西罗亚池

/in , /by

约翰福音 9:1-11

耶稣过去的时候，看见一个人生来是瞎眼的。 2 门徒问耶稣说：「拉比，这人生来是瞎眼的，是谁犯了罪？是这人呢，是他父母呢？」 3 耶稣回答说：「也不是这人犯了罪，也不是他父母犯了罪，是要在他身上显出神的作为来。 4 趁着白日，我们必须做那差我来者的工；黑夜将到，就没有人能做工了。 5 我在世上的时候，是世上的光。」 6 耶稣说了这话，就吐唾沫在地上，用唾沫和泥抹在瞎子的眼睛上， 7 对他说：「你往西罗亚池子里去洗。」（「西罗亚」翻出来就是「奉差遣」。）他去一洗，回头就看见了。

约9:1-7描述生来瞎眼的从圣殿到西罗亚池的历程中，凭著信心眼睛得医治，接着约9:8-41则述说他如何从肉体眼睛「得看见」（眼睛得医治，约9:7）到属灵眼睛「看明白」（与主面对面，约9:38），让我们学习如何从「目盲」到「跟随」，体验一个「看见、知道、思想、明白」（赛41:17-20）的天路历程。生来瞎眼的得医治以后，他面对三群眼睛看得见的瞎子，开始寻索「得看见」的真相…

他去一洗，回头就看见了

主里亲爱的茂X兄和金X姊近日捎来令人振奋的分享：「我女儿莉X今天回诊，正子和抽血检查报告全部正常，三个月后再回诊追踪。感谢赞美全知全能的神，因为有祢的同在和看顾，以及这么多家人的陪伴、关心、祷告，使我们有信心向前行，谢谢你们的爱(love)，在600多个日子，陪我们渡过无数次的难关，也大大感谢赞美神的恩典和帮助。」

「600多个日子」、「无数次的难关」充满着眼泪、忧愁、无助…，道尽了倚靠信心前行的极大挑战；让我们想起约翰福音第九章描述生来瞎眼的人从圣殿到西罗亚（奉差遣）池（约9:6-7）眼睛得医治的历程，眼睛抹著唾沫和泥的瞎子，他一步步的从圣殿走到西罗亚池…。

Read more

得看见、看明白

/in , /by

约翰福音 9:1-41

耶稣过去的时候，看见一个人生来是瞎眼的。 2 门徒问耶稣说：「拉比，这人生来是瞎眼的，是谁犯了罪？是这人呢，是他父母呢？」 3 耶稣回答说：「也不是这人犯了罪，也不是他父母犯了罪，是要在他身上显出神的作为来。 4 趁着白日，我们必须做那差我来者的工；黑夜将到，就没有人能做工了。 5 我在世上的时候，是世上的光。」 6 耶稣说了这话，就吐唾沫在地上，用唾沫和泥抹在瞎子的眼睛上， 7 对他说：「你往西罗亚池子里去洗。」（「西罗亚」翻出来就是「奉差遣」。）他去一洗，回头就看见了。

约9:1-7描述生来瞎眼的从圣殿到西罗亚池的历程中，凭著信心眼睛得医治，接着约9:8-41则述说他如何从肉体眼睛「得看见」（眼睛得医治，约9:7）到属灵眼睛「看明白」（与主面对面，约9:38），让我们学习如何从「目盲」到「跟随」，体验一个「看见、知道、思想、明白」（赛41:17-20）的天路历程。生来瞎眼的得医治以后，他面对三群眼睛看得见的瞎子，开始寻索「得看见」的真相…

第一群瞎子是他的邻舍和那素常见他是讨饭的（约9:8-13），他们没有敏锐的心，轻忽神的作为，不愿意认真思想他们亲眼所看见的事实。生来瞎眼的回应他们的疑惑：他「记得」耶稣的名字和被医治的过程（约9:11）。

第二群瞎子是法利赛人（约9:13-18），他们受制于遗传、教条、宗教模式，拒绝承认神的作为（约9:16）。生来瞎眼的思想他们的质疑：祂是从神而来吗？祂是先知（约9:17）。

第三群瞎子是他的父母（约9:18-23），他们受制于权势、压力、环境，避重就轻（约9:20-21），畏惧承认神的作为（约9:22）。

Read more

The Ways Jesus Is Proud of You

/in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 17:1-12.  I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!
 
