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A Greater Vision for Your Life

2024-04-04 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 1:40-51.  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 1:40-41 (NIV)
40  Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.
41  The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ).
 
On verses 40-41:  Earlier in John 1:35-37 we read that John the Baptist pointed Jesus out to two of his disciples and said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”   So those two disciples of John the Baptist start to follow Jesus.  We learn here that one of those two disciples is Andrew.  The identity of the second disciple is not 100% clear, but I think he might be John himself, the author of this gospel. 

觸摸主的釘痕和槍傷

2024-04-04 in , /by

約翰福音20:24-28

24 那十二個門徒中有稱為低土馬的多馬，耶穌來的時候，他沒有和他們同在。 25 那些門徒就對他說：「我們已經看見主了！」多馬卻說：「我非看見他手上的釘痕，用指頭探入那釘痕，又用手探入他的肋旁，我總不信。」

26 過了八日，門徒又在屋裡，多馬也和他們同在。門都關了，耶穌來站在當中說：「願你們平安！」 27 就對多馬說：「伸過你的指頭來，摸a]”>[a]我的手！伸出你的手來，探入我的肋旁！不要疑惑，總要信！」 28 多馬說：「我的主！我的神！」 29 耶穌對他說：「你因看見了我才信，那沒有看見就信的有福了！」

耶穌復活當天晚上顯現給十個使徒看，但少了一個人，稱為低土馬的多馬沒有和他們同在。雖然同伴們對他說：「我們已經看見主了。」多馬卻說：「我非看見祂手上的釘痕，用指頭探入那釘痕，又用手探入祂的肋旁，我總不信。」（約20:25）

耶穌在最後的晚餐為門徒禱告：「我與他們同在的時候，因你所賜給我的名保守了他們，我也護衛了他們；其中除了那滅亡之子，沒有一個滅亡的，好叫經上的話得應驗。」（約17:12）

耶穌沒有忘記多馬，八天以後，祂再次來到使徒聚集的屋裡，站在當中說：「願你們平安！」，這是聖經記載的第五次顯現。

耶穌對多馬說：「伸過你的指頭來，摸（原文是看）我的手；伸出你的手來，探入我的肋旁。不要疑惑，總要信！」多馬沒有伸手探入的動作，直接向主承認：「我的主！我的神！」（約20:26-29）

It’s God’s Work in You

2024-04-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 1:29-39.  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 1:29 (NIV)
29  The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
 
On verse 29:  Here John the Baptist is quoted as calling his younger cousin Jesus “the Lamb of God” (see also verse 36).  Just as God provided a lamb for Abraham to sacrifice in place of his son Isaac (Genesis 22:8), just as Moses called the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb without defect at Passover to atone for the sins of their firstborn sons (Exodus 12:21), just as the Israelites later would regularly sacrifice a lamb without defect as an atoning sacrifice for their sins (Leviticus 9:3), so Jesus Christ would be the lamb that God would sacrifice to pay for our sins.  John, the apostle writing this gospel, would also write the book of Revelation where again he sees a vision of Jesus in heaven looking like a lamb that has been slain (Revelation 5:6).  Praise God!  Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away our sins by the shedding of his precious blood. 

願你們平安！

2024-04-03 in , /by

路加福音24:13-35

13 正當那日，門徒中有兩個人往一個村子去。這村子名叫以馬忤斯，離耶路撒冷約有二十五裡。 14 他們彼此談論所遇見的這一切事。 15 正談論相問的時候，耶穌親自就近他們，和他們同行， 16 只是他們的眼睛迷糊了，不認識他。 17 耶穌對他們說：「你們走路彼此談論的是什麼事呢？」他們就站住，臉上帶著愁容。 18 二人中有一個名叫革流巴的回答說：「你在耶路撒冷作客，還不知道這幾天在那裡所出的事嗎？」 19 耶穌說：「什麼事呢？」他們說：「就是拿撒勒人耶穌的事。他是個先知，在神和眾百姓面前說話行事都有大能， 20 祭司長和我們的官府竟把他解去，定了死罪，釘在十字架上。 

