Entries by

浪子回頭-1

2024-05-21 in , /by

路加福音 15:11-32

11 耶穌又說：「一個人有兩個兒子。 12 小兒子對父親說：『父親，請你把我應得的家業分給我。』他父親就把產業分給他們。 13 過了不多幾日，小兒子就把他一切所有的都收拾起來，往遠方去了。在那裡任意放蕩，浪費資財。 14 既耗盡了一切所有的，又遇著那地方大遭饑荒，就窮苦起來。 15 於是去投靠那地方的一個人，那人打發他到田裡去放豬。 16 他恨不得拿豬所吃的豆莢充飢，也沒有人給他。 17 他醒悟過來，就說：『我父親有多少的雇工，口糧有餘，我倒在這裡餓死嗎？ 18 我要起來，到我父親那裡去，向他說：「父親，我得罪了天，又得罪了你。 19 從今以後，我不配稱為你的兒子，把我當做一個雇工吧！」』 

不要得來速，要享全家餐

耶穌又說：「一個人有兩個兒子。小兒子對父親說：『父親，請你把我應得的家業分給我。』他父親就把產業分給他們。…父親對他說：『兒啊！你常和我同在，我一切所有的都是你的；只是你這個兄弟是死而復活、失而又得的，所以我們理當歡喜快樂。』」（路15:11-32）

浪子的故事耳熟能詳，耶穌用比喻來表明父神接納寬恕的愛，同時也邀請世人能如浪子歸回得救。「離家」和「歸回」的差異在哪裡？小兒子帶著應得的產業離家，產業有用完的一天，浪子將它浪費殆盡；浪子回家，父親對他說：「我一切所有的都是你的。」浪子享有父親的產業，無盡豐富的產業。

Jesus Feels What You Feel

2024-05-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 11:32-44.  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 11:32 (NIV)
32  When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

On verse 32:  In the Gospels you will find Mary often at Jesus’ feet.  In Luke 10, we see Mary, in an act of spiritual hunger and teachability, listening at Jesus’ feet. In John 12:3, we see Mary, in an act of worship and gratitude, anointing Jesus’ feet with perfume.  Here in verse 32 of John 11, we see Mary, in an act of mourning and grief, weeping at Jesus’ feet.

What can we learn from this?  Whether you’re longing to learn, wanting to worship, or hungry for hope, humble yourself at the feet of Jesus.  You’ll find what you need at Jesus’ feet.

歡喜地去變賣一切所有的

2024-05-20 in , /by

馬太福音 13:24-30 / 36-43 /44 /45-46 / 47-50

24 耶穌又設個比喻對他們說：「天國好像人撒好種在田裡， 25 及至人睡覺的時候，有仇敵來，將稗子撒在麥子裡就走了。 26 到長苗吐穗的時候，稗子也顯出來。 27 田主的僕人來告訴他說：『主啊，你不是撒好種在田裡嗎？從哪裡來的稗子呢？』 28 主人說：『這是仇敵做的。』僕人說：『你要我們去薅出來嗎？』 29 主人說：『不必，恐怕薅稗子，連麥子也拔出來。 30 容這兩樣一齊長，等著收割。當收割的時候，我要對收割的人說：先將稗子薅出來，捆成捆，留著燒，唯有麥子要收在倉裡。』」

馬太福音第13章記載：耶穌坐在船上，對著岸上眾人，首先用撒種（太13:3-9，太13:18-23）來比喻人聽了神的道，會因為聽道不明白（落在路旁）、遭遇患難或逼迫（土淺石頭地）、陷於思慮、迷惑或私慾（荊棘裡）、領受、持守且忍耐著結實（好土裡）四種光景，而呈現不同的結局。

傳講撒種的比喻之後，耶穌接續用麥子與稗子（太13:24-30，太13:36-43）來比喻神容許天國之子與惡者之子一齊生長，一直到世界的末了，一切叫人跌倒的和作惡的將被分別出來，且被丟在火爐裡焚燒。

