The Difference Between Christianity and Other Faiths

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 6:11-18.  Let’s go!

Galatians 6:11-18 (NIV)
11  See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!
12  Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.
13  Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh.
14  May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
15  Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.
16  Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.
17  Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
18  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

On verses 11-18:  As a final word to the churches in Galatia, Paul sums up the main message of his letter: It’s not circumcision or uncircumcision that justifies me (v13, 15).  It is not my own efforts to obey God’s laws that save me.  It’s only the cross of Jesus Christ that gives me right standing before God (v14) – “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world”.

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狂奔亂走的獨峰駝

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耶利米書2:21  然而我栽你是上等的葡萄樹，全然是真種子，你怎麼向我變為外邦葡萄樹的壞枝子呢？

閱讀經文：2:4-19

20 「我在古時折斷你的軛，解開你的繩索，你說：『我必不侍奉耶和華！』因為你在各高岡上、各青翠樹下屈身行淫。21 然而我栽你是上等的葡萄樹，全然是真種子，你怎麼向我變為外邦葡萄樹的壞枝子呢？ 22 你雖用鹼，多用肥皂洗濯，你罪孽的痕跡仍然在我面前顯出。」這是主耶和華說的。 23 「你怎能說『我沒有玷汙，沒有隨從眾巴力』？你看你谷中的路，就知道你所行的如何。你是快行的獨峰駝，狂奔亂走。

2017年8月21日，在北美，大家爭相觀看百年一遇的日全蝕；在8月12日附近幾天，也相傳是流星雨最多的日子。許多人拍到了天象奇觀，爭著傳給朋友觀看。在讚嘆自然界的奇妙之際，我也正好靈修到〈啟示錄〉第六章：“揭開第六印的時候，我又看見地大震動，日頭變黑像毛布，滿月變紅像血， 天上的星辰墜落於地，如同無花果樹被大風搖動，落下未熟的果子一樣。 天就挪移，好像書卷被捲起來；山嶺海島都被挪移離開本位。 地上的君王、臣宰、將軍、富戶、壯士，和一切為奴的、自主的，都藏在山洞和巖石穴裏， 向山和巖石說：倒在我們身上吧！把我們藏起來，躲避坐寶座者的面目和羔羊的忿怒； 因為他們忿怒的大日到了，誰能站得住呢？（12-17節）”何等巧合！

因此在欣賞流星雨和日蝕的現象時，我不知該和他人一樣興奮，或是有警覺性的悲哀？這只是天道循環的一例，或是上天有意的警告？若是後者，誰能把我們藏起來，躲避坐寶座者的面目和羔羊的忿怒？在耶利米書第二章，神把祂子民的惡行惡性顯露無遺。我們有時以為自己可以不理會創造者的心意，但是當我們看到神所揭露的，人之原形時，還能為自己辯解什麼？

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活水的泉源

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耶利米書2:13  因為我的百姓做了兩件惡事，就是離棄我這活水的泉源，為自己鑿出池子，是破裂不能存水的池子。

閱讀經文：2:4-19

4 雅各家，以色列家的各族啊，你們當聽耶和華的話！ 5 耶和華如此說：「你們的列祖見我有什麼不義，竟遠離我，隨從虛無的神，自己成為虛妄的呢？ 6 他們也不說：『那領我們從埃及地上來，引導我們經過曠野，沙漠有深坑之地，和乾旱死蔭，無人經過、無人居住之地的耶和華，在哪裡呢？』 7 我領你們進入肥美之地，使你們得吃其中的果子和美物，但你們進入的時候就玷汙我的地，使我的產業成為可憎的。 8 祭司都不說：『耶和華在哪裡呢？』傳講律法的都不認識我，官長違背我，先知藉巴力說預言，隨從無益的神。」

著名的基督教作家楊腓力，曾在他的部落格上放了一篇文章：兩個家庭的故事。這個家庭非常注重聖經舊約的教導：例如：孝順父母、敬畏神、不要抱怨，諸如此類的教導，他們的父母很少提到新約的恩典和愛。當他們的孩子到了婚嫁之期時，父母唯一的告誡就是：“假如你的婚姻失敗了，就不要回來。你已經在神面前起誓，就要守約到底。”這個家庭裡有兩個女兒，一名茱莉，一名安蓮。

茱莉有了孩子之後，也按著父母的方法去教導她的孩子們。果然各個孩子長大後都循規蹈矩，都選擇了以助人為本的行業裡，頗有成就。但是他們都有自我形象的問題，覺得自己永遠做得不夠好。

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Be Good to Your Spiritual Family

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 6:1-10.  Let’s go!

Galatians 6:1-10 (NIV)
1  Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
2  Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
3  If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
4  Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else,
5  for each one should carry his own load.

On verses 1-10:   Sometimes we can take our church family, like our own immediate family, for granted.  Here Paul reminds us that, for as long as we live, we should do good to all people, but especially our spiritual family (v10).  That includes:

– if someone sins and is genuinely repentant, restoring that person gently by showing them the grace, mercy and forgiveness that God showed you and me (v1)

– carrying each other’s burdens (v2)

– looking at yourself with humility and sober judgment (v3)

– not playing the comparison game, always measuring how you match up with others (v4)

– taking responsibility for one’s own life rather than burdening others unnecessarily (v5)

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Which One Will You Be Full Of ?

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 5:19-26.  Let’s go!

