Because Jesus Rose Again

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Mark 16:12-20.  With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Mark 16:12-14 (NIV)
12  Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country.
13  These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.
14  Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

On verses 12-14:  Even after Jesus had repeatedly told them that he would rise again, even after the incredible miracles the disciples had seen Jesus do, and even after multiple witnesses were testifying to them about Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples still refused to believe.

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踩剎車

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詩篇119:11 我將祢的話藏在心裡，免得我得罪祢。

民數記22-24章記載：摩西帶領以色列人出埃及後，在約旦河東邊的摩押平原安營。摩押王巴勒畏懼以色列人，打發人拿著卦金，去找巴蘭為他咒詛以色列人。巴蘭求問神，神不允，他就回絕巴勒的請求。巴勒再次差遣使臣，比先前的又多又尊貴，巴蘭再次求問神，神任憑巴蘭前去，但要求他遵行神所說的話。

巴蘭早晨備上驢，帶著僕人和摩押的使臣前去。在路上他的驢子三次看見天使站在前方，於是跨進田間、擠傷巴蘭的腳、臥在巴蘭底下不走，巴蘭卻看不到天使，因此發怒，用杖打驢。最後，驢子說話，告訴巴蘭它看見了天使，這讓巴蘭感到驚訝和恐懼。神讓巴蘭的眼目明亮，對他說：「你為何三次打驢呢？我出來敵擋你，因你所行的，在我面前偏僻。」又說：「你同這些人去吧！你只要說我對你說的話。」

後來，巴蘭反倒三次祝福以色列人，說：「巴勒就是將他滿屋的金銀給我，我也不得越過耶和華的命，憑自己的心意行好行歹。耶和華說甚麼，我就要說甚麼。」巴勒看出巴蘭不會詛咒以色列人，所以打發他離開。

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Heaven Doesn’t Quit Easily

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Mark 16:1-11.  With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Mark 16:1-3 (NIV)
1  When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.
2  Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb
3  and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” 

On verses 1-3:  In accordance with Jewish custom, Mary Magdalene, Mary and Salome brought spices to Jesus’ tomb, hoping to pour the spices on Jesus’ body, both as a sign of love and to counteract any odor.  In other words, they all fully expected Jesus to be dead.  Little did they know that they and Jesus wouldn’t need the spices after all.

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祝福找上我

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民數記6:24-26 願耶和華賜福給你，保護你！25 願耶和華使祂的臉光照你，賜恩給你！ 26 願耶和華向你仰臉，賜你平安！

巴哈馬有位名為謝爾文·加德納(Sherwin Gardner)的福音音樂家兼牧師，每次教會敬拜、禱告結束後，他總會對弟兄姊妹說：「記住，有些美好的事將會發生在你身上。」

2023年底，加德納將敬拜中的領受譜成歌曲，在歌詞中加入「我很感激能來到這裡」、「昨天已過，新的一天已經來臨」…感謝、祝福的語句，完成旋律後，將它交由一位肯亞編曲家進行編曲製作。聖誕節完成錄製後，12月31日晚上在TikTok和Instagram平台發佈新年祝福歌曲《Find Me Here (Blessings Find Me)》，傳達2024年將會是很美好的一年。

這首歌在社群媒體上出乎意料的引發「病毒式」擴散，翌日早上醒來，加德納不到千人的TikTok帳號，竟然暴增到2萬名粉絲，歌曲瀏覽量一個上午就從1萬多次躍升到10萬次。這首歌在TikTok創下10億人次觀看，加德納成為首位達成此播放量的黑人福音歌手。

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這一生最美的祝福

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約翰壹書5:4   因為凡從神生的，就勝過世界；使我們勝了世界的，就是我們的信心。

這支Youtube詩歌影片自8年前至今已有650萬次瀏覽，我摘下幾則留言與你分享：

今年的四月15 號，我16歲的兒子早上起來，吃好早餐、換好衣服，準備去學校上課，出門前突然斷氣，沒有任何理由的離開了世界。我的心破碎，無法接受，心裡埋怨神，覺得受委屈，好長的一段時間無法面對神，不想禱告，感覺聖經裏給的應許只是好聽，卻沒有實質的意義。感謝神！我最近慢慢的找回了我對神的感覺，願我能繼續找回對神更強大的信心…。（@peiwenberniceli6948/4年前）

這6年我因工作受傷，至111年7月19日開腦10次，命危3次（骨灰罈都準備好了），1/3的頭蓋骨是人工的，雖然由正常人變中度殘障，至少生活還能自理。主耶穌請求醫治我，我因著…信，才得著醫治，感謝主耶穌基督！（@峰正蘇-v3p/2年前）

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God uses the one who…

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Mark 15:42-47.  With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Mark 15:42-47 (NIV)
42  It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached,
43  Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.

