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耶稣的门徒–奋锐党的西门

2020-08-23 in /by

提摩太后书 4章7-8节   那美好的仗我已经打过了，当跑的路我已经跑尽了，所信的道我已经守住了。 从此以后，有公义的冠冕为我存留，就是按著公义审判的主到了那日要赐给我的；不但赐给我，也赐给凡爱慕祂显现的人。

在新约里一共有九个人名叫西门，这在当时是一个很普通的名字，因此作者特别注明这位是奋锐党的西门，以便和西门彼得有所区别。西门彼得的事蹟充斥于四本福音书里，相反的，奋锐党的西门则一点声音也没有。但是主对他们的爱是一样的，主对他们的呼召也是一样的，除了有时带着三个门徒去祷告或做事，在主耶稣的行踪里，他们都一样地领受着主精心的教导。当圣灵浇灌时，一个也没有落掉，除了己经寻短见的犹大，每一个人都领受到主丰富的恩典。不管是冲动派，温柔派，多言型，静默型，主都一样眷爱。所以不管我们有怎样的性情，都可以放心到主面前，祂对你的爱不会少过对彼得的爱，也不会多过对约翰的爱。

我们先来看看在耶稣时代的奋锐党是什么组织。一般都认为，在当时的犹太社会里有许多党派，宗教性的党派有法利赛派、撒都该派、爱色尼派等；政治性的有希律党、奋锐党等。希律党拥护希律家为王，而奋锐党（圣经新译本译作激进派）则是相对的。他们以民族主义，国家主义为号召，主张以武力来推翻罗马的专政统治，保全犹太人的法律，寻求政治上的独立自主，可说是犹太人的革命党。他们甚至被称为狂热派，是一群强调「不自由毋宁死」的敢死队，及为真理公义而战的勇士。

但是圣经学者罗勃特·伊斯曼（Robert Eisenman）指出，根据当时《塔木德》的记载，奋锐党「并不真是一个组织，毋宁说是一群想向统辖上帝的应许地巴勒斯坦的罗马帝国，进行复仇与革命行动之激进份子。」

God’s Word, Your Weapon

2020-08-23 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Luke 4:1-13.  Let’s go!

Luke 4:1-13 (NIV) 
1  Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert,
2  where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
3  The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4  Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.'”……

On verses 1-13:  After having been baptized in the Jordan River, Jesus is led into the desert where he is tempted by the devil for 40 days.  Notice that each time Jesus is tempted by the devil, Jesus fights back by quoting Scripture.  In response to the devil’s first temptation Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 in the Old Testament.  In response to the devil’s second temptation Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13.  In response to the devil’s third temptation Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:16.  What is Jesus doing?  In response to each specific temptation he faces, Jesus recites a verse from Scripture that helps him to do the right thing in that situation.  In all likelihood Jesus is reciting these verses from memory, since the only place you could read a copy of Scripture back in Jesus’ time was in the synagogue.

从服事到陪伴

2020-08-21 in /by

路加福音10 章41-42节   主回答说：「马大，马大，你为许多的事操心烦恼，但是不可少的只有一件。马利亚已经选择了那上好的福分，是没有人能从她夺去的。」

曾经有很多年，我很讨厌马大及马利亚的故事。我对这故事的诠释是这样的：

有天耶稣和门徒在旅行途中停留在马大及马利亚这两个姐妹的家。马大很热情地欢迎这些客人，大费周章地准备盛宴来款待耶稣及门徒。在马大煮得焦头烂额时，撇见妹妹马利亚安静地坐在耶稣脚前。马大发火了，跑到耶稣面前指控耶稣纵容马利亚的偷懒。结果耶稣不但没有安慰马大，叫马利亚去帮忙，反而说马大为许多的事烦扰，却遗漏了唯一不可少的事。耶稣说马利亚所选择的是不能夺去的上 好的福分。耶稣指出马大选择错误。

耶稣怎么可以这样说？把自己想像成马大的我，觉得被耶稣斥责。因为我是家里的老大，总是很勤劳很努力的做事，读这个故事让我觉得耶稣很不公平，没有体谅马大的辛劳，反而包庇马利亚的懒惰。所以有很多年我很讨厌这个圣经故事。

一直到多年后，经过不断的省思，我才慢慢体会到耶稣所表达的爱与真理。我看到如马大的自己，如何常常忙碌，无法慢下脚步，以为当个好的基督徒，就是要不断的服事、让自己有用处。但是，一如马大，我忽略了那唯一不可少的事。

耶稣所说的唯一不可少的事是什么呢？就是如马利亚一般，坐在耶稣脚前。如果爱是基督徒最重要的使命，那么耶稣其实在说爱是花时间来到上帝面前，花时间与耶稣同在，花时间陪伴我们所重视的人。但是我们常常把替上帝做工摆在花时间安静在上帝面前之上。我们做很多事，让自己很忙碌，但是却缺少彼此陪伴。

Be Careful With Your Words

2020-08-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 35:10-15.  Let’s go!
 
