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耶稣骑驴进耶路撒冷

2019-06-04 in /by

马太福音21: 1_11_耶稣骑驴进耶路撒冷

1耶稣和门徒将近耶路撒冷，到了伯法其，在橄榄山那里， 2 耶稣就打发两个门徒，对他们说：「你们往对面村子里去，必看见一匹驴拴在那里，还有驴驹同在一处。你们解开，牵到我这里来。 3 若有人对你们说什么，你们就说：『主要用牠。』那人必立时让你们牵来。」 4 这事成就，是要应验先知的话说： 5 「要对锡安的居民说：『看哪，你的王来到你这里，是温柔的，又骑着驴，就是骑着驴驹子。』」 6 门徒就照耶稣所吩咐的去行， 7 牵了驴和驴驹来，把自己的衣服搭在上面，耶稣就骑上。 8 众人多半把衣服铺在路上，还有人砍下树枝来铺在路上。 9 前行后随的众人喊著说：「和散那归于大卫的子孙！奉主名来的是应当称颂的！高高在上和散那！」 10 耶稣既进了耶路撒冷，合城都惊动了，说：「这是谁？」 11 众人说：「这是加利利拿撒勒的先知耶稣。」

这是耶稣受难周的开始，也是棕树节的由来。此时耶路撒冷阖城都在准备要过逾越节，前来过节的人数比耶路撒冷平常的人多上好几倍，罗马政府为了防止有人借机作乱，也会派兵驻紥；因此若没有预先准备，临时要找落脚的地方很难。所以主耶稣在这之前很可能就己经有预备。

〈马可福音〉里记载了主耶稣每个晚上都离开耶路撒冷，往城外的伯大尼住宿。伯法其和伯大尼都是在橄榄山东边的小村镇，相距约一公里。伯大尼的地势较高，可以眺望耶路撒冷。耶稣就在伯法其叫门徒去牵祂所预备好的驴驹。这驴驹没有人骑过，代表了「初熟之物」是献给神的:正如后来埋葬耶稣尸身所用的墓穴也是从未使用过的。耶稣想要给耶路撒冷的民众带去怎样的信息呢?

How to Respond to a Trash Talker

2019-06-03 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 18:17-35.  In this passage we read of all the ways Assyria’s field commander tries to intimidate Hezekiah’s Israelite troops.  At the same time I believe through this passage we can learn 6 ways that our enemy, Satan, tries to erode our confidence and soften us up for a defeat.  The quicker you can identify these 6 ways that Satan will try to attack you, the quicker you can defeat him in Jesus’ name.   Let’s go! 

2 Kings 18:20 (NIV) 
20  You say you have strategy and military strength–but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me?

On verses 20-21:  The field commander was correct to say that Israel had very little strategy and military strength left (v20).  The field commander was also correct to say that Egypt would not be a reliable partner to depend on (v21).  But contrary to the field commander’s final conclusion, Israel was not without hope.  Israel still had something far more important than strategy and military strength and someone far greater than Egypt: Israel had the Lord.

要我为你们做什么

2019-06-02 in /by

马太福音20: 29_34_要我为你们做什么

29 他们出耶利哥的时候，有极多的人跟随他。 30 有两个瞎子坐在路旁，听说是耶稣经过，就喊著说：「主啊，大卫的子孙，可怜我们吧！」 31 众人责备他们，不许他们作声，他们却越发喊著说：「主啊，大卫的子孙，可怜我们吧！」 32 耶稣就站住，叫他们来，说：「要我为你们做什么？」 33 他们说：「主啊，要我们的眼睛能看见！」 34 耶稣就动了慈心，把他们的眼睛一摸，他们立刻看见，就跟从了耶稣。

记得刚移民到温哥华时，有次听到一个外国女人说：“What could I do for you? ”(我可以为你做什么？)时，那时心里非常感动。竟然有一个陌生人问我，她可以为我做什么？咱们素昧平生，我又一身土包子装饰，一看就是个土包子，连Thank you(谢谢你)都说不出来。然而对方却如此诚恳温柔，这句话带给我很大的震憾。

在洋人的地方特别能感受到基督教的信仰在生活里的潜移默化，虽然这个时代里因为太多欺骗狡诈，以致人性越来越粗糙，但有时候我们还会碰到一些灵魂被圣灵得着的人，他们流露出的气质总令人感动莫名。你接触到那种人时就仿佛跌到了《圣经》里的耶稣面前。

Be Courageous

2019-06-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 18:1-16.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-16:  After Judah had been led by a handful of spiritually rotten, idol-worshiping kings, Hezekiah bursts onto the scene.  Hezekiah courageously breaks with his predecessors’ idol worshiping traditions.  He begins to use his authority as king of Judah to remove idolatry from his land.  Hezekiah also courageously stands up to the king of Assyria, even while Hezekiah’s counterpart Hoshea king of Israel was being defeated by Assyria.  When Assyria turns its attention to attacking and capturing all of Judah, Hezekiah stands in the gap and offers whatever we can to stop Judah from being completely taken over.

