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Living to Worship Jesus

2020-06-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 4:1-11. Let’s go!

Revelation 4:1 (NIV)
1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

On verse 1: After receiving messages from Jesus for seven churches in Asia (chapters 2-3), John, still in a posture of prayer, sees in front of him a door open to heaven. The same trumpet-like voice he heard before – Jesus’ voice – invites him to come up to the door and He will show John “what must take place after this”. In other words, Jesus is about to show John things that will happen in the future.

Revelation 4:2-3 (NIV)
2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.
3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.

得胜的密诀

2020-06-02 in /by

出埃及记17章11节  摩西何时举手，以色列人就得胜；何时垂手，亚玛力人就得胜。

摩西带着曾为埃及奴隶的数百万人浩浩荡荡地出了埃及，过了红海，进入旷野。真正的挑战出现在每一天的生活里。看着埃及的军兵被海水淹没固然兴奋，但是没水少肉的现实，让以色列人开始不停的抱怨。一有不满就抱怨，而神认为，这是百姓对祂的试探。因为以色列人从在埃及时就看到一件又一件的神蹟，但是在遇到问题时，他们还是不会交托，不会好好向神说，摆出一付：看你给不给，的姿态。令神厌恶。

我想每个做父母的也是如此，从孩子生下来就照顾得无微不至，而孩子一有问题就抱怨，就说别人的父母比较好，你可能会气得想把他赶出门。孩子想用抱怨来让父母觉得亏欠，做得不够好，试探父母的底线以达到他们的目的，都是惹人厌恶的作法。

即使如此，神还是赐下吗哪，招来鹌鹑，满足他们生活的必需和欲望。即使如此，神还是带领他们打败沙漠之狼的亚玛力人。为了让百姓明白信靠顺服的重要，神借着收取吗哪的规则教他们信心的功课；为了让以色列人明白唯有倚靠神才能得胜，摩西在约书亚打仗时，双手举起不停祷告：「摩西何时举手，以色列人就得胜；何时垂手，亚玛力人就得胜。(出17:11)」因此户珥和亚伦一人一边，扶住摩西的手。

Salve for Your Eyes

2020-06-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 3:14-22.  Let’s go!

Revelation 3:14 (NIV) 
14  “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.
 
On verse 14:  In His message to the church in Laodicea, we learn 3 things about Jesus:
 
– Jesus is the “Amen”.  What does Jesus mean when He calls Himself “the Amen”?  “Amen” carries the meaning of agreement, affirmation and certainty.  When Jesus calls Himself the “Amen”, it means that everything that Jesus is and everything that Jesus does affirms and agrees with who God is.  Jesus is the One who gives us certainty about who God is and what He is like.  If you want to know who God is and what He is like, look at Jesus.

– Jesus is the faithful and true witness, which we discussed when looking at Revelation 1:5.
 

耶和华必为你们争战

2020-06-01 in /by

出埃及记14章14节    耶和华必为你们争战，你们只管静默，不要作声。

看了昨天盐光老师讲解十灾，有没有觉得收获不小？我经常在想，假如一个人经历了十灾，还不肯相信神的话，那就像法老一样，没救了。而亲身参与这十灾的摩西，他对神的信心又会如何增长？

灾难使人成长，但是你需要在灾难中看见神的美意。〈约伯记〉第五章里，约伯的朋友以利法形容「人生在世必遇患难，如同火星飞腾。(伯5:7)」主耶稣也说：「在世上你们有苦难(约16:33)」在十灾里，每一灾都有一个功课，为了要使法老及百姓认识谁是真神。法老的臣仆有一些己经相信摩西所言不假，所以摩西说有雹灾时，他们就把奴仆和牲畜叫进家里；不相信的就把奴仆和牲畜留在田里。所以神的话不管到哪里，有耳肯听的人都是聪明人。

当摩西经历过十灾，带领百姓走到红海时，他对神的信心己经和当初蒙召的信心大大不同了。他亲身经历到神说的每句话都应验了，他也开始明白神的作法，他己经很相信神了。但是碰到红海，后有法老的追兵时，你觉得摩西可以应付吗？

当以色列人在红海边，看见法老的追兵时，就开始骂摩西：「难道在埃及没有坟地，你把我们带来死在旷野吗？你为什么这样待我们，将我们从埃及领出来呢？ 我们在埃及岂没有对你说过，不要搅扰我们，容我们服侍埃及人吗？因为服侍埃及人比死在旷野还好。」

How Jesus Loves His Church

2020-06-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 3:7-13.  Let’s go!

