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Serve with Your Gifts, Love with Your Heart

2021-08-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 12:28-13:3. Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 12:28 (NIV)
28  And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

On 12:28:  Here Paul lists a number of roles and spiritual gifts that God has given various individuals in His Church.  Looking at the first three that Paul mentions, an apostle is someone who is gifted and commissioned to start new churches and ventures and oversee their development.  A prophet is someone who senses when the Holy Spirit is giving a message to strengthen, encourage or comfort other people and communicates that message effectively to the people.  A teacher is someone who teaches God’s people by interpreting, explaining and applying the Bible in a way that causes them to learn.  The teaching role can also involve the ability to equip and train other believers to serve God effectively.  Truly it takes different types of individuals and different abilities and gifts to build God’s church.

押沙龍設計為妹報仇

2021-08-22 in , /by

〈撒母耳記〉下 13:37 押沙龍逃到基述王亞米忽的兒子達買那裡去了。大衛天天為他兒子悲哀。

閱讀經文：〈撒母耳記〉下 13:23-39

押沙龍的心計實在很深，滿心的怨恨忍了整整兩年，都沒有表現出來，直到剪羊毛的時候。剪羊毛的時候有何特別的意思呢？就是收成之時，因為羊毛可以拿去賣，所以一般都要慶祝一番。好像在大衛逃亡時，經常在草原上幫拿八的牧人顧羊，免得被人欺負。在拿八剪羊毛慶賀收成時，大衛差手下去向拿八討點食物。沒想到拿八不但不領情，還辱罵他們。使大衛十分生氣，原本要到拿八家殺掉所有的男丁，還好拿八的妻子亞比該知道後，立即帶了許多東西去請求大的饒恕。拿八回家後，大開盛宴，如同王的筵席。可見剪羊毛的時候，也是慶祝豐收的時候。這時邀請眾兄弟一起去歡樂，何等合宜。

押沙龍也邀請大衛王一起去，但是大衛不忍心兒子太破費，便婉拒了。當押沙龍提到要請暗嫩同去時，大衛有點猶疑。但是暗嫩對她瑪做的事已過了兩年，押沙龍平時也沒表現出憤怒或生氣什麼的，大衛王不疑有他，便答應了。押沙龍的計謀已經成功了一半。〈箴言〉第六章32/34節彷彿就是在說這件事：“與婦人行淫的便是無知，行這事的必喪掉生命。因為人的嫉恨成了烈怒，報仇的時候決不留情。”押沙龍的烈怒蘊釀了兩年，連妹妹她瑪都看不出來。押沙龍要為她瑪報仇，但只叫她瑪安靜地住在他那裡，不要去跟暗嫩說好說歹。表面上看起來好像押沙龍很怕事，不敢去找暗嫩討個公道。沒有人想到，在押沙龍平靜的外表下，是一片翻滾，可以吞噬人命的巨浪。

暗嫩看到事隔兩年都沒人找他麻煩，可能很得意吧。可能也因為這樣，有的人就覺得壞人怎麼都很得意？亞薩說：“我見惡人和狂傲人享平安，就心懷不平。（詩73:3）”但是暗嫩的例子讓我們看到大衛在〈詩篇〉卅七篇35-36節寫的，何等真實：“我見過惡人大有勢力，好像一根青翠樹在本土生發。有人從那裡經過，不料，他沒有了；我也尋找他，卻尋不著。” 亞薩後來也發現：“神實在把他們安置在滑地，使他們掉在沉淪之中。他們轉眼之間成了何等的荒涼，他們被驚恐滅盡了。（詩73:18-19）” 當暗嫩飲酒暢快的時候，不料，他的生命就結束了。

教會應如何面對LGBT(2 )

