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Jesus Knows Your Pain and Is Everything You Need

2024-02-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 2:1-7.  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 2:1 (NIV) 
1  “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:

On verse 1:  Starting in chapter 2 John records 7 messages from Jesus that he is told to send to 7 churches in the province of Asia.  The first message is for the church of Ephesus.  Notice how the message is worded “To the angel of the church in Ephesus”.  Who is this angel?  The Greek word for angel here is angellos, which is mostly translated in the New Testament as “angel” but is sometimes translated as “messenger”.  According to some scholars, the two main possibilities for what the “angel” is referring to are: (1) the “angel” refers to an actual angelic being who supernaturally watches over the church; or (2) the “angel” refers to the pastor of the local church, who practically serves as God’s messenger to the church and who would likely be the one to receive and read out to the church this particular message that John had written.

Jesus, Your Caring Shepherd and Tree of Life

2024-02-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 2:1-7.  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 2:1 (NIV) 
1  “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:

On verse 1:  Starting in chapter 2 John records 7 messages from Jesus that he is told to send to 7 churches in the province of Asia.  The first message is for the church of Ephesus.  Notice how the message is worded “To the angel of the church in Ephesus”.  Who is this angel?  The Greek word for angel here is angellos, which is mostly translated in the New Testament as “angel” but is sometimes translated as “messenger”.  According to some scholars, the two main possibilities for what the “angel” is referring to are: (1) the “angel” refers to an actual angelic being who supernaturally watches over the church; or (2) the “angel” refers to the pastor of the local church, who practically serves as God’s messenger to the church and who would likely be the one to receive and read out to the church this particular message that John had written.

上行之诗系列–诗篇第133篇

2024-02-21 in , /by

诗篇133:1 看哪，弟兄和睦同居是何等地善，何等地美！

阅读经文: 诗篇133篇–踏上第十三级台阶–和睦同居

133:1 （大卫上行之诗。）看哪，弟兄和睦同居是何等地善，何等地美！

133:2 这好比那贵重的油浇在亚伦的头上，流到胡须，又流到他的衣襟；

133:3 又好比黑门的甘露降在锡安山；因为在那里有耶和华所命定的福，就是永远的生命。

「弟兄」可以泛指亲戚，或彼此关系；「和睦同居」的意思是同住在一起，大家一齐生活。因此此处形容朝圣者为了敬拜上帝，共同往耶路撒冷前进，共同住宿的情况，是非常的美好。诗人以「贵重的油」和「黑门的甘露」作比喻，形容和睦同居的「善（良善、美好、福乐）」和「美（愉悦、快乐、甜美、可爱）」。

诗133:2中「贵重的」与诗133:1的「善」是同一个辞。对当时的人来说，「油」一般是油脂或橄榄油，可用来润发、润肤，对人的身体有滋润作用。这里「贵重的油」系指圣膏油（出30:23-25），用来抹会幕、法柜及一切器具，使这些物成为圣；还有用来膏亚伦和他的儿子，使他们成为圣，可以供祭司的职分（出30:26-30）。圣膏油流到大祭司的胡须及衣襟，浸染衣袍，进到他的身体去，使他完全分别为圣侍奉神。和睦相处可如圣膏油一样浸透全民族成为圣洁。

上行之诗系列–诗篇第132篇

2024-02-20 in , /by

诗篇132:8 耶和华啊，求祢兴起，和祢有能力的约柜同入安息之所！

阅读经文: 诗篇132篇–踏上第十二级台阶–渇望拥有神

132:1  （上行之诗。）耶和华啊，求祢记念大卫所受的一切苦难！

132:2  他怎样向耶和华起誓，向雅各的大能者许愿，

132:3  说：我必不进我的帐幕，也不上我的床榻；

撒下6章记载大卫把约柜运进耶路撒冷，撒下7章随后叙述大卫想要为神建圣殿的想法，以及神应许要为大卫建立家室的事蹟，这些记载是诗篇第132篇的背景。这首诗篇包含两部分：祈求神记念大卫把约柜运往耶路撒冷的热心，因而祝福他的王朝（1-10节）；以及神的回应：应许将成就大卫之约（11-18节）。

