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耶穌的門徒雅各

2020-08-11 in /by

馬太福音四章21-22節  從那裡往前走，又看見弟兄二人，就是西庇太的兒子雅各和他兄弟約翰，同他們的父親西庇太在船上補網，耶穌就招呼他們。他們立刻捨了船，別了父親，跟從了耶穌。

在聖經的舊約和新約裡有不同人都名為「雅各」，Jacob / James 這兩個英文名都被譯為雅各。以色列人的始祖雅各和瑪利亞的丈夫都是Jacob 雅各，其他三位James是指西庇太的兒子雅各，亞勒非的兒子雅各，耶穌的兄弟雅各。

西庇太的兒子雅各和亞勒非的兒子雅各都是耶穌的使徒，在《聖經》裡沒有很多篇幅記載他們的事蹟，後者更沒有被單獨記載的經文，但是他和其他使徒一起，同被耶穌差遣出去傳道，同進晚餐，一同禱告，一同跟隨耶穌，在各項事工上，都一同有份。當然，在新耶路撒冷城牆有十二根基，根基上有羔羊十二使徒的名字，這兩位雅各的名字都在上面。

在教會裡你也會發現有的弟兄姐妹默默事奉，什麼頭銜都沒有，就是為了愛主，什麼事都肯做。以前我們發現有位弟兄，每個主日都特別早到教堂，他不是管堂的，但是他早來就是看看有什麼可以幫忙的，或是撿起一些未清理到的垃圾，或是把椅子排好。沒有人注意到他，他就是這樣默默地來，默默地去。但是我們相信，他所做的一切，天父都記下了。

相傳西庇太的兒子雅各和約翰是耶穌的表兄弟，他們的母親撒羅米是耶穌的母親馬利亞的姊妹。換句話說，撒羅米是耶穌的阿姨，西庇太和撒羅米的家境比較好，常用財物供給耶穌和祂的門徒。這也解釋了為什麼撒羅米會去向耶穌祈求，在耶穌得國之後，讓她的兩個兒子(雅各和約翰)將來成為主的左臣右相。(太20:21)

Don’t Gloat When Others Suffer, And Don’t Seek Revenge

2020-08-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 25:1-17.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-11:  After previously prophesying at length about the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem and such destruction coming to pass, Ezekiel here receives messages from the Lord for nations that were historically enemies of Judah and Jerusalem.   The first nation God has a message for is the Ammonites.  Because the Ammonites gloated and rejoiced over the deportation of the Israelites, the desecration of the temple and the destruction of the land of Israel, God will cause the Ammonites to be cut off and exterminated.

The second nation was Moab.  Because Moab looked down on Israel and spoke with contempt about Israel’s downfall, God would punish the Moabites and give them over to other nations.

What can we learn from this?  God watches how we respond to the misfortune or loss of others.  When others suffer loss, including people you would consider your enemies or your competitors, do not gloat boastfully about it.   Rather, have a heart of humility and compassion toward them.

耶穌的門徒彼得(下 )

2020-08-11 in /by

約翰福音 21章17-18節   耶穌第三次對他說：「約翰的兒子西門，你愛我嗎？」彼得因為耶穌第三次對他說「你愛我嗎」，就憂愁，對耶穌說：「主啊，祢是無所不知的，你知道我愛祢。」耶穌說：「你餵養我的羊。我實實在在地告訴你：你年少的時候，自己束上帶子，隨意往來；但年老的時候，你要伸出手來，別人要把你束上，帶你到不願意的地方。」

你可能覺得當彼得說耶穌是基督和看見耶穌登山變像，是彼得人生的最高峰，事實上那個只是他人生的一些快樂時刻，真正的考驗還在後頭，也因而他的靈性突飛猛進了。他的飛躍來自於他的失敗。

在最後的晚餐裡，彼得對主說願意願主下監，願意為主而死。但是主的反應是：「我實在告訴你：今夜雞叫以先，你要三次不認我。」彼得說：「我就是必須和祢同死，也總不能不認祢！」眾門徒都是這樣說(太26:34-35)。「死」是大事，「認」是小事，怎麼可能做不到呢？我們平常也都覺得很愛主，希望被神大大使用，但是若碰到小小的差事，可能就閃過了，所以教堂裡聚會後要保持乾淨很困難。很少人覺得把自己的垃圾收好或帶回家，不是愛主的表現。