復活當天，耶穌第三次顯現給正離開耶路撒冷前往以馬忤斯村落的兩位門徒（路24:13-35）；福音書中未曾描述這兩位門徒的事蹟，僅記載其中一人名叫革流巴，他們跟隨耶穌，但可能沒有像十二使徒那樣貼近耶穌，對耶穌的認識可能也有限。

耶穌像半途遇見的路人，接近這兩位門徒，與他們同行，且加入他們的談話，陪他們走了約二十五里路（約等於十一公里）。路途中，兩位門徒迫切的向耶穌談及他們最近的經歷：有個拿撒勒人耶穌，祂是個先知，說話行事都有大能，卻被官府定了死罪，釘在十字架上。

以馬忤斯

2024-04-02 in , /by

路加福音24:13-35

13 正當那日，門徒中有兩個人往一個村子去。這村子名叫以馬忤斯，離耶路撒冷約有二十五裡。 14 他們彼此談論所遇見的這一切事。 15 正談論相問的時候，耶穌親自就近他們，和他們同行， 16 只是他們的眼睛迷糊了，不認識他。 17 耶穌對他們說：「你們走路彼此談論的是什麼事呢？」他們就站住，臉上帶著愁容。 18 二人中有一個名叫革流巴的回答說：「你在耶路撒冷作客，還不知道這幾天在那裡所出的事嗎？」 19 耶穌說：「什麼事呢？」他們說：「就是拿撒勒人耶穌的事。他是個先知，在神和眾百姓面前說話行事都有大能， 20 祭司長和我們的官府竟把他解去，定了死罪，釘在十字架上。 

復活當天，耶穌第三次顯現給正離開耶路撒冷前往以馬忤斯村落的兩位門徒（路24:13-35）；福音書中未曾描述這兩位門徒的事蹟，僅記載其中一人名叫革流巴，他們跟隨耶穌，但可能沒有像十二使徒那樣貼近耶穌，對耶穌的認識可能也有限。

耶穌像半途遇見的路人，接近這兩位門徒，與他們同行，且加入他們的談話，陪他們走了約二十五里路（約等於十一公里）。路途中，兩位門徒迫切的向耶穌談及他們最近的經歷：有個拿撒勒人耶穌，祂是個先知，說話行事都有大能，卻被官府定了死罪，釘在十字架上。

What Greatness Looks Like

2024-04-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 1:14-28.  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 1:14 (NIV)
14  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

On verse 14:  Verses 14-18 conclude what is known as the Prologue in John 1.  The Prologue summarizes some of the central truths about Jesus from the Gospel of John.  Just from verse 14 alone we learn that:

–        Jesus (the Word) “became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (v14a).  In other words, God became a man when Jesus entered this world and lived among people.  This is known as the Incarnation.

–        Jesus is the Son of God who came from the Father (v14b). 

–        Jesus is “full of grace and truth” (v14b).  Jesus is not just all grace, nor is he all truth.  He is full of both. 

–        For all these reasons, Jesus is unique and unlike anyone else.  That is why John calls Jesus “the One and Only”.

喜樂！不要害怕！去報喜訊！

2024-04-01 in , /by

馬太福音28:8-10

 8 婦女們就急忙離開墳墓，又害怕又大大地歡喜，跑去要報給他的門徒。 9 忽然，耶穌遇見她們，說：「願你們平安！」她們就上前抱住他的腳拜他。 10 耶穌對她們說：「不要害怕！你們去告訴我的弟兄，叫他們往加利利去，在那裡必見我。」

可16:1-8記載：七日的第一日清早，婦女來到墳墓那裡要膏耶穌的身體；發現墳墓已經空了，她們就從那裡逃跑，又發抖又驚奇，甚麼也不告訴人，因為她們害怕。

太28:8-10有不大一樣的描述：她們又害怕，又大大地歡喜，跑去通知耶穌的門徒。半途耶穌遇見她們，說：「願你們平安（原文是喜樂、高興，是見面的問候用語）！」她們就上前抱住他的腳拜他。耶穌對她們說：「不要害怕！你們去告訴我的弟兄，叫他們往加利利去，在那裡必見我。」

