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It’s Not How You Start. It’s How You Finish

2024-06-25 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 21:15-25.  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 21:15-17 (NIV)
15  When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16  Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17  The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

On verses 15-17:  Peter’s most shameful moment was when he verbally denied Jesus three times (see John 18).  So it is not a coincidence here that Jesus restores Peter by having Peter verbally affirm his love and commitment to Jesus three times.

神聚集祂的兒女

2024-06-25 in , /by

詩篇 87:5-7

5 論到錫安，必說：「這一個那一個都生在其中。」而且至高者必親自堅立這城。
6 當耶和華記錄萬民的時候，他要點出：「這一個生在那裡。」（細拉）
7 歌唱的、跳舞的都要說：「我的泉源都在祢裡面！」

神聚集祂的兒女，像母雞把小雞聚集在翅膀蔭下

神像母親一樣，經常點出祂的兒女，這一個、那一個都生在錫安（神的國）；

神像母親一樣，不忘記祂吃奶的嬰孩，常將祂的兒女銘刻在掌上，他們的牆垣（保護）常在祂眼前。

神如母親一樣，殷切企盼等候回家的兒女。

論到錫安，必說：這一個、那一個都生在其中，而且至高者必親自堅立這城。（七十士譯本：論到錫安，人要稱它為母親；人人都生在其中，至高者必親自堅立它。）

當耶和華記錄萬民的時候，他要點出這一個生在那裡。

When You’ve Given Up On Yourself

2024-06-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 21:1-14.  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 21:1-3 (NIV)
1  Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way:
2  Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.
3  “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

On verses 1-3:  By “going out to fish” (v3), Peter may have been saying, “I tried and failed at this spiritual leadership thing.  I’m going back to my old life, my old job as a fisherman.  How else am I going to eat and live now that I’ve denied Jesus and made a fool of myself?”  Going out to fish with Peter were James and John (“the sons of Zebedee” – v2), who were Peter’s old fishing partners and fellow disciples, as well as Thomas, Nathanael and two other disciples.

恩典中的滿足

2024-06-24 in , /by

詩篇 17:14-15  

14 耶和華啊，求祢用手救我脫離世人，脫離那只在今生有福分的世人。祢把祢的財寶充滿他們的肚腹，他們因有兒女就心滿意足，將其餘的財物留給他們的嬰孩。
15 至於我，我必在義中見祢的面；我醒了的時候得見祢的形象，就心滿意足了。

恩典中的滿足-見祢的面、見祢的形像

世人尋求恩典，尋求今生有福分，財寶充滿、肚腹飽足、有兒有女…，他們就在今生心滿意足且積蓄傳承！

神的兒女啊！走在祂指示的生命道路，在義中得見主面，醒了得著主的形像，這是他應許我們在恩典中的全然滿足。

耶和華啊，求你用手救我脫離世人，脫離那只在今生有福分的世人！你把你的財寶充滿他們的肚腹；他們因有兒女就心滿意足，將其餘的財物留給他們的嬰孩。至於我，我必在義中見你的面；我醒了的時候，得見（或譯：著）你的形像就心滿意足了。（詩17:14-15）

恩典中的真實

2024-06-23 in , /by

箴言 27:1  不要為明日自誇，因為一日要生何事，你尚且不能知道。

馬太福音 6:34  所以，不要為明天憂慮，因為明天自有明天的憂慮。一天的難處一天當就夠了。

箴言 30:7-9  我求你兩件事，在我未死之先不要不賜給我： 8 求你使虛假和謊言遠離我；使我也不貧窮也不富足，賜給我需用的飲食。 9 恐怕我飽足不認你，說：「耶和華是誰呢？」又恐怕我貧窮就偷竊，以致褻瀆我神的名。

恩典中，我們學習不要為明日自誇（箴27:1），也不要為明天憂慮（太6:34）。

恩典中，我們真實的面對自己，我求神讓我也不貧窮也不富足，免得我貧窮就偷竊，恐怕我飽足不認祢（箴30:7-9）。

世人啊！這就是真實的我！也是真實的你！「我靠著那加給我力量的主，凡事都能做。」（腓4: 13）是我們能常在恩典中的祕訣。

Resurrected Jesus

2024-06-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 20:19-31.  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 20:19-20 (NIV)
19  On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
20  After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
 
On verses 19-20:  On the evening of the same day that Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, Jesus appears behind locked doors to his disciples, who were already gripped with fear because of what the Jews might do to them.  So Jesus’ first words to his frightened disciples are, “Peace be with you!”  For those who believe in Him, the presence of Jesus is often accompanied with peace.

