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為義受逼迫的人有福了！

2024-04-15 in , /by

馬太福音5:10 為義受逼迫的人有福了！因為天國是他們的。

Matthew 5:10  Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (NIV)

Matthew 5:10  You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. (MSG)

耶穌說：「為義受逼迫的人有福了！因為天國是他們的。」（太5:10）

「人若因我辱罵你們，逼迫你們，捏造各樣壞話毀謗你們，你們就有福了！應當歡喜快樂，因為你們在天上的賞賜是大的。在你們以前的先知，人也是這樣逼迫他們。」（太5:11-12）

接續讀太5:11-12，我們才能明白「為義受逼迫」的意義，誠如使徒保羅所言：「誰能使我們與基督的愛隔絕呢？難道是患難嗎？是困苦嗎？是逼迫嗎？是飢餓嗎？是赤身露體嗎？是危險嗎？是刀劍嗎？」（羅8:35）這是初代教會信徒所面對的逼迫與危難。跟隨耶穌的使徒，一個個跟著耶穌走上十字架的道路，成為「為義受逼迫的人」。

Take Jesus at His Word

2024-04-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 4:43-54.  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 4:43-45 (NIV)
43  After the two days he left for Galilee.
44  (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.)
45  When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there.
 
On verses 43-45:  After spending two days in Samaria, Jesus heads for Galilee (v43).  Why does John mention here that Jesus said “a prophet has no honor in his own country” (v44), especially if Jesus just left Samaria where many put their faith in Him (v41) and was going to Galilee where the Galileans welcomed him (v45)?  Scholars have different theories on why.  Perhaps the best explanation is that verse 44 represents a transition point in John’s gospel.  Right before verse 44, we see Jesus experiencing great success reaching Samaritans.  Right after verse 44 John describes Jesus’ ministry to his own Jewish people, and though Jesus is at first welcomed and performs great miracles, the people would eventually respond by persecuting Jesus (John 5:16) and attempting to kill him (John 5:18). 

使人和睦的人有福了

2024-04-14 in , /by

馬太福音5:9 使人和睦的人有福了！因為他們必稱為神的兒子。

Matthew 5:9  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (NIV)

Matthew 5:9  You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. (MSG)

使人和睦的人有福了！因為他們必稱為神的兒子（太5:9）。我們藉著神的兒子耶穌基督在十字架上的寶血，與神和好，也將此和平的福音傳給四周的人（弗2:13-17）。

耶穌論及使人和睦的人必稱為神的兒子，表明的是：使人和睦不是自恃不凡，而是謙卑虛己；不是利己圖利，而是犧牲奉獻；帶來的果效不是批判與紛爭，而是和睦與平安。

Enjoy the Fruit of Jesus’ Labour

2024-04-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 4:31-42.  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 4:31-34 (NIV)
31  Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
32  But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
33  Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
34  “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
 
On verses 31-34:  I could see the disciples coming to Jesus with food already in their mouths and casually inviting Jesus to eat something (v31).  Yet Jesus’ response confuses them (v32-33).  When Jesus says, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (v34), what does he mean?  Jesus means that what drives him, satisfies him and empowers his life is doing his Father’s will and completing the assignment he has been given.  Jesus would say something related in Matthew 4 in the desert: “Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)  Take John 4:34 and Matthew 4:4 together and we get a powerful truth: Jesus fed on two things – meditating on God’s Word and doing God’s work.  

清心的人有福了！

2024-04-12 in , /by

馬太福音5:8 清心的人有福了！因為他們必得見神。

Matthew 5:8  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (NIV)

Matthew 5:8  You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. (MSG)

清心是什麼意思？我們不如從反面來思考。不清心是什麼意思？不清心就是心裡有一大堆事情，理也理不清；不清，就是混濁，或者也帶有有骯髒的意思，也就是在心裡罵人、看不起他人，性幻想，嫉妒或是苦毒，甚至想謀害人，等等。當我們的心又亂又濁時，別說想把事情弄清楚，可能自己都活得混混噩噩，更別說想看得見神了。

有時我們的心被憂慮纏住，被恐懼罩住，被哀傷蒙敝，被煩惱頂住，被憤怒控制，被利益熏心，對外界的一切都視若無睹，對真相更是模糊不清。這種情況下更看不見神。

因此，你可能會發現，我們這些俗人若要見神，非得靠信心不可。只有靠著信心衝破這一切世俗的鏈子，用信心的眼去單單仰望神，才能進入與神相交的境界。單單仰望神，就是只有看耶穌，不看錢，不看人的臉色，不看除了耶穌以外的一切人或物。

What does it mean to “worship in spirit and in truth”?