2021-08-20 in , /by

不同的成因

為了幫助我們進一步了解這個群體，我們接下來要思考的是，造成一個人會被同性吸引或心理上會想跨越成為另外性別的原因是什麼?有些人強調說這是天生的，有些人堅信這是出於後天個人的選擇。關於說是後天個人自己意志的選擇，拿同性戀作例子，我們要先定義清楚，我們是在講同性戀的行為是後天自我意志的選擇，還是在說被同性吸引這件事？兩者顯然不能一概而論。即或一個人不是有意去選擇被同性吸引，但他卻可以“拒絕過同性戀”的生活，不選擇順從自己的私慾去過同性戀的生活。換句話說，過同性戀的生活確實是人後天意志的選擇。而“被同性吸引”這部分，有很多人的確不是出於他故意的選擇。這樣的區分也適用於跨性別的人。很多人也許在心理上並不是故意選擇想成為另一個性別，但如果在行為上打扮成另一個性別，甚至去接受變性手術，則是個人的意志選擇。

關於生理上天生的說法，我們要明白，科學家目前為止，並沒有找到所謂的同性戀基因，或跨性別的基因，而形成的原因，科學家也沒有統一的定論。當我們聽到一個人說他是天生就被同性吸引，或者他天生就想成為另一個性別的人，往往是在描述他個人的經驗。意思是，他從有記憶以來，就發現自己有這方面的傾向。我們舉一個案例來說明。我認識一位在愛的家庭長大的年輕弟兄，他很愛父母，也是一個體貼人、熱愛服事神的人。他自有記憶以來，雖然生為男性，可是他心理上一直覺得自己應該是個女的。我節錄幾段他自我描述成長過程中面對這個痛苦掙扎的話：

“從有記憶以來，我一直想成為女性，這反映在五、六歲時，就有穿女生衣服的行為。媽發現了幾次，告訴我不應該穿女生的衣服。由於內心的羞恥感，我希望這種念頭過了青春期就能停止。不過這個念頭卻從來沒消失過/因此，我盡力壓抑這些想法和感覺，而依靠我的理性和邏輯來生活。我告訴自己’既然我有男性的身體，所以我理當感覺我是男性，去做男性該做的事情。’

We Need Each Other

2021-08-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 12:12-27 (NIV)
12  The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
13  For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14  Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15  If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body…….

On verses 12-27:  No book in the world emphasizes teamwork more than the Bible, and no passage in the Bible emphasizes teamwork more than 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.  As Paul says to the Christians in Corinth, “you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (v27).

Don’t ever buy into the lie that you can be a healthy Christian without being connected to other Christians.  That’s like a hand expecting it can survive on its own without being connected to the rest of the body.  In the same way, if you were to say “I don’t need to go to church” or “My relationship with God is just a me and God thing so I don’t need anyone else”, eventually your life in Christ will shrivel up and become something much different and much less than God intended it to be.

暗嫩詐病汙她瑪

2021-08-19 in , /by

〈撒母耳記〉下 13:22押沙龍並不和他哥哥暗嫩說好說歹。因為暗嫩玷辱他妹妹她瑪，所以押沙龍恨惡他。

閱讀經文：〈撒母耳記〉下 13:1-22

有的人覺得《聖經》裡記載這種哥哥強姦妹妹的亂倫之舉，實在很羞恥。其他宗教的書，哪會記載不倫之事？這就是《聖經》與其他經書不同之處，人寫的書都要高舉自己，隱藏自己的不義；但《聖經》卻反應出人類最真實的一面，讓人看到自己的本相，污穢的內心和罪的本性，以及神的公義和審判，容忍和慈愛。世人都追求愛，但是世人說的愛，往往只是情慾。慾火攻心時，卻誤以為那就是愛，以致於悲劇不斷地發生。

從暗嫩對她瑪的貪念，到他接受損友約拿達的建議，一點都不顧惜她瑪所作的舉動，我們可以明白，那只是一種人性的佔有慾，和愛完全無關。有的女性喜歡上一個男人時，也會想盡辦法，讓他背負上責任，以致於不得不和她結婚。這種異性之間的吸引原本是神賜給人極為美麗的禮物，但是當人只想到自己，而不為對方著想時，就變成害人的藉口。而世間極為可怕的武器，便是美其名為“愛”，其實只是貪念和自私的產品。

