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How Jesus Leads

2021-03-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 10:1-10.  Let’s go!

John 10:1-5 (NIV) 
1  “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 
2  The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 
3  The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 
4  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 
5  But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

On verses 1-5:  Back during Jesus’ time on earth, shepherds would bring their respective flocks together to be placed in a communal pen for the night.  One shepherd would be assigned to be the watchman to watch the flocks at night while the other shepherds slept.  In the morning, the shepherds would return to the communal pen to collect their sheep.  But how would they separate their own sheep from the rest of the sheep in the communal pen?  By the sound of the shepherd’s voice.  The shepherd would give out a special call, and based on the shepherd’s voice his own sheep would separate from the rest in the communal pen and follow the shepherd. 

战争和植树

2021-02-28 in , /by

〈申命记〉 20:19你若许久围困，攻打所要取的一座城，就不可举斧子砍坏树木。

在〈申命记〉20章里讲到以色列人作战的条例，神先宣告祂的同在，但是也宣告若有人没有准备好，就不要去参战。这是一般人想像不到的。我们以为只要人多就有气势，但是神知道得胜乃在乎耶和华，不在乎人力或军备，因此祂不要心怀二意的人加入祂的军队。

在以色列遭受周围国家的虎视眈眈和不时的挑衅时，以色列人人皆兵。我们实在很难想像，他们能够为了结婚或种葡萄园等等原因而拒绝去作战。但这确实是神的本意，倘若心里没有准备好，就不要去作战；倘若心里有所挂念，也不要去作战。因为不能专心去打战很容易受伤，也会影响到整个团队。因此，曾经有个人想要跟随 耶稣，想先去跟家人告别时；耶稣说：「手扶著犁向后看的，不配进神的国。（路9:62） 」手扶著犁向后看的人，就像心存挂虑的人，别说打仗，连进神国的路也有可能看不清楚而走到歪路上。

在正常情况下，作惯了奴隶的人要学习作战，真的很不容易。首先是心理上的建设。从前都唯唯诺诺，唯命是从的人，怎能拿起刀去杀人呢？不挨打已经很高兴了，哪敢去打人？以色列人在埃及做了四百年的奴隶，一下子变成自由人了，但是他们的心情转变过来了吗？摩西一上山，他们就学埃及人拜牛犊；路上缺水或缺粮或碰到困难，就想回埃及。他们完全不像独立自由的人，心理上一直依附着埃及。所以神要用各种方法去建设他们的心态和思想。

现在神把他们带到迦南地的边界了，摩西带领他们打了几场战争，都打了胜仗。这些战事都是神在为他们「打底」，要让他们学习怎样打仗，让他们不害怕跟人交锋。因为进了迦南之后，还有更多的战事。

Your True Spiritual Condition Is Revealed By…

2021-02-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 9:35-41.  Let’s go!

John 9:35-38 (NIV) 
35  Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 
36  “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” 
37  Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 
38  Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

On verses 35-38:  When the healed man was thrown out by some Pharisees, Jesus goes out to find him.  During this second encounter with Jesus, Jesus teaches the healed man more of who Jesus is, calling himself the Son of Man, and leads the man to saving faith in him.

What can we learn from this? 

1.     Faith is a process.  Often people will not come to profess saving faith in Jesus after one only encounter with Jesus, but after a number of encounters.  So when you’re sharing your faith with others, don’t be discouraged if that person does not come to saving faith in Christ at that very moment.  

The Difference Jesus Makes to Our Relationships

2021-02-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Hebrews 10:11-18.  Let’s go!

Hebrews 10:11-14 (NIV) 
11  Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12  But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.
13  Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool,
14  because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

On verses 11-14:  Here we see the theme again of “once and for all”.  Jesus laid down His life once, and this was enough to take away the sins of everyone who places their trusts in Jesus.  Compare that to the priests under the old covenant who could never take away the sins of the people or make them holy in God’s sight despite offering the same sacrifices again and again.

dAlso, notice this mystery: Jesus “has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (v14).  Here the Bible recognizes this dual reality in our lives. 

