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The Spirit-Empowered Life

2020-05-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Jude 1:17-24.  Let’s go!
 
Jude 1:17-18 (NIV) 
17  But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 
18  They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”
 
On verses 17-18:  In the face of false teachers, Jude tells his Christian readers to remember how the apostles had warned them that false teachers would come.  What can we learn from this?
When false teachers try to lead you away from the truth we have in Jesus, don’t be surprised.  This is something Jesus Himself warned about (for example, see Matthew 7:15; Matthew 24:11, 24).  This is also something the apostles warned about (for example, see Acts 20:29; 2 Corinthians 11:13; Colossians 2:18). 

亚伯兰的第三步

2020-05-12 in /by

创世记12章17节  耶和华因亚伯兰妻子撒莱的缘故，降大灾于法老和他的全家。

我常常在想，耶和华神是何等有怜悯的神；若不是有丰盛的怜悯和慈爱，有谁能站在祂面前呢？若不是祂知道人的本性，怜悯我们的软弱，我们早就被消灭了。因为我们是如此地不完全。

好像亚伯兰，一个头脑如此清楚，在众人皆睡我独醒的情况下，可以分析出真神假神，以确定自己信仰的人，在面临问题时，也不免按着人的思路去解决。有饥荒，就去找水草丰盛之地；有生命危险，宁可出卖别人，也不惜说谎来保全自己。

为什么神允许祂所拣选的亚伯兰在南地碰上饥荒呢？祂难道不保护他，不赐福给他了吗？在这里，我们看到饥荒是世情的必然，而爱美是人的天性。在南地的饥荒，神有没有办法解决呢？不请神解决，而自行下埃及，好像羊入虎口，带着美丽的妻子太引人注意，甚至可能遭来杀身之祸。亚伯兰都知道，所以想了个保命之法，说谎。希望自己不死，至于妻子会遭到何事，他就不管那么多了。

亚伯兰的失败，在于不仰望神，自寻出路，所以失去心里的平安，只好选择说谎来保护自己。他带着妻子撒莱下埃及，要求妻子说是他的妹妹，所以他的妻子就被送到法老那里。但是神降大灾于法老和他的全家，法老因而送回撒莱，责备亚伯兰，还送他很多礼物。

5 Ways You Can Unwittingly Put Your Foot in Your Mouth

2020-05-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Jude 1:8-16.  In the following passage, Jude will describe five ways that you can put your foot in your mouth – that is, five ways that you can do damage (especially to yourself) with your words.  The first one is in verse 8, the other four are in verse 16.  Let’s go!

Your words are powerful.  Here Jude describes five ways that you can put your foot in your mouth – that is, five ways that you can do damage (especially to yourself) with your words.

Jude 1:8-10 (NIV) 
8  In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. 
9  But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 
10  Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals–these are the very things that destroy them.

亚伯兰的第二步

2020-05-11 in /by

创世记12章7节   耶和华向亚伯兰显现，说：「我要把这地赐给你的后裔。」

吾珥Ur，现在叫做乌尔法Urfa，是三教圣城，也称为先知之城，只因为那是亚伯兰的出生地。旧约圣经里用了十五章的篇幅来讲述亚伯兰（亚伯拉罕）的生平，新约里也有多处提及他的事蹟。他是基督教、回教和犹太教公认的先知，是犹太人和阿拉伯人的共同祖先，也是所有相信耶稣基督者的信心之父。神在世人最败坏的时候，看见了挪亚，拣选了挪亚，拯救了挪亚和他的一家；在一个敬拜偶像的世代中，神看见了亚伯兰，一个非常清楚偶像之虚假和不可靠的人，神拣选他，并且要祝福他和他的后裔。

在古兰经和犹太人的经典里，记载着挪亚曾孙宁录，于大洪水之后，建造了巴比伦和巴别塔，并且开始多神偶像的崇拜。当亚伯兰出生时，宁录的星相家预言亚伯兰将砸碎所有的偶像，与宁录对抗。于是宁录下令杀死所有男婴，以免预言应验。亚伯兰的父亲为了救他，把他藏在某个山洞里，直到七岁。亚伯兰长大后，果然砸碎所有的偶像。宁录王很生气，便把他关在一个城堡里，用骡子运木材运了三个月，将木材起火后，又用巨大的石孥要把他丢到火里烧死。没想到熊熊烈火化为清水，木柴变成鲤鱼，而亚伯兰则掉到玫瑰花丛里。另一传说，因为亚伯兰长得很俊美，被选上为祭物要献给月神。亚伯兰因而逃到哈兰。宁录王追杀亚伯兰时燃起大火，但天神来救亚伯兰，烈火化为清水，木柴变成鲤鱼。所以现在吾珥的清真寺里的鲤鱼是圣鱼，只可喂食，不可捕钓；那里的鲤鱼因食料过多而不断繁殖，也没有人敢吃圣鱼，清真寺的水池只好不停地扩建。

Called, Loved and Kept By Jesus

2020-05-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin the book of Jude, one of the shortest books in the Bible, written by a Christian called Jude to Jewish Christians probably between 67 AD and 80 AD. 

