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When You Set Out On a Mission Trip

2019-11-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

TToday’s passage is Ezra 8:1-36.  Let’s go!

In this chapter Ezra takes a group of approximately 1,500 Jewish exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem.  Keep in mind that many, if not most, of the people traveling with Ezra have never been to Jerusalem before, as they have spent most if not all of their years in Babylon and Persia. It is not an exaggeration to say that Ezra and these 1,500 exiles were on a mission trip, sent by King Artaxerxes to restore the worship of the Lord in Jerusalem.   

Likewise, we are called to live out loud and lead others to Jesus, both in our own city and abroad.  That’s why I encourage everyone at Thrive to go on a mission trip at least once, and preferably multiple times, while you still can.  In this chapter, we learn some valuable lessons on how to set out on a mission trip. 

On verses 1-14:  Ezra records the people who went with him from Babylon to Jerusalem, trying to account for all of them.  What can we learn from this?  Before setting out on a mission trip, take stock of what you have and who you have with you.

詩篇九十六篇

2019-11-15 in /by

1你們要向耶和華唱新歌，全地都要向耶和華歌唱！
2 要向耶和華歌唱，稱頌祂的名，天天傳揚祂的救恩。
3 在列邦中述說祂的榮耀，在萬民中述說祂的奇事。
4 因耶和華為大，當受極大的讚美，祂在萬神之上，當受敬畏。
5 外邦的神都屬虛無，唯獨耶和華創造諸天。
6 有尊榮和威嚴在祂面前，有能力與華美在祂聖所。
7 民中的萬族啊，你們要將榮耀、能力歸給耶和華，都歸給耶和華！
8 要將耶和華的名所當得的榮耀歸給祂，拿供物來進入祂的院宇！
9 當以聖潔的裝飾敬拜耶和華，全地要在祂面前戰抖！
10 人在列邦中要說：「耶和華做王！」世界就堅定，不得動搖，祂要按公正審判眾民。
11 願天歡喜，願地快樂，願海和其中所充滿的澎湃，
12 願田和其中所有的都歡樂！那時林中的樹木都要在耶和華面前歡呼，
13 因為祂來了，祂來要審判全地。祂要按公義審判世界，按祂的信實審判萬民。

有聖經學者說，詩篇96篇的背景是住棚節，在住棚節的第一天，以色列民會唱這首詩篇；當大衛王迎接約櫃，從俄別以東的家到大衛帳幕時，亦是唱這首詩篇。這首詩篇是迎接榮耀的君王，是記念神在以色列當中，祂所作的一切榮耀作為的詩。

這詩篇說到我們要用三種方式來讚美敬拜耶和華神。一是要用口向祂唱新歌，不是老調重彈，而是在每一天的生活裡，去體會神賜下的新恩典。最近有一些朋友回香港，也有一些朋友從香港來。

5 Questions to Ask Before You Give (or Accept) A Big Assignment

2019-11-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezra 7:11-28.  Let’s go!

On verses 11-26:  One underrated reason for Ezra’s success in ministry is the help he got from King Artaxerxes.  In his letter to Ezra, King Artaxerxes sends Ezra on a royal assignment to see how Jerusalem and Judah are progressing in relation to following the law of the Lord (v14).  In sending Ezra on this mission, King Artaxerxes does so many things to set up Ezra for success on his venture:

–        Artaxerxes lets Ezra choose a team of Levites, priests and other Israelites to go with him to Jerusalem (v13).

–        Artaxerxes gives Ezra generous amounts of silver and gold from his own treasury as well as from his advisors (v15), “together with all the silver and gold you may obtain from the province of Babylon” (v16) as well as the freewill offerings given by people and priests for the temple in Jerusalem (v16).  Artaxerxes entrusts Ezra with these financial resources and tells him to use them to buy livestock to make sacrifices at the temple (v17).  He tells Ezra to do whatever Ezra thinks best with the rest of the money (v18).

The Key to God’s Special Favour and Protection

2019-11-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezra 7:1-10.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-5:  57 years have passed between the end of chapter 6 and these verses in chapter 7.  During this 57 year gap, the events described in the book of Esther take place.  

Now in chapter 7 Artaxerxes is king over Persia, while Ezra, a Jewish priest who grew in Babylon, is accompanying a second group of Jewish exiles from Babylon back to Jerusalem (v7).

