生命的第二层跨越-离开为奴之地

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出1:1-14   以色列的众子各带家眷和雅各一同来到埃及，他们的名字记在下面。 2 有鲁本、西缅、利未、犹大、 3 以萨迦、西布伦、便雅悯、 4 但、拿弗他利、迦得、亚设。 5 凡从雅各而生的，共有七十人。约瑟已经在埃及。 6 约瑟和他的弟兄，并那一代的人都死了。 7 以色列人生养众多，并且繁茂，极其强盛，满了那地。

8 有不认识约瑟的新王起来，治理埃及， 9 对他的百姓说：「看哪，这以色列民比我们还多，又比我们强盛。 10 来吧，我们不如用巧计待他们，恐怕他们多起来，日后若遇什么争战的事，就联合我们的仇敌攻击我们，离开这地去了。」 11 于是埃及人派督工的辖制他们，加重担苦害他们。他们为法老建造两座积货城，就是比东和兰塞。 12 只是越发苦害他们，他们越发多起来，越发蔓延，埃及人就因以色列人愁烦。

亚伯拉罕的后裔（雅各家族）因大饥荒，迁徙到埃及歌珊地，投靠时任宰相的约瑟。四百多年来，以色列人生养众多，繁茂且强盛；有不认识约瑟的新王起来治理埃及，畏惧以色列人的强盛，采取高压政策，强制他们做工，加重担苦害他们，甚至要求收生婆杀死初生男婴（出1:1-14）。

神看见以色列人在埃及所受的困苦，听见他们因受督工辖制所发的哀声，祂打发摩西去见法老，将以色列人从埃及领出来，回到美好、宽阔、流奶与蜜的迦南地（出3:7-10）。

神降下灾害在埃及地，迫使法老容许以色列人出埃及。逾越节过后，以色列人带着羊群、牛群，还有向埃及人要的金器、银器、衣裳、财物，从兰塞起行，往疏割去；除了妇人孩子，步行的男人约有六十万。正满了四百三十年的那天，耶和华的军队都从埃及地出来了（出12:31-41）。

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It All Points to Jesus in the End

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 13:13-25.  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 13:13-15 (NIV)
13  From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.
14  From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down.
15  After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak.”
 
On verses 13-15:  Here John Mark decides to leave Paul and Barnabas and go back to Jerusalem, while Paul, Barnabas and the rest of their team continue a physically challenging and dangerous journey to Pisidian Antioch.  You can’t tell from Acts 13:13 that John’s decision to leave bothered Paul, but it did.  In fact, John’s decision to leave would become a point of contention between Barnabas and Paul later on (see Acts 15:37-38). 

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Greater is He who is in You

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 13:1-12.  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 13:1 (NIV)
1  In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.
 
On verse 1:  The church at Antioch had a team of prophet-teachers who spoke to the congregation.  Notice the diversity on this teaching team: Barnabas was Jewish but grew up in Greek-influenced Cyprus, likely making him a “Grecian Jew”.   Simeon, scholars say, was probably black.  Lucius was from Cyrene (North Africa).  Manaen grew up with King Herod Antipas the tetrarch, which meant he probably came a very wealthy background and was older.  Saul, of course, was a “Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philippians 3:5) but was also well traveled and from Tarsus (modern day Turkey).   God loves diversity.  In fact Jesus’ Church is the largest and most racially, ethnically and culturally diverse family that has ever existed.  

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生命的第一层跨越-离开本族父家

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使徒行传 7:2-3   司提反说：「诸位父兄请听！当日我们的祖宗亚伯拉罕在美索不达米亚，还未住哈兰的时候，荣耀的神向他显现，3 对他说：『你要离开本地和亲族，往我所要指示你的地方去。』

创世记 11:31-32  他拉带着他儿子亚伯兰和他孙子哈兰的儿子罗得，并他儿妇亚伯兰的妻子撒莱，出了迦勒底的吾珥，要往迦南地去。他们走到哈兰，就住在那里。 32 他拉共活了二百零五岁，就死在哈兰。

亚伯兰被呼召（徒7:2）。他的父亲他拉带着亚伯兰和妻子撒莱、亚伯兰的侄子罗得，出了迦勒底的吾珥，要往迦南地去；他们沿着美索不达米亚平原的伯拉大河（幼发拉底河）北上走到哈兰，就住在那里，他拉后来死在哈兰（创11:31-32）。

耶和华再呼召亚伯兰离开本地、本族、父家，带着撒莱和罗得，以及在哈兰所积蓄的财物、所得的人口，渡过伯拉大河，进入迦南地（创12:1-5）。

亚伯兰75岁被呼召出哈兰，经历饥荒与异乡的危难（创12:10-20），因财物甚多不能同居而与罗得分手（创13:14-18），从基大老玛和同盟王中拯救罗得后，神与亚伯兰立约（创15:4-21），亚伯兰99岁时，神以改名为亚伯拉罕与割礼为证据，预言生以撒（创17:1-21）。亚伯拉罕年100岁生以撒，以撒生下来第八日，亚伯拉罕照着神所吩咐的，给以撒行了割礼（创21:1-5）。

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我们眼睛要能看见！

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马太福音 6:22-23  「眼睛就是身上的灯。你的眼睛若了亮，全身就光明； 23 你的眼睛若昏花，全身就黑暗。你里头的光若黑暗了，那黑暗是何等大呢！

