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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.

押沙龙设计为妹报仇

2021-08-22 in , /by

〈撒母耳记〉下 13:37 押沙龙逃到基述王亚米忽的儿子达买那里去了。大卫天天为他儿子悲哀。

阅读经文：〈撒母耳记〉下 13:23-39

押沙龙的心计实在很深，满心的怨恨忍了整整两年，都没有表现出来，直到剪羊毛的时候。剪羊毛的时候有何特别的意思呢？就是收成之时，因为羊毛可以拿去卖，所以一般都要庆祝一番。好像在大卫逃亡时，经常在草原上帮拿八的牧人顾羊，免得被人欺负。在拿八剪羊毛庆贺收成时，大卫差手下去向拿八讨点食物。没想到拿八不但不领情，还辱骂他们。使大卫十分生气，原本要到拿八家杀掉所有的男丁，还好拿八的妻子亚比该知道后，立即带了许多东西去请求大的饶恕。拿八回家后，大开盛宴，如同王的筵席。可见剪羊毛的时候，也是庆祝丰收的时候。这时邀请众兄弟一起去欢乐，何等合宜。

押沙龙也邀请大卫王一起去，但是大卫不忍心儿子太破费，便婉拒了。当押沙龙提到要请暗嫩同去时，大卫有点犹疑。但是暗嫩对她玛做的事已过了两年，押沙龙平时也没表现出愤怒或生气什么的，大卫王不疑有他，便答应了。押沙龙的计谋已经成功了一半。〈箴言〉第六章32/34节仿佛就是在说这件事：“与妇人行淫的便是无知，行这事的必丧掉生命。因为人的嫉恨成了烈怒，报仇的时候决不留情。”押沙龙的烈怒蕴酿了两年，连妹妹她玛都看不出来。押沙龙要为她玛报仇，但只叫她玛安静地住在他那里，不要去跟暗嫩说好说歹。表面上看起来好像押沙龙很怕事，不敢去找暗嫩讨个公道。没有人想到，在押沙龙平静的外表下，是一片翻滚，可以吞噬人命的巨浪。

暗嫩看到事隔两年都没人找他麻烦，可能很得意吧。可能也因为这样，有的人就觉得坏人怎么都很得意？亚萨说：“我见恶人和狂傲人享平安，就心怀不平。（诗73:3）”但是暗嫩的例子让我们看到大卫在〈诗篇〉卅七篇35-36节写的，何等真实：“我见过恶人大有势力，好像一根青翠树在本土生发。有人从那里经过，不料，他没有了；我也寻找他，却寻不著。” 亚萨后来也发现：“神实在把他们安置在滑地，使他们掉在沉沦之中。他们转眼之间成了何等的荒凉，他们被惊恐灭尽了。（诗73:18-19）” 当暗嫩饮酒畅快的时候，不料，他的生命就结束了。

教会应如何面对LGBT(2 )

2021-08-20 in , /by

不同的成因

为了帮助我们进一步了解这个群体，我们接下来要思考的是，造成一个人会被同性吸引或心理上会想跨越成为另外性别的原因是什么?有些人强调说这是天生的，有些人坚信这是出于后天个人的选择。关于说是后天个人自己意志的选择，拿同性恋作例子，我们要先定义清楚，我们是在讲同性恋的行为是后天自我意志的选择，还是在说被同性吸引这件事？两者显然不能一概而论。即或一个人不是有意去选择被同性吸引，但他却可以“拒绝过同性恋”的生活，不选择顺从自己的私欲去过同性恋的生活。换句话说，过同性恋的生活确实是人后天意志的选择。而“被同性吸引”这部分，有很多人的确不是出于他故意的选择。这样的区分也适用于跨性别的人。很多人也许在心理上并不是故意选择想成为另一个性别，但如果在行为上打扮成另一个性别，甚至去接受变性手术，则是个人的意志选择。

