Entries by

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.

各類型的領袖

2022-11-13 in , /by

箴言30:29   步行威武的有三樣，連行走威武的共有四樣。

閱讀經文：箴言 30:29-31

29步行威武的有三樣，連行走威武的共有四樣，30就是獅子，乃百獸中最為猛烈、無所躲避的，31獵狗、公山羊和無人能敵的君王。

獅子型的領袖

「獅子乃百獸中最為猛烈，無所躲避的．」(箴言三十：30)

「獅子」的原文在箴言裡有豐富的涵義，在這裡有「猛烈分開」的意思。獅子有利爪、利牙，爆發力，衝勁，吼叫聲音又大，經常採主動攻擊，難怪是百獸之王。要想對抗牠的，將會被撕得粉碎。這類比要成為領袖的人，需要勇往向前，遇到阻礙，解開問題，為後面的跟隨者，開出一條路。如同施洗約翰「預備主的道，修直祂的路。」(馬可福音一：3)

需要有獅子的領袖，才能接受托負，完成任務；承續異象，完成使命。當我們靠主，有顆獅子的心，許多前面的霧氣就消除。在困難的事上，主會給我們獅子的力量，去征服。(張文亮教授)

聰明的小物

2022-11-11 in , /by

箴言30:24   地上有四樣小物，卻甚聰明。

閱讀經文：箴言 30:21-23

24地上有四樣小物，卻甚聰明：25螞蟻是無力之類，卻在夏天預備糧食；26沙番是軟弱之類，卻在磐石中造房；27蝗蟲沒有君王，卻分隊而出；28守宮用爪抓牆，卻住在王宮。

螞蟻的聰明

「螞蟻是無力之類，卻在夏天預備糧食．」(箴言三十：25)

上帝要我們觀看螞蟻，牠們的體長大都小於1公分，上帝稱牠們是地上的小物，非常聰明。牠們能將食物先分割成小小的一塊，再搬回自己的巢。「螞蟻」的原文就是切割者，牠們每一次都只拿一點點，是自己體力能背負，不將自己的所需成重擔，這是牠們的聰明。

螞蟻知道工作與時機有關，在夏天的時候特別賣力。夏天炎熱，其實不適合野外的勞力者。螞蟻卻知道夏天是食物最多的時候，夏天的乾旱也不會有雨水，沖走牠們沿途所佈的路標—費洛蒙，螞蟻在夏天可以走最遠。

中國人也稱讚牠們，工作辛勤如馬快速，稱為「螞」，互相合作，如君子行事公義，稱為「蟻」。是的，我們要像螞蟻，當趁今日，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.

何等恩典

2022-11-10 in , /by

箴言30:21   使地震動的有三樣，連地擔不起的共有四樣。

閱讀經文：箴言 30:21-23

21使地震動的有三樣，連地擔不起的共有四樣，22就是僕人做王，愚頑人吃飽，23醜惡的女子出嫁，婢女接續主母。

這亞古珥也太幽默了一些，這些事情在現代人眼中，好像不算什麼，因為經常發生在我們眼前。但我相信，在古時候，這些事真是會讓人驚訝得幾乎下巴都要跌下來了！使地震動表示連地都感到震驚，太不可思議了！因為地是承受一切的，人的活動有何事能逃過地的“眼睛”。我們千萬不要以為地是毫無知覺的，神曾告訴以色列人，“在你們以先居住那地的人行了這一切可憎惡的事，地就玷污了—— 免得你們玷污那地的時候，地就把你們吐出，像吐出在你們以先的國民一樣”（利18:27-28）。所以當亞古珥說地會震動時，表示那些事前所未有，不曾聽過，實在駭人。

但是現在我們看了很多，也聽了很多類似的事，可見世界已經變化到一個地步，這些事情我們都見怪不怪了。第一件是僕人作王，畢牧師譯為：when the janitor becomes the boss，當掃地的變成老板。這事有什麼奇怪呢？只要發奮圖強，沒有受過高等教育白手起家的人很多，而且許多成功的企業家出身都很貧賤，有很多擺過地攤、掃地洗廁所也可以闖出一番事業的。

The Touch of Your Hand

2022-11-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 1:40-45.  Let’s go!