大衛身為父親，對兒女的認識卻甚為淺薄。王宮裡有那麼多宮女和僕人，豈需要一個公主去侍候她哥哥的飲食嗎？這不合常理的要求，大衛竟然答應了。她瑪毫無防備，被同父異母的哥哥欺負了。可怕的還在後頭，暗嫩親近了她瑪之後，竟把她趕出去了。這裡面有“愛”嗎？世人口中的“愛”是什麼？就是發生性關係，然後呢？沒有了。

Getting to Know the Holy Spirit

2021-08-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 12:1-3 (NIV)
1  Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.
2  You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
3  Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

On verses 1-3:  Have you ever seen people engaging in some spiritual activity and wondered if that activity is really from God or not?  In 1 Corinthians 12:1-3, Paul gives one good guideline in helping you discern whether a spiritual activity is from God or is demonic.  The question to ask is: as the people are engaging in this activity, what are they saying about Jesus Christ?  Are they exalting Jesus as Lord?  Or, are they cursing Jesus and/or outright dishonouring Him?  If they are exalting Jesus as Lord as they do this activity, if the fruit is that Jesus is glorified through this activity, this should suggest to you that God’s Spirit is involved in some way.  But if they are cursing Jesus or dishonouring Him as they do this activity, it suggests that this activity is not from the Holy Spirit.  As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:3: “Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.”

In deciding what to think of any controversial matter, always bring it back to Jesus.  It’s all about Him in the end.

大衛的懺悔詩

2021-08-18 in , /by

〈詩篇〉 51:10 神啊，求祢為我造清潔的心，使我裡面重新有正直的靈。

閱讀經文：〈詩篇〉51

讀了大衛王犯罪，卻沒有讀〈詩篇〉51篇，在感覺上是不完整的。〈詩篇〉51篇是大衛被拿單指責後所做的懺悔詩。大衛王縱情於聲色之娛，以致犯罪了都沒有感覺。但是在先知拿單指責之後，有如醍醐灌頂，一下子醒悟過來，明白自己犯了大錯，得罪了神，立刻認罪。這就是大衛王和掃羅的不同。在撒母耳的指責下，掃羅不但不認錯，還繼續為自己辯護，以致於神棄絕他。但是大衛一點就明，並且立刻認罪，因此得到神的饒恕。很多人因為〈詩篇〉51篇而得到幫助，在犯錯之後，也用這詩篇作為自己的禱告。更有許多作曲家為這詩篇譜曲，讓我們可以有更深的感受。

大衛相信神是慈愛的神，因此求神的慈愛憐恤他，塗抹他的過犯。又求神洗除淨盡他的罪孽。因為他知道他犯罪了，並且他肯認罪。不肯承認自己有罪的人，就沒有辦法享受到赦罪之恩，只能像掃羅一樣，天天活在罪的腐蝕之中，被自己心靈的黑暗折磨到失去平安。惟有知罪認罪的人，才能得到神的赦罪之恩，脫離罪的重擔。

大罪不僅知道自己的過犯，並且他經常想到他所犯的罪。當我們犯罪時，第一個得罪的是神，其次才是人。表面上好像先得罪人，其實心裡起意時，已經得罪了神。因此當聖靈責備我們時，我們就就明白何為神的公義。在神的公義裡，不容許有任何污點。所以我們在神的面前，怎能自以為正？在聖靈的光照裡，大衛更看清他在母親懷胎時就有罪了。大衛是否感受到那自亞當和夏娃來的罪性呢？

這世界上除了神，沒有任何人或靈界的存在物有赦免的權柄和恩典。神要的不是表面的乾淨，而是內裡的誠實。只有神，可以潔淨我們的罪，洗滌我們，使我們比雪更白。在舊約裡的除罪儀式多使用牛膝草，現在我們知道那些舊約的儀式裡，所指向的、所喻表的，正是耶穌基督的寶血。因為〈希伯來書〉的作者說：“按著律法，凡物差不多都是用血潔淨的，若不流血，罪就不得赦免了。（來9:22）” 基督用自己的血，只一次進入聖所，成了永遠贖罪的事。（來9:12）。

Remembering Jesus’ Body

2021-08-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 11:17-34.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 11:17-22 (NIV)
17  In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.
18  In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.
19  No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.
20  When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat,
21  for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk.
22  Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!