诗人逐级上阶寻见神，当踏上第十二级台阶时，他深深感受到大卫为神（约柜）寻得居所的迫切渴慕，他的意念从「拥有神的恩待与赐予」转变成「拥有神」的迫切渴慕，也再次重申神对他百姓的应许与祝福。

Jesus, Conqueror of Death and Your Ever-Present Help

2024-02-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Revelation 1:9-20.  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 1:9-18 (NIV) 
9  I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 
10  On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 
11  which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” 

On verses 9-18:  John is in exile on the island of Patmos for preaching the Gospel (v9 – “because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus”).  On Sunday (“the Lord’s Day”) he is praying deeply and sensing the presence of God (“in the Spirit” – v10) when he hears from behind him a voice like a trumpet telling him to write down on a scroll what he sees.  The voice behind John tells him to send what he writes down to the seven churches in the province of Asia (v11).  When John turns around to see who is speaking to him, he sees someone that he can only describe as “someone ‘like a son of man’” (v13).  One reason is because this person resembles a human being, yet his physical presence is unlike anything an ordinary human being has:  fully white head and hair, eyes like blazing fire, feet like bronze in a furnace, voice like rushing waters, his face like the sun in its brilliance.  He is wearing a robe with a golden sash across his chest (v13) and he stands among seven golden lampstands (v12). 

上行之诗系列–诗篇第131篇

2024-02-19 in , /by

诗篇131:1 耶和华啊，我的心不狂傲，我的眼不高大；重大和测不透的事，我也不敢行。

阅读经文: 诗篇131篇–踏上第十一级台阶-平静安稳

131:1 （大卫上行之诗。）耶和华啊，我的心不狂傲，我的眼不高大；重大和测不透的事，我也不敢行。

131:2 我的心平稳安静，好像断过奶的孩子在他母亲的怀中；我的心在我里面真像断过奶的孩子。

当时的小孩是在三岁断奶，这年纪的小孩不会因为饥饿要喝母乳而随意哭闹，可以安稳的在母亲的怀中获得满足。「断过奶」是一个比喻，也可以泛指孩儿的某个段时间，正如哈拿向丈夫说，「等孩子断了奶，我便带他上去朝见耶和华，使他永远住在那里。」孩子断过奶后不会再啼哭，所以131:2这节诗句亦可翻译为「安静的小孩与母亲一起，我的心真像一个安静的小孩子。」

诗人用「断过奶的孩子」来描述他在上帝面前的态度，他拥有那种不汲汲营营、追求供应的安全感，来描述自己的信靠。

Jesus, Your Alpha and Omega

2024-02-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today we begin the book of Revelation.  It is easily one of the most intriguing, mysterious, powerful and controversial books in all the Bible.   Revelation was written by the apostle John in approximately 95 A.D. while he was in exile on the island of Patmos for preaching about Jesus.  While on Patmos, John receives multiple visions which he understands to be from Jesus Christ and is told to write them down.  The result is the book of Revelation, a highly significant book that describes what will happen before, during and after the return (second coming) of Jesus Christ.  This book also shows how many Old Testament prophecies will be fulfilled.

Today’s passage is Revelation 1:1-8.  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 1:1-2 (NIV) 
1  The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 
2  who testifies to everything he saw–that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus Makes the Ordinary Extraordinary

2024-02-18 in /by

Today’s passage is Zechariah 14:12-21.  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!

Zechariah 14:12-13 (NIV) 
12 This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
13 On that day men will be stricken by the LORD with great panic. Each man will seize the hand of another, and they will attack each other.
 
On verses 12-13:  Here Zechariah continues to describe what the end times will look like when Jesus the Messiah comes again.  What will happen “on that day” (a phrase repeated 15 times in chapters 12-14)?  In verses 1-11, Zechariah described how the city of Jerusalem will be rescued and transformed.  Now in these verses Zechariah describes what will happen to the nations who tried to attack Jerusalem.  He says their flesh, their eyes and their tongues will rot (v12).  In addition, there will be great panic, and they will seize each other by the hand and attack one another (v13). 

