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When The Holy Spirit Is At Work

2024-08-08 in /by

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). 

看著數字、數算數目

2024-08-08 in , /by

以賽亞書 6:9-10  祂說：「你去告訴這百姓說：『你們聽是要聽見，卻不明白；看是要看見，卻不曉得。』 10 要使這百姓心蒙脂油，耳朵發沉，眼睛昏迷，恐怕眼睛看見，耳朵聽見，心裡明白，回轉過來，便得醫治。」

2022年6月27日下午3時52分左右，我在世界即時數據網站（worldometers, https://www.worldometers.info/tw/）攫取一些即時數據：

目前世界人口總數7,956,696,381，今年出生人數68,185,135，今年死亡人數28,625,753；今年由於傳染病死亡的人數6,317,984，由癌症致死的人數3,997,092，由吸菸而造成死亡的人數2,432,949，由酗酒而造成死亡的人數1,217,242，五歲以下兒童死亡人數3,699,306，墮胎數20,796,626，自殺人數521,894。

目前世界上營養不良的人數861,751,469，肥胖的人數1,729,204,783，過度肥胖的人數812,067,281，今天死於飢餓的人數20,210。

今天全世界政府的醫療支出總額(美元) $10,597,752,569，教育支出總額$7,142,555,268，軍事支出總額$3,117,582,002。

目前世界網路用戶總數5,351,325,573，今天發出的電子郵件數187,233,853,619，今天谷歌搜索次數5,896,897,062，今天手機銷售量4,664,565。

這世代唯一的神蹟

2024-08-07 in , /by

約拿書 4:2  就禱告耶和華說：「耶和華啊，我在本國的時候，豈不是這樣說嗎？我知道你是有恩典有憐憫的神，不輕易發怒，有豐盛的慈愛，並且後悔不降所說的災，所以我急速逃往他施去。

約拿書 4:10-11  耶和華說：「這蓖麻不是你栽種的，也不是你培養的，一夜發生，一夜乾死，你尚且愛惜，11 何況這尼尼微大城，其中不能分辨左手右手的有十二萬多人，並有許多牲畜，我豈能不愛惜呢？」

神安排風浪，阻擋約拿逃往他施去躲避耶和華；約拿被人抬起，拋在海中，海的狂浪就平息了。

神安排大魚，吞了約拿，他在魚腹中三日三夜；約拿在魚腹禱告許願，神吩咐魚吐約拿在旱地。

神安排蓖麻，高過約拿，影兒遮蓋他的頭，救他脫離苦楚；發怒中的約拿因這棵蓖麻大大喜樂。

神安排蟲子，咬那蓖麻，以致枯槁；神安排東風，炎熱吹襲，日頭曝曬；約拿的頭發昏，他就為自己求死。

神安排風浪、大魚、蓖麻、蟲子、東風、日頭…，向約拿顯明祂是有恩典、有憐憫的神，不輕易發怒，有豐盛的慈愛，並且後悔不降所說的災（拿4:2）。耶穌說這世代唯一的神蹟是悔改的神蹟，是十架赦免的神蹟（路11:29-32）。

Seek to Understand Before You Criticize

2024-08-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 11:1-18.  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 11:1-18 (NIV)
1  The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
2  So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him
3  and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
4  Peter began and explained everything to them precisely as it had happened:

On verses 1-18:  The circumcised believers in Jerusalem criticized Peter for associating with Gentiles.  So “starting from the beginning” (v2), Peter explains what happened to him: the vision he saw while praying (v5-10), the three men Cornelius sent and who arrived right at that same moment (v11), his meeting with Cornelius (v12-14), the way the Holy Spirit fell on these new Gentile believers as Peter was preaching (v15) and the lessons he learned from these experiences (v16-17).

敬拜醫治我們的神

2024-08-06 in , /by

男女老幼都要稱頌耶穌永遠不改變的慈愛–祂在十架上流出寶血，潔淨一切信祂的人，讓我們成為祂的子民。

/耶穌愛我，我知道/

耶穌愛我，我知道，因有聖經告訴我，幼小孩童祂牧養，他們軟弱主剛強。

主耶穌愛我，主耶穌愛我，主耶穌愛我，因聖經告訴我。

耶穌愛我捨生命，將我罪惡洗乾淨，天堂恩門為我開，讓祂小孩走進來。

/破碎/

懷著虔敬的心，我們來到祢的桌前；單單依靠祢的憐憫，數算祢慈愛無限。多少次遠離，多少次的歸回，祢深知我們的軟弱，求祢施恩典。

求用破碎的身體，來擁抱我們的破碎，以傾注的寶血，來挽回我們的心，祢奇妙的救恩，我們永遠無法完全體會。求用釘痕的雙手，來纏裹我們的傷痕，將倒空的生命，來滋潤我們的乾渴，親愛的救主，願一生相隨。

Jesus For Every Nation

2024-08-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 10:34-48.  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 10:34-35 (NIV)
34  Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism
35  but accepts people from every nation who fear him and do what is right.
 