On verses 42-43:  According to scholars, usually crucified criminals were not buried.  Rather their bodies were left to rot on the cross.  However, in Jewish culture, giving a dead person a proper burial was the right thing to do.

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不可少的只有一件

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詩篇27:4  有一件事，我曾求耶和華，我仍要尋求：就是一生一世住在耶和華的殿中，瞻仰祂的榮美，在祂的殿裡求問。

路加福音10:38-42   他們走路的時候，耶穌進了一個村莊。有一個女人名叫馬大，接他到自己家裡。 39 她有一個妹子名叫馬利亞，在耶穌腳前坐著聽他的道。 40 馬大伺候的事多，心裡忙亂，就進前來說：「主啊，我的妹子留下我一個人伺候，你不在意嗎？請吩咐她來幫助我。」 41 耶穌回答說：「馬大，馬大，你為許多的事思慮煩擾， 42 但是不可少的只有一件。馬利亞已經選擇那上好的福分，是不能奪去的。」

路加福音10:38-42記載耶穌進了一個村莊，有一個女人，名叫馬大，接祂到自己家裡。馬大的妹妹馬利亞，在耶穌腳前坐著聽祂的道。馬大伺候的事多，心裡忙亂，就進前來，說：「主啊，我的妹子留下我一個人伺候，你不在意嗎？請吩咐她來幫助我。」

耶穌回答說：「馬大！馬大！你為許多的事思慮煩擾，但是不可少的只有一件；馬利亞已經選擇那上好的福分，是不能奪去的。」

耶穌來了！接待祂到自己家裡，馬大當然忙著殷勤款待，貴客臨門，我們一定也會如此忙碌。然而，耶穌看重的不是被款待，而是被接納、被接受，願意聽祂的道，與祂談話。

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Hope in the Darkness

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Mark 15:33-41.  With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!
 
Mark 15:33 (NIV)
33  At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.
 
On verse 33:  The sixth hour to the ninth hour would be from 12pm to 3pm.  Mark describes how darkness came over the whole land as Jesus hung on the cross and neared death.  Truly these were three of the darkest hours in human history.  One can only imagine what was going on in heaven when Jesus, heaven’s darling, was hanging on the cross.

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缺少一件 / 一件美事

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有一個人跑來問耶穌說：「良善的夫子，我當做甚麼事才可以承受永生？」這人說他從小就遵守一切的誡命。耶穌看著他，就愛他，對他說：「你還缺少一件：去變賣你所有的，分給窮人，就必有財寶在天上；你還要來跟從我。」他聽見這話，臉上就變了色，憂憂愁愁地走了，因為他的產業很多。（馬可福音10:17-22）

《一件美事》耶穌被釘十架前兩天，在伯大尼長大痲瘋的西門家裡坐席，有一個女人拿著一玉瓶至貴的真哪噠香膏來，打破玉瓶，把膏澆在耶穌的頭上。門徒看見就不喜悅，認為香膏可以賣許多錢來賙濟窮人。耶穌對他們說：「由她吧！為甚麼難為她呢？她在我身上做的是一件美事。因為常有窮人和你們同在，要向他們行善隨時都可以；只是你們不常有我。她所做的，是盡她所能的；她是為我安葬的事把香膏預先澆在我身上。…」（馬可福音14:1-9）

同樣是財富的運用，富人很可惜的《缺少一件》：變賣所有的，分給窮人，女人卻完成了《一件美事》：盡她所能的，膏抹耶穌。

耶穌用綿羊和山羊的比喻說：「…我餓了，你們給我吃，渴了，你們給我喝；我作客旅，你們留我住；我赤身露體，你們給我穿；我病了，你們看顧我；我在監裡，你們來看我。…我實在告訴你們，這些事你們既做在我這弟兄中一個最小的身上，就是做在我身上了。…」（馬太福音25:31-46）

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Torture

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Mark 15:16-32.  With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!
 
Mark 15:16-20 (NIV)
16  The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers.
17  They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.
18  And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!”
19  Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him.
20  And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
 
On verses 16-20:  After enduring the extreme physical torture of flogging (v15), Jesus is brought into the palace to be abused psychologically and emotionally by the soldiers.

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