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Have a Healthy Approach to God and Money

2022-04-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs! 

Today’s passage is Acts 16:13-24.  Let’s go!

Acts 16:13-24 (NIV)
13  On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.
14  One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.
15  When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
16  Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling……

On verses 13-24:  Paul, Silas and their team are now in the city of Philippi.  Here Luke describes two incidents where, while on the way to pray, Paul, Silas and their team have memorable encounters with different people.  The two encounters Luke describes in these verses show us two very different approaches to God and money.

First they meet Lydia, a new convert to Christianity. Lydia was probably a wealthy businesswoman. The fact that she specialized in selling purple cloth suggests that her clients may have been members of royalty. When Lydia receives Jesus Christ into her life, her first inclination is to use the resources she has to serve the church and its leaders.  She opens up her home to them (v15) as well as to other Christians (see v40).

得智慧之宝贵

2022-04-21 in , /by

〈箴言〉3: 13   得智慧，得聪明的，这人便为有福！

阅读经文：〈箴言〉3: 13-26 

13得智慧，得聪明的，这人便为有福！14因为得智慧胜过得银子，其利益强如精金；15比珍珠宝贵，你一切所喜爱的都不足与比较。16她右手有长寿，左手有富贵。17她的道是安乐，她的路全是平安。18她与持守她的做生命树，持定她的俱各有福。19耶和华以智慧立地，以聪明定天，20以知识使深渊裂开，使天空滴下甘露。

21我儿，要谨守真智慧和谋略，不可使他离开你的眼目。22这样，他必做你的生命，颈项的美饰。23你就坦然行路，不致碰脚。24你躺下，必不惧怕；你躺卧，睡得香甜。25忽然来的惊恐，不要害怕；恶人遭毁灭，也不要恐惧。26因为耶和华是你所倚靠的，他必保守你的脚不陷入网罗。

通常人所想的智慧，大多是解决问题的能力；但是所罗门王所说的智慧，是一种超越。人所想要的智慧，是怎样胜过他人的谋略，应对的能力，解决突发事情的急智，帮助自己脱困的聪明。这些都是人间的小聪明，真正的智慧又是如何呢？

一想到智慧，你会不会想到诸葛亮孔明？他能洞察先机，观人入微，详知天文地理，以致能战无不胜、攻无不克，但是他的左手没有长寿，右手也没有富贵，他的道没有安乐，他的路也没有平安。只落得杜甫两句：“出师未捷身先死， 长使英雄泪满襟”，概括一生。孔明的智慧人人称羡，但是他的结局使人感叹不已。什么才是真正的智慧？

When God Interrupts Your Plans

2022-04-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Acts 16:1-12.  Let’s go!

Acts 16:1-3 (NIV)
1  He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek.
2  The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.
3  Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

On verses 1-3: Lystra was the city where Paul experienced some of the worst persecution of his life.  He was stoned and almost killed in Lystra (Acts 14:19).  Yet Paul never gave up on Lystra and continued to reach and care for the believers there.  Eventually in Lystra Paul would meet Timothy, who would become one of his dearest sons in the faith and one of his most important teammates.  It goes to show that when you don’t give up on the place God has called you to, great things will happen eventually.  You just need to last long enough to see it.

Acts 16:4-12 (NIV)
4  As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.
5  So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
6  Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
7  When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
8  So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.

The Purpose of Prophecy

2022-04-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Acts 15:30-41.  Let’s go!

Acts 15:30-32 (NIV)
30  The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter.
31  The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message.
32  Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.

On verses 30-32:  Sent by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, Judas and Silas join Paul and Barnabas on their way back to the church in Antioch.  There, the prophetically gifted Judas and Silas “said much to encourage and strengthen” the Christians in Antioch with their words.

