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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〈约伯记〉36:25   他所行的，万人都看见，世人也从远处观看。

阅读经文：〈约伯记〉36章

你可曾有过冲动，想为神解释，为神开脱？以利户在此就有这样的冲动，因为他觉得约伯对神的看法不对。但是人是如此有限，我们所看到的所明白的，都居于自己的背景、教育和经历，我们怎能描述出神的真面目呢？让我们一起来看以利户眼中的神有哪些特点：第一，“这位神有大能，并不藐视人，祂的智慧甚广。”这点我想大多数人都会同意，因为这些都是《圣经》里的启示。

其二，“他不保护恶人的性命，却为困苦人申冤。”这点可能有些人像约伯一样，有所保留。约伯说，“在多民的城内有人唉哼，受伤的人哀号，神却不理会那恶人的愚妄。（伯24:12）”他举了很多例子，恶人行恶，神却容忍恶人，没有即刻审判刑罚。我们也看到不少这样的例子，也看到不少恶人在神的恩典里悔改，成为神的仆人。所以人看为恶人，神不一定看其为恶人。事实上，这世上一个义人也没有，我们看别人是恶人，我们在神的眼中也有可能是恶人，因为神知道每个人暗地里的心思意念。神实在是饶了我们这些恶人的性命，并让我们有回转的机会。

其三，神看顾义人，使他们被高举；若被苦难困住，就把他们的作为和过犯指示他们。这正是约伯的祈求，他希望知道自己错在哪里。这世界上曾经有的义人，并不像以利户所言，时时被高举，相反地，他们经常遭受迫。如施洗约翰和主耶稣，还有使徒，哪一个不是被迫害至死？度日亨通，历年福乐的义人不是没有，但是许多为神而活的义人，都遭到不义之手的杀害。

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人的作为与神何干

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〈约伯记〉35:5    你要向天观看，瞻望那高于你的穹苍。

阅读经文：〈约伯记〉35章

我有时候很佩服这种可以抓住一句话就大肆发挥的人，我一和人吵架，往往吵到第三句就忘了人家说过什么话了。因为当你看着对方意兴横飞，口沬四喷的样子，就不自觉要退后几步，想找个借口去擦拭脸。尤其春夏秋冬换季之时最容易有流行性感冒，最好不要被人家的唾液喷到为妙。可怜的约伯坐在那里，被喷得心火冒升，却毫无逃逸之法。我常在思考，假如约伯的朋友们说的都不怎么对，还要约伯为他们的错误献祭，才得神的赦免。那么让那么多废话遗臭万年，又有何意义，岂不枉费我们的功夫？

可是真的读了，才明白为何神要这些讨论留下来的原因。因为大多数人的思路都和约伯的朋友们一样，他们说过的话，我们可能也说过，而且还沾沾自喜，不以为过。想到华理克师母在爱子马太自杀后，被一会友质问，是否有犯过什么罪时，真是情何以堪？在有位师母患了长年头痛无法痊愈，却被教会的执事叫她要悔改时，使她更痛哭不已，病情加重。这种例子不少，而且都发生在我们的身边，有很多没有生病就自以为是的信徒，不懂得克制自己的口舌，以致不自觉中犯罪，还以为自己代神出征了。

神要我们读〈约伯记〉，而且要我们好好地去读约伯的朋友所说的废话，免得重蹈覆辙，在自大中伤害到需要帮助的人或软弱的人。可见骄傲的情绪何等执著地依附着我们，随时要发动它不义的攻击。约伯从来没有说他的公义胜于神的公义。“我不犯罪比犯罪有什么好处呢？”那是他在苦难中的感叹，而不是真的以为犯不犯罪无区别。

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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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约伯的安慰者

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〈约伯记〉34:3   因为耳朵试验话语，好像上膛尝食物。

阅读经文：〈约伯记〉34章

在〈约伯记〉里，人称约伯的三位朋友和以利户为“约伯的安慰者”，这是一个讽刺性的称谓，并不是说他们真的能安慰约伯，而是说他们虽然想安慰约伯，却反而带给约伯更多大的痛苦。以利户虽然在言语上加了一点蜜糖，要使其言语看来不急燥而亲切，但是往往一下子就露出他欲加罪于约伯的心态。他说：“耳朵试验话语，好像上膛尝食物。我们当选择何为是，彼此知道何为善”，这句话听起来很有道理，但是下一句立刻就攻击约伯：“喝讥诮如同喝水，他与作孽的结伴，和恶人同行”。仅仅引用约伯的一句话，就把约伯定罪，与恶人同行。

