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Don’t Major in the Minor and Minor in the Major

2024-06-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 18:28-40.  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!
 
John 18:28 (NIV)
28  Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.
 
On verse 28:  The chief priests and Pharisees who were handing Jesus over to the Roman governor believed that by entering the home of a Gentile (in this case, the palace of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate), they would make themselves ceremonially unclean according to their religious laws.  Jesus’ opponents were so focused on keeping their religious rules on ceremonial cleanness, yet at the same time they were handing over an innocent man – the Son of God no less – to be killed.  That’s the danger of Christ-less religion: when you’re so focused on keeping little rules that you miss God and even kill God in the process.  This is also called “majoring in the minor and minoring in the major”. 

賜給我們今日的飲食

2024-06-17 in , /by

馬太福音 6:11 我們日用的飲食，今日賜給我們。

雅各書 4:3 你們求也得不著，是因為你們妄求，要浪費在你們的宴樂中。

這是第二次世界大戰後的一個故事。有位婦人進入一家商店，想要為子女採購一些食物。她在店裡東看看、西摸摸，停駐好久，卻躊躇不知該買些什麼東西。於是店主人便過來問她：「您打算買甚麼食物？」

婦人很難為情的說：「老實講，自從我丈夫死在戰場後，留下我們一家人經常三餐不繼，現在我身上一毛錢也沒有，我唯一能給你的代價，就是為你祈禱，求上帝恩待你。」

店主人並不相信上帝，但為了打發她走，就諷刺的笑著說：「為我祈禱？好吧，把妳的祈禱拿出來秤一秤，看它有多重，就讓妳換多少食物回去罷！」店主人不經意的說，沒想到婦人竟然真的從口袋掏出一張紙，放到天平上說：「謝謝你，昨晚我剛好寫了一篇祈禱文。」

店主人無可奈何之下，連瞧都不瞧那紙一眼，心想區區一張紙能有幾兩重，便順手拿起一條土司，往天平的另一端放上去，沒想到天平一動也不動。

財主進天國

2024-06-16 in , /by

馬太福音 19:16-22

16 有一個人來見耶穌說：「夫子，我該做什麼善事才能得永生？」 17 耶穌對他說：「你為什麼以善事問我呢？只有一位是善的。你若要進入永生，就當遵守誡命。」 18 他說：「什麼誡命？」耶穌說：「就是不可殺人，不可姦淫，不可偷盜，不可作假見證， 19 當孝敬父母，又當愛人如己。」 20 那少年人說：「這一切我都遵守了，還缺少什麼呢？」 21 耶穌說：「你若願意做完全人，可去變賣你所有的，分給窮人，就必有財寶在天上；你還要來跟從我。」 22 那少年人聽見這話，就憂憂愁愁地走了，因為他的產業很多。

今世得百倍

有一個富有的少年人來問耶穌要做什麼善事才能得永生，他告訴耶穌他從小就遵守了一切的誡命，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。」少年人聽見這話，就憂憂愁愁地走了，因為他的產業很多（太19:16-22，可10:17-22，路18:18-23）。

耶穌接著對門徒說：「…財主進天國是難的。…駱駝穿過針的眼，比財主進神的國還容易呢！」（太19:23-24）我想這句話讓門徒傻眼了，因為他們中間有人是船主、稅吏，有財富、產業，他們說：「這樣誰能得救呢？」聰明的彼得馬上想到投資報酬率，他問耶穌：「看哪，我們已經撇下所有的跟從你，將來我們要得甚麼呢？」（太19:25-27）

Bound To Set Us Free

2024-06-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 18:12-27.  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!
 
John 18:12-13 (NIV)
12  Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him
13  and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.
 
On verses 12-13:  You could call Annas the godfather of high priests.  From AD 6 to AD 15 Annas was high priest of Israel.  When Annas was deposed by the Roman governor Valerius Gratus at that time (Pilate’s predecessor), many still considered Annas to be their high priest.  Annas also had five sons who would each hold the office of high priest after Annas.  At this time Annas’ son-in-law Caiaphas was the acting high priest.  So Annas had enormous influence in Israel at this time.

P.S. Jesus Loves You

2024-06-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 18:1-11.  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!
 
John 18:1-3 (NIV)
1  When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it.
2  Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.
3  So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.
 
On verses 1-3:  The first time the Kidron Valley is mentioned in Scripture, King David is crossing it at a time when he is being betrayed by the son he loves and his life is in danger (see 2 Samuel 15, especially verse 23).  The last time the Kidron Valley is mentioned in Scripture, Jesus the Son of David is crossing it at a time when he is being betrayed by a disciple he loves and his life is in danger.  It’s another example of the Old Testament pointing to the New Testament.
 

芥菜種的成長

2024-06-14 in , /by

馬太福音 13:31-32

31 他又設個比喻對他們說：「天國好像一粒芥菜種，有人拿去種在田裡。 32 這原是百種裡最小的，等到長起來，卻比各樣的菜都大，且成了樹，天上的飛鳥來宿在它的枝上。」

耶穌用芥菜種的成長（太13:31-32，可4:30-32，路13:18-19）來比喻神國的福音，起初宛如一粒不起眼的芥菜種，在眾信徒的努力宣道下，不斷成長如同一棵大樹，天上的飛鳥來宿在它的枝上。

芥菜種並非最小的種子，香柏樹的種子就比它小，現在所知最小的是斑葉蘭的種子；但在東方諺語中，常把芥菜種喻為最小的種子。芥菜種雖微小，但在妥善照料下，能夠成長，高過其他的蔬菜，甚至可長到十至二十呎高，枝葉繁茂，宛如一棵樹。

芥菜屬於葉菜類，能供人食用，但它成了樹，樹葉就不再可作為食用，使人得到好處，反而被天空的飛鳥來宿在樹枝上，搭了巢，佔有了這樹。

Hear the Heartbeat of Jesus

2024-06-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 17:13-26.  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!
 
