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In Case You’re Tested By This

2024-08-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 12:11-25.  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 12:11-12 (NIV)
11  Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”
12  When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.
 
On verses 11-12:  Peter now realizes that the deliverance from prison he was dreaming about was actually real.  His first instinct is to go to the house of Mary, mother of John-Mark, where many are praying for him.  Peter wants those praying for him to see for themselves the incredible deliverance God made possible for him, knowing how much encouragement that would bring to them. 

Walk By Faith, Not By Feelings

2024-08-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 12:1-10.  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 12:1-3 (NIV)
1  It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.
2  He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.
3  When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

On verses 1-3:  James, the brother of John and one of the original twelve disciples, is martyred for his faith, put to death with the sword by King Herod.  Seeing how the killing of a Christian leader was seemingly gaining him favour with other people in his kingdom, King Herod decides to seize Peter with plans to put him on trial and to execute Peter just like he did James.  “This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread” (v3) – in other words, on the anniversary of Jesus’ own arrest, crucifixion and death on Passover weekend, Peter was being seized and on the verge of being executed.  Peter probably imagined that this is exactly how his life was supposed to end. 

天父了解我吗？

2024-08-09 in , /by

诗篇144:3  耶和华啊，人算甚么，祢竟认识他！世人算甚么，祢竟顾念他！

诗篇139:1-3 耶和华啊，祢已经鉴察我，认识我。我坐下，我起来，祢都晓得；祢从远处知道我的意念。我行路，我躺卧，祢都细察；祢也深知我一切所行的。

三年前，天下杂志有个亲子沟通大调查，探讨孩子对亲子关系的认知，调查结果发现「仅15.1%孩子觉得被父母了解」。

我们称神为天父，常用亲子关系来形容我们和天父的关系，我试着将天下杂志调查资料的「父母」改为「天父」，发现：

敏感议题不告诉天父30.2%，能自己打理天父不过问17.0%，觉得天父很了解我15.1%，天父不熟无法帮助12.8%，天父采取放任管理10.0%，其实与天父没甚么话题4.3%，天父忙碌无暇互动3.1%，天父知道我在敷衍2.8%，其他4.5%。

当代亲子疏离关系的调查资料不能类比我们和神之间的亲密关系，但也值得我们审视我们和天父间的关系，你觉得天父很了解你吗？还是，敏感议题不告诉天父，能自己打理天父不过问，天父对我不熟无法帮助，天父采取放任管理，其实与天父没甚么话题，天父忙碌无暇互动，天父知道我在敷衍…

When The Holy Spirit Is At Work

2024-08-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 11:19-30.  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 11:19-24 (NIV)
19  Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews.
20  Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.
21  The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

On verses 19-24:  When Stephen was martyred and persecution broke out on the church in Jerusalem (Acts 7-8:3), the church scattered (Acts 8:4) and some Christians traveled to places like Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch (v19).  Despite not having heard or seen the incredible ways that the Holy Spirit had touched the lives of Gentiles like Cornelius and household in Judea (Acts 10) or what the Holy Spirit did among Samaritans in Samaria (Acts 8), some of these scattered believers also began speaking to Gentiles about Jesus Christ, in particular Greeks at Antioch, who responded in great numbers (v21). 

看着数字、数算数目

2024-08-08 in , /by

以赛亚书 6:9-10  祂说：「你去告诉这百姓说：『你们听是要听见，却不明白；看是要看见，却不晓得。』 10 要使这百姓心蒙脂油，耳朵发沉，眼睛昏迷，恐怕眼睛看见，耳朵听见，心里明白，回转过来，便得医治。」

2022年6月27日下午3时52分左右，我在世界即时数据网站（worldometers, https://www.worldometers.info/tw/）攫取一些即时数据：

目前世界人口总数7,956,696,381，今年出生人数68,185,135，今年死亡人数28,625,753；今年由于传染病死亡的人数6,317,984，由癌症致死的人数3,997,092，由吸菸而造成死亡的人数2,432,949，由酗酒而造成死亡的人数1,217,242，五岁以下儿童死亡人数3,699,306，堕胎数20,796,626，自杀人数521,894。

目前世界上营养不良的人数861,751,469，肥胖的人数1,729,204,783，过度肥胖的人数812,067,281，今天死于饥饿的人数20,210。

今天全世界政府的医疗支出总额(美元) $10,597,752,569，教育支出总额$7,142,555,268，军事支出总额$3,117,582,002。

目前世界网路用户总数5,351,325,573，今天发出的电子邮件数187,233,853,619，今天谷歌搜索次数5,896,897,062，今天手机销售量4,664,565。

