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In Order To Grow, Sometimes You Need To Say No

2024-07-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 6:1-15.  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 6:1 (NIV)
1  In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
 
On verse 1:  In the Old Testament God shows His heart to care for orphans and widows (see for example Exodus 22:22; Deuteronomy 10:18; and Psalm 146:9).  This concern for orphans and widows is also found in the New Testament in verses like James 1:27, 1 Timothy 5, and here in Acts 6 where the growing Christian community has a ministry to care for widows in Jerusalem. 

兩個禱告

2024-07-23 in , /by

希伯來書 12:1-2

我們既有這許多的見證人，如同雲彩圍著我們，就當放下各樣的重擔，脫去容易纏累我們的罪，存心忍耐，奔那擺在我們前頭的路程， 2 仰望為我們信心創始成終的耶穌[a]。他因那擺在前面的喜樂，就輕看羞辱，忍受了十字架的苦難，便坐在神寶座的右邊。

年少時向神禱告：「親愛的天父！明天我們主日學將在教會開始一個禮拜的兒童夏令營，我們都準備好了，孩子們也興奮地期待著；但是，颱風來了，我們需要祢的恩典，求祢保守我們一個禮拜的平安…」上帝聽了少年人和孩子們的禱告，颱風在台灣周圍整整繞了一個禮拜，等到夏令營結束，孩子們平安回家，它才狂暴地吹了進來。

年長時向神禱告：「親愛的天父！明天我們主日學將到長榮大學開始兩天一夜的兒童夏令營，我們都準備好了，孩子們也興奮地期待著；但是，颱風來了，考慮孩子們的出入平安和我的職責，我需要做明智的決定，很遺憾地取消這次夏令營…」上帝聽了孩子們的禱告，颱風沒進來，還幫忙掃掉了所有的烏雲，留下燦爛的陽光；只是，孩子們嘆息著：今天如果有夏令營該多好！那天，全台灣只有那位年長者在抱怨：今天為何沒有狂風暴雨！

兩個口袋

2024-07-22 in , /by

詩篇 19:12-14

12 誰能知道自己的錯失呢？願祢赦免我隱而未現的過錯。
13 求祢攔阻僕人，不犯任意妄為的罪，不容這罪轄制我，我便完全，免犯大罪。
14 耶和華我的磐石，我的救贖主啊，願我口中的言語、心裡的意念在祢面前蒙悅納。

隨著敲門聲進來的是個熟悉的身影，落魄的身軀伴隨著相同的哀求：幫幫我！我需要一些錢。我習慣的拿出右邊口袋裡的皮夾，打開皮夾，露出那僅有的一張，說：就只有一張，給你吧！帶著失望和勉強擠出的謝謝，他離開了。摸著靜悄悄躺在左邊口袋裡的幾張鈔票，在我裡面的說話了：你有兩個口袋！

許多人給我建議：你不能一直滿足他的需要，你不能一直給他魚吃，要給他魚竿…我找不著魚竿，似乎也不應該一直滿足他的需要，我該怎麼辦？於是，我開始有兩個口袋。我常為他禱告，求神帶領他生命的改變，心中預想這將是極大的見證，而且我參與其中。看來，神並未悅納我禱告，神的意念並非如此；他持續的失敗，一敗塗地到生命的結束。

The Sovereignty of God and The Unstoppable Church

2024-07-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 5:33-42.  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 5:33-40 (NIV)
33  When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.
34  But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.
35  Then he addressed them: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.

On verses 33-40:   The Sanhedrin, which is the assembly of Israel’s elders (Acts 5:21), wants to put the apostles to death for refusing to obey the Sanhedrin’s orders not to preach about Jesus (v33).  But Gamaliel, who is both a Pharisee and a teacher of the law and who is highly respected by the people, uses his considerable influence to move the Sanhedrin in another direction.  Ordering the apostles to wait outside, Gamaliel speaks to the Sanhedrin and asks them to carefully consider their next step (v35). 