Ezekiel 35:10-12 (NIV) 
10  “‘Because you have said, “These two nations and countries will be ours and we will take possession of them,” even though I the LORD was there, 
11  therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will treat you in accordance with the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred of them and I will make myself known among them when I judge you. 
12  Then you will know that I the LORD have heard all the contemptible things you have said against the mountains of Israel. You said, “They have been laid waste and have been given over to us to devour.”

On verses 10-12:  The “two nations and countries” being referred to in verse 10 are the southern kingdom of Judah and the northern kingdom of Israel.  The Edomites boasted that they would one day take possession of Judah and Israel (v10), especially given that Judah and Israel were in a weakened state (v12b –“They have been laid waste and have been given over to us to devour”). 
Apparently the Edomites spoke these boastful words out of anger, envy and hatred toward the Israelites (v11).  Thus God promises to treat the Edomites with the same anger, envy and hatred with which the Edomites treated the Israelites (v11b-11). 

Let Go Of That Grudge

2020-08-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 35:1-9.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-9:  In these verses the Lord gives Ezekiel a message for the nation of Edom, whose nickname is “Mount Seir”.  The message is that because the nation of Edom, who “harboured an ancient hostility” (v5) against the Israelites.  What ancient hostility is the Lord referring to here?  Keep in mind that the founding father of Edom was Esau while the founding father of the nation of Israel was Jacob, Esau’s twin brother.  Esau and Jacob had one of the most infamously hostile sibling rivalries in the Bible.  This hostility would be passed down from generation to generation after Esau and Jacob, leading to a bitter rivalry between two nations, the Edomites and the Israelites.  Because of the grudge that the Edomites harboured toward the Israelites, the Edomites “delivered the Israelites over to the sword at the time of their calamity” (v5).  In response to harbouring this grudge, God would give the nation of Edom over to bloodshed as well (v6), turning Edom into a desolate waste (v7), not to be inhabited again (v9).

What can we learn from this?  Do you hold “an ancient hostility” or a grudge against someone? 

耶稣旳门徒多马(低土马)

2020-08-20 in /by

约翰福音20章25节  多马却对他们说：「除非我看见祂手上的钉痕，用我的指头探入那钉痕，用我的手探入祂的肋旁，我绝不信。」

28节：多马回答，对祂说：「我的主！我的　神！」

多马，几乎是每一个信徒的缩影，只是有的表现出来，有的把他隐藏在心里。当耶稣复活后，在门徒中间显现时，他们都以为是耶稣的灵魂显现。耶稣对他们说：「你们为甚么惊恐不安？为甚么心里起疑惑呢？你们看我的手和我的脚，就知道实在是我了。摸摸我，看，因为魂无骨无肉，你们看，我是有的。」说了这话，他就把手和脚给他们看。他们还在又惊又喜、不敢相信的时候，耶稣对他们说：「你们这里有甚么吃的没有？」他们给了祂一片烤鱼，祂接过来，在他们面前吃了。(路24:38-43)

门徒们都不敢相信，只是不敢像多马讲得那么斩钉截铁。但是耶稣明白，一眼就看穿他们，把他们的疑惑全部拆穿。所以我们在耶稣面前不要有面子问题，你相不相信，耶稣都知道。宁可像多马一样，直接了当地说出来，反而更可以真正地认识耶稣。

多马是亚兰文的音译，意思是「双生的」，他有可能是双胞始之一；他的希腊名是低土马（Didumos，即「双生的」）。他的性情比较实事求是，非有证据就不接受。我们当中有很多人都是这样的性情，尤其是在这骗子充斥的时代里，有时看到证据还是信不进去。谨慎小心可以保身，但是若错过了认识弥赛亚的机会，与永恒擦身而过，就未免太可惜了。多马多疑，但是多马的三问对后世的人却有极大的帮助。

耶稣的门徒 达 太

2020-08-19 in /by

约翰福音14章22-24节   犹大（又名达 太，不是加略人犹大）问耶稣：「主啊，为甚么亲自向我们显现，而不向世人显现呢？」耶稣回答他说：「凡爱我的人就会遵守我的道，我父也会爱他，并且我们要到他那里去，与他同住。 不爱我的人就不遵守我的道。你们所听见的道不是我的，而是差我来之父的。」

