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There’s No Expiry Date on God’s Word or Jesus’ Blood

2020-03-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Peter 1:13-25.  Let’s go!

1 Peter 1:13 (NIV) 
13  Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

On verse 13:   Peter is telling believers everywhere in the Roman empire: don’t place your hope in money, pleasure, people, or anything else you have now.  Instead, place your hope fully on the grace you will be given when Jesus comes again: the future grace of being united with Jesus, of knowing Him intimately, of experiencing His presence so closely and without limit, and of being home together with Him and with God’s family in heaven where there is no more death, sickness, suffering or sorrow.

耶稣在伯大尼

2020-03-11 in /by

约翰福音11:25  耶稣对她说：「复活在我，生命也在我。」

在国外有不少同样名字的城巿，例如温哥华Vancouver，在加拿大的英属哥伦比亚省有一个，在美国华盛顿州也有一个；而列治文Richmond，在世界上有60个地方都取这个名字。圣经上的伯大尼也是如此，新约里告诉我们，在以色列这小小的地方就有两个地方都叫伯大尼。这两个伯大尼都很出名。

因为第一个伯大尼是耶稣接受施洗约翰施洗的地方。在〈约翰福音〉一章28节记载：「这是在约但河外，伯大尼，约翰施洗的地方作的见证。」这地方称为约旦河外的伯大尼，大多数人认为是在现代约旦国境内、约但河下游的东岸地区。这约旦河外的伯大尼就在比利亚境内。

所以当耶稣还在比利亚时，有人来告诉耶稣，他所爱的人病了。耶稣听了的反应是：「这病不至于死，乃是为神的荣耀，叫神的儿子因此得荣耀。」但是，拉撒路却死了。当我们为病人代祷时，总认为病人要得医治，神才能得荣耀；人若死了，神还有什么荣耀呢？换个角度思想，假如所有的病人经过祷告就不死，世界会不会太拥挤了？

耶稣在比利亚

2020-03-10 in /by

路加福音15:10 我告诉你们：一个罪人悔改，在神的使者面前也是这样为他欢喜。

比利亚在哪里呢？这地方对我们而言有点陌生，因为她在约但河东，是旧约的基列地，新约一般用「约旦河外」(太 19:1、可 10:1、约 10:40)来形容此地。此地地势很高，树木很多，有长达 1000公尺的悬崖，可俯视约旦河。当以色列人要过约旦河进迦南时，流便、迦得、玛拿西半支派的人看到它，竟然不想进入迦南了! 摩西答应把这片土地赐给这两个半支派，但是要求他们的男丁仍然和其他人一起进迦南并肩争战，直到得到应许之地。他们也答应了。

在主耶稣的时代，比利亚住的大多是犹太人，由希律安提帕统治。此地与加利利和犹大地相连，因此犹太人若想从加利利区去犹大地，或从犹大地去加利利区，却不想经过撒玛利亚，就可以取道比利亚。

主耶稣在最后一次前往耶路撒冷之前，也就是受难之前，曾隐退到约旦河外，也就是在比利亚住了一小段时日。四福音里都有这个记载，只是各取记录耶稣的教训有别。分列如下：

一, 论离婚 (太19:3-12/可10:1-12/路16:18)

耶稣在比利亚时，有法利赛人来跟耶稣讨论离婚(休妻)的问题。犹太人当时对离婚的看法有保守和自由两派。摩西在〈申命记〉 24:1 吩咐以色列人：「人若娶妻以后，见她有甚么不合理的事，不喜悦她，就可以写休书交在她手中，打发她离开夫家。」什么是「不合理的事」呢？犹太人对这一点有许多的争论。比较保守的沙买学派(Shammai School) 认为不合理的事只有一项，就是淫乱。稍自由的希列学派(Hillel School)认为它涵盖较广，于是到最后变成几乎不论什么理由都可以休妻。

Nothing Like The Hope We Have in Jesus

2020-03-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today we begin our look at 1 Peter, a letter written by the apostle Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, probably around 64 A.D. to Christians scattered everywhere throughout five Roman provinces.

On verses 1-12:  When you read this passage, keep in mind the context within which Peter is writing this letter.  In approximately 64 A.D., Christians in the Roman Empire are going through severe persecution.  Emperor Nero has launched, or is just about to launch, a widespread movement to capture and destroy Christians.  He would become famous for setting Christians on fire as human torches for his dinner parties and feeding them to lions in the coliseum.  With this background of great persecution in mind, read verses 1 to 12 and you will find that they come alive with so much more meaning and relevance.  Likewise, if you have ever been bullied, ostracized, or excluded by others, may you find encouragement from this letter by Peter.