2024-04-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 4:15-30.  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 4:15-18 (NIV)
15  The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16  He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17  “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband.
18  The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

Verses 15-18: The Samaritan woman’s curiosity for the living water Jesus offers turns into a real desire for it. She asks Jesus for this living water, but Jesus responds by saying “Go, call your husband and come back.” Why does Jesus do that? It’s because Jesus knew that this woman had been in a handful of failed marriages, and now she was living with someone she was not married to. Subtly Jesus was telling the woman that in order to experience the living water that Jesus makes available, she needed to repent of sin.  

憐恤人的人有福了！

2024-04-11 in , /by

馬太福音5:7 憐恤人的人有福了！因為他們必蒙憐恤。

Matthew 5:7  Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (NIV)

Matthew 5:7  You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for. (MSG)

耶穌說：「憐恤人的人有福了！因為他們必蒙憐恤。」（太5:7）

憐恤別人，重點不在於自己感覺好不好、能不能，而在於我們肯不肯。我們的肯，可以將神的憐恤、愛和能力帶給需要的人，同時也帶給我們自己，神的憐恤會改變別人、也改變我們自己。神的憐恤就是福音的大能，需要透過人的「肯」，才會流露出來，一兩個人的「肯」，可以帶出神的憐恤；許多人的「肯」，可以帶出神豐沛的憐恤。

有一天，有個區牧來和我交通，最近有許多老人家決志信主，有些已經受洗、有些人躺在病床上等著他去探訪，他說，老人家對於愛的探訪、禱告、關懷是非常有反應的。那天早上他去探訪一對老人家，他們擺了「滿漢全席」請他吃早餐，他一口氣吃了五碗稀飯、兩個饅頭，把他撐得半死！﹙憐恤老人家的有福了，因為必有稀飯、早餐吃！﹚

The Answer to Your Deepest Longing

2024-04-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 4:1-14.  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 4:1-3 (NIV)
1  The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John,
2  although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples.
3  When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
 
On verses 1-3:  Notice that Jesus was intentional and careful in his movements. 
 
John 4:4-6 (NIV)
4  Now he had to go through Samaria.
5  So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
6  Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

飢渴慕義的人有福了！

2024-04-10 in , /by

馬太福音5:6 飢渴慕義的人有福了！因為他們必得飽足。

Matthew 5:6  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.(NIV)

Matthew 5:6  You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. (MSG)

耶穌說：「飢渴慕義的人有福了！因為他們必得飽足（餵養、內在被滿足）。」（太5:6）「飢渴慕義的人」是渴望實行神旨意的人，渴望個人稱義、個人行為合於義，並讓神的公義得以彰顯。神給這種人的賞賜就是「滿足他們的渴望」。

耶穌在加利利遇見伯賽大人腓力，對他說：「來跟從我吧。」接著，腓力找到拿但業，帶他見耶穌，耶穌指著他說：「看哪，這是個真以色列人，他心裡是沒有詭詐的。…腓力還沒有招呼你，你在無花果樹底下，我就看見你了。…你將要看見比這更大的事…。」（約1:43-51）

Let Jesus Get the Glory

2024-04-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 3:22-36.  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 3:22-30 (NIV)
22  After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.
23  Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized.

On verses 22-30:  I absolutely love and admire the humility of John the Baptist.  Instead of envying Jesus because Jesus was baptizing more people than he was and becoming more popular than he was (v26), John the Baptist displays incredible humility.  First, John says, “A man can only receive what has been given to him from heaven.” (v27)  In other words, instead of worrying about what he didn’t have, John the Baptist simply focused on what he did have because of God’s grace and was thankful for it.  Likewise, may you not worry and fret about what you don’t have but be thankful for what you do have.