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The Pursuing Love of God

2021-04-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 3:1-12.  Let’s go!

Genesis 3:1 (NIV)
1  Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

On verse 1:  It is important to be aware of Satan’s tactics and the ways he wants to lead us astray.  That way you can guard yourself against them.  We see one tactic of Satan here in this verse: Satan likes to try to confuse us about what God actually said and what God actually requires.

Genesis 3:2-5 (NIV)
2  The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,
3  but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'”
4  “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman.
5  “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

《启示录》绪论(下 )

2021-04-16 in , /by

基督照各教会灵性的程度来牧养

　　基督复活之后，对祂的教会的吩咐、差遣到底是什么，我们要仔细传讲耶稣给每个教会的信息到底是什么。每个教会有它不同的地方，有的教会非常满足主的心意，有的教会不讨神的喜悦，照着各地灵性的状况对他们宣讲。当你真心谨慎听，你会发现这个话是对我讲，是我自己要遵行、顺服、聆听，自己修改自己，我们的灵性才会进步。每个教会领受上帝的护理都是独特的，针对他们所要改正而发出劝戒。

　　这位曾经死过，现在活着，并且活到永永远远的基督，监察、照顾、牧养他的教会，用当讲的话警戒、安慰、照顾教会，这位生命的主、教会的元首发号施令，赐下应许。基督不是死了就死了，主清楚知道我们每个教会的毛病在哪里、失败在哪里、我们的需要在哪里，然后按照各个教会的需要，一个个来监督、来教导、来警戒，我们对我们所做的好事、对的事情，祂都知道，我们要爱上帝，因为一个爱上帝的人，是上帝所知道的人。上帝不但知道我们做的好事，也知道我们的败坏、错误，因此基督发出警戒、教训，使我们在他面前预备自己，领受他要给我们的指责、审判、责备，使我们不至于将错就错，以致于远远离开他，走在灭亡的道路上。

　　教会是主的身体，主一定用他的督责把我们带回正路。如果我们所做的是上帝所喜悦的事情，那么，上帝一定会赐福；如果我们所做的是违背上帝旨意的事情，他一定要刑罚、管教我们，带我们回到正路。这是耶稣基督作为教会的元首所做的事情。

Breath of Life

2021-04-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 2:1-14.  Let’s go!

Genesis 2:1-3 (NIV)
1  Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2  By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.
3  And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

On verses 1-3:  God did not rest on the seventh day because He was tired.  Rather He rested as an example for all of us, that we would rest from our work once a week so that we can be renewed, restored and refreshed (Exodus 20:8-11).  Often times it’s a lack of rest, a refusal to obey God’s command to rest, that causes problems for us physically, emotionally, spiritually and relationally.

Genesis 2:4-7 (NIV)
4  This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens—
5  and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground,
6  but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground–
7  the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

What Does It Mean To Be Made in God’s Image?

2021-04-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Genesis 1:20-31.  Let’s go!

Genesis 1:20-25 (NIV)
20  And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”
21  So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
22  God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”
23  And there was evening, and there was morning–the fifth day.
24  And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.
25  God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

On verses 20-25:  One of the recurring phrases in Genesis 1 is, “And God saw that it was good.” (v21, 25.  See also v4, 10, 12 and 18)  In other words, God took pleasure in His creative work. 

南征北伐小总结

2021-04-15 in , /by

〈约书亚记〉 12:7 a  约书亚和以色列人在约旦河西击杀了诸王。

阅读经文：〈约书亚记〉 12:1-24 

看到约书亚做的报告，可以感觉到他是一个很正直的人。他没有隐藏摩西的功绩，虽然河东的仗也是约书亚带头在打。但那时是摩西带领以色列人，所以把功绩归给摩西是应当的。有人拿摩西的战绩和约书亚的相比较，摩西杀了亚摩利王西宏和巴珊噩，而约书亚杀了31个王。所以约书亚比摩西厉害功高，你同意吗？我觉得那是相当无聊的比较。其实在击杀河东之王时，摩西已经120岁，在这之前和亚玛利人的争战，摩西到山上祷告，约书亚在战场上争战。仗都是约书亚打的，但是摩西的祷告却是胜负的关键。摩西举手，以色列人就打胜仗；摩西的手放下来，以色列人就打败仗。所以亚伦和户珥必须扶助摩西的手，直到战事结束。