God Remembers Your Faith + Your Urim and Thummim

2021-02-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezra 2:1-70.  Let’s go!

Ezra 2:1-2 (NIV) 
1  Now these are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive to Babylon (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town, 
2  in company with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah): The list of the men of the people of Israel

On verses 3-58, 64-70:   What can we learn from this long list of names of the 40,000 plus people who returned to Jerusalem? The fact that God’s Word lists by name the different families that went back to Jerusalem tells us that God remembers people for their faith. 

预言彼得跌倒

2021-02-28 in /by

马太福音26: 30_35_预言彼得跌倒

30 他们唱了诗，就出来往橄榄山去。31 那时，耶稣对他们说：「今夜你们为我的缘故都要跌倒，因为经上记着说：『我要击打牧人，羊就分散了。』 32 但我复活以后，要在你们以先往加利利去。」 33 彼得说：「众人虽然为你的缘故跌倒，我却永不跌倒。」 34 耶稣说：「我实在告诉你：今夜鸡叫以先，你要三次不认我。」 35 彼得说：「我就是必须和你同死，也总不能不认你！」众门徒都是这样说。

橄榄山位于旧城耶路撒冷的东边，现在去以色列旅游的人大概都不会放弃橄榄山半日游或一日游的行程，因为橄榄山是耶稣升天的地方，又包括了客西马尼园，还有主祷文教堂、主泣教堂、万国教堂、观景台等等 ; 还有全以色列最昂贵的犹太墓，因为犹太人相信当弥赛亚来的时候，埋在橄榄山的人会首先复活！有人说站在橄榄山的观景台看耶路撒冷，除了能够捕捉美丽的风景，那种感动更是说不出来的！当然那里还有免费厕所，是不能错过的。

当然，在耶稣的时代一切都很纯朴，晚上也没有路灯，耶稣和门徒向着客西马尼园走去，还要经过汲沦溪谷，只有月亮照着他们一行人的身影，带着寒意的春风不时吹着他们，那飘起的衣角似乎想拂去随风带来的一些水珠。耶稣边走边对门徒说：「今夜你们为我的缘故都要跌倒，因为经上记着说：『我要击打牧人，羊就分散了。』 32 但我复活以后，要在你们以先往加利利去。」

超自然研究的沉寂与复兴

2021-02-26 in , /by

〈马太福音〉六章13节     不叫我们遇见试探；救我们脱离凶恶（恶者）。因为国度、权柄、荣耀，全是你的，直到永远。阿们！

二十世纪初期有一些人已经不再相信有鬼魔的存在，他们已不再相信超自然的存在。二十世纪中叶，德国斯图加特大学（University of Stuttgart）有一位重要的神学家写了一本关于精神病与鬼附的书，专门研究《圣经》记载被邪灵附着的事蹟。超自然的研究在当时并不是显学。

一九一七年，美国神学家饶申布士（Walter Rauschenbusch, 1861–1918）写一本名为《社会福音的神学基础》（Theology for the Social Gospel）的书，书中说：「历史上根本不存在《圣经》记载的鬼附事蹟。四卷福音书之所以讲论鬼附的事，是因为福音书的作者不明白所谓的鬼附其实是精神失常者会有的表现」。

饶申布士的思想与奥地利佛洛伊德（Sigmund Freud, 1856-1939）的心理学同出一辙。佛洛伊德用很现代化的字眼重新解释《圣经》，既不相信良心的存在，也不相信魔鬼的存在。两人都用精神衰弱、精神失常、精神病等病理特征诠释耶稣时代的鬼附现象。当这些所谓的新学术出来时，许多神学家追随时代的潮流，赶紧将神学改头换面，深怕自己被认为是落伍的思想家。

