The King Who Understands You

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Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Acts 26:1-18.  Let’s go!

Acts 26:1-13 (NIV)
1  Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense:
2  “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews,
3  and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.
4  “The Jews all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. ……

On verses 1-13:  Paul considered it a blessing that he could tell his side of the story to King Agrippa, a Jewish ruler who understood the customs, controversies, culture and religious thinking of the Jews, instead of just to Governor Festus, who knew very little about these matters and was already secretly siding with Paul’s opponents.  Paul had confidence that King Agrippa could understand where Paul was coming from, and thus he felt free to approach him and plead his case.

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生命树

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〈箴言〉11:30   义人所结的果子就是生命树；有智慧的，必能得人。

阅读经文：箴言11:29-31  

29 扰害己家的必承受清风，愚昧人必做慧心人的仆人。 30 义人所结的果子就是生命树，有智慧的必能得人。 31 看哪，义人在世尚且受报，何况恶人和罪人呢？

29节：扰害己家的，必承受清风；愚昧人必作慧心人的仆人。

《现代中文译本》译为：带灾难进家门的，终必倾家荡产；愚拙人必作明智人的奴仆。
《TheMessage》译为：Exploit or abuse your family, and end up with a fistful of air;  common sense tells you it’s a stupid way to live.

你有没有听过这句话：“我们最大的错就是把最差的脾气和最糟糕的一面都给了最亲近的人，却把耐心和宽容给了陌生人。”出名的台湾鹰爸徐柏岳，曾经是战斗机飞行员，有两个儿子后，发现他们种种脱线的行为，被气到七窍生烟。他说自己一开始只是小小麻雀爸，不懂该怎么教养孩子，所以总是以自己被教育的方式教孩子。直到看见了因为他发怒大吼后惊吓的孩子，才开始意识到，这样下去真的不行！在沉淀和思考后，他发现必须先找到完整的自己，才有可能成为最好的爸爸，进而变成孩子最坚强的后盾。

大多数人像麻雀爸，总是用发怒大吼去处理事情，使家庭成为极不快乐的地方，甚至是充满冲突的地方。我们要承认自己的有限，没有人一生下来就当丈夫或妻子或父亲或母亲，但我们都可以从错误中学习，使自己的家庭变得快乐温馨。任凭自己的情绪不受控制，对家庭是致命的伤害。我们要学习爱和善待自己的家人。第一件事就是把讲话的声调降低五度，有事不要吼，好好地沟通。家破再来就是人亡，所以要好好爱你的家人。

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生存之道

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〈箴言〉11:28 倚仗自己财物的，必跌倒；义人必发旺，如青叶。

《现代中文译本》译为：倚靠财富，像秋天落叶；义人繁茂，如夏季的绿叶。
《新译本》译为：倚赖自己财富的，必然衰落；义人却必繁茂，好像绿叶。

《The Message》译为：A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump;  a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree.

在这一章里所罗门王提供了很多理财的概念，而第28节是个总结：钱财虽然重要，却不是人应当倚靠的对象。钱财买得了药品，买不了健康；买得到陪伴，买不到真心的爱；买得到舒服的棉被和枕头，买不到睡眠；买得到最贵的山珍海味，买不到胃口和食欲，还需要说下去吗？每一次股票涨落时，总有人跳楼自杀，因为在他们的心中，钱就是一切，没有钱，什么都完了。

真的没有钱，人就完了吗？主耶稣告诉我们，“人活着不是单靠食物，而是靠神口里所出的每一句话（太4:4）” 。有钱，是为了购买食物，但是神的话比食物更重要。郑果牧师在蒙神呼召后，心里感到犹豫。因为他上有老母，下有五个年幼的孩子，妻子没有工作，全家靠他赚钱生活，他若去读神学，谁来供养一家人？

但是主耶稣以〈马太福音〉第六章里的一段话回应他的忧虑：“不要为生命忧虑吃什么，喝什么，为身体忧虑穿什么。生命不胜于饮食吗？身体不胜于衣裳吗？你们看那天上的飞鸟，也不种也不收，也不积蓄在仓里，你们的天父 尚且养活它，你们不比飞鸟贵重得多吗？你们哪一个能用思虑使寿数多加一刻呢？何必为衣裳忧虑呢？

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Get Agrippa on Yourself

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Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Acts 25:13-27.  Let’s go!

