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Still Unstoppable

2024-09-25 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 28:17-31.  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 28:17-20 (NIV)
17  Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.
18  They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death.
19  But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar–not that I had any charge to bring against my own people.
20  For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”
 
On verses 17-20:  Having received so much opposition in the past from certain Jews in the various cities where Paul had gone, Paul decides to take the initiative to reach out to the Jewish leaders in Rome and explain to them plainly where he is coming from.  His hope was to avoid misunderstanding based on possible rumours and hearsay.

人看外貌，神看内心

2024-09-25 in , /by

撒母耳记上 16:7  耶和华却对撒母耳说：「不要看他的外貌和他身材高大，我不拣选他。因为耶和华不像人看人，人是看外貌，耶和华是看内心。」

撒母耳记上 16:13  撒母耳就用角里的膏油，在他诸兄中膏了他。从这日起，耶和华的灵就大大感动大卫。撒母耳起身回拉玛去了。

人看外貌，神看内心

神厌弃扫罗作以色列的王，差遣撒母耳到伯利恒人耶西家，在他众子中预定一个作王的。撒母耳到伯利恒，给耶和华献祭，叫耶西和他众子自洁，请他们来吃祭肉，好寻得耶和华的受膏者（撒上16:1-6）。神提醒撒母耳说：「…耶和华不像人看人：人是看外貌；耶和华是看内心。」（撒上16:7）

在自洁献祭、同吃祭肉的现场，耶西叫他七个儿子都从撒母耳面前经过，撒母耳说：「这都不是耶和华所拣选的。」耶西打发人叫回在外放羊的小儿子大卫，耶和华向撒母耳说：「这就是他，你起来膏他。」（撒上16:8-12）撒母耳用角里的膏油膏抹大卫，从那日起，耶和华的灵就大大感动大卫（撒上16:13）。

You Can’t Always Control THIS, But It’s Okay

2024-09-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 28:1-16.  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 28:1-10 (NIV)
1  Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.
2  The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.
3  Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.
4  When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”

On verses 1-10:  Has anyone ever judged you and jumped to conclusions about you because of your circumstances?  In Acts 28:34, Paul is bitten by a snake and based on these unfortunate circumstances the residents of Malta assume he is guilty of murder.  But when Paul shows no ill effects from the snake bite, those same people change their minds and call him a god (v6)!  That’s how fickle public opinion can be.

倚靠神！

2024-09-24 in , /by

撒母耳记上 17:40-44 

他手中拿杖，又在溪中挑选了五块光滑石子，放在袋里，就是牧人带的囊里。手中拿着甩石的机弦，就去迎那非利士人。41 非利士人也渐渐地迎著大卫来，拿盾牌的走在前头。 42 非利士人观看，见了大卫，就藐视他，因为他年轻，面色光红，容貌俊美。 43 非利士人对大卫说：「你拿杖到我这里来，我岂是狗呢？」非利士人就指著自己的神咒诅大卫。 44 非利士人又对大卫说：「来吧！我将你的肉给空中的飞鸟、田野的走兽吃。」

倚靠神！凶悍的面对挑战、困难，甚至邪恶势力

非利士军队聚集在梭哥附近的以弗大悯，以色列军队聚集在以拉谷，两军对峙预备打仗。非利士人见大卫年轻，就藐视他，对大卫说：「你拿杖到我这里来，我岂是狗呢？」他们指著自己的神咒诅大卫，又对大卫说：「来吧！我将你的肉给空中的飞鸟、田野的走兽吃。」（撒上17:40-44）

大卫对非利士人说：「你来攻击我，是靠着刀枪和铜戟；我来攻击你，是靠着万军之耶和华的名，就是你所怒骂带领以色列军队的神。今日耶和华必将你交在我手里。我必杀你，斩你的头，又将非利士军兵的尸首给空中的飞鸟、地上的野兽吃，使普天下的人都知道以色列中有神；又使这众人知道耶和华使人得胜，不是用刀用枪，因为争战的胜败全在乎耶和华。他必将你们交在我们手里。」（撒上17:45-47）

合神心意的人

2024-09-23 in , /by

撒母耳记上 13:14  现在你的王位必不长久。耶和华已经寻着一个合祂心意的人，立他做百姓的君，因为你没有遵守耶和华所吩咐你的。

撒母耳记上 16:11  撒母耳对耶西说：「你的儿子都在这里吗？」他回答说：「还有个小的，现在放羊。」撒母耳对耶西说：「你打发人去叫他来。他若不来，我们必不坐席。」

撒母耳记上 17:12-14  大卫是犹大伯利恒的以法他人耶西的儿子，耶西有八个儿子。当扫罗的时候，耶西已经老迈。 13 耶西的三个大儿子跟随扫罗出征，这出征的三个儿子，长子名叫以利押，次子名叫亚比拿达，三子名叫沙玛。 14 大卫是最小的。那三个大儿子跟随扫罗。

合神心意的人

大卫是耶西的儿子，是伯利恒人，弟兄八人，大卫是最小的一个（撒上17:12-14）。大卫父亲耶西的家中，本来雇有看守牛羊的人（撒上17:20），但是大卫自幼勤劳，常常亲自到伯利恒的旷野去牧放羊群（撒上16:11, 17:15）。

面对非利士人歌利亚的挑战，扫罗忧心大卫年轻，无法敌挡；大卫回应扫罗他如何照顾他的小羊：「你仆人为父亲放羊，有时来了狮子，有时来了熊，从群中衔一只羊羔去，我就追赶牠，击打牠，将羊羔从牠口中救出来。牠起来要害我，我就揪著牠的胡子，将牠打死。…」（撒上17∶33-36）。

The One Who Rescues You From The Wreck

2024-09-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 27:27-44.  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 27:27-32 (NIV)
27  On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land.
28  They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet deep.
29  Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.
30  In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow.
31  Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.”
32  So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away.
 
