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You Belong to Someone Stronger

2022-11-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 3:20-30.  Let’s go!

Mark 3:20-22 (NIV)
20  Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.
21  When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
22  And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”
 
On verses 20-22:  In our day a lot of people long to be famous.  But here we learn something about fame from the most famous person of all, Jesus Christ: fame is a double-edged sword.  For example:
 
You may have crowds that love you, but you’ll also find it difficult to have a normal life because of it.  For example, Jesus couldn’t eat his meal because there were people crowding him and clamouring for his attention (v20).  

一个母亲的肺腑之言

2022-11-15 in , /by

箴言31:2  我的儿啊，我腹中生的儿啊，我许愿得的儿啊，我当怎样教训你呢？

阅读经文：箴言 31:1-9

1利慕伊勒王的言语，是他母亲教训他的真言。2我的儿啊，我腹中生的儿啊，我许愿得的儿啊，我当怎样教训你呢？3不要将你的精力给妇女，也不要有败坏君王的行为。4利慕伊勒啊，君王喝酒，君王喝酒不相宜，王子说「浓酒在哪里」也不相宜。5恐怕喝了就忘记律例，颠倒一切困苦人的是非。6可以把浓酒给将亡的人喝，把清酒给苦心的人喝。7让他喝了，就忘记他的贫穷，不再记念他的苦楚。8你当为哑巴开口，为一切孤独的申冤。9你当开口按公义判断，为困苦和穷乏的辨屈。

有人知道利慕伊勒王是谁吗？知道的请提供消息。在各种查经资料里有许多猜测，在这里我只采用两种比较有可能的说法。第一是根据古老拉比们的说法，他们认为利慕伊勒Lemuel就是所罗门王。在巴比伦《塔木德》一书里指出所罗门一共有六个名字，其中有一个名字就是利慕伊勒，意思就是“towards (lemo) God (el)向着神”。

有位拉比Moncure Daniel Conway曾写过一本有关所罗门王的书，其中有一段故事发生在拔示巴和所罗门之间，和今天的经文有关。大家还记得拔示巴吗？她就是大卫王不择手段抢来的女人，所罗门就是他们的第二个孩子，第一个在神的惩罚下死了。故事是这样的，在所罗门建了圣殿，献殿的那天，所罗门王和埃及公主成婚。那天所罗门喝得酩酊大醉，到第二天才醒来。因为开圣殿的钥匙放在所罗门的枕头下面，因此无法开启圣殿的门。大家都不敢去吵醒所罗门王，因此他的母亲拔示巴进入他的卧室并责备他。

Jesus Values Teamwork

2022-11-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 3:7-19.  Let’s go!

Mark 3:7-19 (NIV)
7  Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed.
8  When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.
9  Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him.
10  For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him.

On verses 7-19:  For those of you who want to make a difference in this world, remember this lesson from Jesus’ life:  It’s not enough to draw a crowd.  You need to raise a team of leaders.

Given his abilities and the crowds he was drawing, Jesus could have chosen to be a one man show.  But wisely, that wasn’t Jesus’ way.  Jesus knew the value of team.  That is why in the midst of all of his fame, popularity and busyness as a public figure, Jesus took the time here to assemble a team.

不要自找罪受

2022-11-14 in , /by

箴言30:32   你若行事愚顽自高自傲，或是怀了恶念，就当用手摀口。

阅读经文：箴言 30:32-33

32你若行事愚顽自高自傲，或是怀了恶念，就当用手摀口。33摇牛奶必成奶油，扭鼻子必出血，照样，激动怒气必起争端。

32-33 If you’re dumb enough to call attention to yourself  by offending people and making rude gestures, Don’t be surprised if someone bloodies your nose. Churned milk turns into butter;  riled motions turn into fist fights. 《The Message》

我们都知道神称迦南地为流奶与蜜之地。张文亮教授在他的《圣经与植物》一书里，曾经提及，“迦南美地是世界上花草类最多的地方，种类在两千七百种以上，而且持续有新种发现。花草多，代表可供蓄牧的草料多，奶和牛奶的生产量就多；花草多，吸引来的蜜蜂也多，所生产的蜜就多。（引用自p.23） ” 今天这节经文：“摇牛奶必成奶油”，在中东和巴勒斯坦（即迦南地）所说的奶油，和现在我们从西方人得知的奶油是一样的吗？

Don’t Miss the Big Picture

2022-11-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 3:1-6.  Let’s go!

Mark 3:1-2 (NIV)
1  Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there.
2  Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.