John 17:1-2 (NIV)
1  After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.
2  For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
 
On verses 1-2:  Here John quotes Jesus as praying to the Father.  Chapter 17 of John is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus in Scripture.  Verse 2 says that the Father granted authority to Jesus over all people so that Jesus might give eternal life to people.  When the Father gives you authority, it’s not so that you can personally be famous, wealthy or powerful.  God gives you authority so that you can give, help and be a blessing to others.

Read more

When You Have Jesus

/in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 16:12-22.  I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!
 
John 16:16-22 (NIV)
16  “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”
17  Some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
18  They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

On verses 16-22:  What did Jesus mean when he would tell his disciples, “in a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me” (v16)?  Jesus was pointing to his death and resurrection.  The darkest night – when Jesus Christ would die – was coming, but it would be superseded by a brighter day: when Jesus would rise again.

Read more

谁是我的邻舍？

/in , /by

路加福音 10:25-37

25 有一个律法师起来试探耶稣，说：「夫子，我该做什么才可以承受永生？」 26 耶稣对他说：「律法上写的是什么？你念的是怎样呢？」 27 他回答说：「你要尽心、尽性、尽力、尽意爱主你的神，又要爱邻舍如同自己。」 28 耶稣说：「你回答的是。你这样行，就必得永生。」

29 那人要显明自己有理，就对耶稣说：「谁是我的邻舍呢？」

耶稣和律法师在路10:25-28中谈论承受永生的议题，耶稣肯定他明白「爱神爱人」的律法，且鼓励他，行出来就必得永生。接下来，律法师又自以为是的再问：「谁是我的邻舍呢？」（路10:29）于是，耶稣用好撒马利亚人的比喻回应他的问题。（路10:30-37）

撒马利亚人是散居在犹太与加利利间的混血民族，他们的宗教信仰虽根据犹太传统和摩西律法，但是渗有异族风俗（王下17:24-33），加上过去南北国的政治纠葛，而且他们相对贫穷，因此不为犹太人所接纳，双方没有甚么来往（约4:9）。

耶利哥处于撒马利亚和犹太交界处，犹太人往返犹太和北边的加利利，会经由耶利哥绕道，藉以避开撒马利亚范围。耶利哥位于耶路撒冷东面的约旦河谷，地势低洼，两地高度差超过一千公尺，连结其间的道路极其陡峭荒凉，常有强盗出没。

Read more

The Life-Giving Conviction of the Holy Spirit

/in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 16:1-11.  I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!
 
John 16:1-3 (NIV)
1  “All this I have told you so that you will not go astray.
2  They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.
3  They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.
 
On verses 1-3:  John was probably writing this Gospel at a time when the Church, i.e. Christians everywhere, had already experienced a great deal of persecution.  To comfort and reassure his fellow brothers and sisters, John recalls what Jesus said to him and the other disciples about not being surprised when they face severe persecution.  Jesus tells them not to be surprised if their persecutors even think that destroying Christians is the right, noble, God-pleasing thing to do.  Jesus tells his disciples that the reason an unbelieving world persecutes Christians is because they actually do not know God the Father or Jesus the Son.