On verses 17-22:  Here Paul tackles the next problem he notices in his church in Corinth.  It’s that when people ate the Lord’s Supper (also known as communion), they would do it for the wrong reasons.  Instead of treating communion as a time to solemnly and thankfully remember Christ’s death on the cross, they treated it as an all you can eat food and drink fest.  Instead of waiting for one another and making sure that everyone had a chance to participate, some in the Corinthian church would rush to consume as much of the bread and wine as they could, leaving nothing left over for people who came after them (v21-22).

耶底底亞

2021-08-17 in , /by

〈撒母耳記〉下 12:25 就藉先知拿單賜他一個名字，叫耶底底亞，因為耶和華愛他。

閱讀經文：〈撒母耳記〉下 12:1-31

假如是一個平常人犯罪，可能有朋友或家人會出來指責，可是大衛高高在上，又有約押幫他遮掩，又有誰知道他的陰謀？誰知道他使壞？神差遣先知拿單去見大衛。假如拿單直接對大衛說，他犯姦淫和謀殺，你想大衛王會有怎樣的反應？輕則把他趕出去，重則永遠不再見他的面，這樣就無法完成神給他的任務了。神給拿單什麼任務呢？就是讓大衛知罪。怎樣讓一個高高在上，有權勢的人知罪呢？不用一點小技巧是不行的。拿單講了一個富戶欺負窮人的故事給大衛聽。大衛聽得義怒填胸，立刻下了判語。這時拿單的話好像一根大鎚打下去：“你就是那人！”

神說：“一，我膏你做以色列的王；二，救你脫離掃羅的手；三，將你主人的家業賜給你，包括你主人的妻。主人若是指掃羅，主人的妻有可能就是掃羅的妻亞希暖了。四，若是不夠，神還可以加倍賜福，你何必做壞事來奪取呢？”這也是神對我們說的話，一樣兩樣三樣的祝福，若是不夠，再向神要。我們怎樣都不必用自己的手去強豪取，用神所不喜悅的手段為自己爭取利益。

神給大衛的刑罰極重，第一個刑罰是拿走他兒子的性命，第二個刑罰是極大的咒詛：刀劍必永不離開他的家。神要從大衛家中興起禍患攻擊大衛，必在大衛眼前把他的妃嬪賜給別人，他在日光之下就與她們同寢。這事應驗在大衛的三子押沙龍身上。神說：“你在暗中行這事，我卻要在以色列眾人面前，日光之下，報應你。”這句話是神一直在使用的審判，跟隨主的人若以為可以在暗中行不義，神必在眾人面前報應他。看看有多少牧師、神父、傳道人在暗中做了不義之事，都成了社會的頭條新聞。神不怕失面子，反而，祂要讓世人知道，祂必管教祂的兒女，不容許他們暗中行惡。好讓世人曉得耶和華神是個公義的神，與罪惡誓不兩立。

Dressing to Lead, Not to Distract

2021-08-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 11:1-16.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV)
1  Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

On verse 1:  Paul tells his church in Corinth to follow his example as he follows the example of Christ.  That’s the direction we should all aim to walk in, that as we do our best to follow Christ’s example, may we give those in our care a good example for them to follow also.  For we all need people in our lives who can model for us what it looks like practically to follow Jesus Christ. Of course, no one gets it perfectly right, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn something from others.  Take the good things you see from the lives of the leaders God has placed in your life and apply them to your own life.  Incarnation (Christ living in us) is often sparked by imitation, that is, we can become more like Jesus by seeing how others follow Jesus and by following their example.

1 Corinthians 11:2 (NIV)
2  I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you.

On verse 2:  Here Paul is likely responding to a letter from the church in Corinth in which the church has mentioned that they are trying to keep to Paul’s teachings.  Paul commends them for this, despite the fact that Paul sees a number of serious problems in the way the church had been behaving.