那天晚上，主在客西尼園禱告時，耶穌帶著彼得和約翰，雅各一起。沒想到他們三個都打盹睡覺了，叫了幾次都不醒。等猶大領了一隊兵，和祭司長並法利賽人的差役拿著燈籠、火把、兵器，來到園裡抓耶穌時，彼得拔出預備好的刀，一刀削掉大祭司的僕人馬勒古的右耳。他剛睡醒，刀法又快又準。但是耶穌對彼得說：「收刀入鞘吧！我父所給我的那杯，我豈可不喝呢？」(約18:10-11) 彼得想表忠心卻表錯了時辰。

但是當所有的門徒紛紛四散時，也唯有彼得和約翰一直跟著耶穌，跟到大祭司的院子裡(約18:15)。在大祭司的院子裡，有三個人在不同的時間裡認出彼得是耶穌的門徒，彼得三次都否認，然後雞就叫了。主轉過身來看彼得，彼得便想起主對他所說的話：「今日雞叫以先，你要三次不認我。」 他就出去痛哭(路22:61-62)。

God’s Purpose In Our Suffering

2020-08-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 24:15-27.  Let’s go!

On verses 15-27:  Here, in one of the most heartbreaking moments in the book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel’s beloved wife passes away.  It is not 100% clear whether Ezekiel’s wife was already sick or she was in good health immediately before her tragic death.  In any event, God commands Ezekiel not to publicly mourn his wife’s death in the traditional Jewish way, which in addition to weeping, wailing and shedding tears, would involve tearing one’s clothes, taking off one’s turban and sandals, covering the lower part of one’s face and eating certain foods designated for mourners (v16-17).  Instead of mourning publicly, Ezekiel was to groan quietly (v17).  When Ezekiel’s wife does indeed die, Ezekiel does as God commands (v18).  Taking notice, the Israelites ask Ezekiel what this has to do with them (v19).  Ezekiel responds that just as Ezekiel kept his feelings of grief bottled up inside when his wife passed away, so the Israelites would do the same when they receive the news that Jerusalem – the stronghold they took pride in, the delight of their eyes, and the object of their affection (v21) – would be taken away as well as their sons and daughters (v20-24).

Did God cause Ezekiel’s wife to die just so that Ezekiel would have a sermon illustration?  I don’t believe so.  I think more probably God, who works in all things and who uses even the most tragic, heartbreaking situations in our lives for a greater purpose, was teaching Ezekiel a spiritual lesson that would speak to others, even as he was going through tremendous personal loss. 

耶穌的門徒彼得(中 )

2020-08-10 in /by

路加福音 22章31-34節   主又說：「西門，西門，撒旦想要得著你們，好篩你們像篩麥子一樣。但我已經為你祈求，叫你不至於失了信心。你回頭以後，要堅固你的弟兄。」 彼得說：「主啊，我就是同你下監，同你受死，也是甘心！」 耶穌說：「彼得，我告訴你：今日雞還沒有叫，你要三次說不認得我。」

彼得的畢業考好像考得不錯，但是還沒考完啊，他高興得太早了。因為耶穌接著就告訴他們，祂必須上耶路撒冷去，受長老、祭司長和文士許多的苦，並且被殺，第三天復活。

彼得聽了就拉著祂，說：「主啊，千萬不可如此！這事絕不可臨到你身上。」耶穌轉過來，對彼得說：「撒但，退到我後邊去！你是我的絆腳石，因為你不體會神的心意，而是體會人的意思。」(太6:13-23)

剛剛考了滿分的彼得，一下子變成不及格了。被耶穌罵「撒但」，簡直比考零分還慘。這裡耶穌的意思是，人若不體貼神的心意，就是撒旦的共同體了。當我們體貼人的心意，勝過體貼神的心意時，在神的眼中，我們就是神的絆腳石，是幫助撒旦了。當我們想討人的喜悅，勝過討神的喜悅時，也就是離開神，成為撒旦的隊友了。

幸好，耶穌拉比不放棄任何一個人，即使是豬隊友，祂也不放棄。祂繼續帶著門徒去經歷與祂同在的奧妙時刻。祂特別帶著彼得，雅各和約翰，去親眼看到睚魯的女兒復活(可5:37-42)，祂也揀選了他們三個跟祂一起上山，去見證那變像的精采時刻。