Read more

谁要来吃饭？

/in , /by

路加福音 14:7-11/12-14/15-24

7 耶稣见所请的客拣择首位，就用比喻对他们说： 8 「你被人请去赴婚姻的筵席，不要坐在首位上，恐怕有比你尊贵的客被他请来， 9 那请你们的人前来对你说：『让座给这一位吧！』你就羞羞惭惭地退到末位上去了。 10 你被请的时候，就去坐在末位上，好叫那请你的人来对你说：『朋友，请上坐！』那时，你在同席的人面前就有光彩了。 11 因为凡自高的，必降为卑；自卑的，必升为高。」

路加福音14章的记载很特别，耶稣借着众人熟知「请吃饭」的饮食文化，经由「客人挑选首位」的习惯谈「谦卑」（路14:7-11），也透过「主人期望回报」的意图谈「付出」（路14:12-14）。耶稣挑战主人，为贫穷的、残废的、瘸腿的、瞎眼的摆设筵席，同筵席的人有感而发，回应耶稣说：「在神国里吃饭的有福了！」（路14:15），接着，耶稣用筵席的比喻（路14:16-24）回复他，感叹「客人推托出席」神国的邀宴。

「请吃饭」不只是肚腹得饱足，尤重于关系的修复与建立；耶稣所谈的「请吃饭」代表爱与接纳，带来欢乐、温暖、关系的回复，听见这话的人领受到这是无需「报答」、没有条件的「请吃饭」，惟有神能给予，这是神国的筵席，因此回应说：在神国里吃饭的有福了！

Read more

旧酵除净成为新团

/in , /by

马太福音 13:31-33 /41-43

31 他又设个比喻对他们说：「天国好像一粒芥菜种，有人拿去种在田里。 32 这原是百种里最小的，等到长起来，却比各样的菜都大，且成了树，天上的飞鸟来宿在它的枝上。」

33 他又对他们讲个比喻说：「天国好像面酵，有妇人拿来藏在三斗面里，直等全团都发起来。」

41 人子要差遣使者，把一切叫人跌倒的和作恶的，从他国里挑出来， 42 丢在火炉里，在那里必要哀哭切齿了。 43 那时，义人在他们父的国里要发出光来，像太阳一样。有耳可听的，就应当听！

马太福音第13章记载耶稣用比喻传讲天国的信息，祂在撒种的比喻中，用「飞鸟」比喻「恶者」夺去撒在人心里的天国福音（太13:4，太13:19）；在稗子的比喻中，祂解释仇敌（魔鬼）来，将稗子（恶者之子）撒在麦子（天国之子）里，两者一齐成长，直等著收割时，才将稗子褥出用火焚烧（太13:24-30，太13:36-43）。

耶稣讲完稗子的比喻，尚未向门徒解释，祂就接续用芥菜种（太13:31-32）和面团发酵（太13:33）来比喻天国，内容较短且未进一步解释。耶稣说：天国好像一粒芥菜种，种子虽小，长起来却成了树，且让天上的飞鸟宿在枝上（太13:31-32）；又说：天国好像面酵，妇人拿来，藏在三斗面里，直等全团都发起来（太13:33）。

Read more

When the World Hates You

/in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 15:18-27.  I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!
 
John 15:18-25 (NIV)
18  “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
19  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
20  Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

On verses 18-25:  An unbelieving world hated Jesus Christ so much that they killed him by nailing him to a cross.  Even to this day, no name has received more hate in all of human history than the name of Jesus Christ.  On a daily basis, there is no name that is more abused, more taken for granted and used more frequently as a curse word than the name of Jesus.  As Jesus predicted in verses 20-21, just as much of the world despised Jesus, so much of the world despises Christians.  That is why virtually the only time you hear a Christian leader making the mainstream news is if it is related to some kind of scandal. 

Read more

What Does It Mean to Remain in Jesus?

/in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 15:9-17.  I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!
 
John 15:9-10 (NIV)
9  “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
10  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
 
On verses 9-10:  What does it mean to remain in Jesus’ love, as verse 9 says?  Remaining in Jesus’ love (or as some translations say, to “abide” in Jesus’ love) means to stay in tune with Jesus, to keep trusting in Jesus and to obey Jesus’ commands (v10). Just as Jesus kept in tune with his Father and did not stop obeying his Father’s commands, so Jesus tells us to do the same.  In doing this we will bear much fruit (v5). 

Read more