Start With Where They’re At

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 8:26-40.  As usual, 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! 
 
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.   

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主每早晨提醒我

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创世记 1:31  神看着一切所造的都甚好。有晚上，有早晨，是第六日。

使徒行传 17:24-25   创造宇宙和其中万物的神，既是天地的主，就不住人手所造的殿， 25 也不用人手服侍，好像缺少什么，自己倒将生命、气息、万物赐给万人。

天尚未亮的清晨，走出家门，大楼管理员近似敬礼的跟我打招呼，我受宠若惊地感受他的尽责和诚恳；沿着街道，倾听路跑者规律的脚步声，由远而近，回荡着他们的活力和耐力；路旁老先生、老太太提着小提袋，等著进入游泳池晨泳，舒展手脚，脸上露出生命的坚持；迎面来辆脚踏车，摇晃车身上猛然向我挥手的是那每天清晨不期而遇，精神恍惚、喃喃自语，我避之不及的老头，他认得我，还挥手跟我打招呼；拐进7-11，忙碌的身影放下拖把，带着微笑习惯问我一杯中热美，再加一句要不要寄杯、八折优待，我在亲切的「谢谢光临」声中走出店门。

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神看着一切所造的都甚好

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创世记 1:31  神看着一切所造的都甚好。有晚上，有早晨，是第六日。

使徒行传 17:24-25   创造宇宙和其中万物的神，既是天地的主，就不住人手所造的殿， 25 也不用人手服侍，好像缺少什么，自己倒将生命、气息、万物赐给万人。

天尚未亮的清晨，走出家门，大楼管理员近似敬礼的跟我打招呼，我受宠若惊地感受他的尽责和诚恳；沿着街道，倾听路跑者规律的脚步声，由远而近，回荡着他们的活力和耐力；路旁老先生、老太太提着小提袋，等著进入游泳池晨泳，舒展手脚，脸上露出生命的坚持；迎面来辆脚踏车，摇晃车身上猛然向我挥手的是那每天清晨不期而遇，精神恍惚、喃喃自语，我避之不及的老头，他认得我，还挥手跟我打招呼；拐进7-11，忙碌的身影放下拖把，带着微笑习惯问我一杯中热美，再加一句要不要寄杯、八折优待，我在亲切的「谢谢光临」声中走出店门。

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Be Filled With The Holy Spirit

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 8:14-25.  As usual, 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! 

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, 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)? 

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我愿意

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罗马书 5:1-5

我们既因信称义，就借着我们的主耶稣基督得与神相和。 2 我们又借着他，因信得进入现在所站的这恩典中，并且欢欢喜喜盼望神的荣耀。 3 不但如此，就是在患难中也是欢欢喜喜的。因为知道患难生忍耐， 4 忍耐生老练，老练生盼望， 5 盼望不至于羞耻，因为所赐给我们的圣灵将神的爱浇灌在我们心里。

「我愿意」是婚姻家庭的开端，面对的是与我不同的你（或妳），我需要改变自己来接纳你（或妳），让你（或妳）与我能和出成泥，可以白头偕老，这要经过数十年的功夫。

「我愿意」是养儿育女的起头，面对的是未来像我的你（或妳），我需要改变自己来塑造你（或妳），让你（或妳）成长有我的模样，可以展翅高飞，这要经过二十年的浇灌。

「我愿意」是跟随耶稣的初始，面对的是我看不见的神，我需要改变自己来跟随祂，让我能常在祂里面，活出祂的样式，这是一生之久的历程。

「我愿意」是我的承诺，是属于我的改变、我的挑战、也是我的冒险；「我愿意」关乎心志和毅力，需要圣灵将神的爱浇灌在我心里，让我在百般试炼中恒久忍耐；忍耐也当成功，使我们成全、完备，毫无缺欠。

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See Your Problems As Opportunities

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 8:1-13.  As usual, 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! 

Acts 8:1 (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.
 
On verse 1:  Starting here in Acts 8 we will see how, through persecution and the scattering of God’s church, the gospel begins to go out from Jerusalem to the surrounding regions of Judea and Samaria.  Here God takes what Satan meant for evil – the persecution of Christians – and uses it to fulfill His own good purposes and advance His own agenda. 
 
Acts 8:2 (NIV)
2  Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.
 
On verse 2:  Just because as believers we have hope of heaven doesn’t mean that we don’t feel incredible pain when someone we love dies and goes to heaven before we do.  It is godly to mourn deeply for those we miss.

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我需要祂

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诗篇 130 上行之诗。

1 耶和华啊，我从深处向祢求告。
2 主啊，求祢听我的声音！愿祢侧耳听我恳求的声音！
3 主耶和华啊，祢若究察罪孽，谁能站得住呢？

那是个不平安的下午，指导教授再度找我去谈：「今年暑假我转换教职到加州大学戴维斯分校，研究室成员都会随我转学到加州，你考虑的结果如何呢？」几次跟指导教授据理力争，我的回复一直是否定的，因为我想要留在西北大学完成博士学位。离开指导教授的办公室，他留下一句话给我：「那你今年硕士论文口试就排在最后一个…。」

带着惶恐不安的心情走回住宿的地方，心想不顺从老板（穷留学生出国读书，称指导教授为老板，因为他是衣食父母，掌管生杀大权），麻烦可大了，我的硕士论文口试大概要砸锅，毕不了业了！蹒跚地走进我的蜗居（跟同学合租房子，分配住在储物间），坐在摆在地面孤零零的一片床垫，心中百感交集；眼睛长针眼，用针戳破，好了，肚子痛，吞万金油，也好了，上台报告，So what! I am nobody!也完成了…困难虽有，总是可以克服。但是，这一刻我深深觉得，我毫无办法能面对这个难题，没有人可以帮助我！

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Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 7:44-60.  As usual, 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! 

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.

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). 

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上帝爱原住民

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创世记 1:26-27

26 神说：「我们要照着我们的形象，按着我们的样式造人，使他们管理海里的鱼、空中的鸟、地上的牲畜和全地，并地上所爬的一切昆虫。」 27 神就照着自己的形象造人，乃是照着祂的形象，造男造女。

为自己谱一曲、唱一首「上帝爱我」的诗歌！

花了1年3个月，柯俊杰与基督教中华循理会三和教会青年弟兄妹合力将《上帝爱原住民》专辑完成，这一条恩典与梦想之路，柯俊杰与教会走了10年…。「10年前我们为耶稣怀抱梦想，10年后这个梦想成真！」回忆浇灌梦想发芽的动机，是因为部落年轻人外移现象严重，让柯俊杰开始思考要用音乐抓住他们的心，把青年留在教会中服事神。

当时半工半读的他，在骑机车赶往下一个目的地的路程中哼唱、完成这首诗歌，主要传达不管世人对原住民抱有何种眼光，但他相信神造每一个人和族群，都有祂独特的计画，这也是柯俊杰献给上帝的歌。

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So That History Doesn’t Repeat Itself

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 7:30-43.  As usual, 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! 

Acts 7:30-43 (NIV)
30  “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.
31  When he saw this, he was amazed at the sight. As he went over to look more closely, he heard the Lord’s voice:
32  ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.

On verses 30-43:  Here Stephen recounts how Moses obeyed the call of God and how God performed incredible signs and wonders through Moses to deliver the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (v30-38).  Yet despite all this, the Israelites rejected Moses and chose to worship idols instead of the LORD (v39-43).  Stephen is connecting the way the Israelites in Moses’ time rejected Moses, God’s chosen servant, with the way many of Israelites’ opponents were now rejecting Jesus, God’s Son. 

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