Acts 25:13-27 (NIV)
13  A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus.
14  Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner.
15  When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned.
16  “I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over any man before he has faced his accusers and has had an opportunity to defend himself against their charges.
17  When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in…..

On verses 13-27:  King Agrippa II was a Jewish ruler who came from a long line of kings (including his great grandfather King Herod the Great and his father Herod Agrippa I).  Under Roman supervision, King Agrippa ruled over various territories in the region.  Here we see King Agrippa accompanied by Bernice, who was King Agrippa’s sister and with whom King Agrippa was rumoured to be carrying on an incestuous relationship.  King Agrippa appears here in a visit to Caesarea most likely because he wished to build diplomatic ties with the newly appointed Governor Festus.  Festus had to give Caesar a report on Paul’s case before sending Paul to Caesar. 

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施比受更为有福

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〈箴言〉11:27 恳切求善的，就求得恩惠；唯独求恶的，恶必临到他身。

阅读经文：箴言11:24-27

24有施散的却更增添，有吝惜过度的反致穷乏。25好施舍的必得丰裕，滋润人的必得滋润。26屯粮不卖的，民必咒诅他；情愿出卖的，人必为他祝福。27恳切求善的，就求得恩惠；唯独求恶的，恶必临到他身。

24-25节：有施散的，却更增添；有吝惜过度的，反致穷乏。好施舍的，必得丰裕；滋润人的，必得滋润。

《现代中文译本》译为：慷慨好施，日益富裕；一毛不拔，反更穷困。慷慨好施，更加发达；帮助别人，自己受益。

《The Message》译为：The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. 25 The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.

神的数学和人的数学算法是不一样的。在人的数学里，若是拿出去了，自己的就减少了；但是在神的数学里，拿出去了，就有更多空间承受来自上帝的恩典，所以是越拿出去越富足。人总是觉得拥有越多越好，但是神要教导我们，拿出去越多越好，积财在天比屯积在地上的家里更安全，更有保障。

信心，就是超越人的认知，相信神的应许和拥有；不看自己有多少，而是看天父有多少。施舍或施散都是指帮助缺乏的人，主耶稣说施比受更为有福（使20:35）。敢施舍的人，看的是自己的有，而不是自己的没有；数算的是神的恩典，而不是难填的欲壑。

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Asking for the Breakthrough You Need

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Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Acts 25:1-12.  Let’s go!

Acts 25:1-9 (NIV)
1  Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem,
2  where the chief priests and Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul.
3  They 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.
4  Festus answered, “Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon.
5  Let some of your leaders come with me and press charges against the man there, if he has done anything wrong.”
6  After 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.
7  When Paul appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove.
8  Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.”
9  Festus, 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?”

On verses 1 to 9:  Originally governor Festus rejected the request of Paul’s opponents to have Paul moved to Jerusalem for the trial (verses 4-5).  So why in verse 9 is Festus now giving into their request and trying to convince Paul to move to Jerusalem?  It’s because of what happened in verse 6: “After spending eight or ten days with them”, Festus was like putty in the hands of Paul’s opponents.

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If You Get Intimidated By People Easily, Knowing THIS Will Ease Your Mind Copy

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Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Acts 26:19-32.  Let’s go!

