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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. 

触摸主的钉痕和枪伤

2024-04-04 in , /by

约翰福音20:24-28

24 那十二个门徒中有称为低土马的多马，耶稣来的时候，他没有和他们同在。 25 那些门徒就对他说：「我们已经看见主了！」多马却说：「我非看见他手上的钉痕，用指头探入那钉痕，又用手探入他的肋旁，我总不信。」

26 过了八日，门徒又在屋里，多马也和他们同在。门都关了，耶稣来站在当中说：「愿你们平安！」 27 就对多马说：「伸过你的指头来，摸a]”>[a]我的手！伸出你的手来，探入我的肋旁！不要疑惑，总要信！」 28 多马说：「我的主！我的神！」 29 耶稣对他说：「你因看见了我才信，那没有看见就信的有福了！」

耶稣复活当天晚上显现给十个使徒看，但少了一个人，称为低土马的多马没有和他们同在。虽然同伴们对他说：「我们已经看见主了。」多马却说：「我非看见祂手上的钉痕，用指头探入那钉痕，又用手探入祂的肋旁，我总不信。」（约20:25）

耶稣在最后的晚餐为门徒祷告：「我与他们同在的时候，因你所赐给我的名保守了他们，我也护卫了他们；其中除了那灭亡之子，没有一个灭亡的，好叫经上的话得应验。」（约17:12）

耶稣没有忘记多马，八天以后，祂再次来到使徒聚集的屋里，站在当中说：「愿你们平安！」，这是圣经记载的第五次显现。

耶稣对多马说：「伸过你的指头来，摸（原文是看）我的手；伸出你的手来，探入我的肋旁。不要疑惑，总要信！」多马没有伸手探入的动作，直接向主承认：「我的主！我的神！」（约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. 

愿你们平安！

2024-04-03 in , /by

路加福音24:13-35

13 正当那日，门徒中有两个人往一个村子去。这村子名叫以马忤斯，离耶路撒冷约有二十五里。 14 他们彼此谈论所遇见的这一切事。 15 正谈论相问的时候，耶稣亲自就近他们，和他们同行， 16 只是他们的眼睛迷糊了，不认识他。 17 耶稣对他们说：「你们走路彼此谈论的是什么事呢？」他们就站住，脸上带着愁容。 18 二人中有一个名叫革流巴的回答说：「你在耶路撒冷作客，还不知道这几天在那里所出的事吗？」 19 耶稣说：「什么事呢？」他们说：「就是拿撒勒人耶稣的事。他是个先知，在神和众百姓面前说话行事都有大能， 20 祭司长和我们的官府竟把他解去，定了死罪，钉在十字架上。 

复活当天，耶稣第三次显现给正离开耶路撒冷前往以马忤斯村落的两位门徒（路24:13-35）；福音书中未曾描述这两位门徒的事蹟，仅记载其中一人名叫革流巴，他们跟随耶稣，但可能没有像十二使徒那样贴近耶稣，对耶稣的认识可能也有限。

耶稣像半途遇见的路人，接近这两位门徒，与他们同行，且加入他们的谈话，陪他们走了约二十五里路（约等于十一公里）。路途中，两位门徒迫切的向耶稣谈及他们最近的经历：有个拿撒勒人耶稣，祂是个先知，说话行事都有大能，却被官府定了死罪，钉在十字架上。

以马忤斯

2024-04-02 in , /by

路加福音24:13-35

13 正当那日，门徒中有两个人往一个村子去。这村子名叫以马忤斯，离耶路撒冷约有二十五里。 14 他们彼此谈论所遇见的这一切事。 15 正谈论相问的时候，耶稣亲自就近他们，和他们同行， 16 只是他们的眼睛迷糊了，不认识他。 17 耶稣对他们说：「你们走路彼此谈论的是什么事呢？」他们就站住，脸上带着愁容。 18 二人中有一个名叫革流巴的回答说：「你在耶路撒冷作客，还不知道这几天在那里所出的事吗？」 19 耶稣说：「什么事呢？」他们说：「就是拿撒勒人耶稣的事。他是个先知，在神和众百姓面前说话行事都有大能， 20 祭司长和我们的官府竟把他解去，定了死罪，钉在十字架上。 

