Entries by

Stay in the Place of Your Calling

2021-08-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 7:17-24.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 7:17-24 (NIV)
17  Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.
18  Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised.
19  Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts.
20  Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him.
21  Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you–although if you can gain your freedom, do so.
22  For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave.
23  You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
24  Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.

On verses 17-24:  I suspect that there may have been a tendency in the church in Corinth to chase after certain experiences, whether it was the experience of getting circumcised (v18-19), which some Christians falsely believed was necessary in order to be truly saved,

大衛想為耶和華建殿

2021-08-10 in , /by

〈撒母耳記〉下 7:22  主耶和華啊，祢本為大，照我們耳中聽見，沒有可比祢的，除祢以外再無神。

閱讀經文：〈撒母耳記〉下 7:1-29

從世人的眼光來看，大衛雖然不完美；但是從神的眼光來看，他真的是很合神心意的人。假如一個人有好幾個孩子，有的做大官，有的發大財，有的樂善好施，但是只有一個會要求父母和他一起住。你想哪個孩子最合父母的心意呢？這就是大衛的過人之處，大衛從來不會隱藏他對神的愛。在他所做的詩歌裡，充滿了對神的敬畏和愛慕。以致於當他住在王宮裡，看到神的約櫃在會幕中，他就心裡難過：我怎能住得比神更好呢？

這時先知拿單說話了，這樣的心意，神豈有不喜悅之理？你想神建殿嗎？你就去做吧。拿單是先知，但是先知的話能不能代表神的話？那晚，神向拿單顯現，讓他知道神有不同的意思。這件事讓我們明白，任何人都不可自以為自己的意思就是神的意思，即使有先知的恩賜也不行，總要向神求問才行。我們認為好的事，不一定就是神要我們做的事。而神以為不好的事，神卻要我們去做。這兩者之間不是看事情是好事還是壞事，而是看神對你有什麼心意，要你做什麼。

最明顯的就是撒母耳為以色列人立王之事，撒母耳知道神不喜悅以色列立王，可是神卻要撒母耳為以色列人立王，所以撒母耳就為以色列人立王。這就是順服，不是看你覺得這事當不當做，該不該做，而是神要你做什麼，你就做什麼。神不要你做什麼，你就不要去做。所以，建聖殿是一件大大的好事，連先知聽了都覺得太好了。但是神說，我不要大衛建聖殿。大衛就不建，但他開始存錢，買材料，為建殿的工作做準備。大衛沒有哭著吵著非做不可，神說了，他就順服。

大衛兩次迎約櫃

2021-08-09 in , /by

〈撒母耳記〉下 6:22a  我也必更加卑微，自己看為輕賤。

閱讀經文：〈撒母耳記〉下 6:1-23

大衛做以色列王不久，就想到要把約櫃從俄別以東運到大衛的保障。大衛王攻下耶布斯之後，就將其改名為耶路撒冷，又稱為大衛之城 或錫安的保障，大衛的保障，是今日耶路撒冷城聖殿區古城牆以南的一個山頭。這件事表明了他對神的愛，和他心中是何等敬畏神，因為他把神的同在看得第一重要。

掃羅做王四十年，從來沒有想過約櫃。掃羅只要有祭司和以弗得，好像護身的神符跟著他就行了。掃羅把神看成是他的僕人，是聽他命令的；但是大衛不同，大衛經常尋求神的心意，全心全意愛神。大衛不是完人，他在很多事上有過失，在許多事上有軟弱，他有些事不合我們對完人的標準，但是他愛神。就像彼得說的：「愛能遮掩許多的罪」(彼前:8)。所以當我們在看人時，不要檢視過度，因為我們都不完美。但是我們心裡把神放在什麼位置上，那是神所重視的。正如你若結婚了，你把配偶放在什麼位置上，那也是你的配偶會計較，你也會計較的一件事。

大衛率領跟隨他的眾人前往亞比拿達的家。他不是隨隨便便地前往，而是帶著跟隨他的人一起前往，好像要去迎接至愛的親人回家。他們預備了一輛新車，那是一個新時代的開始，已經開始用車運東西，像非利士人送回約櫃時一樣，讓牛拉著新車走。他們把約櫃放在新車上，覺得很自豪，大衛和以色列全家用松木製造的各樣樂器和琴、瑟、鼓、鈸、鑼作樂跳舞。亞比拿達和兩個兒子烏撒和亞希約都是祭司，烏撒趕車，亞希約在櫃前行走。一切都非常美好，但是到了拿艮的禾場，忽然牛失前蹄，烏撒很自然地用手去扶約櫃。不料，立即被神擊打，死在約櫃旁。原本歡樂的氣氛一下子變成悲傷痛哭，憂愁不已。為什麼耶和華神生氣了？

Taking Marriage and Divorce Seriously

2021-08-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 7:10-16.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 7:10-11 (NIV)
10  To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband.
11  But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

On verses 10-11:  In 1 Corinthians 7:10-16, Paul is addressing another issue in his church at Corinth: the issue of divorce.  In verses 10-11, Paul reiterates the teaching of the Lord Jesus on divorce from Matthew 19:4-9 and Mark 10:1-10, which is that generally speaking married people are not to divorce. 