On verses 7-13:  The church in Philadelphia was going through a similar trial as the church in Smyrna, which was persecution from a group that claimed to be Jews but were not.  Jesus calls this group of persecutors a bunch of liars (v9) and, as He did in Revelation 2:9, “a synagogue of Satan”.  To the suffering church in Philadelphia, Jesus expresses His love in several different ways:

1. Jesus tells them that “I know your deeds…I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and not denied my name” (v8).  Jesus expresses compassion for His church.

2. Jesus tells them, “See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut” (v8).  In other words, whereas the church in Philadelphia probably experienced many closed doors in the form of trials and persecution, Jesus tells them that He Himself holds a door open for them that no one can shut. 

十灾的分析

2020-05-31 in /by

出埃及记七章3-5节  我要使法老的心刚硬，也要在埃及地多行神蹟奇事。 但法老必不听你们，我要伸手重重地刑罚埃及，将我的军队以色列民从埃及地领出来。 我伸手攻击埃及，将以色列人从他们中间领出来的时候，埃及人就要知道我是耶和华。

经文段落：出埃及记 6:2–9:35

十灾的结构是一堂给法老必修的「上帝存在论证」的哲学课。

十灾的发生与启动，乃因耶和华欲回应法老在两件事上的「强烈否认」与「强硬拒绝」：

第一、耶和华是神。
第二、以色列作为父神耶和华「长子」的身分。(出埃及记4:22-23)

所以，耶和华要给法老，上一门非常「实际而具体」的哲学课，一堂关于「上帝存在论证」的必修课。

犹太人读十灾，发现到十灾有一个「精心设计」、「别具匠心」的工整结构。

首先、原则上，十灾以一种灾难等级「不断升高」、伤亡规模「渐次扩大」的型态来开展，由此，耶和华神得以向法老「强力证明」，谁才是那真正统管宇宙、掌管自然、运作人类历史的神。

Rise Above Complacency

2020-05-31 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 3:1-6.  Let’s go!

Revelation 3:1-3 (NIV) 
1  “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
2  Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.
3  Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

On verses 1-3:  Jesus’ next message is for the church in Sardis.  Sardis was a wealthy city that was strategically located on an important trade route.  Sardis was also a centre for religious activity, being the home of the temple of Artemis and also a Jewish synagogue.  Sardis was quite possibly the wealthiest and most famous of all the cities that Jesus addresses in Revelation 2 and 3.

加尔文的祷告

2020-05-29 in /by

唐崇荣国际布道团网站近日上载一段视频「加尔文的祷告」，以此勉励信徒在新冠肺炎日子仍然确信上帝是牧者，带领信徒走过这场战疫。

宗教改革重要人物之一约翰·加尔文（John Calvin）强调，祷告占基督信仰一个很重要的席位。他提出祷告包含四方面的意义：

信徒祷告并不是要告知上帝一些祂不晓得的事情，催促上帝做一些祂不愿意做的事情。反之祷告能够提醒信徒去寻求神，透过默想神的应许实践信心，并且能够帮助信徒从焦虑中得到舒缓。

其次是祷告信徒借此领受父神给我们存留在天上的丰盛。第三，祷告也是神所预定的，但并非为祂而是为了信徒的好处。第四，在祷告中我们将神所应得的荣耀归给祂，并向祂献上敬拜，但同时也使我们获益。

在唐崇荣国际布道团「加尔文的祷告」（Prayer of John Calvin）视频中，主持人呼吁信徒每天抽时间祷告，为自己也为身边的弟兄姊妹代求，在这场瘟疫之中，让我们仍然能够看到上帝的慈爱超越一切的困难，盼望信徒一起学习全然信靠良善的上帝。

Jesus Your Perfect Judge

2020-05-29 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 2:18-29.  Let’s go!

Revelation 2:18 (NIV) 
18  “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

On verse 18:  Jesus’ next message is for the church in Thyatira, a small city known for its agriculture and purple dye (see Acts 16:14).  To the church in Thyatira, Jesus describes Himself as the Son of God, “whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze” (v18).  According to some scholars, eyes like blazing fire and feet like burnished bronze are pictures of judgment.  That’s because Jesus has some tough words to speak to the church in Thyatira.