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It Takes a Team to Achieve a Dream

2019-11-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Nehemiah 3:1-32.  Let’s go!

In these verses we read of various people involved in repairing different sections of the wall. These people came from different parts of the land, with different backgrounds and skillsets, including priests (v1, 28), goldsmiths (v8), perfume-makers (v8), politicians (v12, 16, 17), Levites (v17, 18), temple servants (v26), and many others. 
 
What can we learn from this?

1. It takes a team to achieve a dream. Nehemiah obviously could not rebuild the wall all by himself. He needed help, and lots of it. Likewise, when God places a dream in a leader’s heart, He will also provide a team to help make that dream into a reality – people with different backgrounds and skillsets, but with a common vision. At Thrive Church we believe the dream God has given us is to build a church of 10,000 AEIOU Leaders.

詩篇一百零二篇

2019-11-22 in /by

困苦人發昏的時候，在耶和華面前吐露苦情的禱告。

1 耶和華啊，求祢聽我的禱告，容我的呼求達到祢面前！
2 我在急難的日子，求祢向我側耳，不要向我掩面；我呼求的日子，求祢快快應允我。
3 因為我的年日如煙雲消滅，我的骨頭如火把燒著。
4 我的心被傷，如草枯乾，甚至我忘記吃飯。
5 因我唉哼的聲音，我的肉緊貼骨頭。
6 我如同曠野的鵜鶘，我好像荒場的鸮鳥。
7 我警醒不睡，我像房頂上孤單的麻雀。
8 我的仇敵終日辱罵我，向我猖狂的人指著我賭咒。
9 我吃過爐灰，如同吃飯，我所喝的與眼淚摻雜，
10 這都因祢的惱恨和憤怒。祢把我拾起來，又把我摔下去。………

這首詩篇也是一首彌賽亞詩篇，因為在〈希伯來書〉的一章10-12節裡引用了第25/26節的經文，在第一段1-11節裡也彷彿是主耶穌在受難時的孤單和痛苦。若我們記得主在客西馬尼園裡的禱告情景，這詩篇裡的描述更能使我們進入主的孤單，稍微體會祂當時的恐懼和哀傷。聖經學者多數認為，這是某個以色列人在被巴比倫擄去之後期所寫，最可能的便是但以理。若以但以理為背景來讀這首詩篇就會體會更深。

詩篇一百零一篇

2019-11-21 in /by

大衛的詩。

1 我要歌唱慈愛和公平，耶和華啊，我要向祢歌頌。
2 我要用智慧行完全的道。你幾時到我這裡來呢？我要存完全的心行在我家中。
3 邪僻的事，我都不擺在我眼前；悖逆人所做的事，我甚恨惡，不容沾在我身上。
4 彎曲的心思，我必遠離；一切的惡人，我不認識。
5 在暗中讒謗他鄰居的，我必將他滅絕；眼目高傲、心裡驕縱的，我必不容他。
6 我眼要看國中的誠實人，叫他們與我同住；行為完全的，他要伺候我。
7 行詭詐的必不得住在我家裡，說謊話的必不得立在我眼前。
8 我每日早晨要滅絕國中所有的惡人，好把一切作孽的從耶和華的城裡剪除。

詩篼101篇是大衛向神交的報告， 向神報告他立志做的事情。這對許多人可能是一個新的概念：什麼？我們還要向神報告心裡所想所做的嗎？

神賦予我們生命，我們有責任告訴祂，我們想怎樣活，用怎樣的方式去生活，來彰顯神的榮耀。

這就是在標杆人生裡，華牧師說的，我們生命的重點不在於自己，而在於神。It’s not about you¸it’s all about God.

大衛為我們立了一個榜樣，他每天在神面前立志如何過日子。第一是讚美神，第二是尋求神的智慧以求行事為人的完全。如此不管神何時來，都可以看到他存著完全的心行在家中。存完全的心也就是不要要邪情污念的心，不管是在外或在內，都保守自己的潔淨。

Boldly Make the Ask

2019-11-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Nehemiah 2:1-20.  Let’s go!

