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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踩刹车

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诗篇119:11 我将祢的话藏在心里，免得我得罪祢。

民数记22-24章记载：摩西带领以色列人出埃及后，在约旦河东边的摩押平原安营。摩押王巴勒畏惧以色列人，打发人拿着卦金，去找巴兰为他咒诅以色列人。巴兰求问神，神不允，他就回绝巴勒的请求。巴勒再次差遣使臣，比先前的又多又尊贵，巴兰再次求问神，神任凭巴兰前去，但要求他遵行神所说的话。

巴兰早晨备上驴，带着仆人和摩押的使臣前去。在路上他的驴子三次看见天使站在前方，于是跨进田间、挤伤巴兰的脚、卧在巴兰底下不走，巴兰却看不到天使，因此发怒，用杖打驴。最后，驴子说话，告诉巴兰它看见了天使，这让巴兰感到惊讶和恐惧。神让巴兰的眼目明亮，对他说：「你为何三次打驴呢？我出来敌挡你，因你所行的，在我面前偏僻。」又说：「你同这些人去吧！你只要说我对你说的话。」

后来，巴兰反倒三次祝福以色列人，说：「巴勒就是将他满屋的金银给我，我也不得越过耶和华的命，凭自己的心意行好行歹。耶和华说甚么，我就要说甚么。」巴勒看出巴兰不会诅咒以色列人，所以打发他离开。

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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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民数记6:24-26 愿耶和华赐福给你，保护你！25 愿耶和华使祂的脸光照你，赐恩给你！ 26 愿耶和华向你仰脸，赐你平安！

巴哈马有位名为谢尔文·加德纳(Sherwin Gardner)的福音音乐家兼牧师，每次教会敬拜、祷告结束后，他总会对弟兄姊妹说：「记住，有些美好的事将会发生在你身上。」

2023年底，加德纳将敬拜中的领受谱成歌曲，在歌词中加入「我很感激能来到这里」、「昨天已过，新的一天已经来临」…感谢、祝福的语句，完成旋律后，将它交由一位肯亚编曲家进行编曲制作。圣诞节完成录制后，12月31日晚上在TikTok和Instagram平台发布新年祝福歌曲《Find Me Here (Blessings Find Me)》，传达2024年将会是很美好的一年。

这首歌在社群媒体上出乎意料的引发「病毒式」扩散，翌日早上醒来，加德纳不到千人的TikTok帐号，竟然暴增到2万名粉丝，歌曲浏览量一个上午就从1万多次跃升到10万次。这首歌在TikTok创下10亿人次观看，加德纳成为首位达成此播放量的黑人福音歌手。

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这一生最美的祝福

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约翰壹书5:4   因为凡从神生的，就胜过世界；使我们胜了世界的，就是我们的信心。

这支Youtube诗歌影片自8年前至今已有650万次浏览，我摘下几则留言与你分享：

今年的四月15 号，我16岁的儿子早上起来，吃好早餐、换好衣服，准备去学校上课，出门前突然断气，没有任何理由的离开了世界。我的心破碎，无法接受，心里埋怨神，觉得受委屈，好长的一段时间无法面对神，不想祷告，感觉圣经里给的应许只是好听，却没有实质的意义。感谢神！我最近慢慢的找回了我对神的感觉，愿我能继续找回对神更强大的信心…。（@peiwenberniceli6948/4年前）

这6年我因工作受伤，至111年7月19日开脑10次，命危3次（骨灰坛都准备好了），1/3的头盖骨是人工的，虽然由正常人变中度残障，至少生活还能自理。主耶稣请求医治我，我因着…信，才得着医治，感谢主耶稣基督！（@峰正苏-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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诗篇27:4  有一件事，我曾求耶和华，我仍要寻求：就是一生一世住在耶和华的殿中，瞻仰祂的荣美，在祂的殿里求问。

路加福音10:38-42   他们走路的时候，耶稣进了一个村庄。有一个女人名叫马大，接他到自己家里。 39 她有一个妹子名叫马利亚，在耶稣脚前坐着听他的道。 40 马大伺候的事多，心里忙乱，就进前来说：「主啊，我的妹子留下我一个人伺候，你不在意吗？请吩咐她来帮助我。」 41 耶稣回答说：「马大，马大，你为许多的事思虑烦扰， 42 但是不可少的只有一件。马利亚已经选择那上好的福分，是不能夺去的。」

路加福音10:38-42记载耶稣进了一个村庄，有一个女人，名叫马大，接祂到自己家里。马大的妹妹马利亚，在耶稣脚前坐着听祂的道。马大伺候的事多，心里忙乱，就进前来，说：「主啊，我的妹子留下我一个人伺候，你不在意吗？请吩咐她来帮助我。」

耶稣回答说：「马大！马大！你为许多的事思虑烦扰，但是不可少的只有一件；马利亚已经选择那上好的福分，是不能夺去的。」

耶稣来了！接待祂到自己家里，马大当然忙着殷勤款待，贵客临门，我们一定也会如此忙碌。然而，耶稣看重的不是被款待，而是被接纳、被接受，愿意听祂的道，与祂谈话。

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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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有一个人跑来问耶稣说：「良善的夫子，我当做甚么事才可以承受永生？」这人说他从小就遵守一切的诫命。耶稣看着他，就爱他，对他说：「你还缺少一件：去变卖你所有的，分给穷人，就必有财宝在天上；你还要来跟从我。」他听见这话，脸上就变了色，忧忧愁愁地走了，因为他的产业很多。（马可福音10:17-22）

《一件美事》耶稣被钉十架前两天，在伯大尼长大痲疯的西门家里坐席，有一个女人拿着一玉瓶至贵的真哪哒香膏来，打破玉瓶，把膏浇在耶稣的头上。门徒看见就不喜悦，认为香膏可以卖许多钱来赒济穷人。耶稣对他们说：「由她吧！为甚么难为她呢？她在我身上做的是一件美事。因为常有穷人和你们同在，要向他们行善随时都可以；只是你们不常有我。她所做的，是尽她所能的；她是为我安葬的事把香膏预先浇在我身上。…」（马可福音14:1-9）

同样是财富的运用，富人很可惜的《缺少一件》：变卖所有的，分给穷人，女人却完成了《一件美事》：尽她所能的，膏抹耶稣。

耶稣用绵羊和山羊的比喻说：「…我饿了，你们给我吃，渴了，你们给我喝；我作客旅，你们留我住；我赤身露体，你们给我穿；我病了，你们看顾我；我在监里，你们来看我。…我实在告诉你们，这些事你们既做在我这弟兄中一个最小的身上，就是做在我身上了。…」（马太福音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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