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With Jesus there is real life

2024-04-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 6:52-59.  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 6:52-59 (NIV)
52  Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53  Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
54  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

On verse 52-59:  When taken out of context these words from Jesus may sound like Jesus is promoting cannibalism or a vampire culture.  But read these words in context and it is clear that when Jesus talks about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, Jesus is not talking about actually physically his flesh and drinking his blood; rather Jesus is talking about believing in him.  As Jesus says in verse 47, “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.”  Whenever you come across a verse or a passage in the Bible that you find hard to understand, always consider the context (i.e. what is written immediately before it and after it as well as the surrounding background behind it) so that you can better understand its intended meaning.

世上的光

2024-04-26 in , /by

馬太福音5:14-16 你們是世上的光。城造在山上，是不能隱藏的。 15 人點燈，不放在斗底下，是放在燈臺上，就照亮一家的人。 16 你們的光也當這樣照在人前，叫他們看見你們的好行為，便將榮耀歸給你們在天上的父。

哥林多前書6:20  因為你們是重價買來的，所以要在你們的身子上榮耀神。

城造在山上、燈立在燈臺

耶穌說：「你們是世上的光。城造在山上是不能隱藏的。人點燈，不放在斗底下，是放在燈臺上，就照亮一家的人。你們的光也當這樣照在人前，叫他們看見你們的好行為，便將榮耀歸給你們在天上的父。」（太5:14-16）

前幾天舉辦一個研討會，來了許多廠商，會前彼此遞名片相互介紹。一位廠商看了我名片上的福音字句，特別問我：「你是基督徒？」我很高興遇見同信的弟兄，我反問：「你也是基督徒？」

Don’t Worry About What You Can’t Control

2024-04-25 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 6:41-51.  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 6:41-43 (NIV)
41  At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”
42  They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
43  “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered.
 
On verses 41-43:  Even after God had given the Israelites in Moses’ time bread from heaven in the form of manna, they grumbled (Exodus 17:3).  When God gave the Israelites the true bread from heaven which is Jesus, what did they do? They grumbled as well (v41, 43).  Now if God can’t please everyone, what makes you think you can please everyone?  Don’t live for the approval of others.  Rather, live to please God. 

不要再犯罪

2024-04-25 in , /by

約翰福音5:1-14  這事以後，到了猶太人的一個節期，耶穌就上耶路撒冷去。2 在耶路撒冷，靠近羊門有一個池子，希伯來話叫做畢士大，旁邊有五個廊子， 3 裡面躺著瞎眼的、瘸腿的、血氣枯乾的許多病人。 5 在那裡有一個人，病了三十八年。 6 耶穌看見他躺著，知道他病了許久，就問他說：「你要痊癒嗎？」 7 病人回答說：「先生，水動的時候，沒有人把我放在池子裡，我正去的時候，就有別人比我先下去。」 8 耶穌對他說：「起來，拿你的褥子走吧！」 9 那人立刻痊癒，就拿起褥子來走了。

我們的神有憐憫，有恩典，不輕易發怒，且有豐盛的慈愛（詩103:8）；在耶穌裡，我們因信稱義，罪得赦免，在我們裡面充充滿滿地有恩典有真理（約1:14）。

在基督完全且豐盛的愛中，我們習慣於呼求得憐憫，認罪得赦免，而忽略了恩典要帶出的「改變」；耶穌醫治病了三十八年的病人（約5:1-14），提醒他：「你已經痊癒了，不要再犯罪…」（約5:14），耶穌赦免行淫被拿的婦人（約8:3-11），也提醒她：「…去吧，從此不要再犯罪了！」（約8:11）

新舊融合作天國的門徒

2024-04-24 in , /by

馬太福音13:51-52  耶穌說：「這一切的話你們都明白了嗎？」他們說：「我們明白了。」 52 他說：「凡文士受教做天國的門徒，就像一個家主從他庫裡拿出新舊的東西來。」

馬可福音12:38-40  耶穌在教訓之間說：「你們要防備文士。他們好穿長衣遊行，喜愛人在街市上問他們的安， 39 又喜愛會堂裡的高位、筵席上的首座。 40 他們侵吞寡婦的家產，假意作很長的禱告。這些人要受更重的刑罰！」

耶穌時代的文士又稱為律法師（太22:35，路10:25，路11:45-52，路14:3），他們是舊約的聖經學者、翻譯人和教師，但卻又是耶穌的大敵人，耶穌指摘他們的傳統令神的道無法彰顯（太23章，可12:38-40）。

耶穌用文士受教來比喻熟知舊約律法的人，若他們能接受耶穌傳講的天國福音，且能依循遵行而成為門徒，就好像從庫裡（原文是寶庫、財寶盒，用來收存財物和珍寶的地方）拿出新、舊寶物一樣，同時融合舊約的思想和耶穌的教訓。