饶申布士走了一条不需悔改的信仰道路。他不相信耶稣的死是代替性的死，不相信耶稣的宝血能洗净人的罪，也不相信鬼魔会附在人的身上。他用心理学解释这些现象。但讽刺的是，就在饶申布士写那本书的时期，中国山东出现了一位名叫古约翰的人（Jonathan Goforth, 1859-1936；编按：著名加拿大长老会宣教士、奋兴布道家，先后在中国的山东、河南、河北和东北宣教长达四十八年之久，曾为中国东北教会带来福音大复兴。摘自：《华人基督教史人物辞典》）。

What An Effective Witness for Jesus Does

2021-02-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 9:24-34.  Let’s go!

John 9:24-25 (NIV) 
24  A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”
25  He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

On verses 24-25:  When questioned again by the Pharisees, the “once was blind but now I see” man is not afraid to testify about what Jesus has done in his life.  He didn’t claim to have all the answers. Rather he simply boldly shared his experience about the difference Jesus made in his life.  To be an effective witness for Jesus, you don’t need to have all the answers, but you do need to be willing to share your story.

John 9:26-34 (NIV) 
26  Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
27  He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”
28  Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses!
29  We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”
30  The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.
31  We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.
32  Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.

设立逃城的爱

2021-02-25 in , /by

〈申命记〉 19:2-3 要在耶和华─你　神所赐你为业的地上分定三座城。要将耶和华─你　神使你承受为业的地分为三段；又要预备道路，使误杀人的，都可以逃到那里去。

从该隐杀亚伯开始，人类就不断地自相残杀。在挪亚生了三个儿子之后，神看到世界败坏，地上满了强暴。就像该隐的子孙拉麦，对他妻子说：「壮年人伤我，我把他杀了；少年人损我，我把他害了。」因为人属乎血气，终日思想的尽都是恶，因此神说：「我的灵就不永远住在他里面，然而他的日子还可到一百二十年。（创6:3）」从那时开始，人类的寿命就越来越短了。神的灵虽然不要永远住在人的里面，但是神的灵依然要住在人的里面一百廿年。假如你讨厌一个人时，就会想尽办法不要和他在一起；但是即始年日缩短，神的灵依然要和祂所赐予生命气息的人在一起一百廿年。当然，为了某些原因，我们不能活到一百廿岁，那也没有办法。

神的爱是如此坚定。即使看到人心里思想的尽都是恶，也要想办法帮助他。犹太人的拉比认为，逃城的用意不是为了庇护，而是为了赎罪。因为在〈出埃及记〉廿一章13节说：「人若不是埋伏著杀人，乃是神交在他手中，我就设下一个地方，他可以往那里逃跑。」拉比Philo认为，神不会挑选一个无罪的人去执行夺取他人性命的任务，因此在神把某人的性命交在肇事者手中时，肇事者之前很可能已犯了某些罪，所以神才会挑选他成为取他人性命的「工具」。例子：「就如人与邻舍同入树林砍伐树木，手拿斧子一砍，本想砍下树木，不料，斧头脱了把，飞落在邻舍身上，以至于死。」因此，肇事者的流亡就是他的赎罪祭。

倘若肇事者在未到逃城之前就死掉，他们的尸体还是要送到逃城，埋在那里。倘若肇事者比大祭司早死，那么他的尸身也必须葬在城，直到大祭司死掉才可搬走。即使肇事者能活到当时的大祭司死去，得到自由，此后也不可以作官。

Not Afraid to Identify with Jesus

2021-02-25 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is John 9:13-23.  Let’s go!

John 9:13-16 (NIV) 
13  They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 
14  Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 
15  Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” 
16  Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” So they were divided.

On verses 13-16:  In response to Jesus giving sight to a blind man on the Sabbath day, some Pharisees fixate on their little rules – how Jesus healing on the Sabbath was a violation of their Sabbath day rules – all the while missing what really matters to God.  May we not make the same mistake.  May I not be so focused on my own little man-made system being challenged that I miss the big things that God is doing.