神交托给摩西和约书亚的工作是完全不同的。神交给摩西的工作是带领以色列人出埃及，约书亚的工作是带领以色列人进迦南。在人生的旅途上，我们都有各自的任务和使命，神对每个人的安排都不一样。所以我们不要羡慕别人的工作和成就，反而要在自己的责任上看见神给自己的使命，尽心尽力去做就对了。

摩西不是一生下来就做领袖，约书亚也不是一生下来就会打仗。神用了八十年的时间去塑造摩西，也用了超过四十年的时间去磨炼约书亚。正如迦南不是一天一夜打下来的，都是用了许多年，一步一脚印地打下来。所以我们不要以为只要有神的同在，成功就伸手可及。神没有立刻让以色列人成功，因为在努力的过程中，正是塑造一个人的机会，也是建立信心的最佳时机。仗是一个个地打，王也是一个个地杀，代表人生道路上的困难要一个个地克服，不能一下子全部解决。所以我们面对困难或自己的恶习时，不要想一下子就通通清除所有的障碍，只要有耐心和信心，靠着主，一个个地去掉它们。

约书亚焚夏琐

2021-04-14 in , /by

〈约书亚记〉 11:15  耶和华怎样吩咐他仆人摩西，摩西就照样吩咐约书亚，约书亚也照样行。凡耶和华所吩咐摩西的，约书亚没有一件懈怠不行的。凡耶和华所吩咐摩西的，约书亚没有一件懈怠不行的。

阅读经文：〈约书亚记〉 11:1-23

在约书亚结束迦南地南部的争战之后，迦南地北方的王也结盟了。他们聚集在米伦水边，就是加利利海的北面。约书亚看到敌人的人数多如海边的沙，并有许多马匹车辆，正在愁烦不已。再一次，神对约书亚说：「你不要因他们惧怕」，然后把打仗的方法教给约书亚。神的话及时临到，把应对之计告诉约书亚。约书亚立刻起身作战。神的话就是这样有能力，使人在面对最可怕的敌人时，也能冲锋陷阵，因为神与他们同在。

神应允：「明日这时，我必将他们交付以色列人全然杀了」。神一次又一次地告诉约书亚，祂要亲自毁灭那些迦南人。以色列人之所以每战必胜，实在是因为耶和华神亲自为他们争战。神亲自为以色列军队的元帅。神有能力亲自除去迦南人，为何还要以色列人去打仗呢？难道神不能派天使砍断他们马的蹄筋，从天降火焚烧他们的车辆？神的确能够自己完成一切的事情，那样对以色列人有何好处呢？以色列人若是每到一处，敌人就自动消灭净尽，他们怎能懂得打仗的艰辛？打仗需要付出，属灵的争战也是一样，我们不可能轻轻松松就胜过老我和恶习，一定要有决心，并且寻求神的带领，才能得胜。约书亚争战了许年日，我们的争战也不可能一下子就结束，因此一定要有毅力才能打赢。

Speak Light into the Darkness

2021-04-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin our look at Genesis, the first book in the Bible.  Today’s passage is Genesis 1:1-19.  Let’s go!

Genesis 1:1-19 (NIV)
1  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3  And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light….

On verses 1-19:  Is Genesis 1 intended to be a detailed scientific explanation of the origins of the earth?  Not necessarily.  The Bible is not a textbook on science and doesn’t claim to be.  Still, where it addresses scientific matters, the Bible is infallible.  You will not find a proven scientific fact that truly contradicts what the Bible teaches.  In fact, the Bible has proven to be ahead of its time.  For example, the Bible claimed that the earth is round even when the prevailing belief in ancient times was that the earth was flat (see Psalm 40:22).  Here the Bible claims that the earth had a beginning when many people believed that the earth had always existed (Genesis 1).

