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Why Do You Follow Jesus?

2024-04-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 6:60-71.  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 6:60-71 (NIV)
60  On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
61  Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?
62  What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!
63  The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

On verses 60-71:  Upon hearing Jesus talk about the importance of eating his flesh and drinking his blood (symbolic for believing in Jesus) (v51-58), many no longer followed Jesus (v66), leaving only a remnant such as Jesus’ 12 disciples (v67-69), although Judas would also later leave Jesus (v70-71).
What can we learn from this?  When you read the whole chapter of John 6, you will notice that people followed Jesus for different reasons. A great crowd followed Jesus at first because they saw him do miraculous signs for the sick (v2). People from that same crowd continued to follow Jesus because they had their fill of food that Jesus miraculously provided and were hoping to get more (v24-26). But then on hearing more of what Jesus had to say, many would desert Jesus (v66) leaving only a remnant who would continue to follow him. 

五饼二鱼

2024-04-28 in , /by

马太福音14:13-21 耶稣听见了，就上船从那里独自退到野地里去。众人听见，就从各城里步行跟随他。 14 耶稣出来，见有许多的人，就怜悯他们，治好了他们的病人。 15 天将晚的时候，门徒进前来，说：「这是野地，时候已经过了，请叫众人散开，他们好往村子里去自己买吃的。」 16 耶稣说：「不用他们去，你们给他们吃吧！」 17 门徒说：「我们这里只有五个饼、两条鱼。」 18 耶稣说：「拿过来给我。」 19 于是吩咐众人坐在草地上，就拿着这五个饼、两条鱼，望着天祝福，掰开饼递给门徒，门徒又递给众人。 20 他们都吃，并且吃饱了。把剩下的零碎收拾起来，装满了十二个篮子。 21 吃的人，除了妇女孩子，约有五千。

你们给他们吃罢！

在我们生命的成长中，你曾否面对困难挑战太大，觉得我的能力太小…

在我们服事的过程中，你曾否经历人们需要太多，觉得我的恩赐太少…

耶稣教导我们，祂用五个大麦饼、两条鱼可以喂饱五千人，剩余零碎还装满了十二个篮子。（太14:13-21，可6:30-44，路9:10-17，约6:1-14）

耶稣试验门徒：当人们的需要远超过自己的能力时？

耶稣举目看見许多人來，就对腓力（伯赛大人）說：「我们从哪裡买饼叫这些人吃呢？」（…他自己原知道要怎样行。约6:5-6）

With Jesus there is real life

2024-04-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 6:52-59.  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 6:52-59 (NIV)
52  Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53  Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
54  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

On verse 52-59:  When taken out of context these words from Jesus may sound like Jesus is promoting cannibalism or a vampire culture.  But read these words in context and it is clear that when Jesus talks about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, Jesus is not talking about actually physically his flesh and drinking his blood; rather Jesus is talking about believing in him.  As Jesus says in verse 47, “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.”  Whenever you come across a verse or a passage in the Bible that you find hard to understand, always consider the context (i.e. what is written immediately before it and after it as well as the surrounding background behind it) so that you can better understand its intended meaning.

世上的光

2024-04-26 in , /by

马太福音5:14-16 你们是世上的光。城造在山上，是不能隐藏的。 15 人点灯，不放在斗底下，是放在灯台上，就照亮一家的人。 16 你们的光也当这样照在人前，叫他们看见你们的好行为，便将荣耀归给你们在天上的父。

哥林多前书6:20  因为你们是重价买来的，所以要在你们的身子上荣耀神。

城造在山上、灯立在灯台

耶稣说：「你们是世上的光。城造在山上是不能隐藏的。人点灯，不放在斗底下，是放在灯台上，就照亮一家的人。你们的光也当这样照在人前，叫他们看见你们的好行为，便将荣耀归给你们在天上的父。」（太5:14-16）

前几天举办一个研讨会，来了许多厂商，会前彼此递名片相互介绍。一位厂商看了我名片上的福音字句，特别问我：「你是基督徒？」我很高兴遇见同信的弟兄，我反问：「你也是基督徒？」

Don’t Worry About What You Can’t Control

2024-04-25 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 6:41-51.  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 6:41-43 (NIV)
41  At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”
42  They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
43  “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered.
 
On verses 41-43:  Even after God had given the Israelites in Moses’ time bread from heaven in the form of manna, they grumbled (Exodus 17:3).  When God gave the Israelites the true bread from heaven which is Jesus, what did they do? They grumbled as well (v41, 43).  Now if God can’t please everyone, what makes you think you can please everyone?  Don’t live for the approval of others.  Rather, live to please God. 