緊接著，耶穌又用芥菜種（太13:31-32）和麵酵（太13:33）的比喻來形容天國的快速擴展，同時提醒我們要謹慎來自仇敵（魔鬼）各種罪惡和錯誤教訓的影響。

The Kind of Faith That Pleases You

2024-05-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 11:17-31.  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 11:17-22 (NIV)
17  On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.
18  Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,
19  and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
20  When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21  “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
22  But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
 
On verses 17-22:  Martha was probably disappointed that Jesus did not arrive before her brother Lazarus passed away.  But when Jesus arrived on the scene, even then she still had hope in Jesus: “I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask” (v22).  What can we learn from this?  When you have Jesus in your life, you have hope that is even greater than death and disappointment. 

Jesus is the Light in Your Darkness

2024-05-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 11:1-16.  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 11:1-4 (NIV)
1  Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
2  This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.
3  So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
4  When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”
 
On verses 1-4:  Once again we see Jesus’ view on sickness.  Jesus saw sickness as an opportunity for God to display His power and an opportunity for God to be glorified through how people deal with the sickness.  Likewise, when you see problems in your life, train yourself to see them with Jesus’ eyes.  See your problems not as gravestones marking your death, but as stepping stones to something greater.

撒種的比喻

2024-05-19 in , /by

馬太福音 13:3-9 / 18-23

3 他用比喻對他們講許多道理，說：「有一個撒種的出去撒種。 4 撒的時候，有落在路旁的，飛鳥來吃盡了。 5 有落在土淺石頭地上的，土既不深，發苗最快， 6 日頭出來一曬，因為沒有根，就枯乾了。 7 有落在荊棘裡的，荊棘長起來，把它擠住了。 8 又有落在好土裡的，就結實，有一百倍的，有六十倍的，有三十倍的。 9 有耳可聽的，就應當聽！」

向下紮胚根，向上冒胚芽

撒種的比喻是共觀福音書都有記載的耶穌的比喻（太13:3-9，可4:2-8，路8:4-8），也是少數幾個耶穌向門徒解釋的比喻（太13:18-23，可4:13-20，路8:11-15）。

耶穌用比喻來形容撒種的人所撒的種子就是神的道，是天國的道理。種子指的是聽道的人，它落在路旁、土淺石頭地、荊棘裡、好土裡，分別呈現不同的結局：

種子落在路旁，被人踐踏，天上的飛鳥來吃盡了；就如人聽見天國道理不明白，撒但立刻來，把撒在他心裡的道奪了去。

種子落在土淺石頭地上，土既不深，發苗最快，日頭出來一曬，因為沒有根，就枯乾了；就像人聽了道，當下歡喜領受，只因心裡沒有根，不過是暫時的，及至為道遭了患難，或是受了逼迫，立刻就跌倒了。

我的雙手是祢最美的同在

2024-05-17 in , /by

馬太福音 15:29-31

29 耶穌離開那地方，來到靠近加利利的海邊，就上山坐下。 30 有許多人到他那裡，帶著瘸子、瞎子、啞巴、有殘疾的和好些別的病人，都放在他腳前，他就治好了他們。 31 甚至眾人都稀奇，因為看見啞巴說話、殘疾的痊癒、瘸子行走、瞎子看見，他們就歸榮耀給以色列的神。

耶穌教訓拒絕耶穌的猶太人說：「…你們聽是要聽見，卻不明白；看是要看見，卻不曉得；因為這百姓油蒙了心，耳朵發沉，眼睛閉著…」（太13:14-15）

但是，祂對跟隨耶穌的門徒說：「但你們的眼睛是有福的，因為看見了；你們的耳朵也是有福的，因為聽見了。…」（太13:16-17）

耶穌來到靠近加利利的海邊，有許多人到祂那裡，帶著瘸子、瞎子、啞巴、有殘疾的，和好些別的病人，都放在祂腳前；祂就治好了他們。甚至眾人都希奇；因為看見啞巴說話，殘疾的痊癒，瘸子行走，瞎子看見，他們就歸榮耀給以色列的神。（太15:29-31）