What can we learn from this?  The purpose of prophecy in the church is always to encourage and strengthen the people in the church.  As Paul explains:

–        “But everyone who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort” (1 Corinthians 14:3)
–        “What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.” (1 Corinthians 14:26)

耶和华所爱的

2022-04-20 in , /by

〈箴言〉3:11   我儿，你不可轻看耶和华的管教，也不可厌烦祂的责备。

阅读经文：〈箴言〉3:9-12

9 你要以财物和一切初熟的土产尊荣耶和华， 10 这样，你的仓房必充满有余，你的酒榨有新酒盈溢。 11 我儿，你不可轻看耶和华的管教，也不可厌烦祂的责备。 12 因为耶和华所爱的，祂必责备，正如父亲责备所喜爱的儿子。

〈箴言〉第三章是许多人的最爱，尤其是第5-6节：“你要专心仰赖耶和华，不可倚靠自己的聪明， 在你一切所行的事上都要认定祂，祂 必指引你的路。”人都希知道明天将如何，因此希望得到指引。认识神的人拚命祷告，不认识神的就去算命、求签。这也是许多人背得混瓜烂熟的经文。因为我们常常倚靠自己的聪明去面对世界和人生，经常失败，所以要背这两节经文来提醒自己。但是所罗门王越说越精采。

曾经有一位自认非常属灵的弟兄说：“教会就是不应该收奉献，那是没有信心的表现。牧者不应该叫会众奉献！”他在查经小组里也这样对弟兄姐妹说，听来似乎很有道理，神已经拥有万有，何必要我们的一点小小奉献呢？只要祂把天上的窗户拉开一个小缝缝，我们就吃喝不完了，没有信心的人才会叫人收奉献！这位弟兄在身体上曾经得到神的特别医治，事业家庭也都十分蒙福。因此他认为不用奉献，因为神什么都有，不用我们多事！

God’s Favourite Way to Deliver a Message

2022-04-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage, Acts 15:13-29, is not the easiest passage in Acts to interpret, but there are some powerful lessons for those willing to dig deeper.  Let’s go!

Acts 15:13-18 (NIV)
13  When they finished, James spoke up: “Brothers, listen to me.
14  Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself.
15  The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
16  “‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it,
17  that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’
18  that have been known for ages.

On verses 13-18:  James, the brother of Jesus and a leader in the church in Jerusalem, continues the discussion about whether Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians should be subject to the law of Moses including Jewish requirements like circumcision.  James acknowledges what Peter had just shared in verses 7 to 11, how Peter had personally seen God choosing Gentile Christians and giving them His Holy Spirit as much as He did Jewish Christians.  While Peter referred to his own personal experience to support the idea that God had chosen believers from among the Gentiles as well, James refers to Scripture, quoting Amos 9:11-12 and showing that there is Scriptural support for the same idea that God had chosen believers from among the Gentiles.

专心仰赖耶和华

2022-04-19 in , /by

〈箴言〉3:5你要专心仰赖耶和华，不可倚靠自己的聪明。

阅读经文：〈箴言〉3: 1-8

1我儿，不要忘记我的法则，你心要谨守我的诫命，2因为他必将长久的日子、生命的年数与平安加给你。3不可使慈爱、诚实离开你，要系在你颈项上，刻在你心版上。4这样，你必在神和世人眼前蒙恩宠，有聪明。5你要专心仰赖耶和华，不可倚靠自己的聪明，6在你一切所行的事上都要认定他，他必指引你的路。7不要自以为有智慧，要敬畏耶和华，远离恶事。8这便医治你的肚脐，滋润你的百骨。

〈箴言〉3:1，「我儿，不要忘记我的法则；你心要谨守我的诫命；因为他必将长久的日子，生命的年数与平安，加给你。」能说这话的人是有福的，希望我们也能这样告诉儿子、学生、弟兄姊妹。对，我完全承认我们是罪人，信主后还是会做很多错事，但我们告诉他上帝的道是宝贵的。现在可能比较流行的说法是：「这世界的选择很多，你觉得要怎样就怎样」，我还听过一个基督徒跟他女儿讲：「你要选择作男人还是女人，随便你，这是宽大、开放、自由」。我不能说我们没有宽大开放自由，但求主帮助，圣灵让我们认识主的法则是美好的。因此，你要认得祂的声音、法则和福气，不要忘记。