Nehemiah 2:2-3 (NIV) 
2  so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid,
3  but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

On verses 1-3:  Despite being “very much afraid” (v2), Nehemiah goes in faith, boldly choosing to enter the king’s presence with a sad face.  Then when he is questioned by the king, Nehemiah boldly but respectfully asks for:

time off from his service at the royal palace to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the city (v5);
a letter from the king to the royal governors of the Trans-Euphrates guaranteeing Nehemiah’s safe passage (v7); and
a royal authorization to get timber to build the city gates and wall of Jerusalem (v8).

詩篇一百篇

2019-11-21 in /by

稱謝詩。

1 普天下當向耶和華歡呼！
2 你們當樂意侍奉耶和華，當來向他歌唱！
3 你們當曉得耶和華是神，我們是他造的，也是屬他的，我們是他的民，也是他草場的羊。
4 當稱謝進入他的門，當讚美進入他的院，當感謝他，稱頌他的名！
5 因為耶和華本為善，他的慈愛存到永遠，他的信實直到萬代。

詩篇第100篇是總結“耶和華作王”的一組詩。詩篇第93篇為小引，第94篇論耶和華為審判的主，第95篇至99篇均預言基督為王，本篇則以 “稱謝”為結束。有人認為本篇是在聖殿落成時，民眾結隊遊行，進入聖殿時所唱的詩歌。以前猶太人差不多每日在會堂敬拜時唱這詩。後來有人根據本篇詩寫成聖詩（普天頌讚第16與17首），成為歷代以來教會所常唱的聖詩。英國講道王子司布真說：“當人數眾多的會眾同唱這首詩的時候，天下沒有比此種歌聲更叫人感到雄偉了。”

這篇詩共有七個“當”字，是七個命令。這些是信徒事奉的總綱，也是信徒事奉的原則。我們事奉神如果有原則，事奉就有果效；有果效的事奉，才能真正的榮耀神。

一．當向耶和華歡呼（1節）

當一個人在最高興的時候，他就會歡呼，在得到一件心愛的東西的時候會歡呼，球賽拿到總冠軍的時候會歡呼，失業者得到工作的時候會歡呼，拿到博士 學位時會歡呼，得到升職加薪時會歡呼。

Great Leadership Begins with the Heart

2019-11-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Here is some background on the book of Nehemiah:

For several decades the people of Judah lived in exile in Babylon, having been ousted out of their own homeland because of persistent sin.  In 539 B.C. Cyrus King of Persia defeats the Babylonians and encourages the Jews to return to their homeland.  As we saw in the book of Ezra, the first group of Jews, about 50,000 of them, returned to Jerusalem in 538 B.C. (Ezra 1-2).  Under the leadership of governor Zerubabbel, the Jews rebuild the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem despite much opposition (Ezra 3-6).  In 458 B.C., Ezra leads a second group of about 1,500 Jews back to Jerusalem (Ezra 7-8).  When Ezra arrives in Jerusalem he discovers that the Jews have seriously compromised their faith by marrying unbelievers and following their idolatrous practices.  He leads them to repent and return to the Lord (Ezra 9-10).  In approximately 444 B.C., 14 years after Ezra arrives in Jerusalem, the events of Nehemiah 1 begin.  Written by Nehemiah himself in approximately 430 B.C., the book of Nehemiah chronicles Nehemiah’s long struggle to lead his people to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.

