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When You Have Jesus

2024-06-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 16:12-22.  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 16:16-22 (NIV)
16  “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”
17  Some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
18  They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

On verses 16-22:  What did Jesus mean when he would tell his disciples, “in a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me” (v16)?  Jesus was pointing to his death and resurrection.  The darkest night – when Jesus Christ would die – was coming, but it would be superseded by a brighter day: when Jesus would rise again.

谁是我的邻舍？

2024-06-11 in , /by

路加福音 10:25-37

25 有一个律法师起来试探耶稣，说：「夫子，我该做什么才可以承受永生？」 26 耶稣对他说：「律法上写的是什么？你念的是怎样呢？」 27 他回答说：「你要尽心、尽性、尽力、尽意爱主你的神，又要爱邻舍如同自己。」 28 耶稣说：「你回答的是。你这样行，就必得永生。」

29 那人要显明自己有理，就对耶稣说：「谁是我的邻舍呢？」

耶稣和律法师在路10:25-28中谈论承受永生的议题，耶稣肯定他明白「爱神爱人」的律法，且鼓励他，行出来就必得永生。接下来，律法师又自以为是的再问：「谁是我的邻舍呢？」（路10:29）于是，耶稣用好撒马利亚人的比喻回应他的问题。（路10:30-37）

撒马利亚人是散居在犹太与加利利间的混血民族，他们的宗教信仰虽根据犹太传统和摩西律法，但是渗有异族风俗（王下17:24-33），加上过去南北国的政治纠葛，而且他们相对贫穷，因此不为犹太人所接纳，双方没有甚么来往（约4:9）。

耶利哥处于撒马利亚和犹太交界处，犹太人往返犹太和北边的加利利，会经由耶利哥绕道，藉以避开撒马利亚范围。耶利哥位于耶路撒冷东面的约旦河谷，地势低洼，两地高度差超过一千公尺，连结其间的道路极其陡峭荒凉，常有强盗出没。

The Life-Giving Conviction of the Holy Spirit

2024-06-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 16:1-11.  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 16:1-3 (NIV)
1  “All this I have told you so that you will not go astray.
2  They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.
3  They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.
 
On verses 1-3:  John was probably writing this Gospel at a time when the Church, i.e. Christians everywhere, had already experienced a great deal of persecution.  To comfort and reassure his fellow brothers and sisters, John recalls what Jesus said to him and the other disciples about not being surprised when they face severe persecution.  Jesus tells them not to be surprised if their persecutors even think that destroying Christians is the right, noble, God-pleasing thing to do.  Jesus tells his disciples that the reason an unbelieving world persecutes Christians is because they actually do not know God the Father or Jesus the Son.

谁要来吃饭？

2024-06-10 in , /by

路加福音 14:7-11/12-14/15-24

7 耶稣见所请的客拣择首位，就用比喻对他们说： 8 「你被人请去赴婚姻的筵席，不要坐在首位上，恐怕有比你尊贵的客被他请来， 9 那请你们的人前来对你说：『让座给这一位吧！』你就羞羞惭惭地退到末位上去了。 10 你被请的时候，就去坐在末位上，好叫那请你的人来对你说：『朋友，请上坐！』那时，你在同席的人面前就有光彩了。 11 因为凡自高的，必降为卑；自卑的，必升为高。」

路加福音14章的记载很特别，耶稣借着众人熟知「请吃饭」的饮食文化，经由「客人挑选首位」的习惯谈「谦卑」（路14:7-11），也透过「主人期望回报」的意图谈「付出」（路14:12-14）。耶稣挑战主人，为贫穷的、残废的、瘸腿的、瞎眼的摆设筵席，同筵席的人有感而发，回应耶稣说：「在神国里吃饭的有福了！」（路14:15），接着，耶稣用筵席的比喻（路14:16-24）回复他，感叹「客人推托出席」神国的邀宴。

「请吃饭」不只是肚腹得饱足，尤重于关系的修复与建立；耶稣所谈的「请吃饭」代表爱与接纳，带来欢乐、温暖、关系的回复，听见这话的人领受到这是无需「报答」、没有条件的「请吃饭」，惟有神能给予，这是神国的筵席，因此回应说：在神国里吃饭的有福了！

旧酵除净成为新团

2024-06-09 in , /by

马太福音 13:31-33 /41-43

31 他又设个比喻对他们说：「天国好像一粒芥菜种，有人拿去种在田里。 32 这原是百种里最小的，等到长起来，却比各样的菜都大，且成了树，天上的飞鸟来宿在它的枝上。」

33 他又对他们讲个比喻说：「天国好像面酵，有妇人拿来藏在三斗面里，直等全团都发起来。」

41 人子要差遣使者，把一切叫人跌倒的和作恶的，从他国里挑出来， 42 丢在火炉里，在那里必要哀哭切齿了。 43 那时，义人在他们父的国里要发出光来，像太阳一样。有耳可听的，就应当听！