耶穌在他們面前變了形像，祂的臉明亮如太陽，衣裳潔白如光。忽然，有摩西和以利亞向他們顯現，與耶穌說話。彼得對耶穌說：「主啊，我們在這裏真好！祢若願意，我就在這裏搭三座棚，一座為祢，一座為摩西，一座為以利亞。」說話之間，忽然有一朵明亮的雲彩遮蓋他們，又有聲音從雲彩裏出來，說：「這是我的愛子，我所喜愛的。你們要聽從他！」門徒聽見，就俯伏在地，極其害怕。耶穌進前來，拍拍他們，說：「起來，不要害怕！」他們舉目，不見一人，只見耶穌獨自一人。(太7:2-8)

Mercy Before Wrath

2020-08-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Ezekiel 24:1-2 (NIV) 
1  In the ninth year, in the tenth month on the tenth day, the word of the LORD came to me:
2  “Son of man, record this date, this very date, because the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day.

On verses 1-2:  According to scholars, “in the ninth year” refers to the ninth year of King Zedekiah’s reign as King of Judah (and also the ninth year after Zedekiah’s predecessor King Jehoiachin of Judah was exiled to Babylon – see Ezekiel 1:2 and Jeremiah 39:1).   According to scholars, the exact date being described in verse 1 is January 15, 558 B.C, the day when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon besieged Jerusalem.  By this time Ezekiel had been warning the Israelites for over 4 years that Jerusalem would fall to Babylon (see Ezekiel 1:2), though many had refused to believe.

Ezekiel 24:3-6 (NIV) 
3  Tell this rebellious house a parable and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘Put on the cooking pot; put it on and pour water into it.
4  Put into it the pieces of meat, all the choice pieces–the leg and the shoulder. Fill it with the best of these bones;
5  take the pick of the flock. Pile wood beneath it for the bones; bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it.
6  “‘For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot now encrusted, whose deposit will not go away! Empty it piece by piece without casting lots for them.

重松健牧師的三重屬靈規律

2020-08-08 in /by

詩篇46篇10節說：「你們要休息，要知道我是神！」

重松健牧師是溫哥華十街的主任牧師，他在工作最忙最勞累時，發現自己的事工一直沒有果效，有許多跡象都在提醒他，是否有些地方出錯了？

大約在同時，他有一位導師約他去一趟愛爾蘭的朝聖之旅。在這趟旅程中，他們一起去探訪了一些基督教的修士。這些修士的生活規律讓他們可以隨時隨地感受到神的同在和帶領。重牧師從他們生活的規律裡，找到了三個幫他們成為主的門徒的習慣，並且發現這是要當屬靈領袖必備的特質。

第一個規律：建立守安息日或主日的習慣

他說，這個習慣會讓你逐漸感受到其不可輕視的力量，但是想建立這樣的習慣不是輕易就可以做到。

因為假如你不習慣守安息日或主日的敬拜，當你開始參加敬拜時，可能會有很多事情進腦海裡，讓你坐立不安，並且有一系列的清單提醒你該趕快去做，不要呆呆地坐著敬拜。有點像是浪費時間了。

但是他提醒我們，當你感到疲憊或想睡覺時，你不可能把工作做得很好，除非你有足夠的休息。

假如你把主日敬拜做為你生活的一部份，你就會更容易感受到在一週裡神的同在，你的心就不會再像以前那麼焦慮。

在我建立了守主日的習慣後，幾個月裡我就有這樣的感受。

在我們經常感到疲倦或睡眠不足時，足夠的休息會讓我們的工作更有果效，許多著名的企業家，例如亞瑪森的創始人Jeff Bezos，他們都一天睡足八小時。

有了足夠的休息，一個人會更警覺，更有創作力，而且可以做比較合理的決定。相反地，睡眠不足有時會讓人感覺好像是宿醉未醒一般。

When Jesus Drank Your Cup

2020-08-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 23:32-49.  Let’s go!
 
Ezekiel 23:32-35 (NIV) 
32  “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “You will drink your sister’s cup, a cup large and deep; it will bring scorn and derision, for it holds so much. 
33  You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, the cup of ruin and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria. 
34  You will drink it and drain it dry; you will dash it to pieces and tear your breasts. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD. 
35  “Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Since you have forgotten me and thrust me behind your back, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.” 