在這邪惡、混亂的世代裡，神依舊掌權，祂用「那雙看不見的手」撫慰孤兒，奇異的恩典也臨到我們生活周邊的身障者：

看不見的視障者藉著摸索、觸摸來經歷神，他們閉著眼睛唱出「看不見的看見，看見所看不見」詩歌讚美神。

Jesus’ View of Scripture + Let Your Actions Speak For You

2024-05-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 10:31-42.  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 10:31-36 (NIV)
31  Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him,
32  but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
33  “We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
34  Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’?
35  If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came–and the Scripture cannot be broken–
36  what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?
 
On verses 31-36:  When Jesus questions his opponents as to why they are trying to stone him, his opponents explain that they are stoning Jesus for blasphemy because he claims to be God.  Jesus’ response is intriguing.  First he quotes Psalm 82:6 and shows that in certain situations the Scriptures describe people as “ ‘gods’…sons of the Most High.”  In the case of Psalm 82:6 specifically, human judges were described as “gods” in that they possessed the power of life or death over others. 

我的燈需要油

2024-05-16 in , /by

馬太福音 25:1-13

「那時，天國好比十個童女拿著燈出去迎接新郎。 2 其中有五個是愚拙的，五個是聰明的。 3 愚拙的拿著燈，卻不預備油； 4 聰明的拿著燈，又預備油在器皿裡。 5 新郎遲延的時候，她們都打盹睡著了。 6 半夜有人喊著說：『新郎來了，你們出來迎接他！』 7 那些童女就都起來收拾燈。 8 愚拙的對聰明的說：『請分點油給我們，因為我們的燈要滅了。』 9 聰明的回答說：『恐怕不夠你我用的，不如你們自己到賣油的那裡去買吧。』

耶穌跟門徒論及祂的再來與世界的末了之後，接著用十個童女的比喻勉勵門徒要「儆醒預備」（太25:1-13），用按才幹受責任的比喻教導門徒要「忠心盡責」（太25:14-30），用綿羊與山羊的比喻提醒門徒要「愛心服事」（太25:31-46）。

十個童女比喻的背景緣自古代猶太人的婚禮習俗。婚禮當天，新郎由伴郎陪同將新娘從娘家護送到新郎的家，親朋好友沿途加入行列，走遍全村接受人的祝賀；一行人可能走到天黑夜晚，沒火把看不清楚路，需要有童女去迎接新郎，為他點燈引路。童女帶領新郎入屋坐席後，就會關上門，開始慶祝的婚筵。

無花果、葡萄和橄欖是以色列人的三大生活必需品，橄欖樹的果實可壓榨出橄欖油，將橄欖放在臼中搗出來的「清橄欖油」是最好的油，一般當作點燈的燃料。舊約會幕聖所中金燈臺的燈要時常點著，使聖所內常有亮光；祭司要輪班將清橄欖油加入燈盞裡，使燈火終日不滅（出27:20-21）。

Safe in Jesus’ Hand

2024-05-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 10:22-30.  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 10:22-23 (NIV)
22  Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter,
23  and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.
 
On verses 22-23:  The Feast of Dedication was a relatively new festival that the Jews first began celebrating in 164 B.C. to commemorate the reconstruction and rededication of the temple in Jerusalem by Judas Maccabeus in 165 B.C. after it was destroyed by the Syrian ruler Antiochus Epiphanes in 168 B.C.  This Feast of Dedication involves a celebration of lights and is now more commonly known as Hanukkah, a festival that Jewish people continue to celebrate to this day.  During Jesus’ time on earth, whenever the Feast of Dedication was celebrated, there was an undercurrent of hope among the Jews that the Messiah would arrive at the temple and begin establishing Israel as an independent nation.