马太福音第13章记载耶稣用比喻传讲天国的信息，祂在撒种的比喻中，用「飞鸟」比喻「恶者」夺去撒在人心里的天国福音（太13:4，太13:19）；在稗子的比喻中，祂解释仇敌（魔鬼）来，将稗子（恶者之子）撒在麦子（天国之子）里，两者一齐成长，直等著收割时，才将稗子褥出用火焚烧（太13:24-30，太13:36-43）。

耶稣讲完稗子的比喻，尚未向门徒解释，祂就接续用芥菜种（太13:31-32）和面团发酵（太13:33）来比喻天国，内容较短且未进一步解释。耶稣说：天国好像一粒芥菜种，种子虽小，长起来却成了树，且让天上的飞鸟宿在枝上（太13:31-32）；又说：天国好像面酵，妇人拿来，藏在三斗面里，直等全团都发起来（太13:33）。

When the World Hates You

2024-06-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 15:18-27.  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 15:18-25 (NIV)
18  “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
19  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
20  Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

On verses 18-25:  An unbelieving world hated Jesus Christ so much that they killed him by nailing him to a cross.  Even to this day, no name has received more hate in all of human history than the name of Jesus Christ.  On a daily basis, there is no name that is more abused, more taken for granted and used more frequently as a curse word than the name of Jesus.  As Jesus predicted in verses 20-21, just as much of the world despised Jesus, so much of the world despises Christians.  That is why virtually the only time you hear a Christian leader making the mainstream news is if it is related to some kind of scandal. 

What Does It Mean to Remain in Jesus?

2024-06-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 15:9-17.  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 15:9-10 (NIV)
9  “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.
10  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
 
On verses 9-10:  What does it mean to remain in Jesus’ love, as verse 9 says?  Remaining in Jesus’ love (or as some translations say, to “abide” in Jesus’ love) means to stay in tune with Jesus, to keep trusting in Jesus and to obey Jesus’ commands (v10). Just as Jesus kept in tune with his Father and did not stop obeying his Father’s commands, so Jesus tells us to do the same.  In doing this we will bear much fruit (v5). 

耶稣的责备

2024-06-07 in , /by

路加福音 19:41-44

41 耶稣快到耶路撒冷，看见城，就为它哀哭， 42 说：「巴不得你在这日子知道关系你平安的事，无奈这事现在是隐藏的，叫你的眼看不出来。 43 因为日子将到，你的仇敌必筑起土垒，周围环绕你，四面困住你， 44 并要扫灭你和你里头的儿女，连一块石头也不留在石头上，因你不知道眷顾你的时候。」

福音书描绘耶稣人性面的喜怒哀乐，好让我们经由祂感同身受，而体会神的心意。

耶稣为耶路撒冷哀哭，因为耶路撒冷将会遭遇围困、毁灭（路19:41-44）；面对失丧拉撒路的一家人，耶稣哭了，祂不仅显露对拉撒路的爱，也因众人信心的有限（难以认知拉撒路得复活的应许）而悲叹（约11:33-44）；被差遣的七十个人欢欢喜喜地回来，耶稣为他们的得胜，被圣灵感动就欢乐（路10:17-22）。

耶稣哀哭、悲叹、欢乐，祂也责备人，狠狠地责备文士和法利赛人，在马太23章中，几乎整章，痛批他们是假冒为善、瞎眼领路的。

法利赛人是一群遵循先知与摩西律法，自勉追求圣洁、分别为圣，为保持纯洁而与俗世保持距离的人；但是，他们过于注重外表和仪文，最后反而陷入曲解神意、假冒为善的泥沼。

西恩的故事

2024-06-06 in , /by

马太福音 25:34-40

34 于是，王要向那右边的说：『你们这蒙我父赐福的，可来承受那创世以来为你们所预备的国。 35 因为我饿了，你们给我吃；渴了，你们给我喝；我做客旅，你们留我住； 36 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。』 37 义人就回答说：『主啊，我们什么时候见你饿了给你吃，渴了给你喝？ 38 什么时候见你做客旅留你住，或是赤身露体给你穿？ 39 又什么时候见你病了或是在监里，来看你呢？』 40 王要回答说：『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。』

耶稣的教导: 给一个机会

在一个学习迟缓儿童学校的募款餐会上，有位父亲说了他儿子西恩的故事。

西恩和我走过公园，里面有些西恩认识的男孩们正在玩棒球。西恩问我：「你想他们会让我一起玩吗？」我知道大部份孩子不会想要有西恩这样的孩子在自己的队上，但身为父亲，我知道若他们能让我儿子参加，会让他得到他迫切需要的归属感，并建立起自己虽是残障仍能被接受的信心。

Jesus’ Word Makes You Clean and Fruitful

2024-06-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 15:1-8.  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 15:1-2 (NIV)
1  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
2  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
 
On verses 1-2:  Here Jesus refers to himself as the true vine.  Why the “true” vine?  It’s because Jesus knew that soon his followers would be threatened by persecution and false teaching.  Thus in calling himself the true vine Jesus is reminding his followers that he is the way, the truth and the life they are looking for, not anything else or anyone else.