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

Jude 1:1-2 (NIV) 
1  Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: 
2  Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

On verses 1-2:  Who is Jude?  The fact that Jude calls himself “a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James” (v1) suggests to scholars that Jude had a very unique background: Jude was Jesus’ half-brother.  In other words, after the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus, Mary and her husband Joseph had natural children of their own, including Jude and James.  Imagine growing up with Jesus as your older brother!  Although Jude grew up with Jesus, Jude and his siblings at first did not believe that their brother was actually the Son of God (John 7:4-5). 

亚伯兰的第一步

2020-05-10 in /by

创世记第12章 1-3节耶和华对亚伯兰说：「你要离 开本地、本族、父家，往我所要指示你的地去。 我必叫你成为大国，我必赐福给你，叫你的名为大，你也要叫别人得福。 为你祝福的，我必赐福于他；那咒诅你的，我必咒诅他。地上的万族都要因你得福。」

在思想神的应许时，我往往会想起亚伯拉罕。亚伯拉罕的原名是亚伯兰，他当时住在迦勒底的吾珥城，今天它的遗址位于伊拉克的内地，属伊拉克济加尔省。在那个时代，就像许多传说中提到的，人们因为生活的丰富而逐渐地自大起来，忘记了神的恩典，不再敬拜神，所以受到神的惩罚。但是洪水之后，巴别塔的分裂之后，人自大的心性是否有改变呢？根据犹太人的传说，人并没有归向神，反而开始为自己制造偶像，拜偶像，而亚伯兰的父亲他拉，就是以制造和贩卖偶像为生。当他拉必须出门时，会要求亚伯兰为他看店。亚伯兰是一个好的推销员吗？今天要跟您介绍一些亚伯兰的小故事。

根据阿卡族及苏美族泥版记载，“迦勒底的吾珥”在公元前廿世纪已是一个富丽、忙碌又拜多神的都城，主要是拜日、月和女神。有个传说提到，为何神会拣选亚伯兰这个人。有一个夜晚，亚伯兰睡不着就外出散步，他看到夜空中星光闪烁，甚为美丽，因此兴起拜星星的念头。可是再看月亮，月亮比星星更好看，要拜星星倒不如拜月亮；这么一想，却又想起日出时太阳的万丈光芒，那么更应该拜太阳。但是接下来，他想到阴天时遮住太阳的云，那么云是否比太阳厉害？但是风又会把云吹走？难道该拜风吗？是谁造了日月星辰和大自然的一切？他忽然之间想通了，那位创造了这一切的造物主，才是他要敬拜的对象。从此他就决定只要敬拜那位创造万物的真神。

Who Is Like You?

2020-05-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Micah 7:14-20.  Let’s go!

Micah 7:14-20 (NIV) 
14  Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, which lives by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in days long ago.

On verse 14:  Previously Micah focused on the rod of God’s discipline (Micah 6:9), but now Micah ends his book by talking about the staff of God’s tender leadership.  Here Micah prays and invites God to shepherd His people.  He describes God’s people as a flock living “by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands”, meaning that God has assigned a special and exclusive place for His people filled with blessings.  The glory that His sheep will enjoy will be like in Israel’s most glorious days of old.

What can we learn from this?  God is a shepherd who disciplines with His rod and who tenderly leads with His staff.  When we follow our Shepherd, He leads us to an ancient place of blessing that we could never get to ourselves.  You’re always best off following your Shepherd.

我相信上帝的旨意，不相信运气

2020-05-09 in /by

「起初上帝创造天地」(创世记 1:1)

学生问道：「老师，什么是『运气』？运气是不是上帝的旨意？」

「运气」是人类以自己的聪明，创造出最高明的词。每一种语言，都有运气对等的字，例如英文是fortune。

运气是以朦胧的词句，作事情的结论，不讨论原因，不看过去产生的因素，不看后来的发展，不管真实如何，不用验证，就归于「歹运」或「好运」。更可怕的是，在这含糊的语词里，有些人可用「改运」来操控人心，赚取许多的钱财。

「上帝的旨意」与「运气」，完全是两回事。上帝说祂创造世界，已经在告诉人世界的形成在祂，宇宙的法则在祂，不是运气。

我们教学生「实验课」，有物理实验、化学实验与生物实验，在让学生知道物理作用，化学有反应，生物有代谢，是有法则，不是运气。因此，没有运气实验课。

我们教学生，数学的证明题、计算题。证明与计算，都在培养学生的专心、解析与努力，不是运气。我们教学生天文学，例如太阳系，系是系统，不是运气。我们教学生水的循环，这循环帮助地球所有的生物，不是运气。

There is Hope in Jesus

2020-05-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Micah 7:1-13.  Let’s go!

Micah 7:1-7 (NIV) 
1  What misery is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave.
2  The godly have been swept from the land; not one upright man remains. All men lie in wait to shed blood; each hunts his brother with a net.
3  Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire– they all conspire together……..

On verses 1 to 7: Here Micah laments how he longs to find even one upright, trustworthy, God-honouring man or woman in Israel, but he cannot find any. Instead of placing his hope in people, Micah puts his hope in the Lord, for He alone is fully trustworthy and dependable. As Micah says in verse 7, “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Saviour; my God will hear me.”