这世代唯一的神蹟

2024-08-07 in , /by

约拿书 4:2  就祷告耶和华说：「耶和华啊，我在本国的时候，岂不是这样说吗？我知道你是有恩典有怜悯的神，不轻易发怒，有丰盛的慈爱，并且后悔不降所说的灾，所以我急速逃往他施去。

约拿书 4:10-11  耶和华说：「这蓖麻不是你栽种的，也不是你培养的，一夜发生，一夜干死，你尚且爱惜，11 何况这尼尼微大城，其中不能分辨左手右手的有十二万多人，并有许多牲畜，我岂能不爱惜呢？」

神安排风浪，阻挡约拿逃往他施去躲避耶和华；约拿被人抬起，抛在海中，海的狂浪就平息了。

神安排大鱼，吞了约拿，他在鱼腹中三日三夜；约拿在鱼腹祷告许愿，神吩咐鱼吐约拿在旱地。

神安排蓖麻，高过约拿，影儿遮盖他的头，救他脱离苦楚；发怒中的约拿因这棵蓖麻大大喜乐。

神安排虫子，咬那蓖麻，以致枯槁；神安排东风，炎热吹袭，日头曝晒；约拿的头发昏，他就为自己求死。

神安排风浪、大鱼、蓖麻、虫子、东风、日头…，向约拿显明祂是有恩典、有怜悯的神，不轻易发怒，有丰盛的慈爱，并且后悔不降所说的灾（拿4:2）。耶稣说这世代唯一的神蹟是悔改的神蹟，是十架赦免的神蹟（路11:29-32）。

Seek to Understand Before You Criticize

2024-08-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 11:1-18.  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 11:1-18 (NIV)
1  The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
2  So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him
3  and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
4  Peter began and explained everything to them precisely as it had happened:

On verses 1-18:  The circumcised believers in Jerusalem criticized Peter for associating with Gentiles.  So “starting from the beginning” (v2), Peter explains what happened to him: the vision he saw while praying (v5-10), the three men Cornelius sent and who arrived right at that same moment (v11), his meeting with Cornelius (v12-14), the way the Holy Spirit fell on these new Gentile believers as Peter was preaching (v15) and the lessons he learned from these experiences (v16-17).

敬拜医治我们的神

2024-08-06 in , /by

男女老幼都要称颂耶稣永远不改变的慈爱–祂在十架上流出宝血，洁净一切信祂的人，让我们成为祂的子民。

/耶稣爱我，我知道/

耶稣爱我，我知道，因有圣经告诉我，幼小孩童祂牧养，他们软弱主刚强。

主耶稣爱我，主耶稣爱我，主耶稣爱我，因圣经告诉我。

耶稣爱我舍生命，将我罪恶洗干净，天堂恩门为我开，让祂小孩走进来。

/破碎/

怀着虔敬的心，我们来到祢的桌前；单单依靠祢的怜悯，数算祢慈爱无限。多少次远离，多少次的归回，祢深知我们的软弱，求祢施恩典。

求用破碎的身体，来拥抱我们的破碎，以倾注的宝血，来挽回我们的心，祢奇妙的救恩，我们永远无法完全体会。求用钉痕的双手，来缠裹我们的伤痕，将倒空的生命，来滋润我们的干渴，亲爱的救主，愿一生相随。

Jesus For Every Nation

2024-08-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 10:34-48.  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 10:34-35 (NIV)
34  Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism
35  but accepts people from every nation who fear him and do what is right.
 
On verses 34-35:  Peter recognizes that it was the Holy Spirit who gave him and Cornelius each a vision around the same time and used those visions to bring the two of them together.  Even as he is preaching to Cornelius’ household, Peter himself is realizing that truly God’s heart is for people from every nation.

Obey Without Delay

2024-08-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Acts 10:17-33.  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 10:17-19 (NIV)
17  While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate.
18  They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.
19  While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you.
 
On verses 17-19:  In verse 3 the Holy Spirit called Cornelius by name.  A number of times in Acts 10 the Holy Spirit calls Peter by name.  (In fact, the Holy Spirit calls him by his new name “Peter” in verse 13 and then calls him by his old name “Simon” in verse 19.)  What can we learn from this?  God is a personal loving Father who knows us and calls us by name.