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When Was The Last Time You Shared THIS with Others?

2024-09-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 22:1-16.  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 22:1-15 (NIV)
1  “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.”
2  When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said:
3  “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.

On verses 1-15:  Paul had spent years in Jewish synagogues throughout the Roman Empire defending the Christian faith and showing from the Hebrew Scriptures how Jesus Christ is the Messiah who died for our sins, rose from death and reigns forever as Lord.  Yet notice that Paul doesn’t go into the Scriptures when defending himself in front of this Jewish audience, many of whom were bent on killing him.  Instead, he shares his story, his testimony of how he encountered Jesus.  It goes to show that your testimony about the way you encountered God is a powerful tool that you can use as part of defending your faith.

God Watches How You Do THIS

2024-09-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 21:26-40.  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 21:26-36 (NIV)
26  The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.
27  When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,

On verses 26-36:  Now we see why it was such a dangerous and risky idea for Paul to go to Jerusalem, and why others tried to discourage him from going.  Paul was a wanted man in Jerusalem, with many people bent on taking his life.  The violent opposition Paul faced in Jerusalem is reminiscent of what Jesus faced in Jerusalem.  Both Jesus and Paul knew that danger awaited them in Jerusalem.  In Luke 13, when people tried to discourage Jesus from going to Jerusalem, Jesus himself said, “In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day–for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!” (Luke 13:33). 

Tsade 神與祂的話語都是公義的

2024-09-08 in , /by

詩篇 119:137-144

137 耶和華啊，祢是公義的；祢的判語也是正直的！

138 祢所命定的法度是憑公義和至誠（極其信實）。

139 我心焦急，如同火燒，因我敵人忘記祢的言語。

140 祢的話極其精煉，所以祢的僕人喜愛。

141 我微小，被人藐視，卻不忘記祢的訓詞。

142 祢的公義永遠長存；祢的律法盡都真實。

143 我遭遇患難愁苦，祢的命令卻是我所喜愛的。

144 祢的法度永遠是公義的；求祢賜我悟性，我就活了。

Tsade 神與祂的話語都是公義的（詩119:137-144）

詩篇150篇中，總共123節談及神的慈愛，而84節談及神的公義；詩篇119篇全部176節中，有7節談及神的慈愛，有14節談及神的公義：公義的判語、公義上生活、公義的典章、公義的話、神是公義的、公義永遠長存、法度永遠是公義的、命令盡都公義…。詩人述說他們與神的關係，神的慈愛多過神的公義，但在神的話語、律法、典章、法度…方面，卻是神的公義多過神的慈愛。

Do THIS, But Remember You Can’t Please Everybody

2024-09-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 21:15-25.  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 21:15-25 (NIV)
15  After this, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem.
16  Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.
17  When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers received us warmly.

On verses 15-20:  Paul and his team finally reach Jerusalem.  The Jerusalem church elders, including James, praise God after hearing Paul’s reports about what God did among the Gentiles through Paul’s ministry.  However, while Paul was away from Jerusalem, a new concern had arisen for the Jerusalem church.  According to the ancient historian Josephus, the mid 50s were a time of intense nationalism and anti-Roman sentiment among the Jewish people in Jerusalem, as evidenced by numerous revolts that the Jews launched against the Roman empire.  Thus many Jews in Jerusalem did not like the idea that Paul was reaching non-Jewish people throughout the Roman empire. 

Pey 神話語的能力

2024-09-06 in , /by

詩篇 119:129-136

129 祢的法度奇妙，所以我一心謹守。
130 祢的言語一解開，就發出亮光，使愚人通達。
131 我張口而氣喘，因我切慕祢的命令。
132 求祢轉向我，憐憫我，好像祢素常待那些愛祢名的人。
133 求祢用你的話使我腳步穩當，不許什麼罪孽轄制我。
134 求祢救我脫離人的欺壓，我要遵守祢的訓詞。
135 求祢用臉光照僕人，又將祢的律例教訓我。
136 我的眼淚下流成河，因為他們不守祢的律法。

Pey 神話語的能力，有如光照入黑暗中（詩119:129-136）

神的道是活潑的，是有功效的，比一切兩刃的劍更快，甚至魂與靈，骨節與骨髓，都能刺入、剖開，連心中的思念和主意都能辨明。（來4:12）

詩人談到切慕神話語的光景：甚至心碎、眼睛失明、上膛甘美、口中甜蜜、全身戰慄、張口氣喘、天未亮呼求、夜更未換睜眼思想、一天七次讚美。

119:20 我時常切慕祢的典章，甚至心碎。

119:82 我因盼望祢的應許眼睛失明，說：祢何時安慰我？

119:103 祢的言語在我上膛何等甘美，在我口中比蜜更甜！

The Best Things In Life Don’t Come Without THIS

2024-09-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 21:1-14.  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 21:1-6 (NIV)
1  After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Cos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara.
2  We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail.
3  After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo.
4  Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.