我们曾经说过，主既是从众人当中借着祷告选出了十二门徒，无可疑问的，这些被选上的必有神美好的旨意，也必定各有其特出之处。但十二门徒中，有的名扬四海、有的默默无闻，好像达太，除了门徒名单上列的名字外，只说过一句话。除此以外，《圣经》上就再也没有关于他的记载了。

达太是个言语寡少的人，达太这个名字的意思却是「智慧者」，正合乎〈箴言〉10章19节：「多言多语难免有过，禁止嘴唇是有智慧。」爱迪生说过：「一位实事求是不讲空言的人，一定是没有许多话要说的人。」苏格拉底说：「神给我们两个眼睛两只耳朵，却只给我们一张嘴，无非是叫我们多见多闻而少说话。」保罗劝提摩太：「总要在言语上作信徒的榜样。」我们正可在这方面学达太，制伏我们的舌头，做个智慧者。

一、其名达太

马太马可记载达太的名字，路加在〈路加福音〉与〈使徒行传〉却称他为雅各的儿子犹大。

How To Use History To Your Advantage

2020-08-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 31:1-18.  Let’s go!

Ezekiel 31:1 (NIV) 
1  In the eleventh year, in the third month on the first day, the word of the LORD came to me:

On verse 1:  Scholars say that this date is June 21, 587 B.C.  The prophecy concerns the defeat of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.  Ezekiel receives this prophecy two months after having received a prophecy about Pharaoh’s arms being broken in chapter 30:20-26.

On verses 2-18:  In his pride Pharaoh Hophra of Egypt considered himself to be in a class all by himself, secure in his wealth and military prowess.  To warn Pharaoh not to be so prideful, in this message the Lord reminds Pharaoh of another kingdom that was once extremely powerful: Assyria.  The mention of Assyria would have struck a chord with Pharaoh and Egypt, for less than 50 years prior, Assyria had invaded Egypt in 633 B.C. and laid waste to Egypt’s capital Thebes.  Eventually however, powerful Assyria was eventually brought down by the Babylonians as well.

耶稣的门徒–亚勒腓的儿子雅各

2020-08-18 in /by

马可3章13-19节    耶稣上了山，把自己所要的人召来，他们就来到他那里。于是他设立十二个人，又称他们为使徒，要他们常和自己同在，也要差他们去传道，并给他们权柄赶鬼。他设立的十二个人，有西门—耶稣又给他起名叫彼得， 还有西庇太的儿子雅各和雅各的弟弟约翰—耶稣又给他们起名叫半尼其，就是雷的儿子—又有安得烈、腓力、巴多罗买、马太、多马、亚勒腓的儿子雅各、达太和激进党的西门，还有出卖耶稣的加略人犹大。

新约中有三个雅各。除了约瑟的儿子，主耶稣的弟弟名雅各外，还有西庇太的儿子雅各和我们现在要讲的亚勒腓的儿子雅各。利未马太的父亲也叫亚勒腓，因此有人以为他们是兄弟，但无进一步的考据。俗称这位雅各为小雅各，以别于亚庇太的儿子雅各。两个雅各在使徒中很易混淆，也许这位雅年轻些，或身材矮小些，故名之。

一、雅各其人

雅各在《圣经》当中只见其名字列在十二门徒中，没有记载过他说的一句话，或者做的任何一件事；倒是记载了他母亲马利亚在十字架旁观看主受难断气的景象（可15:40），又在复活节的清晨，买了香膏要去膏主的身体（可16:1）。这位母亲也是跟随主服事主的人，母 子同心同步走天路，多么幸福！多么喜悦！

雅各默默无闻，照世俗的眼光看，是个不足轻重的人，极其平凡的人。可是我们知道，主从那么多跟随他的人群中选出十二个门徒来，不是轻率的事。主必有他的美意，雅各也必有他的长处。或者雅各的长处就是安静，默默的服事主，静静地听主的教训。

How We Respond to God’s Blessings Matters

2020-08-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 30:1-26.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-9:  Here the Lord has a message concerning the nation of Egypt, warning that “the day is near” (v3) when “a sword will come against Egypt” (v4) causing widespread destruction there.  Despite “her proud strength” (v6) and her allies supporting her, Egypt would be defeated and made desolate (v7), and her allies would be crushed (v8).

What can we learn from this?  If God is against you, it doesn’t matter who else is for you or on your side.  But the reverse is also true: if God is for you, it doesn’t matter who is against you or who is on your enemy’s side.  As Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Praise God.  Because Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, we can know that God is definitely for us and not against us.  That is especially the case if you have responded in faith to what Jesus Christ has done on the cross, for now by faith in Jesus Christ you are God’s child, endowed with God’s Holy Spirit, an heir of His kingdom, a citizen of heaven and a member of God’s team and family on earth.  Because of Jesus Christ, we know that God is for us and not against us.