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圣灵带领我们在主里面享安息

2024-04-22 in , /by

约翰福音 14:16-18   「我要求父，父就另外赐给你们一位保惠师，叫祂永远与你们同在， 17 就是真理的圣灵，乃世人不能接受的，因为不见祂，也不认识祂。你们却认识祂，因祂常与你们同在，也要在你们里面。 18 我不撇下你们为孤儿，我必到你们这里来。 19 还有不多的时候，世人不再看见我，你们却看见我，因为我活着，你们也要活着。

约翰福音 14:26  但保惠师，就是父因我的名所要差来的圣灵，祂要将一切的事指教你们，并且要叫你们想起我对你们所说的一切话。

信主的人要在主里面得安息，确属不易；当我们生活缺乏时，心中担心神的供应是否足够？当我们工作忙碌时，脑海焦虑何时可以完成？怎能歇下？当我们面对试探时，灵里交战我们的身分、归属？在困难、徬徨、悲伤、失败…的环境中，我们需要帮助、指引、安慰、鼓励…，我们如何得安息？

耶稣在最后的晚餐中，面对心里忧愁、充满疑惑的门徒说：「…我要求父，父就另外赐给你们一位保惠师，叫祂永远与你们同在，就是真理的圣灵，…你们却认识祂，因祂常与你们同在，也要在你们里面。…。」（约14:16-18）

「保惠师」的希腊文为parakletos，是由para（从旁）及kletos（召唤）两个字组合而成，意思是被召唤去从旁提供援助的人，原本指在法庭上提供司法援助的人，后来引申作中保、代求者、帮助者、或某某的代表。

Give Thanks for What You Have and Let God Use It

2024-04-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 6:1-15.  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 6:1-5 (NIV)
1  Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias),
2  and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.
3  Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples.
4  The Jewish Passover Feast was near.
5  When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”
 
On verses 1-5:  Notice that when Jesus sees the crowd, his heart goes out to them and he wants to serve them.  When he sees the crowd, he probably envisions fields ripe for harvest and sheep without a shepherd.  Also, since verse 4 mentions that the Jewish Passover Feast was near, Jesus probably thought, “Let’s have a party with these people.”
 

Moses your accuser, Jesus your Saviour

2024-04-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 5:41-47.  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 5:41-44 (NIV)
41  “I do not accept praise from men,
42  but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.
43  I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.
44  How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?
 
On verses 41-44:  Interesting.  Jesus seems to be saying that if we’re all about living for people’s praise and approval and are not interested in pleasing God, the result is that we won’t have the love of God in our hearts (v42), we will reject Jesus in favour of others (v43) and have a weak and ineffective faith (“how can you believe” – v44).  In other words, whose praise you live for will greatly impact how much real faith, hope and love you have.

安息是认定神手作的工都甚好

2024-04-21 in , /by

出埃及记 20:8-11

8 「当记念安息日，守为圣日。 9 六日要劳碌做你一切的工， 10 但第七日是向耶和华你神当守的安息日。这一日你和你的儿女、仆婢、牲畜，并你城里寄居的客旅，无论何工都不可做。 11 因为六日之内，耶和华造天、地、海和其中的万物，第七日便安息，所以耶和华赐福于安息日，定为圣日。

旧约圣经记载神在西奈山颁布「十诫」，其中第四条诫命（出20:8-11）明定「当记念安息日，守为圣日。六日要劳碌做你一切的工，但第七日是向耶和华─你神当守的安息日。这一日你和你的儿女、仆婢、牲畜，并你城里寄居的客旅，无论何工都不可做；…」

诫命里接续说明了守安息日的原因：「…因为六日之内，耶和华造天、地、海，和其中的万物，第七日便安息，所以耶和华赐福与安息日，定为圣日。」（出20:11）这里将「六日做工，第七日安息」和「神完成六日的创造，第七日歇了工」联结在一起。

比较创世纪的记载 ：「天地万物都造齐了。到第七日，神造物的工已经完毕，就在第七日歇了他一切的工，安息了。神赐福给第七日，定为圣日；因为在这日，神歇了他一切创造的工，就安息了。」（创2:1-3）这段经文的原文并没有「安息了」和「就安息了」这些字眼。

Jesus and The Father

2024-04-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 5:31-40.  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 5:31-34 (NIV)
31  “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid.
32  There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is valid.
33  “You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth.
34  Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved.

On verses 31-34:  To help show the credibility of Jesus’ claim that he is the Son of God, Jesus references the court system that his listeners would be very familiar with.  According to the Jewish law, any claim that a person made in court needed to be established by two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15; Matthew 18:16).  That is why Jesus says in verse 31, “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid.”    