John 17:13-16 (NIV)
13  “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
14  I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.
15  My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
16  They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.

On verses 13-16:  In a world where followers of Jesus will have trouble (John 16:33) and will be misunderstood by many (John 15:18), Jesus does not pray that the Father remove his followers from this world.  Rather Jesus prays that the Father would protect them from the evil one (v15).  Jesus’ heart is that his disciples would have the full measure of his joy within them even as they go through hardship (v13).  What can we learn from this? 

西羅亞池

2024-06-13 in , /by

約翰福音 9:1-11

耶穌過去的時候，看見一個人生來是瞎眼的。 2 門徒問耶穌說：「拉比，這人生來是瞎眼的，是誰犯了罪？是這人呢，是他父母呢？」 3 耶穌回答說：「也不是這人犯了罪，也不是他父母犯了罪，是要在他身上顯出神的作為來。 4 趁著白日，我們必須做那差我來者的工；黑夜將到，就沒有人能做工了。 5 我在世上的時候，是世上的光。」 6 耶穌說了這話，就吐唾沫在地上，用唾沫和泥抹在瞎子的眼睛上， 7 對他說：「你往西羅亞池子裡去洗。」（「西羅亞」翻出來就是「奉差遣」。）他去一洗，回頭就看見了。

約9:1-7描述生來瞎眼的從聖殿到西羅亞池的歷程中，憑著信心眼睛得醫治，接著約9:8-41則述說他如何從肉體眼睛「得看見」（眼睛得醫治，約9:7）到屬靈眼睛「看明白」（與主面對面，約9:38），讓我們學習如何從「目盲」到「跟隨」，體驗一個「看見、知道、思想、明白」（賽41:17-20）的天路歷程。生來瞎眼的得醫治以後，他面對三群眼睛看得見的瞎子，開始尋索「得看見」的真相…

他去一洗，回頭就看見了

主裡親愛的茂X兄和金X姊近日捎來令人振奮的分享：「我女兒莉X今天回診，正子和抽血檢查報告全部正常，三個月後再回診追蹤。感謝讚美全知全能的神，因為有祢的同在和看顧，以及這麼多家人的陪伴、關心、禱告，使我們有信心向前行，謝謝你們的愛(love)，在600多個日子，陪我們渡過無數次的難關，也大大感謝讚美神的恩典和幫助。」

「600多個日子」、「無數次的難關」充滿著眼淚、憂愁、無助…，道盡了倚靠信心前行的極大挑戰；讓我們想起約翰福音第九章描述生來瞎眼的人從聖殿到西羅亞（奉差遣）池（約9:6-7）眼睛得醫治的歷程，眼睛抹著唾沫和泥的瞎子，他一步步的從聖殿走到西羅亞池…。

得看見、看明白

2024-06-12 in , /by

約翰福音 9:1-41

耶穌過去的時候，看見一個人生來是瞎眼的。 2 門徒問耶穌說：「拉比，這人生來是瞎眼的，是誰犯了罪？是這人呢，是他父母呢？」 3 耶穌回答說：「也不是這人犯了罪，也不是他父母犯了罪，是要在他身上顯出神的作為來。 4 趁著白日，我們必須做那差我來者的工；黑夜將到，就沒有人能做工了。 5 我在世上的時候，是世上的光。」 6 耶穌說了這話，就吐唾沫在地上，用唾沫和泥抹在瞎子的眼睛上， 7 對他說：「你往西羅亞池子裡去洗。」（「西羅亞」翻出來就是「奉差遣」。）他去一洗，回頭就看見了。

約9:1-7描述生來瞎眼的從聖殿到西羅亞池的歷程中，憑著信心眼睛得醫治，接著約9:8-41則述說他如何從肉體眼睛「得看見」（眼睛得醫治，約9:7）到屬靈眼睛「看明白」（與主面對面，約9:38），讓我們學習如何從「目盲」到「跟隨」，體驗一個「看見、知道、思想、明白」（賽41:17-20）的天路歷程。生來瞎眼的得醫治以後，他面對三群眼睛看得見的瞎子，開始尋索「得看見」的真相…

第一群瞎子是他的鄰舍和那素常見他是討飯的（約9:8-13），他們沒有敏銳的心，輕忽神的作為，不願意認真思想他們親眼所看見的事實。生來瞎眼的回應他們的疑惑：他「記得」耶穌的名字和被醫治的過程（約9:11）。

第二群瞎子是法利賽人（約9:13-18），他們受制於遺傳、教條、宗教模式，拒絕承認神的作為（約9:16）。生來瞎眼的思想他們的質疑：祂是從神而來嗎？祂是先知（約9:17）。

第三群瞎子是他的父母（約9:18-23），他們受制於權勢、壓力、環境，避重就輕（約9:20-21），畏懼承認神的作為（約9:22）。

The Ways Jesus Is Proud of You

2024-06-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 17:1-12.  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!
 
John 17:1-2 (NIV)
1  After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.
2  For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.
 
On verses 1-2:  Here John quotes Jesus as praying to the Father.  Chapter 17 of John is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus in Scripture.  Verse 2 says that the Father granted authority to Jesus over all people so that Jesus might give eternal life to people.  When the Father gives you authority, it’s not so that you can personally be famous, wealthy or powerful.  God gives you authority so that you can give, help and be a blessing to others.