Does that mean that divorce is never allowed under any circumstances?  Keep in mind that in Matthew 19 and Mark 10, Jesus says that divorcing (i.e legally dissolving the marriage) and remarrying is permissible in the case of marital unfaithfulness.  Perhaps the reason Paul does not mention this is because Paul is most likely writing this in response to a specific situation, or situations, that he has heard about going on in the church in Corinth.  It could be that the Christians in Corinth were trying to back out of their marriages for immature reasons that had nothing to do with marital unfaithfulness.  So here Paul emphasizes that marriage is a lifelong commitment that is not to be easily dissolved.

大衛做全以色列的王

2021-08-08 in , /by

〈撒母耳記〉下 5:10 大衛日見強盛，因為耶和華萬軍之神與他同在。

閱讀經文：〈撒母耳記〉下 4:1-12

元帥押尼珥死了，以色列王伊施波設死了，兩個軍長也被大衛殺了。以色列眾支派的長老們終於來找大衛，他們舉出了三件事來證明他們的誠意。一, 他們和大衛是骨肉的關係，都是雅各的子孫。二, 在掃羅作王時，大衛當戰士長，所以是大衛率領以色列人出入。他們承認大衛的領袖地位。三, 撒母耳曾經膏大衛為王，那是神對大衛的應許。因此大衛在希伯崙和他們立約，他們就膏大衛做以色列的王，此時猶大支派和以色列其他的支派終於統一了。大衛沒有採取流血的手段，他耐心等待，直到神的時間來臨，神親自感動以色列人來和他立約，成就了和平統一。這是大衛第三次被膏為王。

大衛作王之後，為何要去打耶布斯呢？因為它座落在以色列中央山脈最高處的平台上，海拔在750公尺左右；東邊有汲淪溪，西邊和南邊是欣嫩溪；東南有俄斐勒山，東有摩利亞山，東北有貝西大山，西北有亞克拉山，西南有錫安山，其東還有橄欖山，真正是群山環繞，外敵難以進入，是個易守難攻，交通卻四通八達的地方，拿來做首都不正好嗎？大衛是個有眼光有異象的政治家，當他挑選上這個地方做以色列國的首都時，他心裡已經有了策略，要打造出一個讓外敵都不敢侵犯的以色列國。

但是正如上面所述，耶布斯是一個很難攻取的地方。當大衛計劃要進攻耶布斯時，裡面的人嘲笑大衛，要先趕出裡面的瞎子和瘸子，意思是說：就憑這些瞎眼的和破腳的，就可以抵擋你們了。在〈歷代志〉上11章5節，耶布斯人對大衛說：“你決不能進這地方。”在〈歷代志〉上11章6節，大衛徵求勇士：“誰先攻打耶布斯人，必作首領元帥”。在〈撒母耳記〉下五章，大衛露了一點打仗的秘密：“當上水溝攻打我心裡所恨惡的瘸子、瞎子”。上水溝是何意呢？

Sex and Marriage

2021-08-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 7:1-9.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 7:1-9 (NIV)
1  Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry.
2  But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.
3  The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.
4  The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.
5  Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
6  I say this as a concession, not as a command.
7  I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
8  Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am.
9  But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul replies to a question that his church in Corinth had written him concerning being married, being single and having sex.  The question was probably something like “Is it better for a Christian to stay single or to get married?”  From reading Paul’s question we can learn a few important truths about marriage, singleness and sex:

認識撒旦的工作

2021-08-06 in , /by

在上一篇《認識神的聲音》我們提到撒但的第一步，是要以一遍又一遍的謊言與負面思想，佔領我們的心，使心成為黑暗掌權的領地；撒但讓人類不相信魔鬼，讓人失去防禦，好進行所有毀壞之事。曾為紐約第三大「撒但祭司」，有「路西法之子」稱號的約翰‧拉米瑞拉牧師（John Ramirez）要告訴你，撒但如何在我們生命中進行破壞；他說，人類都只會抱怨神，卻不是責怪撒但，這就是撒但的目的。牠的最終目的，就是要你永遠離開神。

牠偷走你的身份

亞當與夏娃為上帝所造，撒但（蛇）引誘他們犯罪，偷走他們的「身份」。同樣，不管你是不是基督徒，撒但一直試圖要拐騙上帝給我們的一切。

我們都擁有一個屬於上帝的身份，〈耶利米書〉1:5 提到，「我未將你造在腹中，我已曉得你；你未出母胎，我已分別你為聖。我已派你做列國的先知。 」我們都是神所造的，在出生以前神就知道我們。撒但從我們出生開始，就企圖偷走我們的身份。