On verses 27-32:  Knowing that the ship was soon going to crash into land, some sailors try to secretly let a lifeboat down into the sea to save themselves.  But for the sake of everyone’s safety including the sailors trying to escape, Paul warns the centurion and soldiers that everyone needs to stay with the ship if they want any hope of being saved. 
 

一生以上帝为首

2024-09-22 in , /by

歌罗西书 1:15-20  爱子是那不能看见之神的像，是首生的，在一切被造的以先。 16 因为万有都是靠祂造的，无论是天上的、地上的，能看见的、不能看见的，或是有位的、主治的、执政的、掌权的，一概都是借着祂造的，又是为祂造的。 17祂在万有之先，万有也靠祂而立。

一生以上帝为首

曾夺得两届奥斯卡影帝的丹佐华盛顿(Denzel Washington)，从不掩饰自己的基督徒身分，也时常透过各样颁奖典礼及活动，向众人宣扬福音。他曾在2015年，为美国迪拉德大学(Dillard University)毕业生进行演讲：

第一点：在你所做的每件事上，将上帝放在首位。你们在我身上看见的一切，我所有的成就、我拥有的一切，都是来自上帝的恩典。四十年前，我被赶出大学校门，我坐在母亲开的美容院，一位正在吹头发的女士对说：「孩子，你将会跑遍世界各地对上百万人说话，你将会对他们讲道。」要记得我才刚被退学，不知何去何从，她却说我会环游世界，我的声音还要传达给百万人。

The God Who’s Greater Than The Storm

2024-09-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 27:13-26.  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 27:13-26 (NIV)
13  When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete.
14  Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the “northeaster,” swept down from the island.
15  The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along.
16  As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure.

On verses 13-26:  As Paul and about 270 others sail to Rome, their ship is caught in the middle of a storm of hurricane proportions called a northeaster.  After many days of fearing for their lives, Paul stands up and addresses everyone on the ship, telling them to keep up their courage, because God spoke to Paul and assured him that he would go to Rome to testify before Caesar and that not one person on this ship would be lost.

父子两人同行，献上活祭

2024-09-20 in , /by

创世记 22:1-19

这些事以后，神要试验亚伯拉罕，就呼叫他说：「亚伯拉罕！」他说：「我在这里。」 2 神说：「你带着你的儿子，就是你独生的儿子，你所爱的以撒，往摩利亚地去，在我所要指示你的山上，把他献为燔祭。」 3 亚伯拉罕清早起来，备上驴，带着两个仆人和他儿子以撒，也劈好了燔祭的柴，就起身往神所指示他的地方去了。 4 到了第三日，亚伯拉罕举目远远地看见那地方。 5 亚伯拉罕对他的仆人说：「你们和驴在此等候，我与童子往那里去拜一拜，就回到你们这里来。」 6 亚伯拉罕把燔祭的柴放在他儿子以撒身上，自己手里拿着火与刀，于是二人同行。 7 以撒对他父亲亚伯拉罕说：「父亲哪！」亚伯拉罕说：「我儿，我在这里。」以撒说：「请看，火与柴都有了，但燔祭的羊羔在哪里呢？」 8 亚伯拉罕说：「我儿，神必自己预备做燔祭的羊羔。」于是二人同行。

儆醒回应神的呼唤：我在这里

亲爱的父亲们，让我们从亚伯拉罕献以撒（创22:1-19）这件事上明白为父的职责：在上帝面前儆醒，随时回应呼唤：「我在这里。」（创22:1，创22:11）；也要在儿女面前儆醒，随时回应呼唤：「我在这里。」（创22:7）

伊甸园里，神呼唤亚当，对他说：「你在哪里？」（创3:3）亚当得罪神，他说：「我在园中听见你的声音，我就害怕；因为我赤身露体，我便藏了。」（创3:4）在上帝面前儆醒，让神找的到我们，是因为我们活在神的光照中，不害怕听见神的声音，可以坦然面见神。

以色列（雅各）全家下埃及前，在别是巴献祭给神，神呼唤以色列，为他们全家祝福，他说：「我在这里。」（创46:2）；神四次呼唤年幼的撒母耳，默示降罚以利家，撒母耳回答说：「请说，仆人敬听！」（撒上3:10）；神寻求奉差遣者，以赛亚说：「我在这里，请差遣我！」（赛6:8）。在上帝面前儆醒，让祂找的到我们，我们才能得着祝福，领受默示，并奉差遣。

When You Need a Shelter in the Storm

2024-09-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 25:13-27.  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 25:13-27 (NIV)
13  A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus.
14  Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner.
15  When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned.

On verses 13-27:  King Agrippa II was a Jewish ruler who came from a long line of kings (including his great grandfather King Herod the Great and his father Herod Agrippa I).  Under Roman supervision, King Agrippa ruled over various territories in the region.  Here we see King Agrippa accompanied by Bernice, who was King Agrippa’s sister and with whom King Agrippa was rumoured to be carrying on an incestuous relationship.  King Agrippa appears here in a visit to Caesarea most likely because he wished to build diplomatic ties with the newly appointed Governor Festus.  Festus had to give Caesar a report on Paul’s case before sending Paul to Caesar.