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爱在风浪中

2024-03-04 in , /by

马太福音 14:22-33

22 耶稣随即催门徒上船，先渡到那边去，等他叫众人散开。 23 散了众人以后，他就独自上山去祷告。到了晚上，只有他一人在那里。 24 那时船在海中，因风不顺，被浪摇撼。 25 夜里四更天，耶稣在海面上走，往门徒那里去。 26 门徒看见他在海面上走，就惊慌了，说：「是个鬼怪！」便害怕，喊叫起来。 27 耶稣连忙对他们说：「你们放心！是我，不要怕！」 28 彼得说：「主，如果是你，请叫我从水面上走到你那里去。」 29 耶稣说：「你来吧！」彼得就从船上下去，在水面上走，要到耶稣那里去。

爱在风浪中：因着爱，祂伸手拉住彼得，对他说：你这小信的人哪！为什么疑惑呢？（太14:22-33，可6:45-52，约6:15-21）

福音书记载：耶稣和门徒夜里前往外邦人之地格拉森，坐船遇见风浪，祂斥责狂风大浪，风浪就止住，平静了。（太8:23-27，可4:35-41，路8:22-25）

前次，耶稣和门徒一同在被风浪摇撼的船中，这次，祂从海面上接近因风不顺，被浪摇撼，摇橹甚苦的门徒（太14:23-24，可6:48），祂邀请彼得走在水面上，进入风浪中（太14:28-31）。

It’s a Matter of Your Heart, Not Your Circumstances

2024-03-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 9:1-21.  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!

Revelation 9:1-11 (NIV) 
1  The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 
2  When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 
3  And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 

On verses 1-11:  If there was any passage in the Bible that resembled a science fiction movie, it’s these 11 verses.  What is going on here? The fifth angel sounds his trumpet, which then triggers “a star that had fallen from the sky” to appear. Apparently this star is not an actual star from space, but a fallen angel who is referred to as “he” in verse 2.  This fallen star (or fallen angel) is given the key to “the Abyss”.  While “the Abyss” sounds like some kind of spacecraft, it is not clear what exactly the Abyss is.  We do know that when the fallen angel opens the Abyss, enough smoke comes out of the Abyss to darken the sun and sky.  After that, the most powerful and scariest looking locusts come out of the Abyss.

爱在税关上

2024-03-03 in , /by

马太福音 9:9-13

9 耶稣从那里往前走，看见一个人，名叫马太，坐在税关上，就对他说：「你跟从我来！」他就起来跟从了耶稣。

10 耶稣在屋里坐席的时候，有好些税吏和罪人来，与耶稣和他的门徒一同坐席。 11 法利赛人看见，就对耶稣的门徒说：「你们的先生为什么和税吏并罪人一同吃饭呢？」 12 耶稣听见就说：「康健的人用不着医生，有病的人才用得着。 13 经上说：『我喜爱怜恤，不喜爱祭祀』，这句话的意思你们且去揣摩；我来本不是召义人，乃是召罪人。」

爱在税关上：因着爱，祂呼召马太（利未），和好些税吏并罪人一同坐席吃饭。（太9:9-13，可2:13-17，路5:27-32）

使徒马太是加利利人，信主前是迦百农城的税吏，他熟悉税务相关的贸易通商、财务簿记，可能善于速记，熟悉通用的亚兰文与希腊文，是耶稣门徒中少数受过教育且有学问的，之后他写下文笔流畅的《马太福音》，记载他亲眼所见耶稣的行迹。

罗马帝国当时的税吏是被殖民利用专为征收税款（关税、路费）的犹太人，他们常与官员狼狈为奸，讹诈牟利以饱私囊；在犹太人的眼中，税吏被视为卖国贼（效忠罗马皇帝）、叛教徒（与外邦人来往），在宗教上他们是不洁的，与强盗、娼妓、罪犯同列。

You Can Never Win When You Fight God

2024-03-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 8:1-13. 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!

Revelation 8:1-13 (NIV)
1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.
4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.

On verses 1-13: When the Lamb opens the seventh seal, there is about a half hour of silence. Then heaven launches a series of attacks on the earth. First an angel takes a gold censer and fills it with fire from an altar where incense (representing the prayers of God’s people) is burning. That angel hurls the gold censer onto the earth. This causes peals of thunder, rumblings, lightning and an earthquake to occur. After that comes the next series of attacks, where one by one seven angels each with a trumpet in hand blow their trumpet to call forth a specific attack from heaven on the earth. Chapter 7 describes what happens when the first four angels with trumpets blow their horns.

The Power of Jesus’ Blood

2024-03-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 7:1-17.  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!

Revelation 7:1 (NIV) 
1  After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.

On verse 1:  After the sixth seal is broken, John sees four angels holding back “the four winds of the earth” (v1), effectively stopping any wind from blowing on the earth.  According to some scientists, if there was no more wind on the earth, much of the earth would become uninhabitable, temperatures on the earth would become either extremely hot or extremely cold, mass migration would lead to coastal regions being heavily populated, marine life would die, widespread famine would occur and many people would not be able to survive.