Notice that we are seven chapters into the book of Ezra, and it is here – over halfway through the book – that Ezra, the man after whom this book is entitled, appears on the scene.   If Ezra wrote this book, the fact that Ezra’s name and appearance are not mentioned until here shows Ezra’s humility.    

Ezra’s genealogy is listed in verses 1-5.  Ezra’s genealogy shows that Ezra’s story did not begin or end with him, but that Ezra was part of something bigger that God was doing.  Ezra’s genealogy also shows Ezra’s priestly lineage, how he came from a long line of priests originating with Aaron the first high priest.

詩篇九十五篇

2019-11-14 in /by

1來啊，我們要向耶和華歌唱，向拯救我們的磐石歡呼！
2 我們要來感謝祂，用詩歌向祂歡呼！
3 因耶和華為大神，為大王，超乎萬神之上。
4 地的深處在祂手中，山的高峰也屬祂。
5 海洋屬他，是祂造的，旱地也是祂手造成的。
6 來啊，我們要屈身敬拜，在造我們的耶和華面前跪下！
7 因為祂是我們的神，我們是祂草場的羊，是祂手下的民。唯願你們今天聽祂的話：
8 「你們不可硬著心，像當日在米利巴，就是在曠野的瑪撒。
9 那時你們的祖宗試我探我，並且觀看我的作為。
10 四十年之久，我厭煩那世代，說：『這是心裡迷糊的百姓，竟不曉得我的作為。』
11 所以我在怒中起誓說：『他們斷不可進入我的安息。』」

希伯來語中的“歌曲”一詞是zemirot，即zemer（זמר）的複數形式。 雖然歌曲是該詞最常見的定義，但詞根ז-מ-ר也有另一種含義：「通過去除多餘的樹枝來“修剪”植物。」 這些含義之間的聯繫最初並不很明顯，但是由於希伯來語單詞已觸及對象的本質，因此仔細觀察即可發現它們之間的相關性。

一棵大樹修剪掉沉重的樹枝和多餘的葉子後會蓬勃發展，因此可以將其營養資源用於其最需要的地方。 同樣，音樂也不是隨機收集的音符的組成。 要創作一首優美的歌曲，必須“修剪”多餘的聲音。 同樣的原則也可以適用於我們自己的生活。 為了適當地將我們的整個生活變成一首聖歌，我們必須除掉生活中繁重且多餘的部份。

詩篇九十四篇

2019-11-13 in /by

1耶和華啊，祢是申冤的神。申冤的神啊，求祢發出光來！
2 審判世界的主啊，求祢挺身而立，使驕傲人受應得的報應！
3 耶和華啊，惡人誇勝要到幾時呢？要到幾時呢？
4 他們絮絮叨叨說傲慢的話，一切作孽的人都自己誇張。
5 耶和華啊，他們強壓祢的百姓，苦害祢的產業。
6 他們殺死寡婦和寄居的，又殺害孤兒。
7 他們說：「耶和華必不看見，雅各的神必不思念。」
8 祢們民間的畜類人當思想！祢們愚頑人到幾時才有智慧呢？
9 造耳朵的，難道自己不聽見嗎？造眼睛的，難道自己不看見嗎？
10 管教列邦的，就是叫人得知識的，難道自己不懲治人嗎？…….

詩篇93-99篇是一系列“耶和華坐著為王”的詩篇(Royal Psalms)，讓我們看到神掌權的幾個特質。詩篇94篇第1節以“耶和華啊，祢是申冤的神；申冤的神啊，求祢發出光來！”開始，而96篇的最後一節，以“因為祂來了，祂來要審判全地。祂要按公義審判世界，按祂的信實審判萬民。”為呼應，真的很有意思。

這詩篇裡詩人一開始就求神申冤，讓敵人得報應，換句話就是求神報仇。詩人感到非常痛苦，因為在極度的痛苦中得不到神的回應，看不見神的作為。他抨擊惡人的作為，但得不到任何支持。最後詩人在跟神的理論中轉向神，開始明白有時候苦難確實是一種禮物。苦苁提醒人，這有可能是從神來的管教。

Your Answer is in the Royal Treasury of God’s Word

2019-11-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezra 6:1-22.  Let’s go!

Ezra 6:1 (NIV) 
1  King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon.