复活当天，耶稣第三次显现给正离开耶路撒冷前往以马忤斯村落的两位门徒（路24:13-35）；福音书中未曾描述这两位门徒的事蹟，仅记载其中一人名叫革流巴，他们跟随耶稣，但可能没有像十二使徒那样贴近耶稣，对耶稣的认识可能也有限。

耶稣像半途遇见的路人，接近这两位门徒，与他们同行，且加入他们的谈话，陪他们走了约二十五里路（约等于十一公里）。路途中，两位门徒迫切的向耶稣谈及他们最近的经历：有个拿撒勒人耶稣，祂是个先知，说话行事都有大能，却被官府定了死罪，钉在十字架上。

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”.

喜乐！不要害怕！去报喜讯！

2024-04-01 in , /by

马太福音28:8-10

 8 妇女们就急忙离开坟墓，又害怕又大大地欢喜，跑去要报给他的门徒。 9 忽然，耶稣遇见她们，说：「愿你们平安！」她们就上前抱住他的脚拜他。 10 耶稣对她们说：「不要害怕！你们去告诉我的弟兄，叫他们往加利利去，在那里必见我。」

可16:1-8记载：七日的第一日清早，妇女来到坟墓那里要膏耶稣的身体；发现坟墓已经空了，她们就从那里逃跑，又发抖又惊奇，甚么也不告诉人，因为她们害怕。

太28:8-10有不大一样的描述：她们又害怕，又大大地欢喜，跑去通知耶稣的门徒。半途耶稣遇见她们，说：「愿你们平安（原文是喜乐、高兴，是见面的问候用语）！」她们就上前抱住他的脚拜他。耶稣对她们说：「不要害怕！你们去告诉我的弟兄，叫他们往加利利去，在那里必见我。」

耶稣复活后，第二次显现给又惊又喜的妇女们，她们亲眼看耶稣受苦，断气，埋葬，现在也看见复活的耶稣。耶稣对她们说：喜乐！不要害怕！去报喜讯！

这群妇女真是有福了，她们真正领受到「死里复活」的喜乐。「你们哀哭的人有福了！因为你们将要喜笑（路6:21）。」

「喜乐！」是因为耶稣复活是我们得救、得胜的确据。

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!

我已经看见了主

2024-03-31 in , /by

约翰福音20:11-18

 11马利亚却站在坟墓外面哭。哭的时候，低头往坟墓里看， 12 就见两个天使，穿着白衣，在安放耶稣身体的地方坐着，一个在头，一个在脚。 13 天使对她说：「妇人，你为什么哭？」她说：「因为有人把我主挪了去，我不知道放在哪里。」 14 说了这话，就转过身来，看见耶稣站在那里，却不知道是耶稣。 15 耶稣问她说：「妇人，为什么哭？你找谁呢？」马利亚以为是看园的，就对他说：「先生，若是你把他移了去，请告诉我你把他放在哪里，我便去取他。」 16 耶稣说：「马利亚！」马利亚就转过来，用希伯来话对他说：「拉波尼！」（「拉波尼」就是「夫子」的意思。） 17 耶稣说：「不要摸我，因我还没有升上去见我的父。你往我弟兄那里去，告诉他们说我要升上去见我的父，也是你们的父，见我的神，也是你们的神。」 18 抹大拉的马利亚就去告诉门徒说：「我已经看见了主！」她又将主对她说的这话告诉他们。

第一位看见复活的耶稣是谁呢？抹大拉的马利亚。

耶稣周游各城各乡传道，宣讲神国的福音，与祂同行的除了十二个门徒外，还有被恶鬼所附、被疾病所累、已经治好的几个妇女…，这些妇女都是用自己的财物供给耶稣和门徒（路8:1-3）；抹大拉的马利亚就是其中的一位，耶稣从她身上曾赶出七个鬼。

抹大拉（Migdal，「楼塔」之意）位于加利利海的西岸，介于迦百农和提比哩亚之间；耶稣给四千人吃饱后，渡过加利利海到了西岸，那地区称为马加丹（太15:39），大概包括抹大拉在内。

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.