安息是记念神领我出为奴之地

2024-04-19 in , /by

出埃及记 20:8-11

8 「当记念安息日，守为圣日。 9 六日要劳碌做你一切的工， 10 但第七日是向耶和华你神当守的安息日。这一日你和你的儿女、仆婢、牲畜，并你城里寄居的客旅，无论何工都不可做。 11 因为六日之内，耶和华造天、地、海和其中的万物，第七日便安息，所以耶和华赐福于安息日，定为圣日。

出20:8-11记载「十诫」中第四条诫命「守安息日」，其中出20:11经文将「六日做工，第七日安息」和「神完成六日的创造，第七日歇了工」联结在一起。

以色列人经过近四十年的旷野生活，取得约旦河东之地后（申4:44-49），摩西向百姓重申神在西奈山（何烈山）与百姓立约，及其颁布的「十诫」（申5:1-22）；其中，第四条诫命「守安息日」（申5:12-15）前半段的内容没变，但后半段经文则将守安息日和神带领他们出埃及的历史联结在一起。

「你也要记念你在埃及地作过奴仆；耶和华─你神用大能的手和伸出来的膀臂将你从那里领出来。因此，耶和华─你的神吩咐你守安息日。（申5:15）」

创世记常用「亚伯拉罕的神、以撒的神、雅各的神」来提醒百姓，强调神过去在以色列人列祖历史上的带领和经历，百姓出埃及后，「我是耶和华─你的神，曾将你从埃及地为奴之家领出来（申5:6）」则成为以色列人对神最重要的认识和提醒。

Jesus and The Father

2024-04-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 5:19-30.  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 5:19-23 (NIV)
19  Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
20  For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these.
21  For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.
22  Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,
23  that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

On verses 19-23:  Here Jesus describes how intricately entwined he and the Father are:
–        Jesus the Son can do nothing by himself but only does what he sees his Father doing (v19);
–        Whatever the Father does Jesus the Son also does (v19);
–        “For the Father loves the Son” (v20):  It’s a love relationship between the Father and Jesus the Son;
–        “…and shows him all he does” (v20): It’s a relationship of transparency between the Father and Jesus the Son;

安息是相信神的供应是足够的

2024-04-18 in , /by

出埃及记 16:4-5

4 耶和华对摩西说：「我要将粮食从天降给你们。百姓可以出去，每天收每天的份，我好试验他们遵不遵我的法度。 5 到第六天，他们要把所收进来的预备好了，比每天所收的多一倍。」

Exodus 16:4-5

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”(NIV)

出埃及记第16章经文记载：离开埃及行走在旷野中的以色列百姓，因饥饿而向摩西、亚伦发怨言，神于是供应鹌鹑和吗哪来满足他们的需要。

耶和华对摩西说：「我要将粮食从天降给你们。百姓可以出去，每天收每天的分，我好试验他们遵不遵我的法度。到第六天，他们要把所收进来的预备好了，比每天所收的多一倍。」（出16:4-5）

到了晚上，有鹌鹑飞来，遮满了营；早晨在营四围的地上有露水。露水上升之后，不料，野地面上有如白霜的小圆物。以色列人看见，不知道是甚么，就彼此对问说：「这是甚么呢？（原文音译为吗哪）」（出16:13-15）

摩西照着神的吩咐要求百姓遵守：第一是按著各人的饭量，每人各拿一俄梅珥（约等于2.3公升）。当时百姓照着行，有的多收、有的少收；他们用升斗衡量的时候，多收的没有剩余，少收的也不缺乏；各人按著自己的食量收取（出16:17-18，新译本）。

安息是分别为圣

2024-04-17 in , /by

马太福音12:1-8

那时，耶稣在安息日从麦地经过。他的门徒饿了，就掐起麦穗来吃。 2 法利赛人看见，就对耶稣说：「看哪，你的门徒做安息日不可做的事了。」 3 耶稣对他们说：「经上记着大卫和跟从他的人饥饿之时所做的事，你们没有念过吗？ 4 他怎么进了神的殿，吃了陈设饼？这饼不是他和跟从他的人可以吃的，唯独祭司才可以吃。 5 再者，律法上所记的，当安息日祭司在殿里犯了安息日还是没有罪，你们没有念过吗？ 6 但我告诉你们：在这里有一人比殿更大。 7 『我喜爱怜恤，不喜爱祭祀』，你们若明白这话的意思，就不将无罪的当做有罪的了。 8 因为人子是安息日的主。」

「安息日(Sabbath)」这词来自希伯来文Shabbat，有止住、停止、止息的意思，安息日是犹太历法一个星期的第七天，从星期五的日落到星期六的日落前。

有些学者推测安息日可能源自古巴比伦，来自亚喀得(Akkadian)语的「清除节(Sabattu)」。清除节指的是月圆时，亦即每月的十四或十五日。古巴比伦在每月的初七、十四、廿一和廿八、或其接近的日子（依月亮运行日程作计算）当作「不祥日」或「凶日」，在这些日子，先知、祭司、君王和医生要避免做某些事，跟华人农民历中「诸事不宜」的忌日类似。

巴比伦文化中Sabattu规定：在这日子什么都不能作，要休息，因为是「凶日」。这显然和以色列人的安息日截然不同，以色列人的安息日是立约的记号（结20:12），被称为「圣日」（出20:8，申5:6）或「圣安息日」，原文意思是「分别为圣、把…奉献给神」，是歇下工作，为欢喜敬拜神而设立的日子。

Restored to God’s Presence

2024-04-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 5:10-18 (but for context we’ll start at verse 9).  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 5:9-10 (NIV)
9  At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath,
10  and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”

On verses 9-10:  In the Ten Commandments, God commanded His people to honour the Sabbath day by resting and not doing work on that day (Exodus 20:8-9).  The religious elite among the Jews would interpret this command in an extreme and overly strict way, such that they considered carrying one’s mat from one place to another on a Sabbath day to be a violation of the command to honour the Sabbath day.  By focusing on these technicalities, the religious elite missed the purpose and heart of God’s commands.  All of a sudden, a command that was meant to bring joy, refreshing and rest became a legalistic burden.