On verses 1-12:  King Darius is in need of guidance on an issue: are the Jews authorized to rebuild the temple or not?  Further to the suggestion of Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates and another official Shethar-Bozenai in chapter 5, King Darius searches the archives stored in Babylon’s royal treasury.  There he discovers a memo from a king who came before him – King Cyrus – who clearly authorized the rebuilding of the temple as a place to present sacrifices (v3), decrees the size of the temple (v3b-4) and commands that the costs of the rebuilding be paid by the royal treasury (v3-4).  King Darius found the specific answer to his question by searching the royal archives.  Based on that, he decrees that no one interfere with the Jews’ rebuilding the temple, and further commands that whatever the Jews need is to be provided by the royal treasury (v7-12).

詩篇九十三篇

2019-11-12 in /by

1耶和華做王，祂以威嚴為衣穿上。耶和華以能力為衣，以能力束腰，世界就堅定，不得動搖。
2 祢的寶座從太初立定，祢從亙古就有。
3 耶和華啊，大水揚起，大水發聲，波浪澎湃。
4 耶和華在高處大有能力，勝過諸水的響聲，洋海的大浪。
5 耶和華啊，祢的法度最的確，祢的殿永稱為聖是合宜的。

考門夫人說：「我們所走的路，上面舖著的是神的憐憫，兩旁是代表神慈愛和信實的樹。」這句話對經常在森林健行的我，頗有同感。在這個世界上生活到處都能感受到造物的恩典和奇妙。

在〈啟示錄〉一章8 節裡，神說：「我是阿拉法，我是俄梅戛，是今在、昔在、以後永在的全能者。」回應了這詩篇的第2節：「祢的寶座從太初立定，祢從亙古就有。」詩人又用想像力形容，神以威嚴為衣，以能力為衣，以能力束腰，感覺上這個王，這個神就是滿有力量，使世界堅的神。倘若神沒有威嚴和能力，這世界豈不亂成一通？

第3和第4節在猶太人中有個傳說。因為聖殿當年所需的木料來自黎巴嫩，然後經過海上送到以色列。從黎巴嫩帶來大雪松以建造神殿的水手們背誦了這首詩。作為路線的一部分，他們經過了以色列與黎巴嫩接壤的邊界北部海域，在那裡聽到海浪沖撞岩石的聲音，驚嘆於大海的美麗和力量，因此讚揚耶和華神讓他們有份參與建造聖殿的工作。

The Authority God Gives You

2019-11-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Ezra 5:1-17.  Let’s go!

Ezra 5:1-2 (NIV) 
1  Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 
2  Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them. 

On verses 1-2:  The Jews had spent six years trying to rebuild the temple, but in 530 BC their work came to a standstill after much opposition from Samaritans (Ezra 4:1-16) and an order by King Artaxerxes to halt the work (Ezra 4:17-24).  Soon dust was settling on the unfinished work and apathy set into the people’s hearts.  Ezra 5 picks up the action a decade later, in approximately 520 BC, when God raises up prophets like Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the Jews (Ezra 5:1).  Inspired by their prophetic messages, governor Zerubabbel and Joshua the high priest lead the Jews to resume the work of rebuilding the temple.    

詩篇九十二篇

2019-11-11 in /by

安息日的詩歌。

1 稱謝耶和華，歌頌祢至高者的名，
2 用十弦的樂器和瑟，用琴彈幽雅的聲音，早晨傳揚祢的慈愛，每夜傳揚祢的信實，這本為美事。
4 因祢耶和華藉著祢的作為叫我高興，我要因祢手的工作歡呼。
5 耶和華啊，祢的工作何其大！祢的心思極其深！
6 畜類人不曉得，愚頑人也不明白：
7 惡人茂盛如草，一切作孽之人發旺的時候，正是他們要滅亡，直到永遠。
8 唯祢耶和華是至高，直到永遠。
9 耶和華啊，祢的仇敵都要滅亡，一切作孽的也要離散。
10 祢卻高舉了我的角，如野牛的角；我是被新油膏了的。……

詩篇92篇是一首安息日的詩歌，預備在安息日的早晨在聖殿獻早祭時歌唱用，是一篇感恩詩，見證神的詩歌。

神做事充滿了幽默感。在創造世界和人之後，把第七天訂為祂自己的安息日，不是為了去玩或休息或辦雜事，而是為了與人相會。神的意思彷彿在告訴我們：你看，像我這樣忙（創造世界的工作比牛毛要多得多囉！），我都要找一天來與你們相聚，那麼你們是否也應該在這天與我相會？又彷彿在為我們立榜樣，事情再忙，也不要忘了和你的家人聚一聚！