律法師曾質問耶穌最大的誡命？耶穌回答：「你要盡心、盡性、盡意、盡力愛主你的神。」（可12:30，路10:27，太22:37）比較舊約律法的最大誡命（申6:4-9），耶穌增加了「盡意」愛神一項，意(mind)一字在原文可詮釋為心思、理解、頭腦、悟性。耶穌回應律法師的挑戰，提醒他們要盡意（盡智），用心思和悟性明白神的心意，才能完全行出舊約律法所規範的「愛主你的神」。

Seeing Is Not Always Believing

2024-04-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 6:32-40.  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 6:32-33 (NIV)
32  Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
33  For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
 
On verses 32-33:  Keep in mind the context:  Just the day before, Jesus has fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread (v5-15).  So now the crowd continues to follow Jesus, hoping to get another free lunch from him.  They ask Jesus for another miraculous sign and talk about how their ancestors got to eat bread from heaven in the desert (v30-31).  In this context, Jesus makes two important clarifications:

–  First, it wasn’t Moses who gave the Israelites bread from heaven.  It was God (v32).  Moses was a conduit for that bread, but every good and perfect gift is sourced in your heavenly Father (James 1:17).

隨時享有安息日的安息

2024-04-23 in , /by

希伯來書 3:7-11 聖靈有話說：「你們今日若聽祂的話， 8 就不可硬著心，像在曠野惹祂發怒、試探祂的時候一樣。 9 在那裡，你們的祖宗試我探我，並且觀看我的作為有四十年之久。 10 所以，我厭煩那世代的人，說：『他們心裡常常迷糊，竟不曉得我的作為。』 11 我就在怒中起誓說：『他們斷不可進入我的安息。』」

猶太曆法的安息日是一週的第七天（一週的第一天是星期日），亦即星期六，而猶太日曆的一天是從日落算起，並非從午夜開始，因此，安息日是從星期五的日落到星期六的日落前。

值得思考的是，與神聯結、分別為聖是僅限在一週中的一天嗎？若「安息日」僅是代表屬神的日子，那一週其餘的六天，我們的歸屬在哪裡？

希伯來書提及聖靈有話說：「…你們的祖宗試我探我，並且觀看我的作為有四十年之久。…我就在怒中起誓說：『他們斷不可進入我的安息』（來3:7-11）。」這裡的「安息」在希臘原文為Katapausis，是指身體上的「休息」；七十士譯本使用這字，說明以色列人經過430年流亡生活，舊的一代屍首倒在曠野，但是新生一代終於回到應許之地（迦南地）永久安居，即「（定居）安息」或「（在某地）安息」之意（詩95:7-11，來3:7-11）。

Don’t Just Focus on the Immediate. Think About Eternity.

2024-04-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 6:16-31.  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 6:16-21 (NIV)
16  When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,
17  where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.
18  A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.
19  When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified.
20  But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”
21  Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

On verses 16-21:  Notice that fear kept the disciples from letting Jesus into the boat, but the moment they heard Jesus’ words, their fear subsided and they were willing to let him aboard.  Like the disciples, don’t be afraid of Jesus, but be “willing to take him into the boat” (v21) with you.

聖靈帶領我們在主裡面享安息

2024-04-22 in , /by

約翰福音 14:16-18   「我要求父，父就另外賜給你們一位保惠師，叫祂永遠與你們同在， 17 就是真理的聖靈，乃世人不能接受的，因為不見祂，也不認識祂。你們卻認識祂，因祂常與你們同在，也要在你們裡面。 18 我不撇下你們為孤兒，我必到你們這裡來。 19 還有不多的時候，世人不再看見我，你們卻看見我，因為我活著，你們也要活著。

約翰福音 14:26  但保惠師，就是父因我的名所要差來的聖靈，祂要將一切的事指教你們，並且要叫你們想起我對你們所說的一切話。

信主的人要在主裡面得安息，確屬不易；當我們生活缺乏時，心中擔心神的供應是否足夠？當我們工作忙碌時，腦海焦慮何時可以完成？怎能歇下？當我們面對試探時，靈裡交戰我們的身分、歸屬？在困難、徬徨、悲傷、失敗…的環境中，我們需要幫助、指引、安慰、鼓勵…，我們如何得安息？

耶穌在最後的晚餐中，面對心裡憂愁、充滿疑惑的門徒說：「…我要求父，父就另外賜給你們一位保惠師，叫祂永遠與你們同在，就是真理的聖靈，…你們卻認識祂，因祂常與你們同在，也要在你們裡面。…。」（約14:16-18）

「保惠師」的希臘文為parakletos，是由para（從旁）及kletos（召喚）兩個字組合而成，意思是被召喚去從旁提供援助的人，原本指在法庭上提供司法援助的人，後來引申作中保、代求者、幫助者、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.”