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God’s Love Drives Out Our Fear

2023-11-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is 1 John 4:13-21.  Let’s go!

1 John 4:13-14 (NIV) 
13  We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 
14  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

On verses 13-14:  In other words, the faith that John and his fellow apostles preach is not merely about believing in abstract ideas.  Rather their faith comes with a real experience of God’s Holy Spirit (v13), and their testimony is based on having actually seen this Jesus who was sent from the Father to be the Saviour of the world (v14).  In other words, Christian faith is not simply a bunch of philosophical principles and ideas about metaphysics.  Rather, the Christian faith is grounded in historical fact and is accompanied by a real, life-changing experience of the Holy Spirit. 

何西阿受命

2023-11-06 in , /by

何西阿書1:2b  你去娶淫婦為妻，也收那從淫亂所生的兒女，因為這地大行淫亂，離棄耶和華。

閱讀經文:  何西阿書 1:1-3

1當烏西雅、約坦、亞哈斯、希西家做猶大王，約阿施的兒子耶羅波安做以色列王的時候，耶和華的話臨到備利的兒子何西阿。

世界上的愛情故事很多，可是像〈何西阿書〉這一本寫愛情的書，一開始就令人愕然不已。很多人尋求神祝福的婚姻，求神帶領他們找到神為自己預備的配偶。若你是何西阿，神真的為你預備了祂所選給你的配偶，你要不要接受？你會不會接受？我們所期望的配偶都是要與我們匹配的，門戶相當的，但是若對方與你不匹配，不門戶相當，你還會考慮這個婚姻嗎？藉著一個婚姻的悲劇，神要讓我們明白祂對我們的愛，以及何謂真正的愛情。

在公元八世紀裡，神興起了幾位大先知，向北國以色列發言的是阿摩司和何西阿，向南國猶大發言的是以賽亞和彌迦。從人的眼光來看，那並不是一個太差的時代。當時北國以色列的王是耶羅波安二世，南國猶大的王是烏西雅王；在他們當政時，國家都變得富強壯大。

生命冊的挑戰

2023-11-05 in , /by

但以理書12:2  睡在塵埃中的必有多人復醒，其中有得永生的，有受羞辱永遠被憎惡的。

閱讀經文:  但以理書 12:1-13

1「那時，保佑你本國之民的天使長米迦勒必站起來，並且有大艱難，從有國以來直到此時沒有這樣的。你本國的民中，凡名錄在冊上的，必得拯救。 2 睡在塵埃中的必有多人復醒，其中有得永生的，有受羞辱永遠被憎惡的。 3 智慧人必發光，如同天上的光；那使多人歸義的，必發光如星，直到永永遠遠。 4 但以理啊，你要隱藏這話，封閉這書，直到末時。必有多人來往奔跑，知識就必增長。」

〈但以理書〉到尾聲了，有點捨不得結束。想到在異國裡守住敬虔的但以理，就覺得應該向他看齊，學習他不管在什麼環境下都尊主為大的生活方式。不要害怕人言可畏，也不要擔心必然受害。我想這就是他大蒙神眷愛的原因之一。主耶穌說，“清心的人有福了，因為他們得以見神”（太5:8）。我想，但以理就是最好的例子了。

在11章40-45節裡，我們沒有太多討論。因為大部份聖經學者都認為，那段時間，也就是12章所說的“大艱難”，是指安提阿哥四世的迫害或末世的大災難，或說是安提阿哥四世末期或主耶穌第二次降臨前景。所以在這裡給大家做個參考。

How God Shows His Love

2023-11-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is 1 John 4:7-12.  Let’s go!

1 John 4:7-12 (NIV) 
7  Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 
8  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 
9  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 
10  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 
11  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 
12  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
 
On verses 7-12:  This is one of my favourite passages in 1 John, so much so that when Sharleen and I got married this was the passage we chose to be read at our wedding.  This passage is not just beautifully written; more importantly, it is one of the best summaries you will find in the Bible of what Christianity is all about, teaching us that:

空前的試探與挑戰

2023-11-03 in , /by

但以理書11: 35  智慧人中有些仆倒的，為要熬煉其餘的人，使他們清淨潔白，直到末了，因為到了定期，事就了結。

閱讀經文:  但以理書 11:28-45

28 「北方王必帶許多財寶回往本國，他的心反對聖約，任意而行，回到本地。 29 到了定期，他必返回，來到南方，後一次卻不如前一次。 30 因為基提戰船必來攻擊他，他就喪膽而回，又要惱恨聖約，任意而行。他必回來聯絡背棄聖約的人。 31 他必興兵，這兵必褻瀆聖地，就是保障，除掉常獻的燔祭，設立那行毀壞可憎的。 32 作惡違背聖約的人，他必用巧言勾引；唯獨認識神的子民，必剛強行事。

在兩約之間的四百年裡，猶太人與外邦統治者在政治及文化上的衝突，以及猶太人相互之間，因外來勢力的干擾所造成的摩擦，促成了原本團結內斂的猶太人，分裂為不同的宗教集團和黨派，醞釀了400年末期同族兄弟自相殘殺的血腥史。

亞歷山大是個英勇明智的帝王，深深明白武力的征服只是一時，唯有文化的改變才能長久，因此他立志要把希臘文化傳遍當時的世界。他沿著征服之地建築希臘化的城巿，鼓勵馬其頓人與當地的女子通婚，凡他的軍隊所到之處，都感受到希臘文化的震撼，巴勒斯坦也不例外。

Greater Is He Who Is In You

2023-11-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is 1 John 4:1-6.  Let’s go!