这种“断章取义式”的定罪法，在耶稣和司提反被定罪的例子上也可以找到。我们在和别人辩论时，也很容易就会用这种方法打击对手。是是，约伯岂真是说，“人以神为乐总是无益？”倘若约伯真觉得人以神为乐总是无益，那么他又何必一直回头找神，向神祈求？约伯记得神使他平顺的那些日子，他只是不明白为何灾难忽然临到，压得他无法喘过气来，他希望知道自己错在哪里。这实在是人之常情，当人落在苦难中时，有谁能不问：为什么？

以利户认为 “神断不至行恶，全能者断不至作孽，但是祂会按着人所做，公平地报应各人。”在这里以利户想为人的灾难，替神开后门。神给人的灾难不是作恶也不是作孽，而是公平的报应。他和约伯其他三个朋友一样，为了神不断地辩护，但是神需要律师吗？当约伯说出他的感受时，他要求的是什么呢？约伯从来没有说神行恶或作孽，约伯只是希望神让他明白，他错在哪里？神从来不需要人为祂辩护。在〈申命记〉32章，神说：“你们如今要知道，我，唯有我是神！在我以外并无别神。我使人死，我使人活，我损伤，我也医治，并无人能从我手中救出来。（申32:39）”

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以利户自言是约伯的中保

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〈约伯记〉33:6   我在神面前与你一样，也是用土造成。

阅读经文：〈约伯记〉33章

这整篇文章行云流水，其实有点像诗歌。以利户一开始用很正直的口吻和约伯说话，自认与约伯平等，都是神用土造成的人。但是在第六节里，英文里有一句Truly I am as your spokesman before God，意思指他愿意做约伯的中保，在神面前为他辩护。因此他强调，他必不用威严惊吓约伯，也不用势力压约伯。他先表达对约伯的善意，表明他与前三位老者不一样。

但是很快地，他就像约伯其他的朋友一样，指责约伯的话说得不对，因为神比世人更大，所以人不应该与神争论。但是在我的经验里，我觉得你若相信有神的存在，难免要和祂辩一辩，因为人的心太浅，人的眼看得太近。我们需要毫无畏惧，才能真的来到神面前倾心吐意。因为“爱里没有惧怕”，正因为我们对神的爱有把握，我们才敢像孩子来到父母面前一样，又倾诉又争论。倘若你不相信有神，你就不会花力气去跟神争辩了。唯有当你心里有神的存在时，你才会找祂争论。因为你希望能够明白一些事情。我们跟神争论时，其实并不是要赢，而只是想让自己和神之间毫无阻碍，不希望有误会，不希望有怀疑。所以要和神把话说个清楚。朋友之间，有时不也如此吗？你希望的不是输赢，只希望彼此之间没有隔阂。

所以约伯才敢据理力争，因为他相信神的爱。当我们读〈诗篇〉时，也会发现大卫在神面前毫无保留，什么心思意念，好的坏的，生气或失望，感谢或悲哀，他什么都讲，因为他相信神的爱，他不愿意对神有任何隐瞒。不管是对或错，都是最真实的情感。我相信那就是神所求于我们的，不要隐瞒，因为没有用，神一切都明白，什么都知道。你向祂隐瞒做什么呢？难道你不说，祂就不知道吗？我相信，神希望我们知道祂对我们的爱毫无保留；也希望我们对祂的爱，毫无保留。

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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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以利户陈述己意

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〈约伯记〉32:8   但在人里面有灵，全能者的气使人有聪明。

阅读经文：〈约伯记〉32章

约伯的三个老朋友听完约伯的慷慨陈词后都安静下来，觉得没什么好说的了。既然约伯觉得他什么错都没有，样样事都做得十分完全，这样自大的人，何必再回答他呢？你可能也有过这样的经历，好话坏话都说尽，人家都不听劝，那也只好由着他，不然又能怎样？年记大一点的人就有这份成熟，不再去自找麻烦。但是有一个比较年轻的人以利户就不这样想了，既然你们都想不出话来答约伯，那么就让我来吧。不管以利户说得对不对，神后来向约伯显现时，没有责备以利户，也没有对以利户说什么。所以让我们来看看以利户的话有几分真实合理。

布西（有译：布斯）是亚伯拉罕的侄儿，亚伯拉罕的兄弟拿鹤的儿子（创22:20-21）。一开始他显然很有礼貌，尊敬老年人，所以退让一边不语。但是越听越生气，终于说出来：“尊贵的不都有智慧，寿高的不都能明白公平。”上一句当然很有道理：“在人里面有灵，全能者的气使人有聪明。”全能者的气，指的是神吹进亚当鼻子里的那口气（创2:7），也是神放在人里头的灵。神在大洪水之前说：“人既属乎血气，我的灵就不永远住在他里面，然而他的日子还可到一百二十年。（创6:3）”所以当神的灵留在人里面时才称之为活人。动物也是活的，但是牠们里面没有神的灵，神给牠们也有悟性和本能，但是没有神赐的灵和聪明。

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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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