verses 14-17:  At THRIVE and the great majority of Christian churches around the world that I know of, it is routinely taught that the Holy Spirit begins to dwell in us from the moment that we believe and trust Jesus as our Saviour.  So why is it that in Acts 8:14-17, the Samaritan Christians already believed in Jesus and had already been baptized, but that “the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them” (v16)? 
 
One possible explanation is that verse 16 is not referring to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but the filling of the Holy Spirit.  What is the difference?  The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the idea that when a person receives Jesus into their life, the Holy Spirit begins to live inside that person’s heart, whether that person feels anything or not (1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19).  In contrast, the filling of the Holy Spirit is an experience where the Spirit of God fills you with His power in a way that can be felt (Acts 1:8).  As Christians we were made to have the Holy Spirit not just dwell in us, but to continually fill us (Ephesians 5:18).  So one possible explanation of Acts 8:14-17 is that these Samaritan Christians already had the Holy Spirit dwelling within them, but Acts 8:17 is when they first experience the filling of the Holy Spirit.

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約伯的安慰者

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〈約伯記〉34:3   因為耳朵試驗話語，好像上膛嘗食物。

閱讀經文：〈約伯記〉34章

在〈約伯記〉裡，人稱約伯的三位朋友和以利戶為“約伯的安慰者”，這是一個諷刺性的稱謂，並不是說他們真的能安慰約伯，而是說他們雖然想安慰約伯，卻反而帶給約伯更多大的痛苦。以利戶雖然在言語上加了一點蜜糖，要使其言語看來不急燥而親切，但是往往一下子就露出他欲加罪於約伯的心態。他說：“耳朵試驗話語，好像上膛嘗食物。我們當選擇何為是，彼此知道何為善”，這句話聽起來很有道理，但是下一句立刻就攻擊約伯：“喝譏誚如同喝水，他與作孽的結伴，和惡人同行”。僅僅引用約伯的一句話，就把約伯定罪，與惡人同行。

這種“斷章取義式”的定罪法，在耶穌和司提反被定罪的例子上也可以找到。我們在和別人辯論時，也很容易就會用這種方法打擊對手。是是，約伯豈真是說，“人以神為樂總是無益？”倘若約伯真覺得人以神為樂總是無益，那麼他又何必一直回頭找神，向神祈求？約伯記得神使他平順的那些日子，他只是不明白為何災難忽然臨到，壓得他無法喘過氣來，他希望知道自己錯在哪裡。這實在是人之常情，當人落在苦難中時，有誰能不問：為什麼？

以利戶認為 “神斷不至行惡，全能者斷不至作孽，但是祂會按著人所做，公平地報應各人。”在這裡以利戶想為人的災難，替神開後門。神給人的災難不是作惡也不是作孽，而是公平的報應。他和約伯其他三個朋友一樣，為了神不斷地辯護，但是神需要律師嗎？當約伯說出他的感受時，他要求的是什麼呢？約伯從來沒有說神行惡或作孽，約伯只是希望神讓他明白，他錯在哪裡？神從來不需要人為祂辯護。在〈申命記〉32章，神說：“你們如今要知道，我，唯有我是神！在我以外並無別神。我使人死，我使人活，我損傷，我也醫治，並無人能從我手中救出來。（申32:39）”

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以利戶自言是約伯的中保

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〈約伯記〉33:6   我在神面前與你一樣，也是用土造成。

閱讀經文：〈約伯記〉33章

這整篇文章行雲流水，其實有點像詩歌。以利戶一開始用很正直的口吻和約伯說話，自認與約伯平等，都是神用土造成的人。但是在第六節裡，英文裡有一句Truly I am as your spokesman before God，意思指他願意做約伯的中保，在神面前為他辯護。因此他強調，他必不用威嚴驚嚇約伯，也不用勢力壓約伯。他先表達對約伯的善意，表明他與前三位老者不一樣。

但是很快地，他就像約伯其他的朋友一樣，指責約伯的話說得不對，因為神比世人更大，所以人不應該與神爭論。但是在我的經驗裡，我覺得你若相信有神的存在，難免要和祂辯一辯，因為人的心太淺，人的眼看得太近。我們需要毫無畏懼，才能真的來到神面前傾心吐意。因為“愛裡沒有懼怕”，正因為我們對神的愛有把握，我們才敢像孩子來到父母面前一樣，又傾訴又爭論。倘若你不相信有神，你就不會花力氣去跟神爭辯了。唯有當你心裡有神的存在時，你才會找祂爭論。因為你希望能夠明白一些事情。我們跟神爭論時，其實並不是要贏，而只是想讓自己和神之間毫無阻礙，不希望有誤會，不希望有懷疑。所以要和神把話說個清楚。朋友之間，有時不也如此嗎？你希望的不是輸贏，只希望彼此之間沒有隔閡。

所以約伯才敢據理力爭，因為他相信神的愛。當我們讀〈詩篇〉時，也會發現大衛在神面前毫無保留，什麼心思意念，好的壞的，生氣或失望，感謝或悲哀，他什麼都講，因為他相信神的愛，他不願意對神有任何隱瞞。不管是對或錯，都是最真實的情感。我相信那就是神所求於我們的，不要隱瞞，因為沒有用，神一切都明白，什麼都知道。你向祂隱瞞做什麼呢？難道你不說，祂就不知道嗎？我相信，神希望我們知道祂對我們的愛毫無保留；也希望我們對祂的愛，毫無保留。

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The One You Need More Than Anyone Else

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Acts 8:1-13.  Let’s go!