约书亚攻取诸邑

2021-04-13 in , /by

〈约书亚记〉  10:42 约书亚一时杀败了这些王，并夺了他们的地，因为耶和华以色列的神为以色列争战。

阅读经文：〈约书亚记〉   10:28-43

在灭了五王之后，约书亚带着以色列人冲锋陷阵，从从玛基大往立拿，再打拉吉，攻打伊矶伦、希伯仑和底璧，击杀城中的一切人口，没有留下一个。从这些战役里再来看现在的以巴冲突。可能有的人会很同情当地的迦南人，觉得神为了把迦南地给以色列人，就赶尽杀绝，岂不应当让每个人都有容身之地吗？但是我们看以色列的仇敌对以色列人是绝不手下留情的，几乎天天有的恐怖袭击，人肉炸弹，等等。去年以色列和阿拉伯国家终于签订合约，开始有了来往，实在也是一个神蹟。

从《圣经》的记载，迦南地的战争绝不是以色列人的战争而已，这是神和恶势力之战。因此每一次记载：「正如耶和华以色列的神所吩咐的」。换言之，倘若约书亚和以色列人没有把迦南人尽行杀灭，他们就违背神的旨意，不能得到神的祝福，反而会蒙咒诅。因此在〈申命记〉第九章第四节，摩西对以色列人说：「耶和华你的神将这些国民从你面前撵出以后，你心里不可说：『耶和华将我领进来得这地，是因我的义。』其实，耶和华将他们从你面前赶出去，是因他们的恶。」

对基督徒而言，认识罪的可怕比较容易；对非基督徒而言，可能还是觉得不公平，太残忍。但是战争的本质，不是你死便是我活，再加上是出于神的审判，人更不能逃脱了。与其批评神，不如面对罪的可怕，明白审判必然来临，因为人终有一死，不管怎样死，都要面对最后的审判。

Stop Playing the Comparison Game

2021-04-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 21:15-25.  Let’s go!

John 21:15-17 (NIV) 
15  When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 
16  Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 
17  The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

On verses 15-17:  Peter’s most shameful moment was when he verbally denied Jesus three times (see John 18).  So it is not a coincidence here that Jesus restores Peter by having Peter verbally affirm his love and commitment to Jesus three times. 

In Jesus’ eyes, Peter was not the failure who denied him three times.  Peter was the rock on which Jesus would still build his church, and that is why three times Jesus tells Peter to take care of his sheep, that is, his church.  Peter had counted himself out already.  That is why he had gone back to fishing (see verse 3), but Jesus had not given up on his vision for Peter’s life. 

When You’ve Given Up On Yourself

2021-04-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 21:1-14.  Let’s go!

John 21:1-3 (NIV) 
1  Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: 
2  Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 
3  “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

On verses 1-3:  By “going out to fish” (v3), Peter may have been saying, “I tried and failed at this spiritual leadership thing.  I’m going back to my old life, my old job as a fisherman.  How else am I going to eat and live now that I’ve denied Jesus and made a fool of myself?”  Going out to fish with Peter were James and John (“the sons of Zebedee” – v2), who were Peter’s old fishing partners and fellow disciples, as well as Thomas, Nathanael and two other disciples.  

Whereas Peter had given up on himself, Jesus had not given up on Peter.  In the sequence that follows, Jesus shows Peter that he has not given up on him by subtly recalling specific miracles Jesus had done in the lives of Peter and his disciples.  It’s a great reminder that when we have failed, or think we have failed, in major ways, we may be inclined to give up on any dreams we had concerning God using our lives and going back to our old way of living.  But even after we have failed in major ways, Jesus still does not give up on us.