1 John 4:1-3 (NIV) 
1  Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 
2  This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 
3  but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

On verses 1-3:  Why is John telling his readers to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (v1)?  It’s because in John’s day false prophets were preaching messages that contradicted the gospel message, the message that Jesus Christ the Son of God came into this world, died for our sins, and rose again.  For example, historians report that a man called Cerinthus taught that Jesus was not divine and that he was not supernaturally born of a virgin but that he was the naturally born son of Joseph and Mary. 

卑鄙的人做王

2023-11-02 in , /by

但以理書11: 23  與那君結盟之後，他必行詭詐，因為他必上來以微小的軍成為強盛。

閱讀經文:  但以理書 11:20-27

20 那時，必有一人興起接續他為王，使橫征暴斂的人通行國中的榮美地。這王不多日就必滅亡，卻不因憤怒，也不因爭戰。

21 必有一個卑鄙的人興起接續為王，人未曾將國的尊榮給他，他卻趁人坦然無備的時候，用諂媚的話得國。 22 必有無數的軍兵勢如洪水，在他面前沖沒敗壞，同盟的君也必如此。

希望大家還分得清楚，南方王是指埃及的多利買王朝；北方王是敘利亞的西流古王朝，西流古是王的稱號，其姓氏為安提阿哥。安提阿哥三世和羅馬大戰之後，因為潰不成軍，只好把所佔領的小亞細亞之地全數歸還羅馬。羅馬不僅要求他要付大量的賠款和土地，每年要進貢，還命令他將王弟安提阿哥四世（以彼芬尼）送到羅馬做人質。他建立大帝國的夢粉碎了，又受到這樣的侮辱，灰心喪志地回國後，第二年就死了。傳說他在以攔的彼勒神廟裡搶劫寶器時，被大臣希利奧當斯所殺。其子西流古四世繼位。

因為西流古三世長年爭戰，等西流古四世繼位時，國庫空空如也，又得每年向羅馬進貢一千他連得銀子。一他連得的銀子約現值6606美元，一千他連得的銀子便是6606,000美元，六百六十多萬的美元。所以他只好横徵暴斂，無所不用其極地苛征重稅。

What to Do with a Self-Condemning Heart

2023-11-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is 1 John 3:18-24.  Let’s go!
 
1 John 3:18 (NIV) 
18  Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

On verse 18:  One of the big themes of 1 John is that true love is shown not just with our words but with our actions.  When it comes to love, actions speak louder than words.  I encourage you to memorize this verse.
 
1 John 3:19-20 (NIV) 
19  This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence
20  whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

On verses 19-20:   Has your own heart ever condemned you?  Have you ever wrestled with the thought, “maybe I’m not a child of God after all or maybe God is not with me”? The first way John says we can reassure ourselves is by focusing on the fruit of our lives, instead of on our feelings. 

南方王和北方王的爭戰之二

2023-11-01 in , /by

但以理書11: 10 北方王的二子必動干戈，招聚許多軍兵。這軍兵前去，如洪水氾濫，又必再去爭戰，直到南方王的保障。

閱讀經文:  但以理書 11:10-19

10 「北方王的二子必動干戈，招聚許多軍兵。這軍兵前去，如洪水氾濫，又必再去爭戰，直到南方王的保障。 11 南方王必發烈怒，出來與北方王爭戰，擺列大軍，北方王的軍兵必交付他手。 12 他的眾軍高傲，他的心也必自高，他雖使數萬人仆倒，卻不得常勝。

在新舊約之中的四百年，實在是腥風血雨。巴勒斯坦，神賜給以色列人的那塊地，成了列強爭奪的戰場。剛開始在埃及的三個多利買王對以色列人還算友善，巴勒斯坦歸埃及所管，所以猶大省的猶大人漸漸多起來。他們很有作生意的頭腦，加上那時推羅已衰敗，所以他們都變得很富有。到了埃及多利買王朝的後期，巴勒斯坦變成一塊令人垂涎的肥肉。

多利買三世打敗西流古二世之後，西流古二世的兩個兒子決意雪洗前恥，繼承父志，打敗埃及。這兩個兒子是指西流古三世和他的弟弟安提阿哥三世，為要振興國勢，他們招兵買馬剷除異己，準備向外侵略。西流古三世在小亞細亞攻打別迦摩的戰事中陣亡，安提阿哥三世繼承哥哥的王位，又稱為大安提阿哥。

Let God’s Word Bring Us To Our Knees

2023-11-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is 1 John 3:9-17.  Let’s go!
 
1 John 3:9-11 (NIV) 
9  No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 
10  This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. 
11  This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
 
On verses 9-11:  John puts it in such black and white terms: 
 · Those who do what is right belong to God.  Those who sin don’t belong to God.  (v9-10)
 · Those who love their fellow brothers and sisters belong to God.  Those who hate their fellow brothers and sisters don’t belong to God (v10b-11).
So say you’re someone who has trusted Jesus as your Saviour.