Mark 1:40-42 (NIV)
40  A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”
41  Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”
42  Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.
 
On verses 40-42:  When the leper cried out to Jesus for help, Jesus showed that he was full of compassion as well as the power to heal.  What touches me most is the way Jesus healed this leper: he touched him. 

神那測不透的奇妙

2022-11-09 in , /by

箴言30:19   就是鷹在空中飛的道，蛇在磐石上爬的道，船在海中行的道，男與女交合的道。

閱讀經文：箴言 30:18-20

18 我所測不透的奇妙有三樣，連我所不知道的共有四樣， 19 就是鷹在空中飛的道，蛇在磐石上爬的道，船在海中行的道，男與女交合的道。 20 淫婦的道也是這樣，她吃了把嘴一擦，就說：「我沒有行惡。」

在這世上有哪些事讓你想不透呢？你再想想，就會發現不止是三樣或四樣。所以亞古珥是拋磚引玉，要讓我們思想神的作為何等超乎人的智慧，人的罪性又何等愚妄自欺。“我所測不透的奇妙”，《現代中文譯本》譯為：神祕莫測的事，《思高譯本》譯為：令我稱奇的事，《呂振中譯本》譯為：奇妙事超乎我的智力之外。

我們現在有Discovery （探索頻道）出的視頻，向我們解釋很多生物界的奇妙現象。但是以前的人沒有這樣方便的管道，因此要想破頭也無法明白。有個人住在香港一間公寓的37樓，經常會看到大麻鷹在空中盤旋。經過長期的觀察，他發現麻鷹的飛行方法很像一隻紙鳶。

螞蟥世代

2022-11-08 in , /by

箴言30:15   螞蟥有兩個女兒，常說：「給呀！給呀！」有三樣不知足的，連不說夠的共有四樣。

閱讀經文：箴言 30:15-17

15螞蟥有兩個女兒，常說：「給呀！給呀！」有三樣不知足的，連不說夠的共有四樣，16就是陰間和石胎，浸水不足的地，並火。(新譯本：就是陰間、不能生育的婦人、水源不足之地和總不說『夠了』的火。)17 戲笑父親，藐視而不聽從母親的，他的眼睛必為谷中的烏鴉啄出來，為鷹雛所吃。

螞蟥世代

「螞蟥有兩個女兒，常說，給呀給呀。」(箴言三十：15)

螞蟥是水蛭，吸血維生，經常在溪流、水田等潮溼的地方活動。吸血的方式是口部有兩個吸孔，貼住動物或人的表皮，從微血管吸血。螞蟥吸血容量，可到身體的4-5倍，能將身體吸到脹起來。吸一次血，可維持2-3個月的食物量，甚至撐半年，再等下一次的機會。

上 帝在此提醒我們，與人相處，不是像螞蟥，將人吸乾，自己得飽足。有些媒體就像螞蟥，抓到一個人，將其吸乾，毀了對方才放掉，媒體的暴力本質，比所放的暴力 節目更血腥。可怕的是，觀眾也像螞蟥推導媒體朝這方向去，變成一堆螞蟥在吸媒體，媒體又去找獵物，供大家病態式的取樂，情緒性的滿足。

Face Time with the Father

2022-11-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs!  

Today’s passage is Mark 1:29-39.  Let’s go!

Mark 1:29-31 (NIV)
29  As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew.
30  Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her.
31  So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
 
On verses 29-31:  In Mark 1:21-22, we saw Jesus’ power to teach God’s Word.  In Mark 1:23-27 we saw Jesus’ power to drive out evil spirits.  Now in Mark 1:29-34 we see Jesus’ power to heal the sick, beginning with Simon’s mother-in-law.   
 
Notice how Simon’s mother-in-law responded after Jesus healed her: “she began to wait on them” (v31), that is, to serve Jesus and his team.  The same should be our response to Jesus as well after we witness and experience Jesus’ power in our lives.  May we not be consumers who just keep wanting more and more things from Jesus, treating him like our servant.  Rather, like Peter’s mother-in-law, may our response be to serve Jesus and His followers rather than always wanting to be served.