马太福音 20:30-34  有两个瞎子坐在路旁，听说是耶稣经过，就喊著说：「主啊，大卫的子孙，可怜我们吧！」 31 众人责备他们，不许他们作声，他们却越发喊著说：「主啊，大卫的子孙，可怜我们吧！」 32 耶稣就站住，叫他们来，说：「要我为你们做什么？」 33 他们说：「主啊，要我们的眼睛能看见！」 34 耶稣就动了慈心，把他们的眼睛一摸，他们立刻看见，就跟从了耶稣。

疫情蔓延许久，大家戴上多采多姿的各式口罩，没有嘴巴的脸上露出两颗眼睛，显得晶亮有神，灵魂之窗闪烁出神起初创造我们的美好，在茫然不见终了的疫情里带来无限的希望。

眼睛不仅用于视觉，也是光进入我们身体的主要入口。光经由眼睛可以直接剌激和调节神经糸统及内分泌系统，光送到脑里的丘脑下部，控制交感神经及副交感神经，包含七情六欲的调节，可视为人体的灵魂座位及光量计（松果腺）。第四世纪希腊医师Herophilus称松果腺为思想的括约肌，印度人及瑜珈信徒称其为第三只眼睛，文学家莎士比亚说：「眼睛是灵魂之窗」。

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In Case You’re Tested By This

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 12:11-25.  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 12:11-12 (NIV)
11  Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”
12  When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.
 
On verses 11-12:  Peter now realizes that the deliverance from prison he was dreaming about was actually real.  His first instinct is to go to the house of Mary, mother of John-Mark, where many are praying for him.  Peter wants those praying for him to see for themselves the incredible deliverance God made possible for him, knowing how much encouragement that would bring to them. 

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Walk By Faith, Not By Feelings

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 12:1-10.  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 12:1-3 (NIV)
1  It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.
2  He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.
3  When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

On verses 1-3:  James, the brother of John and one of the original twelve disciples, is martyred for his faith, put to death with the sword by King Herod.  Seeing how the killing of a Christian leader was seemingly gaining him favour with other people in his kingdom, King Herod decides to seize Peter with plans to put him on trial and to execute Peter just like he did James.  “This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread” (v3) – in other words, on the anniversary of Jesus’ own arrest, crucifixion and death on Passover weekend, Peter was being seized and on the verge of being executed.  Peter probably imagined that this is exactly how his life was supposed to end. 

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天父了解我吗？

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诗篇144:3  耶和华啊，人算甚么，祢竟认识他！世人算甚么，祢竟顾念他！

诗篇139:1-3 耶和华啊，祢已经鉴察我，认识我。我坐下，我起来，祢都晓得；祢从远处知道我的意念。我行路，我躺卧，祢都细察；祢也深知我一切所行的。

三年前，天下杂志有个亲子沟通大调查，探讨孩子对亲子关系的认知，调查结果发现「仅15.1%孩子觉得被父母了解」。

我们称神为天父，常用亲子关系来形容我们和天父的关系，我试着将天下杂志调查资料的「父母」改为「天父」，发现：

敏感议题不告诉天父30.2%，能自己打理天父不过问17.0%，觉得天父很了解我15.1%，天父不熟无法帮助12.8%，天父采取放任管理10.0%，其实与天父没甚么话题4.3%，天父忙碌无暇互动3.1%，天父知道我在敷衍2.8%，其他4.5%。

当代亲子疏离关系的调查资料不能类比我们和神之间的亲密关系，但也值得我们审视我们和天父间的关系，你觉得天父很了解你吗？还是，敏感议题不告诉天父，能自己打理天父不过问，天父对我不熟无法帮助，天父采取放任管理，其实与天父没甚么话题，天父忙碌无暇互动，天父知道我在敷衍…

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When The Holy Spirit Is At Work

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 11:19-30.  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 11:19-24 (NIV)
19  Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews.
20  Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.
21  The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

On verses 19-24:  When Stephen was martyred and persecution broke out on the church in Jerusalem (Acts 7-8:3), the church scattered (Acts 8:4) and some Christians traveled to places like Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch (v19).  Despite not having heard or seen the incredible ways that the Holy Spirit had touched the lives of Gentiles like Cornelius and household in Judea (Acts 10) or what the Holy Spirit did among Samaritans in Samaria (Acts 8), some of these scattered believers also began speaking to Gentiles about Jesus Christ, in particular Greeks at Antioch, who responded in great numbers (v21). 

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看着数字、数算数目

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以赛亚书 6:9-10  祂说：「你去告诉这百姓说：『你们听是要听见，却不明白；看是要看见，却不晓得。』 10 要使这百姓心蒙脂油，耳朵发沉，眼睛昏迷，恐怕眼睛看见，耳朵听见，心里明白，回转过来，便得医治。」

2022年6月27日下午3时52分左右，我在世界即时数据网站（worldometers, https://www.worldometers.info/tw/）攫取一些即时数据：

目前世界人口总数7,956,696,381，今年出生人数68,185,135，今年死亡人数28,625,753；今年由于传染病死亡的人数6,317,984，由癌症致死的人数3,997,092，由吸菸而造成死亡的人数2,432,949，由酗酒而造成死亡的人数1,217,242，五岁以下儿童死亡人数3,699,306，堕胎数20,796,626，自杀人数521,894。

目前世界上营养不良的人数861,751,469，肥胖的人数1,729,204,783，过度肥胖的人数812,067,281，今天死于饥饿的人数20,210。

今天全世界政府的医疗支出总额(美元) $10,597,752,569，教育支出总额$7,142,555,268，军事支出总额$3,117,582,002。

目前世界网路用户总数5,351,325,573，今天发出的电子邮件数187,233,853,619，今天谷歌搜索次数5,896,897,062，今天手机销售量4,664,565。

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