On verses 32-35:  Earlier in verse 31, God says to the nation of Judah, “You have gone the way of your sister [Israel], so I will put her cup into your hand.”  In other words, because Judah put her hope in other nations instead of God, just as her “older sister” Israel did before her, Judah would suffer a similar fate as Israel: she would be controlled, held captive and shamed by the very nation that she idolized.  Judah would drink the same cup of suffering that Israel drank.   Here in verses 32-35 God continues to speak using this cup imagery.  Because Judah had forgotten God and thrust God behind her back (v35), Judah would bear the consequences of her sins by drinking a “cup of ruin and desolation” (v33), a cup that would bring her “scorn and derision” (v32).  As “large and deep” (v32) as this cup of suffering would be, Judah would “drink it and drain it dry” (v34). 

耶穌的門徒彼得(上 )

2020-08-06 in /by

路加福音 5章8/10節   西門‧彼得看見，就俯伏在耶穌膝前，說：「主啊，離開我，我是個罪人。」 耶穌對西門說：「不要怕！從今以後，你要得人了。」

約翰的兒子西門和弟弟安得烈的性情完全不同，當安得烈把耶穌介紹給西門時，耶穌給他一個新名：彼得，他沒有太大的反應。

第二次耶穌在加利利岸邊行走，彼得和安得烈正在海邊撒網，耶穌呼召他們，他們跟隨耶穌後曾暫時回家，再去打漁。

第三次耶穌在革尼撒勒湖邊，眾人擁擠他，要聽神的道。祂見有兩隻船靠在湖邊，打魚的人卻離開船，洗網去了。 其中有一隻船是西門彼得的，耶穌就上去，請他把船撐開，稍微離岸，就坐下，在船上教導眾人。

教導之後，耶穌對彼得說：「把船開到水深的地方下網打魚。」彼得說：「老師，我們整夜勞累，並沒有打着甚麼。但依從祢的話，我就下網。」他們下了網，圈住許多魚，網險些裂開，就招手叫另一隻船上的同伴來幫助。他們就來，把魚裝滿了兩隻船，船甚至要沉下去。彼得看見，就俯伏在耶穌膝前，說：「主啊，離開我，我是個罪人。」(路5)

為什麼彼得會有如許大的反應呢？安得烈就好像一些信徒，他們信主後就是一心一意地跟隨，也沒有很多問題，相信主就跟隨主一輩子。但是彼得不同，他的心裡有很多問號，不輕易相信，可能覺得弟弟比他小，各方面都不如他，所以他沒有立刻跟隨耶穌。當耶穌講完道，又叫他下網打魚時，等於是踩過線了。彼得是很有經驗的漁夫，豈不知哪裡有魚？哪裡沒魚？但是為了尊重，他順服了。

當他們圈住許多魚，把魚裝滿了兩隻船，船甚至要沉下去時，彼得認錯了，開始相信安得烈的看法：祂是彌賽亞。其他人看到這麼多魚都很驚訝，可能覺得：「拉比，你好厲害! 」但是彼得因著眼前的一幕而明白自己的小信和不信，甚至對耶穌的看輕，他承認自己是個罪人。我們當中有的人也是這樣被神收服的。我們有自己的驕傲，相信自己的判斷，我們不相信耶穌是神；但是當我們因著困難來到主前蒙恩時，才發現自己什麼都不是，只是一個罪人。

Where to Find True Freedom and Real Security

2020-08-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezekiel 23:1-31.  Let’s go!

Ezekiel 23:1-4 (NIV) 
1  The word of the LORD came to me:
2  “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother.
3  They became prostitutes in Egypt, engaging in prostitution from their youth. In that land their breasts were fondled and their virgin bosoms caressed.
4  The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

On verses 1-4:  Here the Lord begins to tell Ezekiel a parable concerning two sisters called Oholah and Oholibah.  Oholah (whose name means “her tent”) is the older sister and represents the northern kingdom of Israel and in particular its capital city Samaria.  Oholibah (whose name means “my tent is in her”) is the younger sister and represents the southern kingdom of Judah and in particular its capital city Jerusalem.  They were “daughters of the same mother” (v2) in that Judah and Israel originally comprised the one nation called “Israel” before they divided into two kingdoms.  When verse 3 says that these two sisters were “prostitutes in Egypt, engaging in prostitution from their youth” (v3), this is likely a reference to how early on Israel looked to the Egyptians to save them from death (Genesis 42:1) but eventually became slaves to the Egyptians (Exodus 1:11).