Acts 8:1-3 (NIV)
1  And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
2  Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.
3  But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
 
On verses 1-3:  As a high ranking Pharisee, Saul spent much of his life studying the Scriptures and doing his best to live what he believed was a moral and upright life.  Yet because Saul had yet to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and did not yet have the Holy Spirit, his life was heading in the opposite direction of where God wanted him to go.  Until Saul personally met Jesus and received the Holy Spirit, Saul would be used by the enemy as an instrument to destroy the church.  Saul thought that he was doing God’s work when he went out to persecute and destroy the church. 
 
What can we learn from this?  You can have great intelligence, education and status in the eyes of people.  You can work hard at the things you believe God wants you to do.  But if you don’t acknowledge Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, if you’re not depending on the Holy Spirit to guide your steps, your life can very well be headed in an opposite direction to where God intended you to go.  If you don’t have the Spirit of God guiding your steps, it doesn’t matter how talented, experienced, or successful you are in the eyes of people, and it doesn’t matter how much of God’s Word you think you know.  True life and lasting fruit are in Jesus Christ, knowing Jesus as your Saviour, following Him as your Lord, and depending on His Holy Spirit to lead the way.

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以利戶陳述己意

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〈約伯記〉32:8   但在人裡面有靈，全能者的氣使人有聰明。

閱讀經文：〈約伯記〉32章

約伯的三個老朋友聽完約伯的慷慨陳詞後都安靜下來，覺得沒什麼好說的了。既然約伯覺得他什麼錯都沒有，樣樣事都做得十分完全，這樣自大的人，何必再回答他呢？你可能也有過這樣的經歷，好話壞話都說盡，人家都不聽勸，那也只好由著他，不然又能怎樣？年記大一點的人就有這份成熟，不再去自找麻煩。但是有一個比較年輕的人以利戶就不這樣想了，既然你們都想不出話來答約伯，那麼就讓我來吧。不管以利戶說得對不對，神後來向約伯顯現時，沒有責備以利戶，也沒有對以利戶說什麼。所以讓我們來看看以利戶的話有幾分真實合理。

布西（有譯：布斯）是亞伯拉罕的侄兒，亞伯拉罕的兄弟拿鶴的兒子（創22:20-21）。一開始他顯然很有禮貌，尊敬老年人，所以退讓一邊不語。但是越聽越生氣，終於說出來：“尊貴的不都有智慧，壽高的不都能明白公平。”上一句當然很有道理：“在人裡面有靈，全能者的氣使人有聰明。”全能者的氣，指的是神吹進亞當鼻子裡的那口氣（創2:7），也是神放在人裡頭的靈。神在大洪水之前說：“人既屬乎血氣，我的靈就不永遠住在他裡面，然而他的日子還可到一百二十年。（創6:3）”所以當神的靈留在人裡面時才稱之為活人。動物也是活的，但是牠們裡面沒有神的靈，神給牠們也有悟性和本能，但是沒有神賜的靈和聰明。

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Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Acts 7:44-60.  Let’s go!

Acts 7:44-50 (NIV)
44  “Our forefathers had the tabernacle of the Testimony with them in the desert. It had been made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen.
45  Having received the tabernacle, our fathers under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David,
46  who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob.
47  But it was Solomon who built the house for him.
48  “However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says:
49  “‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be?
50  Has not my hand made all these things?’
 
On verses 44-50:  After talking about how the Israelites rejected Moses’ leadership and worshiped idols instead (v30-43), Stephen turns his attention to the way the temple in Jerusalem was built.  Stephen recounts how God originally gave Moses specific designs for a tabernacle, which was a portable tent where His people could worship Him as they journeyed from place to place (v44).  The Israelites would use this portable tabernacle to worship Him throughout the days of Joshua until the reign of King David (v45-46).  After that, it was King David who initiated and his son King Solomon who completed the construction of what was meant to be a permanent temple (v46-47).  But Stephen reminds his audience that God never asked for or required His people to build Him a permanent standing temple (v48).  He quotes Isaiah the prophet (in Isaiah 66:1-2) to show how silly it is for people to think that they could keep God inside the man-made buildings that they build.    

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