关于生理上天生的说法，我们要明白，科学家目前为止，并没有找到所谓的同性恋基因，或跨性别的基因，而形成的原因，科学家也没有统一的定论。当我们听到一个人说他是天生就被同性吸引，或者他天生就想成为另一个性别的人，往往是在描述他个人的经验。意思是，他从有记忆以来，就发现自己有这方面的倾向。我们举一个案例来说明。我认识一位在爱的家庭长大的年轻弟兄，他很爱父母，也是一个体贴人、热爱服事神的人。他自有记忆以来，虽然生为男性，可是他心理上一直觉得自己应该是个女的。我节录几段他自我描述成长过程中面对这个痛苦挣扎的话：

“从有记忆以来，我一直想成为女性，这反映在五、六岁时，就有穿女生衣服的行为。妈发现了几次，告诉我不应该穿女生的衣服。由于内心的羞耻感，我希望这种念头过了青春期就能停止。不过这个念头却从来没消失过/因此，我尽力压抑这些想法和感觉，而依靠我的理性和逻辑来生活。我告诉自己’既然我有男性的身体，所以我理当感觉我是男性，去做男性该做的事情。’

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.

暗嫩诈病污她玛

2021-08-19 in , /by

〈撒母耳记〉下 13:22押沙龙并不和他哥哥暗嫩说好说歹。因为暗嫩玷辱他妹妹她玛，所以押沙龙恨恶他。

阅读经文：〈撒母耳记〉下 13:1-22

有的人觉得《圣经》里记载这种哥哥强奸妹妹的乱伦之举，实在很羞耻。其他宗教的书，哪会记载不伦之事？这就是《圣经》与其他经书不同之处，人写的书都要高举自己，隐藏自己的不义；但《圣经》却反应出人类最真实的一面，让人看到自己的本相，污秽的内心和罪的本性，以及神的公义和审判，容忍和慈爱。世人都追求爱，但是世人说的爱，往往只是情欲。欲火攻心时，却误以为那就是爱，以致于悲剧不断地发生。

从暗嫩对她玛的贪念，到他接受损友约拿达的建议，一点都不顾惜她玛所作的举动，我们可以明白，那只是一种人性的占有欲，和爱完全无关。有的女性喜欢上一个男人时，也会想尽办法，让他背负上责任，以致于不得不和她结婚。这种异性之间的吸引原本是神赐给人极为美丽的礼物，但是当人只想到自己，而不为对方着想时，就变成害人的借口。而世间极为可怕的武器，便是美其名为“爱”，其实只是贪念和自私的产品。

大卫身为父亲，对儿女的认识却甚为浅薄。王宫里有那么多宫女和仆人，岂需要一个公主去侍候她哥哥的饮食吗？这不合常理的要求，大卫竟然答应了。她玛毫无防备，被同父异母的哥哥欺负了。可怕的还在后头，暗嫩亲近了她玛之后，竟把她赶出去了。这里面有“爱”吗？世人口中的“爱”是什么？就是发生性关系，然后呢？没有了。

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.

大卫的忏悔诗

2021-08-18 in , /by

〈诗篇〉 51:10 神啊，求祢为我造清洁的心，使我里面重新有正直的灵。

阅读经文：〈诗篇〉51

读了大卫王犯罪，却没有读〈诗篇〉51篇，在感觉上是不完整的。〈诗篇〉51篇是大卫被拿单指责后所做的忏悔诗。大卫王纵情于声色之娱，以致犯罪了都没有感觉。但是在先知拿单指责之后，有如醍醐灌顶，一下子醒悟过来，明白自己犯了大错，得罪了神，立刻认罪。这就是大卫王和扫罗的不同。在撒母耳的指责下，扫罗不但不认错，还继续为自己辩护，以致于神弃绝他。但是大卫一点就明，并且立刻认罪，因此得到神的饶恕。很多人因为〈诗篇〉51篇而得到帮助，在犯错之后，也用这诗篇作为自己的祷告。更有许多作曲家为这诗篇谱曲，让我们可以有更深的感受。