不要再犯罪

2024-04-25 in , /by

约翰福音5:1-14  这事以后，到了犹太人的一个节期，耶稣就上耶路撒冷去。2 在耶路撒冷，靠近羊门有一个池子，希伯来话叫做毕士大，旁边有五个廊子， 3 里面躺着瞎眼的、瘸腿的、血气枯干的许多病人。 5 在那里有一个人，病了三十八年。 6 耶稣看见他躺着，知道他病了许久，就问他说：「你要痊愈吗？」 7 病人回答说：「先生，水动的时候，没有人把我放在池子里，我正去的时候，就有别人比我先下去。」 8 耶稣对他说：「起来，拿你的褥子走吧！」 9 那人立刻痊愈，就拿起褥子来走了。

我们的神有怜悯，有恩典，不轻易发怒，且有丰盛的慈爱（诗103:8）；在耶稣里，我们因信称义，罪得赦免，在我们里面充充满满地有恩典有真理（约1:14）。

在基督完全且丰盛的爱中，我们习惯于呼求得怜悯，认罪得赦免，而忽略了恩典要带出的「改变」；耶稣医治病了三十八年的病人（约5:1-14），提醒他：「你已经痊愈了，不要再犯罪…」（约5:14），耶稣赦免行淫被拿的妇人（约8:3-11），也提醒她：「…去吧，从此不要再犯罪了！」（约8:11）

新旧融合作天国的门徒

2024-04-24 in , /by

马太福音13:51-52  耶稣说：「这一切的话你们都明白了吗？」他们说：「我们明白了。」 52 他说：「凡文士受教做天国的门徒，就像一个家主从他库里拿出新旧的东西来。」

马可福音12:38-40  耶稣在教训之间说：「你们要防备文士。他们好穿长衣游行，喜爱人在街市上问他们的安， 39 又喜爱会堂里的高位、筵席上的首座。 40 他们侵吞寡妇的家产，假意作很长的祷告。这些人要受更重的刑罚！」

耶稣时代的文士又称为律法师（太22:35，路10:25，路11:45-52，路14:3），他们是旧约的圣经学者、翻译人和教师，但却又是耶稣的大敌人，耶稣指摘他们的传统令神的道无法彰显（太23章，可12:38-40）。

耶稣用文士受教来比喻熟知旧约律法的人，若他们能接受耶稣传讲的天国福音，且能依循遵行而成为门徒，就好像从库里（原文是宝库、财宝盒，用来收存财物和珍宝的地方）拿出新、旧宝物一样，同时融合旧约的思想和耶稣的教训。

律法师曾质问耶稣最大的诫命？耶稣回答：「你要尽心、尽性、尽意、尽力爱主你的神。」（可12:30，路10:27，太22:37）比较旧约律法的最大诫命（申6:4-9），耶稣增加了「尽意」爱神一项，意(mind)一字在原文可诠释为心思、理解、头脑、悟性。耶稣回应律法师的挑战，提醒他们要尽意（尽智），用心思和悟性明白神的心意，才能完全行出旧约律法所规范的「爱主你的神」。

Seeing Is Not Always Believing

2024-04-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 6:32-40.  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 6:32-33 (NIV)
32  Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
33  For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
 
On verses 32-33:  Keep in mind the context:  Just the day before, Jesus has fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread (v5-15).  So now the crowd continues to follow Jesus, hoping to get another free lunch from him.  They ask Jesus for another miraculous sign and talk about how their ancestors got to eat bread from heaven in the desert (v30-31).  In this context, Jesus makes two important clarifications:

–  First, it wasn’t Moses who gave the Israelites bread from heaven.  It was God (v32).  Moses was a conduit for that bread, but every good and perfect gift is sourced in your heavenly Father (James 1:17).

随时享有安息日的安息

2024-04-23 in , /by

希伯来书 3:7-11 圣灵有话说：「你们今日若听祂的话， 8 就不可硬着心，像在旷野惹祂发怒、试探祂的时候一样。 9 在那里，你们的祖宗试我探我，并且观看我的作为有四十年之久。 10 所以，我厌烦那世代的人，说：『他们心里常常迷糊，竟不晓得我的作为。』 11 我就在怒中起誓说：『他们断不可进入我的安息。』」

犹太历法的安息日是一周的第七天（一周的第一天是星期日），亦即星期六，而犹太日历的一天是从日落算起，并非从午夜开始，因此，安息日是从星期五的日落到星期六的日落前。

值得思考的是，与神联结、分别为圣是仅限在一周中的一天吗？若「安息日」仅是代表属神的日子，那一周其余的六天，我们的归属在哪里？

希伯来书提及圣灵有话说：「…你们的祖宗试我探我，并且观看我的作为有四十年之久。…我就在怒中起誓说：『他们断不可进入我的安息』（來3:7-11）。」这里的「安息」在希臘原文为Katapausis，是指身体上的「休息」；七十士译本使用这字，說明以色列人经过430年流亡生活，旧的一代尸首倒在旷野，但是新生一代终于回到应许之地（迦南地）永久安居，即「（定居）安息」或「（在某地）安息」之意（诗95:7-11，來3:7-11）。

Don’t Just Focus on the Immediate. Think About Eternity.

2024-04-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 6:16-31.  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 6:16-21 (NIV)
16  When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,
17  where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.
18  A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.
19  When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified.
20  But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”
21  Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

On verses 16-21:  Notice that fear kept the disciples from letting Jesus into the boat, but the moment they heard Jesus’ words, their fear subsided and they were willing to let him aboard.  Like the disciples, don’t be afraid of Jesus, but be “willing to take him into the boat” (v21) with you.