就像身分證或信用卡被竊，若被盜刷盜用，損失可能需要很長一段時間才能彌補；我們必須謹慎，因為撒但若偷走我們身份，滋事更大。為達目的，牠會透過各種破口進入。

1.從婚姻與家庭

撒但恨惡人類，因為我們是神所造的，且是依著神的形象所造。牠最討厭的其次是家庭。

拉米瑞拉曾任黑暗祭司（或稱巫師）25年，在那時他被訓練以巫術，毫無憐憫地破壞家庭，拆毀夫妻與親子，特別是婚姻關係，經常成為他施法攻擊的目標。

Honour God with Your Body

2021-08-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 6:12-20.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (NIV)
12  “Everything is permissible for me”–but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”–but I will not be mastered by anything.
13  “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food”–but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
14  By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.
15  Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!……

In 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, Paul addresses another form of sexual immorality that was going on in the church: apparently some Christians in his church were sleeping with prostitutes.  In response Paul reminds his church that:

1. We must be careful how we use the freedom that God has given us.  Since we have such easy access to so many activities, we need to ask ourselves, “Is it beneficial to engage in this activity, or does it do more harm than good?  Does engaging in this activity really set me free or does it enslave me?  Is this activity honoring or dishonoring to God?  Does it help me to accomplish God’s purposes for my life or is it distracting me from God’s purposes?” (v12)

伊施波設被殺

2021-08-05 in , /by

〈撒母耳記〉下 4:1  掃羅的兒子伊施波設聽見押尼珥死在希伯崙，手就發軟，以色列眾人也都驚惶。

閱讀經文：〈撒母耳記〉下 4:1-12

掃羅在世時生了約拿單、麥基舒亞、亞比拿達、伊施巴力四個兒子，有三個跟著他上戰場，留下了幼子伊施波設（在〈歷代志〉上第八章33節裡稱他為：伊施巴力）留京看守。掃羅和三子戰死沙場後，押尼珥帶著伊施波設逃到約旦河東的瑪哈念，立伊施波設為王。但是押尼珥並不尊重伊施波設，仗著自己的勢力隨意妄為，甚至與掃羅的妃嬪同寢。當伊施波設質問他時，他反而破口大罵。因為他知道自己擁有掃羅家的兵權，伊施波設根本耐何不了他。到最後，他更越過伊施波設和大衛商討統一。

當約押殺了押尼珥的消息傳回掃羅家時，掃羅家的反應從伊施波設到以色列眾人的反應是嚇得不知如何是好。因為掃羅死後，押尼珥變成掃羅家真正當家的，從來有什麼事都是他說了算，現在他死了，大家都不知所措，覺得前途無望，開始各自打算。這就是人的本相，不是嗎？當你不再有能力時，跟隨的人就會踩你、踏你，然後各自尋求出路，有誰會留下來拉你一把？這也是政治的真面目。而最先離開的，就是原先最靠近你，你最信任的人。

伊施波設的兩個軍長原本應在此時站出來，但是沒想到他們的族人比錄人，一聽到風聲不對就全部開溜了。留下這兩個軍長巴拿和利甲，他們有何打算呢？他們也像押尼珥一樣，想到大衛處討碗飯吃（為自己謀一官半職），但是又不能空手去，所以就想到了一個最好的禮物，那就是伊施波設的人頭。因此相約在一個午後，趁著伊施波設在睡午覺時，沒有防備，就殺了伊施波設，取了他的首級。趁著人頭還新鮮，他們在亞拉巴走了一夜，走到希伯崙見到大衛王。他們很興奮地計劃著，大衛將會因而給他們什麼奬賞啊？

Remember Who You Are and Don’t Lose Sight of the Big Picture

2021-08-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 6:1-11.  Let’s go!

1 Corinthians 6:1-11 (NIV)
1  If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?
2  Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?
3  Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!
4  Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church!
5  I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?
6  But instead, one brother goes to law against another–and this in front of unbelievers!
7  The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?……

On verses 1-11:  In 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 Paul tackles another problem in his church: apparently some of the Christians in his church at Corinth were having such severe conflicts that they were suing each other in court.  Paul writes (and I’m paraphrasing here), “Why do that?  Why air out your dirty laundry in front of others and give Christians a bad name by suing one another — and in front of a non-Christian judge no less!  If you couldn’t resolve this matter between yourselves as Christian brothers, could you not have at least found another Christian brother or sister whom you trust to help mediate this situation?  Shouldn’t you as a Christian rather be wronged and cheated by your fellow Christian than to be suing them in court and dragging Christ’s name in the mud in the process?”