耶穌復活後，第二次顯現給又驚又喜的婦女們，她們親眼看耶穌受苦，斷氣，埋葬，現在也看見復活的耶穌。耶穌對她們說：喜樂！不要害怕！去報喜訊！

這群婦女真是有福了，她們真正領受到「死裡復活」的喜樂。「你們哀哭的人有福了！因為你們將要喜笑（路6:21）。」

「喜樂！」是因為耶穌復活是我們得救、得勝的確據。

The Word In The Beginning

2024-04-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

The Gospel of John is one of the most beloved books ever written.  While of course people like to debate everything, the best and most reasonable conclusion based on internal and external evidence is that John, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, wrote the Gospel of John.  While it’s unclear when exactly he wrote it, scholars I respect tend to date the Gospel of John between approximately 65 A.D. and 85 A.D.

Today’s passage is John 1:1-13.  These first 13 verses, along with verses 14-18, are known as “The Prologue” by scholars.  It serves as an introduction to, and in some ways, a summary of the entire story that John is going to tell about Jesus in this gospel.  According to many scholars, these verses contain “some of the most tightly reasoned patterns of theological reflection in the New Testament”[1].  Profound simplicity, as others have called it.  Let’s go!

我已經看見了主

2024-03-31 in , /by

約翰福音20:11-18

 11馬利亞卻站在墳墓外面哭。哭的時候，低頭往墳墓裡看， 12 就見兩個天使，穿著白衣，在安放耶穌身體的地方坐著，一個在頭，一個在腳。 13 天使對她說：「婦人，你為什麼哭？」她說：「因為有人把我主挪了去，我不知道放在哪裡。」 14 說了這話，就轉過身來，看見耶穌站在那裡，卻不知道是耶穌。 15 耶穌問她說：「婦人，為什麼哭？你找誰呢？」馬利亞以為是看園的，就對他說：「先生，若是你把他移了去，請告訴我你把他放在哪裡，我便去取他。」 16 耶穌說：「馬利亞！」馬利亞就轉過來，用希伯來話對他說：「拉波尼！」（「拉波尼」就是「夫子」的意思。） 17 耶穌說：「不要摸我，因我還沒有升上去見我的父。你往我弟兄那裡去，告訴他們說我要升上去見我的父，也是你們的父，見我的神，也是你們的神。」 18 抹大拉的馬利亞就去告訴門徒說：「我已經看見了主！」她又將主對她說的這話告訴他們。

第一位看見復活的耶穌是誰呢？抹大拉的馬利亞。

耶穌周遊各城各鄉傳道，宣講神國的福音，與祂同行的除了十二個門徒外，還有被惡鬼所附、被疾病所累、已經治好的幾個婦女…，這些婦女都是用自己的財物供給耶穌和門徒（路8:1-3）；抹大拉的馬利亞就是其中的一位，耶穌從她身上曾趕出七個鬼。

抹大拉（Migdal，「樓塔」之意）位於加利利海的西岸，介於迦百農和提比哩亞之間；耶穌給四千人吃飽後，渡過加利利海到了西岸，那地區稱為馬加丹（太15:39），大概包括抹大拉在內。

God’s Heart vs. My Heart

2024-03-31 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Jonah 4:1-11.  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!

Jonah 4:1-3 (NIV) 
1  But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 
2  He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 
3  Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
 
On verses 1-3:  God has just shown great mercy to the Ninevites by not bringing the destruction He had warned about (see Jonah 3:10).  What is Jonah’s response to God’s act of mercy?  Displeasure and anger.  Why?  It’s for the same reason that Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh to preach in the first place: Jonah despised the Ninevites.  Jonah had probably learned from the prophets Hosea and Amos that one day Assyria (of which Nineveh was or would be the capital city) would one day attack Jonah’s country of Israel.  So Jonah did not want God to spare the Ninevites.