耶稣在黑门山

2020-03-09 in /by

马太福音17:2   就在他们面前变了形象，脸面明亮如日头，衣裳洁白如光。

黑门山，在叙利亚译本作西连山，阿拉伯语称之为谢赫山 ( 意即长老山 )，又因山头长年积雪，被称为塔利山 ( 意即雪山 )。黑门山横跨黎巴嫩平原和米斯巴平原，是玛拿西半支派的北界，也是以色列全地的北界。现今黑门山的顶峰位于叙利亚和黎巴嫩境内，西坡和南坡则归于以色列。

相信许多人对黑门山的印象来自〈诗篇〉133篇： “看哪，弟兄和睦同居，是何等的善，何等的美。这好比那贵重的油，浇在亚伦的头上，流到胡须，又流到他的衣襟。又好比黑门的甘露，降在锡安山，因为在那里有耶和华所命定的福，就是永远的生命。”

黑门山和锡安山相距超过一百哩，高度相差极大，但是从西面地中海而来的空气带着水份，碰到黑门山就会往上升，每年10 月到4 月北风吹拂，就会使水气飘过千山万岭到达锡安山，遇见冷空气后便会凝结成露水，带来秋雨与春雨。因为当地不常下雨，雨量也很分散，所以因着黑门的甘露，以色列的农作物得以丰收，葡萄品质也非常好。黑门山对以色列的祝福还有哪些呢？

Ultimate Restoration

2020-03-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Now onto today’s passage. Today’s passage is Job 42:1-17.  Let’s go!
 
Job 42:1-2 (NIV) 
1  Then Job replied to the LORD: 
2  “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.

On verses 1-6:  Job has now abandoned his previous push to challenge God on His justice (v2).  He now admits to speaking of things that he had no ability to understand (v3).  Job had heard about God all his life, but now, having heard God speak personally, he experiences God’s presence in a powerful and unprecedented way.  In response to encountering God, all Job can do is see how small and unholy he is.  Job repents of his pride before God (v4-6).

What can we learn from this? 

1.We were made not just to hear about God but to experience Him personally.

耶稣在该撒利亚腓立比 Caesarea Philippi

2020-03-08 in /by

马太福音6:15-16  耶稣说:「你们说我是谁?」西门彼得回答说:「你是基督，是永生 神的儿子。」

假如你要去旅行，会挑选怎样的地方呢？我相信多数人都会挑选有山有水，风景十分优美的地方。班尼亚斯就是以色列地一个很出名的风景区，因为它位于黑门山麓，又有发源于黑门山的班尼亚斯河与但河，和发源于黎巴嫩的哈斯巴尼河和以云河汇聚成了约但河，往南注入低于海平面约209公尺的加利利湖，最后注入死海。有人认为旧约的巴力迦得(书13:5)和巴力黑们((代上:23)，指的就是这个地方。

大希律王去世后，将政权分给三个儿子，分封王腓力（Philipp）在班尼亚斯建都，西元前二年他将城市改名为该撒利亚．腓立比（Caesarea Philippi）。此地因有丰沛的水源，加上邻近地区土壤肥沃、物产丰富，吸引了许多狂热的宗教崇拜。在希腊和罗马时期，这座城里盖了众多的神庙，其中有一位希腊神祇「潘Pan」，因而以牠命名，改名为班尼亚斯。所以该撒利亚腓立比就是班尼亚斯Banias。

班尼亚斯位于现今的戈兰高地，被规划为自然保护区。从黑门山流下的水流在此地形成了一道美丽的瀑布，形成班尼亚斯极美的河道。另一个水源的出口位于一个大岩壁的洞穴，这个岩壁被称为「神祗之石」（Rock of the Gods）。岩壁一边的底下的洞穴，上面嵌著三排尖牙利齿，这就是「潘神岩洞」又被称为阴间之间或地狱之门。Pan潘神是一个半人半羊的恐怖(panic)之神，常吹着排笛施展魔法，阿拉伯语原称此地为潘尼亚斯，后来才变成现在的班尼亚斯。

Matchless Power

2020-03-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Now onto today’s passage. Today’s passage is Job 41:1-34.  Let’s go!
 
Job 41:10 (NIV) 
10  No one is fierce enough to rouse him. Who then is able to stand against me?
 
On verses 1-34:  For one whole chapter, God talks about the leviathan.  What is the leviathan and why is God talking about it? 

The leviathan is described as a powerful marine animal that is violent, not easily captured or tamed, armed with fearsome teeth (v14), and who is impervious to attacks with various premodern combat weapons (v26).   In the past scholars surmised that perhaps the leviathan was a sea monster, a whale, or a marine dinosaur.  Today, many scholars believe that the leviathan is a giant crocodile, since “the crocodile fits God’s description of the leviathan’s back (v13, 15-17, 23), teeth (v14), chest and undersides (v24, 30) and its churning of the waters (v31-32)” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary).  If the leviathan is a giant crocodile, then the references to it being fire-breathing (v19-21) might be an exaggeration for effect.