On verses 34-35:  Peter recognizes that it was the Holy Spirit who gave him and Cornelius each a vision around the same time and used those visions to bring the two of them together.  Even as he is preaching to Cornelius’ household, Peter himself is realizing that truly God’s heart is for people from every nation.

Obey Without Delay

2024-08-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 10:17-33.  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 10:17-19 (NIV)
17  While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate.
18  They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
19  While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you.
 
On verses 17-19:  In verse 3 the Holy Spirit called Cornelius by name.  A number of times in Acts 10 the Holy Spirit calls Peter by name.  (In fact, the Holy Spirit calls him by his new name “Peter” in verse 13 and then calls him by his old name “Simon” in verse 19.)  What can we learn from this?  God is a personal loving Father who knows us and calls us by name.   

耐心等候神

2024-08-05 in , /by

撒母耳記上 13:1-14

掃羅登基年四十歲。做以色列王二年的時候， 2 就從以色列中揀選了三千人，二千跟隨掃羅在密抹和伯特利山，一千跟隨約拿單在便雅憫的基比亞；其餘的人，掃羅都打發各回各家去了。 3 約拿單攻擊迦巴非利士人的防營，非利士人聽見了。掃羅就在遍地吹角，意思說要使希伯來人聽見。 4 以色列眾人聽見掃羅攻擊非利士人的防營，又聽見以色列人為非利士人所憎惡，就跟隨掃羅聚集在吉甲。

望著高鐵窗外掠過的夕陽美景，內心沒有絲毫感動，只有不斷向神呼求憐憫的禱告…。剛剛出席我們預備承接研究案的開標作業，開標現場的長桌上坐著主辦單位的業務、會計、政風人員，在拆封審視投標文件和研究計畫書的當時，政風人員狐疑的冒出幾句：「奇怪！這三間學校的投標計畫書，除了投標金額不一樣外，其他內容好像都一樣？ 」標場氣氛凝結片刻，沒人答腔，開標繼續進行，我們以最低的投標金額得標，承接這個研究案。離開標場，政風人員狐疑的眼神依然留存在我腦海裡，帶上回台南的高鐵，伴隨著忐忑不安的心情，迴繞著我好幾個星期，在每次的禱告中，我求神憐憫，求神赦免。

神安置永生在我心裡

2024-08-04 in , /by

傳道書 3:11-14   神造萬物，各按其時成為美好，又將永生安置在世人心裡，然而神從始至終的作為，人不能參透。 12 我知道，世人莫強如終身喜樂、行善。 13 並且人人吃喝，在他一切勞碌中享福，這也是神的恩賜。 14 我知道，神一切所做的都必永存，無所增添，無所減少，神這樣行，是要人在祂面前存敬畏的心。

人的一生像一天的生活，早晨雞鳴像嬰兒啼哭入世，夜晚沉睡則恍如虛無離世；在其中，我們早早起床，喝杯咖啡，帶著希望，充滿活力…；大家整天忙碌，有時工作順利，贏得讚許，有時遭遇挫折，深受傷害，有時一事無成，心情沮喪…；撐到夜幕低垂，有人加班值班，有人舉杯歡宴，有人累縮沙發，有人悠遊網域…；疲憊了，爛醉了，通通要休息，躺在床上，窩在沙發，趴在街道，沉沉睡了。沒人能預知夢中有啥？誰能預約一個美夢？誰能將銀行的存摺、豐盛的酒席、歡樂的音符帶進睡夢中？或許有，那只不過是似有若無、虛無縹緲的夢境！

God’s Heart for Every Person on the Planet

2024-08-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 10:1-16.  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 10:1-4 (NIV)
1  At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.
2  He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.
3  One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
4  Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.
 
On verse 4:  God heard the sincere prayers and took note of the generous donations Cornelius made to the poor, though Cornelius at this point had not yet put his trust in Jesus Christ.  Regardless of your faith position, God sees the good that you do and the sincerity with which you pray.  But if all the good you do was good enough to save you, God wouldn’t have sent Jesus Christ for you.  Likewise despite all the good that Cornelius had done in his lifetime, God still connected Cornelius to Peter so that Cornelius could hear the saving news about Jesus Christ.