On verses 1-6:  Paul believed that the Holy Spirit was leading him to go to Jerusalem (see Acts 20:22).  Yet in verse 4 we read that “[t]hrough the Spirit” Christians in Tyre “urged Paul not to go to Jerusalem”.  Was the Holy Spirit giving contradictory directions? 

Ayin以僕人的心遵行神的律法

2024-09-05 in , /by

詩篇 119:121-128

121 我行過公平和公義，求祢不要撇下我給欺壓我的人。
122 求祢為僕人作保，使我得好處，不容驕傲人欺壓我。
123 我因盼望祢的救恩和祢公義的話，眼睛失明。
124 求祢照祢的慈愛待僕人，將祢的律例教訓我。
125 我是祢的僕人，求祢賜我悟性，使我得知祢的法度。
126 這是耶和華降罰的時候，因人廢了祢的律法。
127 所以我愛祢的命令勝於金子，更勝於精金。
128 祢一切的訓詞，在萬事上我都以為正直，我卻恨惡一切假道。

Ayin 以僕人的心遵行神的律法（詩119:121-128）

以僕人的心求神作保得好處，不容人欺壓；求神以慈愛恩待，以律例教訓，求神賜予悟性，得知祂法度。

你若聽從耶和華─你神的誡命，就是我今日所吩咐你的，謹守遵行，不偏左右，也不隨從事奉別神，耶和華就必使你作首不作尾，但居上不居下。（申28:13）

詩篇第119篇論到驕傲人的特徵：受咒詛、偏離神命令、侮慢人、編造謊言、無理地傾覆人、不從神律法、欺壓人。

10 Things That A Leader Who Finishes Well Does

2024-09-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 20:25-38.  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 20:25-38 (NIV)
25  “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.
26  Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men.
27  For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.

On verses 25-38:  Here Paul continues his final charge to the elders of the church in Ephesus, knowing that this would be the last time he ever sees them.

From these verses we learn from Paul some of the characteristics that make an excellent leader and lover of God’s church.  Since you and I were made to be excellent leaders and lovers of God’s church, I pray that you and I would be intentional about displaying these characteristics as well.

Samekh 神輕棄偏離祂律例、作惡的人

2024-09-04 in , /by

詩篇 119:113-120

113 心懷二意的人為我所恨，但祢的律法為我所愛。
114 祢是我藏身之處，又是我的盾牌，我甚仰望祢的話語。
115 作惡的人哪，你們離開我吧，我好遵守我神的命令。
116 求祢照你的話扶持我，使我存活，也不叫我因失望而害羞。
117 求祢扶持我，我便得救，時常看重祢的律例。
118 凡偏離祢律例的人，祢都輕棄他們，因為他們的詭詐必歸虛空。
119 凡地上的惡人，祢除掉他，好像除掉渣滓，因此我愛祢的法度。
120 我因懼怕祢，肉就發抖，我也怕祢的判語。

Samekh 神輕棄偏離祂律例、作惡的人（詩119:113-120）

在舊約裡，神和人的關係建立在遵行誡命（申11:13-17），人因自己的軟弱和罪的引誘，無法遵行誡命，也因此懼怕神的刑罰、判語。在新約裡，耶穌帶來罪的赦免和重生的救恩，祂顯明神的愛，完全的愛裡沒有懼怕（約壹4:18），藉著聖靈的內住，我們能遵行神的誡命，也讓神的律法得以成全（太5:17）。

Nun 祢的話是我腳前燈、路上光

2024-09-03 in , /by

詩篇 119:105-112

105 祢的話是我腳前的燈，是我路上的光。
106  祢公義的典章，我曾起誓遵守，我必按誓而行。
107 我甚是受苦，耶和華啊，求祢照你的話將我救活。
108 耶和華啊，求祢悅納我口中的讚美為供物，又將祢的典章教訓我。
109 我的性命常在危險之中，我卻不忘記祢的律法。
110 惡人為我設下網羅，我卻沒有偏離祢的訓詞。
111 我以祢的法度為永遠的產業，因這是我心中所喜愛的。
112 我的心專向祢的律例，永遠遵行，一直到底。

Nun 祢的話是我腳前燈、路上光（詩119:105-112）

生命在他裡頭，這生命就是人的光。光照在黑暗裡，黑暗卻不接受光。…那光是真光，照亮一切生在世上的人。（約1:4-5, 9）

我到世上來，乃是光，叫凡信我的，不住在黑暗裡。（約12:46）