大卫相信神是慈爱的神，因此求神的慈爱怜恤他，涂抹他的过犯。又求神洗除净尽他的罪孽。因为他知道他犯罪了，并且他肯认罪。不肯承认自己有罪的人，就没有办法享受到赦罪之恩，只能像扫罗一样，天天活在罪的腐蚀之中，被自己心灵的黑暗折磨到失去平安。惟有知罪认罪的人，才能得到神的赦罪之恩，脱离罪的重担。

大罪不仅知道自己的过犯，并且他经常想到他所犯的罪。当我们犯罪时，第一个得罪的是神，其次才是人。表面上好像先得罪人，其实心里起意时，已经得罪了神。因此当圣灵责备我们时，我们就就明白何为神的公义。在神的公义里，不容许有任何污点。所以我们在神的面前，怎能自以为正？在圣灵的光照里，大卫更看清他在母亲怀胎时就有罪了。大卫是否感受到那自亚当和夏娃来的罪性呢？

这世界上除了神，没有任何人或灵界的存在物有赦免的权柄和恩典。神要的不是表面的干净，而是内里的诚实。只有神，可以洁净我们的罪，洗涤我们，使我们比雪更白。在旧约里的除罪仪式多使用牛膝草，现在我们知道那些旧约的仪式里，所指向的、所喻表的，正是耶稣基督的宝血。因为〈希伯来书〉的作者说：“按著律法，凡物差不多都是用血洁净的，若不流血，罪就不得赦免了。（来9:22）” 基督用自己的血，只一次进入圣所，成了永远赎罪的事。（来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).

耶底底亚

2021-08-17 in , /by

〈撒母耳记〉下 12:25 就藉先知拿单赐他一个名字，叫耶底底亚，因为耶和华爱他。

阅读经文：〈撒母耳记〉下 12:1-31

假如是一个平常人犯罪，可能有朋友或家人会出来指责，可是大卫高高在上，又有约押帮他遮掩，又有谁知道他的阴谋？谁知道他使坏？神差遣先知拿单去见大卫。假如拿单直接对大卫说，他犯奸淫和谋杀，你想大卫王会有怎样的反应？轻则把他赶出去，重则永远不再见他的面，这样就无法完成神给他的任务了。神给拿单什么任务呢？就是让大卫知罪。怎样让一个高高在上，有权势的人知罪呢？不用一点小技巧是不行的。拿单讲了一个富户欺负穷人的故事给大卫听。大卫听得义怒填胸，立刻下了判语。这时拿单的话好像一根大锤打下去：“你就是那人！”

神说：“一，我膏你做以色列的王；二，救你脱离扫罗的手；三，将你主人的家业赐给你，包括你主人的妻。主人若是指扫罗，主人的妻有可能就是扫罗的妻亚希暖了。四，若是不够，神还可以加倍赐福，你何必做坏事来夺取呢？”这也是神对我们说的话，一样两样三样的祝福，若是不够，再向神要。我们怎样都不必用自己的手去强豪取，用神所不喜悦的手段为自己争取利益。

神给大卫的刑罚极重，第一个刑罚是拿走他儿子的性命，第二个刑罚是极大的咒诅：刀剑必永不离开他的家。神要从大卫家中兴起祸患攻击大卫，必在大卫眼前把他的妃嫔赐给别人，他在日光之下就与她们同寝。这事应验在大卫的三子押沙龙身上。神说：“你在暗中行这事，我却要在以色列众人面前，日光之下，报应你。”这句话是神一直在使用的审判，跟随主的人若以为可以在暗中行不义，神必在众人面前报应他。看看有多少牧师、神父、传道人在暗中做了不义之事，都成了社会的头条新闻。神不怕失面子，反而，祂要让世人知道，祂必管教祂的儿女，不容许他们暗中行恶。好让世人晓得耶和华神是个公义的神，与罪恶誓不两立。

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.