我在這裡

2024-07-21 in , /by

撒母耳記上 3:1-14   童子撒母耳在以利面前侍奉耶和華。當那些日子，耶和華的言語稀少，不常有默示。 2 一日，以利睡臥在自己的地方。他眼目昏花，看不分明。 3 神的燈在神耶和華殿內約櫃那裡，還沒有熄滅，撒母耳已經睡了。 4 耶和華呼喚撒母耳，撒母耳說：「我在這裡。」 5 就跑到以利那裡，說：「你呼喚我？我在這裡。」以利回答說：「我沒有呼喚你，你去睡吧。」他就去睡了。 6 耶和華又呼喚撒母耳，撒母耳起來，到以利那裡，說：「你呼喚我？我在這裡。」

神呼叫亞伯拉罕往摩利亞地獻以撒，他回答：我在這裡！

神呼叫雅各帶領家族下埃及，他回答：我在這裡！

神呼叫撒母耳傳達以利家的災難，他回答：我在這裡！

神呼叫以賽亞傳講悔改蒙拯救的信息，他回答：我在這裡！

我們是否預備好？儆醒等候神的呼叫，立刻回答：我在這裡！

When It’s Not Politically Correct To Obey God

2024-07-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 5:17-32.  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 5:17-25 (NIV)
17  Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.
18  They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.
19  But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.
20  “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life.”

On verses 17-25:  The high priest is jealous of the apostles and the positive attention they were getting from the miracles God had enabled them to perform.  The high priest throws the apostles in jail.  Yet miraculously God sends an angel to deliver the apostles, taking them out of jail without being noticed.  At daybreak the next morning, the high priest finds the apostles in the temple courts telling people “the full message of this life” (v20).

因著信，我們能愛

2024-07-19 in , /by

馬太福音 17:14-21

14 耶穌和門徒到了眾人那裡，有一個人來見耶穌，跪下， 15 說：「主啊，憐憫我的兒子！他害癲癇的病很苦，屢次跌在火裡，屢次跌在水裡。 16 我帶他到你門徒那裡，他們卻不能醫治他。」 17 耶穌說：「唉！這又不信又悖謬的世代啊，我在你們這裡要到幾時呢？我忍耐你們要到幾時呢？把他帶到我這裡來吧！」 18 耶穌斥責那鬼，鬼就出來，從此孩子就痊癒了。

車子飛快地奔馳著，心想還有半小時就到台南，應該可以準時回家吃中飯。一轉瞬，街道旁中年婦人的身影閃過我的眼角，一身破爛、一根柺杖、還有纏著繃帶且不斷揮舞的雙手，顯然的，她在期待撘便車。荒郊野地，一位髒兮兮的婦人，讓她撘便車，不方便吧！那根柺杖，會不會有危險啊！日頭赤焰焰，隨人顧生命……。是的！中午的日頭赤焰焰，她的手可能要揮舞好久，才能盼到第二輛車子。心念一轉，隨著右腳的煞車動作，心中嘮叨了幾句，上帝啊！祢可得幫幫忙喔！保守我的平安。車子拐個彎，停在婦人的身旁。

Integrity Matters

2024-07-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 5:1-16.  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 5:1-11 (NIV)
1  Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.
2  With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
3  Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?

On verses 1-11:  What exactly did Ananias and Sapphira do wrong here?  Weren’t they generous in giving money to the church?  Did God strike them down simply because they kept a bit of the money for themselves?  Are we not allowed to keep anything for ourselves when we sell something?

How Situations Can Changewith Prayer and God’s Word

2024-07-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 4:23-37.  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 4:23-36 (NIV)
23  On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
24  When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.
25  You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: “‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
26  The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.
 
On verses 24-26:  Notice how much the early church relied on two habits: prayer and studying the Scriptures.  Before the book of Acts, we see no record of the disciples searching and quoting the Scriptures themselves, but now after seeing the resurrected Jesus and after being filled with the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures become so important and alive to them. 

一句話的能力

2024-07-18 in , /by

羅馬書 13:9    像那「不可姦淫，不可殺人，不可偷盜，不可貪婪」，或有別的誡命，都包在「愛人如己」這一句話之內了。

有一天我走路經過麵包店的騎樓，恰好碰到我的研究生，我不經意的問她：「妳最近好嗎？」打過招呼後，我們就各走各路。她來自大陸，先在德國讀書，再來台灣修讀雙學位。她是女生，我比較不方便，也未曾關心過她的生活情形。幾個月後，她完成雙學位後到美國，她捎來一封信告訴我，「妳最近好嗎？」那一句話溫暖了她的心，安慰她思鄉之苦，因為她出外讀書多年，從未有人關心過她。從此以後，她在過年過節總會email問候，分享她在美國的生活，有時也尋求我的建議。