Galatians 5:19-21 (NIV)
19  The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
20  idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
21  and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

On verses 19-21:  Paul lists a number of examples of what it looks like when people live according to their sinful nature.  These examples can possibly be broadly categorized as sexual sins (“sexual immorality, impurity [referring likely to an impure thought life] and debauchery”), sins of the spirit (“idolatry and witchcraft”), sins related to poor management of our emotions and relationships (“hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions”) and other sins (“drunkenness, orgies and the like”).  When Paul says that “those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (v21), he doesn’t mean that if you engage in sin after being saved that such sin will automatically disqualify you from God’s kingdom.  Rather, Paul is likely saying that those who live without any regard for holiness, who treat God’s grace as an excuse to sin even more, have misunderstood the Gospel and were probably never saved in the first place.

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起初的愛

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耶利米書2:3a 那時以色列歸耶和華為聖，作為土產初熟的果子，凡吞吃他的必算為有罪，災禍必臨到他們。

閱讀經文：2:1-3

1耶和華的話臨到我說： 2 「你去向耶路撒冷人的耳中喊叫說：『耶和華如此說：你幼年的恩愛，婚姻的愛情，你怎樣在曠野，在未曾耕種之地跟隨我，我都記得。 3 那時以色列歸耶和華為聖，作為土產初熟的果子，凡吞吃他的必算為有罪，災禍必臨到他們。』這是耶和華說的。」

這是神給耶利米的第一個信息中的一部份。神沒有以嚴厲的指責開始，而是希望以色列人回想起初的情形，而能夠回轉歸向神。起初的愛是非常寶貴而單純的，你記得當年和妻子或丈夫初見面的情形，怎樣開始交往的經過嗎？

在〈啟示錄〉第二章裡，神讚美以弗所教會：“我知道你的行為、勞碌、忍耐，也知道你不能容忍惡人。你也曾試驗那自稱為使徒卻不是使徒的，看出他們是假的來。你也能忍耐，曾為我的名勞苦，並不乏倦。你恨惡尼哥拉一黨人的行為，這也是我所恨惡的。”但是神責備她：“然而，有一件事我要責備你，就是你把起初的愛心離棄了。”以弗所教會有各樣的好處，卻失去了起初的愛心，這有什麼關係嗎？

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3 Paths: Which One Will You Choose?

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 5:13-18.  Let’s go!

Galatians 5:13-18 (NIV)
13  You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.
14  The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
15  If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
16  So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
17  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
18  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

On verses 13-18:  We must choose what we will do with the freedom Jesus has given us.  Either we can choose to indulge the sinful nature (also called our flesh) or we can choose to love (v13).  Here Paul identifies the struggle that every Christian experiences, the struggle between doing what is loving, just and honourable and doing what pleases our sinful nature (also called our flesh).  This struggle between the Spirit and the flesh is an ongoing one in every Christian’s heart and mind (v17).

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杏樹枝和燒開的鍋

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耶利米書1:19  他們要攻擊你，卻不能勝你，因為我與你同在，要拯救你。」這是耶和華說的。

閱讀經文：1:11-19

11 耶和華的話又臨到我說：「耶利米，你看見什麼？」我說：「我看見一根杏樹枝。」 12 耶和華對我說：「你看得不錯，因為我留意保守我的話，使得成就。」

13 耶和華的話第二次臨到我說：「你看見什麼？」我說：「我看見一個燒開的鍋，從北而傾。」 14 耶和華對我說：「必有災禍從北方發出，臨到這地的一切居民。」 15 耶和華說：「看哪，我要召北方列國的眾族。他們要來，各安座位在耶路撒冷的城門口，周圍攻擊城牆，又要攻擊猶大的一切城邑。 16 至於這民的一切惡，就是離棄我，向別神燒香，跪拜自己手所造的，我要發出我的判語，攻擊他們。

約西亞王八歲登基，聖經的作者記載他行耶華眼中看為正的事。當約西亞十六歲時，他開始尋求大衛的神；廿歲時（約西亞第12年）開始除去猶大國裡的偶像。約西亞第13年，神呼召耶利米作先知；約西亞王26歲（約西亞第18年）時，他的改革工作到達巔峰。

雖然如此，但是上有政策下有對策。約西亞的改革只獲得了表面的成功，百姓們虛與委蛇，並沒有真正的悔改，依然在私底下拜偶像。神興起耶利米就是要讓百姓知道，神看中的是屬靈的實際，切實的悔改，而不是應付王的表面工作。

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What’s Really Valuable and What’s Not

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Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Galatians 5:1-12.  Let’s go!

Galatians 5:1-2 (NIV)
1  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
2  Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.
 
On verses 1-2:  Throughout his letter to the Galatians, Paul has been making this point to the Galatian Christians: you used to be slaves to the idea that you need to work for your righteousness, but now Jesus has set you free from that slavery, giving you a righteousness that is not earned by your works but received by faith in God’s promise.  Here in verse 1 Paul reminds the Christians in Galatia why Christ set them free in the first place: so that they could stay free (v1).  What is the point of Christ setting us free if we choose to go back to being enslaved again?  Yet by trying to add circumcision as a pre-condition to being fully accepted by God, the believers in Galatia were going back to a “works by righteousness” slavery and in so doing, treating Christ as if he is “of no value to you at all” (v2). 
 

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