爱在长大痲疯者身上

2024-03-01 in , /by

马太福音 8:1-4

耶稣下了山，有许多人跟着他。 2 有一个长大痲疯的来拜他，说：「主若肯，必能叫我洁净了。」 3 耶稣伸手摸他，说：「我肯，你洁净了吧！」他的大痲疯立刻就洁净了。 4 耶稣对他说：「你切不可告诉人，只要去把身体给祭司察看，献上摩西所吩咐的礼物，对众人做证据。」

爱在长大痲疯者身上：因着爱，祂肯，伸手摸，他立刻得洁净。（太8:1-4，可1:40-45，路5:12-15）

长大痲疯者得医治被记载在马太、马可和路加三卷福音书，描述著同样的场景：长大痲疯的（拜祂、向祂跪下、俯伏在地求祂）说：「主若肯，必能叫我洁净了。」耶稣伸手摸他，说：「我肯（愿意），你洁净了吧！」他的大痲疯即时离开他，立刻就洁净了。

「主若肯」：长大痲疯者相信耶稣的权柄、能力，相信自己能被洁净、能被医治。

「伸手摸他」：耶稣的手触摸溃烂疼痛的皮肤，祂的爱是真实的触摸伤痛，抚慰伤痛，进入伤痛，且医治伤痛。

爱在叙加雅各井边

2024-02-29 in , /by

约翰福音 4:1-30

主知道法利赛人听见祂收门徒施洗比约翰还多 2 （其实不是耶稣亲自施洗，乃是他的门徒施洗）， 3 祂就离了犹太，又往加利利去。 4 必须经过撒马利亚， 5 于是到了撒马利亚的一座城，名叫叙加，靠近雅各给他儿子约瑟的那块地。 6 在那里有雅各井。耶稣因走路困乏，就坐在井旁。那时约有午正。 7 有一个撒马利亚的妇人来打水，耶稣对她说：「请你给我水喝。」 8 那时门徒进城买食物去了。 9 撒马利亚的妇人对祂说：「你既是犹太人，怎么向我一个撒马利亚妇人要水喝呢？」

爱在叙加雅各井边：因着爱，祂教导生命饥渴和灵里徬徨的撒玛利亚妇人：领受活水，用心灵和诚实（靠着圣灵按著真理）敬拜神。（约4:1-30）

撒玛利亚是北国以色列的首都，主前722年北国亡于亚述，它成为亚述国的一个省份，居住于该地区者都被称为「撒玛利亚人」（Samaritans，希伯来文意为守护者、妥拉的守护者）。当时亚述王掳掠北国以色列，只留下最贫穷和最没有受教育的以色列人，后来，他们与从各处涌进这地建立家园的异族人通婚，便产生了这一群撒玛利亚人，散居在犹太与加利利间。

Hang Onto Jesus No Matter What

2024-02-29 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 6:1-17.  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!

Revelation 6:1-2 (NIV)
1  I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!”
2  I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

On verses 1-2:  Jesus, referred to here as the Lamb, opens the first of the seven seals, which causes a rider on a white horse to appear.  This rider on a white horse is wearing a crown and holding a bow.  While Jesus Himself will later appear on a white horse (Revelation 19:11), according to many scholars, this particular rider on this particular white horse is not Jesus but the anti-Christ, a powerful figure bent on conquering everything he sees.

爱在夜里的问答

2024-02-28 in , /by

约翰福音3:1-21

有一个法利赛人，名叫尼哥迪慕，是犹太人的官。 2 这人夜里来见耶稣，说：「拉比，我们知道祢是由神那里来做师傅的，因为祢所行的神蹟，若没有神同在，无人能行。」 3 耶稣回答说：「我实实在在地告诉你：人若不重生，就不能见神的国。」 4 尼哥迪慕说：「人已经老了，如何能重生呢？岂能再进母腹生出来吗？」 5 耶稣说：「我实实在在地告诉你：人若不是从水和圣灵生的，就不能进神的国。 6 从肉身生的就是肉身，从灵生的就是灵。 7 我说你们必须重生，你不要以为稀奇。 8 风随着意思吹，你听见风的响声，却不晓得从哪里来，往哪里去。凡从圣灵生的，也是如此。」

爱在夜里的问答：因着爱，祂在夜里教导拥有正统宗教和社会地位的法利赛人尼哥底母：要重生、从水和圣灵生、神爱世人。（约3:1-21）

耶稣晚上也要加班！祂点醒神的儿女必须脱离宗教的窠臼和世界的权势，生命需要从水和圣灵更新（结36:25-27），在主里成为新造的人（林后5:17）；我们若是靠圣灵得生，就当靠圣灵行事（加5:25），成为真正顺命的儿女（彼前1:14）。

The Only Way to Know the Will of God

2024-02-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 5:1-14.  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!

Revelation 5:1-4 (NIV) 
1  Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 
2  And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 
3  But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 
4  I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 

On verses 1-4:  John’s vision of heaven continues as he sees in the right hand of God a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals (v1).  At first no one is found worthy to open the scroll or even look inside it (v2-3).  This causes John to weep and weep (v4).