詩篇九十九篇

2019-11-19 in /by

1耶和華做王，萬民當戰抖！祂坐在二基路伯上，地當動搖！
2 耶和華在錫安為大，祂超乎萬民之上。
3 他們當稱讚祂大而可畏的名，祂本為聖。
4 王有能力，喜愛公平，堅立公正，在雅各中施行公平和公義。
5 你們當尊崇耶和華我們的神，在祂腳凳前下拜，祂本為聖。
6 在祂的祭司中有摩西和亞倫，在求告祂名的人中有撒母耳，祂們求告耶和華，祂就應允祂們。
7 祂在雲柱中對祂們說話，他們遵守祂的法度和祂所賜給他們的律例。
8 耶和華我們的神啊，祢應允他們。祢是赦免他們的神，卻按他們所行的報應祂們。
9 你們要尊崇耶和華我們的神，在祂的聖山下拜，因為耶和華我們的神本為聖。

耶和華做王，為何萬民當戰抖？為何在選舉總統時，萬民不戰抖？可能很多人覺得天高皇帝遠，你做你的王，我做我的老百姓，井水不犯河水。所以，耶和華做王和人做王有何不同，為何萬民當戰抖？

這詩篇講到神與人的不同。一, 神超乎萬民之上。不像人間的領袖，選出來都差不多，對老百姓的生活也沒什麼大影響，除非是在民主路線或極權統治之間的選擇。但人為的政權怎樣都可以推翻，耶和華神坐王，就不是人能拒絕或推翻的，因為祂的主權來自祂原有的權柄。

Jesus, the Only Name That Saves

2019-11-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezra 10:1-44.  Let’s go!

Ezra 10:1 (NIV) 
1  While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a large crowd of Israelites–men, women and children–gathered around him. They too wept bitterly.
 
On verse 1:  Ezra weeps violently because of how his people have sinned, when eventually he is surrounded by a large crowd of men, women and children who weep with him.  What can we learn from this?  Though you might sometimes feel alone, in the kingdom of God you are not alone.  In Christ you are part of a bigger body such that there are others who feel the pain that you, most notably Jesus Christ our brother and our Saviour.

詩篇九十八篇

2019-11-18 in /by

一篇詩。

1 你們要向耶和華唱新歌，因為祂行過奇妙的事，祂的右手和聖臂施行救恩。
2 耶和華發明了祂的救恩，在列邦人眼前顯出公義。
3 記念祂向以色列家所發的慈愛、所憑的信實，地的四極都看見我們神的救恩。
4 全地都要向耶和華歡樂，要發起大聲歡呼歌頌！
5 要用琴歌頌耶和華，用琴和詩歌的聲音歌頌祂，
6 用號和角聲在大君王耶和華面前歡呼！
7 願海和其中所充滿的澎湃，世界和住在其間的也要發聲！
8 願大水拍手，願諸山在耶和華面前一同歡呼！
9 因為祂來要審判遍地，祂要按公義審判世界，按公正審判萬民。

從93篇開始，每一篇都有讚美的主題。假如要請你寫下一些讚美神的話，你會在哪些方面讚美神呢？

讚美神有時候並不容易，尤其是心情不好或健康欠佳時。好像你若身處在現在的香港，你可能只會問：「神啊，祢在哪裡？」很難在滿是催淚彈的街道上讚美神吧？當我寫這篇靈修時，頸背十分酸痛。這事己經有幾天，每天好一點，服用肌肉鬆弛劑後，人感到比較舒服時就趕快動手寫靈修。這經歷使我對那些經常在疼痛中的人充滿同情，我這是短暫的痛，但有很多人身上背著長期的疼痛，也因而有許多人要倚靠大麻，或是祈求安樂死。

Don’t Marry an Unbeliever + What to Do When You Receive Upsetting News

2019-11-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezra 9:1-15.  Let’s go!

Ezra 9:1-2 (NIV) 
1  After these things had been done, the leaders came to me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable practices, like those of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians and Amorites. 
2  They have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons, and have mingled the holy race with the peoples around them. And the leaders and officials have led the way in this unfaithfulness.”

On verses 1-2:  Ezra learns that his fellow Israelite men, including priests, Levites, leaders and officials, have sinned by marrying foreign women who do not believe in the Lord.  In doing so, they disobeyed God’s command not to marry an unbeliever.    What is so bad, harmful and dangerous about marrying someone who does not believe in the Lord?