〈箴言〉3:3，「不可使慈爱、诚实离开你，要系在你颈项上，刻在你心版上。」这话直接的意思是你对人一定要慈爱、诚实、正直，不要因为世道人心险恶而学得奸诈、冷漠、无爱，不要让这好东西离开你。而照上下文看，可能也在讲能这样的基础是你不要让耶和华的法则离开你，因为那是慈爱诚实的来源，祂会把一切的丰富给你。

〈箴言〉3：5，「你要专心仰赖耶和华，不可倚靠自己的聪明」。我们一开始就讲了，不是像很多人说的：「不要去想，不要用头脑，不要用力气，不要看重你的经验、教育，文明、思想、文化都不是好的」。（也不一定是基督徒，非基督徒像老子、卢梭，也有这种反智的倾向）。

Before You Make That Decision

2022-04-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Acts 15:1-12.  Let’s go!

Acts 15:1-12 (NIV)
1  Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.”
2  This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.
3  The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad.
4  When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.
5  Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.”……

On verses 1-12:  Since the gospel came through the Jews, with all the non-Jewish people (Gentiles) coming to faith in Jesus, it was only a matter of time before people would ask, “Does a non-Jewish convert to Christianity need to follow the Law of Moses, that is, the laws and regulations found in the first five books of the Bible (also known as the Pentateuch) just like a Jewish person does?  In order to be saved, does a non-Jewish person need to subject themselves to circumcision the way that Jewish people do?”  Christians were divided on this important issue.

弯曲的道路

2022-04-18 in , /by

〈箴言〉2:20  智慧必使你行善人的道，守义人的路。

阅读经文：2:15-22

15 在他们的道中弯曲，在他们的路上偏僻。 16 智慧要救你脱离淫妇，就是那油嘴滑舌的外女。 17 他离弃幼年的配偶，忘了神的盟约。 18 他的家陷入死地，他的路偏向阴间。 19 凡到他那里去的不得转回，也得不着生命的路。 20 智慧必使你行善人的道，守义人的路。 21 正直人必在世上居住，完全人必在地上存留。 22 唯有恶人必然剪除，奸诈的必然拔出。

《弯曲的道路》

「他们的道中弯曲」(箴言2:15)。

有一天，我参加一个宴会。宴会后，我要搭车回台北。宴会的主办人好意，要他的儿子开车送我去火车站。我上了车子，才知道来开车的人满身酒味。我问他：「还好吗？」他说：「没问题。」

他开车上路，我才知道酒醉的人，无法保持在直线上。车子由外线开到内线，又由内线开到外线，大部分是开在两线之间。有些经过的车子按喇叭，他也不在意，甚至愈开愈快，我对他讲：「请开慢一些。」他说：「好、好。」，仍照样快速。那时，我想到死亡的可能，将生命再一次放在主手中。

后来，车子开到火车站前，我下车前，叫他在路边休息一下，他说：「好、好。」，又开车走了。我想，他可能不知道他的道路弯曲。酒醉之下，人的道路弯曲，但是人又自以为正的，不是只有酒醉的影响。

蒙恩者的行事

2022-04-17 in , /by

〈箴言〉2:11   谋略必护卫你，聪明必保守你。

阅读经文：2:11-14

11谋略必护卫你，聪明必保守你，12要救你脱离恶道，脱离说乖谬话的人。13 那等人舍弃正直的路，行走黑暗的道， 14 欢喜作恶，喜爱恶人的乖僻。

《蒙恩者的行事》

「谋略必护卫你。」(箴言2:11)

当我们敬畏主，上帝赐给我们智慧，使我们有种敏锐的灵，明白上帝的心意，察觉许多事情背后的原委；认识真理，用认识真理的睿智，来待人处事。

「谋略」的意思，是敏锐与睿智。敏锐是判断事情，有正确的角度，睿智是看未来，知道主救赎的计划。这是属灵的精明，比世界的精明更精明。如同「属灵的人能看透万事。」(哥林多前书2:15) 看得准，做事合乎主的心意；看得透，为人不以世界为缠累。

「谋略」也带着计划的意思，成为基督徒的人生规划，过去的事，有主的美意。今日的事，忠心而行。明日的事，交托仰望。未来的事，荣耀主。