On verses 1-2:  The Pharisees were in “church”, that is, in the synagogue, but their focus was not on worshiping Yahweh.  Their focus was looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, to see in particular if Jesus would heal a worshipper in attendance with a shriveled hand.

How about you?  When you go to church, is your focus on giving God your best worship or are you more focused on seeing the people and judging what they do?  It’s no wonder Jesus was angry and “deeply distressed” (v5) by the way the Pharisees conducted themselves in the synagogue.

各类型的领袖

2022-11-13 in , /by

箴言30:29   步行威武的有三样，连行走威武的共有四样。

阅读经文：箴言 30:29-31

29步行威武的有三样，连行走威武的共有四样，30就是狮子，乃百兽中最为猛烈、无所躲避的，31猎狗、公山羊和无人能敌的君王。

狮子型的领袖

「狮子乃百兽中最为猛烈，无所躲避的．」(箴言三十：30)

「狮子」的原文在箴言里有丰富的涵义，在这里有「猛烈分开」的意思。狮子有利爪、利牙，爆发力，冲劲，吼叫声音又大，经常采主动攻击，难怪是百兽之王。要想对抗牠的，将会被撕得粉碎。这类比要成为领袖的人，需要勇往向前，遇到阻碍，解开问题，为后面的跟随者，开出一条路。如同施洗约翰「预备主的道，修直祂的路。」(马可福音一：3)

需要有狮子的领袖，才能接受托负，完成任务；承续异象，完成使命。当我们靠主，有颗狮子的心，许多前面的雾气就消除。在困难的事上，主会给我们狮子的力量，去征服。(张文亮教授)

聪明的小物

2022-11-11 in , /by

箴言30:24   地上有四样小物，却甚聪明。

阅读经文：箴言 30:21-23

24地上有四样小物，却甚聪明：25蚂蚁是无力之类，却在夏天预备粮食；26沙番是软弱之类，却在磐石中造房；27蝗虫没有君王，却分队而出；28守宫用爪抓墙，却住在王宫。

蚂蚁的聪明

「蚂蚁是无力之类，却在夏天预备粮食．」(箴言三十：25)

上帝要我们观看蚂蚁，牠们的体长大都小于1公分，上帝称牠们是地上的小物，非常聪明。牠们能将食物先分割成小小的一块，再搬回自己的巢。「蚂蚁」的原文就是切割者，牠们每一次都只拿一点点，是自己体力能背负，不将自己的所需成重担，这是牠们的聪明。

蚂蚁知道工作与时机有关，在夏天的时候特别卖力。夏天炎热，其实不适合野外的劳力者。蚂蚁却知道夏天是食物最多的时候，夏天的干旱也不会有雨水，冲走牠们沿途所布的路标—费洛蒙，蚂蚁在夏天可以走最远。

中国人也称赞牠们，工作辛勤如马快速，称为「蚂」，互相合作，如君子行事公义，称为「蚁」。是的，我们要像蚂蚁，当趁今日，多做主工，又知切割的分量。

I Think You Need a New Container

2022-11-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 2:13-22.  Let’s go!

Mark 2:13-14 (NIV)
13  Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them.
14  As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
 
On verses 13-14:  Levi, who is also known as Matthew, made his living as a tax collector.  Many Jews looked down on Jewish tax collectors since they were known for taking money from their own people, giving it to the Roman government and in some cases pocketing some of that money for themselves.  So the word “tax collector” became a derogatory synonym for someone who was a cheat and who couldn’t be trusted. 
 
Yet Jesus didn’t let Levi’s occupation or a stereotype stop him from calling Levi.  In today’s cancel culture, Levi would be written off as someone you can’t trust.  But Jesus saw potential in people whom others were prone to passing by.  Not only would Levi become one of Jesus’ disciples, but God would apparently use Levi and his skills to write the Gospel of Matthew, one of the most important books in the Bible.

Faith That Makes A Difference

2022-11-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 2:1-12.  Let’s go!

Mark 2:1 (NIV)
1  A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.
 
On verse 1:  Wait. Wasn’t Jesus born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth?  Why do people say that Jesus has come home when he returned to Capernaum?  It’s because Capernaum is known as the place that Jesus treated as his hub or his base when his public ministry began. 

Mark 2:2-4 (NIV)
2  So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.
3  Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.
4  Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.
 
On verses 2-4:  Here’s one of my favourite leadership equations, coined by Pastor Craig Groeschel:  Passion + Limited Resources + A Willingness to Fail = Innovation.