Acts 26:19-23 (NIV)
19  “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.
20  First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.
21  That is why the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me.
22  But I have had God’s help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen–
23  that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”
 
On verses 19-23:  Paul continues his defense in the presence of King Agrippa, insisting that the message he has been preaching is nothing beyond what the Jewish Scriptures already said would happen.  In other words, Paul was not starting some new sect or religion that departed from the Jewish faith, but rather was preaching what the Jewish Scriptures themselves speak about: that the Christ (Messiah) would die, rise from death and give light to both Jews and Gentiles alike.

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5 Ways We Can Box Jesus In

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Hi  GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Acts 24:17-27.  Let’s go!

Acts 24:17-21 (NIV)
17  “After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings.
18  I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance.
19  But there are some Jews from the province of Asia, who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me.
20  Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin–
21  unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.'”
 
On verses 17-21:  Paul continues his defense at his trial before governor Felix in Caesarea.  Paul notes that he did not do anything unlawful or illegal, unless believing in the resurrection of the dead is a crime (v21).  When it came to any possible charges that Paul’s critics would try to lay on Paul, Paul was blameless. 

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神眼中的义和恶

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〈箴言〉11:22 妇女美貌而无见识，如同金环带在猪鼻上。

阅读经文：箴言11:21-23

21 恶人虽然连手，必不免受罚，义人的后裔必得拯救。 22 妇女美貌而无见识，如同金环戴在猪鼻上。 23 义人的心愿尽得好处，恶人的指望致干愤怒。

21节：恶人虽然连手，必不免受罚；义人的后裔必得拯救。

《现代中文译本》译为：邪恶人难逃惩罚；正直人都蒙救援。
《吕振中译本》译为：我敢顿手担保，坏人必难免于受罚；但义人的族类必蒙救拔。《The Message》译为：Count on this: The wicked won’t get off scot-free, and God’s loyal people will triumph.
原文直译：恶人虽然手牵手，仍不免受罚；义人的后裔必得拯救。

所罗门王一直试着要把恶人和义人的结局分别出来，因为在神的眼中只有属神的人和不愿属神的人。所以我们不要用人的眼光来分别善恶，反而要从神的眼光去明辨善恶。

大卫在〈诗篇〉37篇25-26节里说：「我从前年幼，现在年老，却未见过义人被弃，也未见过他的后裔讨饭。他终日恩待人，借给人；他的后裔也蒙福！」义人是属神的人，人不能自己称义，唯有肯信靠神的人，才会被神称为义。是属神的义，而不是用自己的力量去行善的义。属神的人必蒙神眷顾到底；而悖逆神的人不管有多少人连手，成就的事业有多庞大，终必像巴别塔一样，最后倾倒灭亡。

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真实的工价

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〈箴言〉11:20 心中乖僻的，为耶和华所憎恶；行事完全的，为祂所喜悦。

阅读经文：箴言11:18-20

18 恶人经营，得虚浮的工价；撒义种的，得实在的果效。 19 恒心为义的必得生命，追求邪恶的必致死亡。 20 心中乖僻的，为耶和华所憎恶；行事完全的，为他所喜悦。

18节：恶人经营，得虚浮的工价；撒义种的，得实在的果效。

《现代中文译本》译为：邪恶人徒劳无功；行为正直，必得奖赏。
《The Message》译为：Bad work gets paid with a bad check;  good work gets solid pay.
《当代圣经》译为：恶人赚得的，转眼成空；播种公义所得到的，才是真正的报酬。

这句话里有种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆的意思。但还有更深一层的解释，人若不认识神，他所赚的都会成为过眼云烟。就像主耶稣对门徒说的一个比喻：「神对无知的财主说：『无知的人哪，今夜必要你的灵魂，你所预备的要归谁呢？』  凡为自己积财，在神面前却不富足的，也是这样。（路12:20-21）」

人在神面前若不富足，所预备，所积儹的，连自己都无法享用。人在神面前若不富足，表示他的一生都在为自己钻营，这样的一生，在神面前是枉然的，所得的一切都是徒劳。邪恶，不是从人的眼光来定标准，而是神以为恶。正直，也不是由人来决定，而是神来决定。

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