What can we learn from this?   Our world is in need of courageous leaders like Hezekiah — people who trust in the Lord no matter what, who aren’t afraid to break with the idol-worshiping traditions of those who came before them and those around them, and who will stand up to the enemy and fight to protect the people in their care.  Because of Hezekiah’s courage and how he hung onto God no matter what, verses 5-7 honour him with these words: 

服侍的生命

2019-05-31 in /by

马太福音20: 17_28_服侍的生命

17 耶稣上耶路撒冷去的时候，在路上把十二个门徒带到一边，对他们说： 18 「看哪，我们上耶路撒冷去，人子要被交给祭司长和文士，他们要定他死罪， 19 又交给外邦人将他戏弄、鞭打、钉在十字架上，第三日他要复活。」

20 那时，西庇太儿子的母亲同她两个儿子上前来拜耶稣，求他一件事。 21 耶稣说：「你要什么呢？」她说：「愿你叫我这两个儿子在你国里，一个坐在你右边，一个坐在你左边。」 22 耶稣回答说：「你们不知道所求的是什么。我将要喝的杯，你们能喝吗？」他们说：「我们能。」 23 耶稣说：「我所喝的杯，你们必要喝；只是坐在我的左右，不是我可以赐的，乃是我父为谁预备的，就赐给谁。」24 那十个门徒听见，就恼怒他们弟兄二人。 25 耶稣叫了他们来，说：「你们知道，外邦人有君王为主治理他们，有大臣操权管束他们。 26 只是在你们中间不可这样，你们中间谁愿为大，就必做你们的用人； 27 谁愿为首，就必做你们的仆人。 28 正如人子来不是要受人的服侍，乃是要服侍人，并且要舍命做多人的赎价。」

当耶稣带着门徒往耶路撒冷前行时，祂再次告诉他们，此行的目的和后果。这次门徒听完了全部的信息，不像彼得上次只听到前一部份。明白了耶稣此行的目的后，门徒之间起了争执，还有人去把母亲带来求耶稣一件事。

Worship God Alone

2019-05-31 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 17:34-41.  Let’s go!

On verses 34-41:  We see some of the main lessons of 2 Kings reiterated here in these verses:

1.  We were made to worship the Lord alone (v36).  Three times in this short passage it says “Do not worship other gods” (v35, 37, 38). How do you know if you’re worshiping something other than the Lord?  Whatever we put first in our lives is what we worship.  What you worship is reflected in three things: your wallet, your time and your thoughts.  What we spend the most money, time and thought on is an indicator of what we truly worship.  

2.  Only in the Lord do we find real hope and deliverance (v39).

3.  Despite being admonished repeatedly to worship the Lord alone, the Israelites stubbornly persisted in their idol-worshiping ways, putting other things before God (v34, 40, 41a).  We too can be stubborn in our idol-worshiping ways.  We must be careful to guard against idol-worshiping tendencies.  

Keep It Simple and Seek to Please God Alone

2019-05-30 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 17:24-33. Let’s go!

2 Kings 17:25 (NIV) 
25  When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people. 

On verses 24-26:  Shalmaneser king of Assyria has deported the Israelites from Samaria (Israel’s capital city) and replaces them with people from foreign lands.  These foreigners do not worship the Lord in Samaria and are attacked, and in some cases killed, by lions.  This is the third case in 1 Kings and 2 Kings where someone is killed by a lion.  

What can we learn in this case?  When we do not worship the Lord but instead focus on other things, we become vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy, who is described as a lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).  

2 Kings 17:33 (NIV) 
33  They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought. 

进葡萄园工作的比喻

2019-05-30 in /by

马太福音20: 1_16_进葡萄园工作的比喻

1「因为天国好像家主清早出去雇人进他的葡萄园做工， 2 和工人讲定一天一钱银子，就打发他们进葡萄园去。 3 约在巳初出去，看见市上还有闲站的人， 4 就对他们说：『你们也进葡萄园去，所当给的，我必给你们。』他们也进去了。 5 约在午正和申初又出去，也是这样行。 6 约在酉初出去，看见还有人站在那里，就问他们说：『你们为什么整天在这里闲站呢？』 7 他们说：『因为没有人雇我们。』他说：『你们也进葡萄园去。』 8 到了晚上，园主对管事的说：『叫工人都来，给他们工钱，从后来的起，到先来的为止。』 9 约在酉初雇的人来了，各人得了一钱银子。 10 及至那先雇的来了，他们以为必要多得，谁知也是各得一钱。

11 「他们得了，就埋怨家主说： 12 『我们整天劳苦受热，那后来的只做了一小时，你竟叫他们和我们一样吗？』 13 家主回答其中的一人说：『朋友，我不亏负你。你与我讲定的不是一钱银子吗？ 14 拿你的走吧！我给那后来的和给你一样，这是我愿意的。 15 我的东西难道不可随我的意思用吗？因为我做好人，你就红了眼吗？』16 这样，那在后的将要在前，在前的将要在后了。」

马太福音第20章讲到天国的另一个比喻，就是进葡萄园工作的比喻。这比喻主要内容是讲到一个家主在清早，巳初，正午，申初，及酉初，这几个不同的时间出去请工人进葡萄园作工，最后他们各人所得的工钱都是一钱银子。