防備法利賽人的酵

2024-06-21 in , /by

馬太福音 16:6   耶穌對他們說：「你們要謹慎，防備法利賽人和撒都該人的酵。」

馬可福音 8:15   耶穌囑咐他們說：「你們要謹慎，防備法利賽人的酵和希律的酵。」

馬太福音 15:1-2   那時，有法利賽人和文士從耶路撒冷來見耶穌，說： 2 「你的門徒為什麼犯古人的遺傳呢？因為吃飯的時候，他們不洗手。」

耶穌提醒門徒要謹慎，防備法利賽人和撒都該人、希律的酵。（太16:6，可8:15）

法利賽人早在猶太人被擄到巴比倫時期就已出現，直到第二聖殿被毀，在馬加比時代許爾堪（主前135-104年）統治期間，法利賽教派重新建立為拉比猶太教，並成為日後傳統猶太教的典範、今日猶太教各教派的根本。

「法利賽」的希伯來文意思是「分離」，指一些為保持純潔而與俗世保持距離的人，是保守派，也被仇敵挖苦為分離派。法利賽人認為他們是先知與摩西律法解釋的權威，口傳或經卷律法的闡釋者和指引者，他們的教義強調近乎宿命論的神統治觀念，相信義人復活、壞人毀滅，相信天使的存在及工作。

Jesus’ Resurrection Changes Everything

2024-06-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 20:1-18.  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 20:1-18 (NIV)
1  Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
2  So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

On verses 1-18:  These verses speak about the most important event in human history: the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  For more on evidential support for the resurrection of Jesus, check out this message “Resurrection: Fact or Fiction”.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is what separates Jesus from every other religious figure.  Throughout history various individuals have started different religions and philosophical movements.  Each of them claimed to know something about God, the purpose of life on earth, and how to secure a good afterlife.  Then each of them died.  For example, Muhammad founded Islam and then died of an illness.  Siddartha Gautama started Buddhism and then died of food poisoning. 

How Jesus Finished

2024-06-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 19:17-27.  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  19:17-27 (NIV) 

17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”

What does John 19:17-27 mean?

John 19:17-27 is a significant passage in the Bible, as it describes the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the events that occurred during that time. This passage illuminates the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus, as well as the love and care he showed to those closest to him even in the midst of his own agony.

The passage starts with Jesus carrying his own cross to the place of his crucifixion, which was outside the city walls of Jerusalem. This act of carrying his own cross is symbolic of the weight of sin and the burden of humanity that Jesus bore on his shoulders. It is also significant that Jesus went willingly to his death, showing obedience to God’s will and a deep love for humanity.

防備撒都該人的酵

2024-06-20 in , /by

列王紀上 2:35  王就立耶何耶大的兒子比拿雅做元帥，代替約押，又使祭司撒督代替亞比亞他。

歷代志上 29:22  他們奉耶和華的命再膏大衛的兒子所羅門做王，又膏撒督做祭司。

馬太福音 22:23  撒都該人常說沒有復活的事。

馬可福音 12:18-27  撒都該人常說沒有復活的事。他們來問耶穌，說： 19 「夫子，摩西為我們寫著說：『人若死了，撇下妻子，沒有孩子，他兄弟當娶他的妻，為哥哥生子立後。』 20 有弟兄七人，第一個娶了妻，死了，沒有留下孩子。

撒都該人出自大祭司撒督，始於所羅門統治時期（王上2:35，代上29:22）。在基督時代，他們是貴族，比較富有並擁有權勢地位，包括大祭司和最高祭司，在猶太公會佔有多數席位。他們在意政治而不是宗教，贊同羅馬的決策來維持和平局面，跟平民的關係不怎麼好，平民對他們的評價也不高。相對於撒都該精英來說，法利賽人得到民眾的普遍支持。

撒都該人只承認聖經的前五卷，否認靈魂的不滅、肉身的復活（太22:23，可12：18-27）以及天使的存在（徒23:8），藐視口傳法律。法利賽人則對口傳法律相當敬崇，認為傳統慣例和書面聖經有同樣權威，由於對於啟示的理解不同，他們在歷史上相互斥責。法利賽人認為他們是先知與摩西律法解釋的權威，而撒都該人代表的是祭司權威，以及所羅門時期大祭司撒都所遺傳的特權。