上行之诗系列–诗篇第130篇

2024-02-18 in , /by

诗篇130:4 但在祢有赦免之恩，要叫人敬畏祢。

阅读经文: 诗篇130篇–踏上第十级台阶-等候救赎

130:1 （上行之诗。）耶和华啊，我从深处向祢求告！

130:2 主啊，求祢听我的声音！愿祢侧耳听我恳求的声音！

130:3 主─耶和华啊，祢若究察罪孽，谁能站得住呢？

这首诗是七首忏悔诗之一（6，32，38，51，102，130，143篇）。诗人谦卑地承认遭受痛苦的原因在于他犯了罪，并恳求神赦免他。此处的罪孽意味着整个以色列对神的不顺服与叛逆，而不只是指个人的罪过。这首诗始于诗人对救恩的迫切恳求，将焦点集中在全然信靠神的怜恤上（5, 6节），最后以根据神丰盛慈爱而确信赦罪与恢复的信仰告白（7, 8节）来结束。

他一生经历了如此严重的抑郁症，却写下了传世诗歌《有一活泉》

2024-02-17 in /by

作者：徐彬   区别于过去我写的的圣诗专栏文章，今天我想以不同寻常的方式，着重通过介绍及评论一个人特殊的患病历史来认识他的人生及所写的诗歌代表作。这个人从他22岁起就伴随着抑郁症的反复发作，多次试图自杀，一直到他的晚年。传记作家称他的一生“经历了史诗般的灵魂战争”；在他去世后，著名诗人勃朗宁夫人（Elizabeth Barrett Browning）还专门因他的这些特殊经历而撰写了一篇感人的长诗。然而，他的人生故事和他所写的诗歌《有一活泉》（There is a Fountain Filled with Blood/也有译成“宝血活泉”）却感动鼓励了无数同样身心柔弱的后来人。这个人就是威廉·考伯（William Cowper 1731-1800）。 考伯生于1731年的11月15日。他的家族在那个时代可算得上是令人羡慕的精英阶层。祖父斯宾塞·考伯是普通上诉法院的法官；叔祖父威廉.考伯不但做过英国司法部长和首任大法官，而且还被英王册封成第一代的考伯伯爵（Count Cowper）；父亲约翰·考伯拥有剑桥和牛津大学的傲人学位，博士毕业后曾担任过大伯克汉姆斯特德区的教区长和英王乔治二世的牧师。 然而同样作为亨利三世和伊莉莎白时代诗人约翰·多恩的后裔，安妮.多恩嫁到考伯家后的命运却过于悲催。她婚后生了七个孩子，却只有考伯和他弟弟约翰活了下来，在34岁那年她又因难产而身亡。 母亲去世那年考伯才六岁。父亲只能将他和弟弟俩人送到一所寄宿学校去就读。不幸的是一进校门他就受到一位年长同学的肆意欺负，以至于每次遇到那男生他就惊吓得低下头，不敢直视对方的眼睛。对此后来他心酸地回忆道，“那时我对那个男生鞋扣的了解超过了对他身上的任何部分。” 过早失去母爱和年少遭遇霸凌这两件痛苦经历不但成了他少年时代不堪回首的回忆，也给他日后性格的形成带来了阴影，造成他不自信、渴望被人关爱，以及容易陷入幻想等心理弱点。 10岁那年考伯考上顶尖的著名私校威斯敏斯特公学（Westminster School)。在那里他最感兴趣的是古典文学，并多次因成绩优异而获得了奖学金，并结交了一些志同道合的文友。 1749年考伯如期从威斯敏斯特毕业。早在毕业之前，父亲就按家族的愿望，为他在著名的“中殿”（The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple）完成了登记注册。这一机构属于当时英国三大法律教育、培训、管理机构之一，其功能相当于后来的律师协会和法学院。同时父亲还为他在一家律师事务所安排好了为期三年的见习工作，希望他能够因此而尽快地熟悉实际业务，成为一名优秀的律师人才。然而尽管如此，考伯的兴趣却一直无法专注在法律上，而是更青睐于他所热衷的文学。 ▼下图左是考伯年轻时的画像；右上是威斯敏斯特公学校舍某处的历史旧照；右下是现今时期某年该校毕业生的合照 在那段日子里，唯一让他感兴趣的是每到周末可以到他亲叔叔、身为议院大律师的阿什利.考伯（Ashley Cowper）家去消磨时光。但让人意想不到的是，在那里他竟和他的堂妹西奥多拉（Theodora […]