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How To Experience the Fire of the Holy Spirit

2019-04-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 18:30-46.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 18:30 (NIV) 
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which was in ruins. 

On verse 30:  What does the writer of 1 Kings mean when writing that Elijah “repaired the altar of the Lord, which was in ruins”?  It means that Elijah was re-establishing a culture of worshiping the Lord, a culture that had disappeared in the face of rampant and ongoing idolatry in Israel.

What can we learn from this? Before you can experience much of the Holy Spirit, you need to repair and re-establish a life of worshiping the Lord.  That includes prioritizing weekly worship with your church community, spending regular daily time with God, and trying to live each day for God’s glory.

三日三夜的神蹟

2019-04-10 in /by

马太福音12: 38_42三日三夜的神蹟

38 当时，有几个文士和法利赛人对耶稣说：「夫子，我们愿意你显个神蹟给我们看。」 39 耶稣回答说：「一个邪恶淫乱的世代求看神蹟，除了先知约拿的神蹟以外，再没有神蹟给他们看。 40 约拿三日三夜在大鱼肚腹中，人子也要这样三日三夜在地里头。 41 当审判的时候，尼尼微人要起来定这世代的罪，因为尼尼微人听了约拿所传的就悔改了。看哪，在这里有一人比约拿更大！ 42 当审判的时候，南方的女王要起来定这世代的罪，因为她从地极而来，要听所罗门的智慧话。看哪，在这里有一人比所罗门更大！

假如你一直跟着我们读〈马太福音〉至此，你可能感到奇怪。耶稣己经当着众人面前，也在法利赛人面前行了许多神蹟，不管是医治的神蹟，使痳疯病人洁净的神蹟等等，为什么他们还要再看神蹟？难道他们把耶稣当做魔术师了吗？他们好像在说：你再变个魔术给我们看看吧!

但是耶稣行神蹟从来不是为了满足人的好奇心，而是为了人的需要，为了怜悯体恤受苦的人而行的。我们祷告时若没有得到神的回应时，有时要回想一下自己的心态，是为了满足自己的好奇，或是想向神撒娇，或是为了向人炫耀你跟神的关系，或是为了懒惰想差遣神帮你做事，你会发现你的祷告飘向太空没有回音。耶稣只回应真诚的祈求。

Don’t Play the Blame Game + Sincerity Is Not Enough

2019-04-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 18:16-29.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 18:17-18 (NIV) 
17 When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” 
18 “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the LORD’s commands and have followed the Baals. 

On verses 16-18:  Ahab meets Elijah and contemptuously calls him “you troubler of Israel”.  Ahab was blaming the famine on Elijah, thinking, “This famine is all your fault, all because you prayed.”  Ahab failed to see that in fact the root cause of the famine was not Elijah, but rather Ahab and his family and their persistent disobedience toward God (v18).

What can we learn from this?  Before you blame your problems on someone else, ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and examine your life to see if you have any role to play in the problem you are complaining about.  Don’t play the blame game, but take ownership of your part in creating the problem.  

树好果子也好

2019-04-09 in /by

马太福音12: 31_37树好果子也好

31 「所以我告诉你们，人一切的罪和亵渎的话都可得赦免，唯独亵渎圣灵总不得赦免。 32 凡说话干犯人子的，还可得赦免；唯独说话干犯圣灵的，今世来世总不得赦免。33 你们或以为树好果子也好，树坏果子也坏，因为看果子就可以知道树。 34 毒蛇的种类！你们既是恶人，怎能说出好话来呢？因为心里所充满的，口里就说出来。 35 善人从他心里所存的善就发出善来，恶人从他心里所存的恶就发出恶来。36 我又告诉你们，凡人所说的闲话，当审判的日子必要句句供出来。 37 因为要凭你的话定你为义，也要凭你的话定你有罪。」

耶稣的每一句话都那样铿锵有力，没有一句废话，能够把主的话放在心里的人，何等有福。因为耶稣的话对一个人品格的形成实在是太重要了。

假如你有上脸书或推特的话，可能会注意到有不少人以为随便说话无所谓，所以甚至在网上扬言要杀某人，要把对方全家的人都杀光等等威胁的言辞。他们没想到被警方一搜就搜出来，被抓到警局问罪时，又鞠躬又求饶。真是早知如此何必当初，逞一时笔舌之快。在社会上如此，到了审判的日子，自己说过的每一句话，写过的每一行字都要被搜出来，那时真是无藏身之地，也只能认罪了。

有的人说自己是刀子嘴豆腐心，但耶稣说：「心里所充满的，口里就说出来。 」不要在用口伤了人心之后，再用一点小恩小惠去弥补，就觉得是豆腐心，所以乱讲无所谓。有些话存在心里会使人心如刀割，再多的豆腐也无法裹伤或医治。而「心里所充满的 」才真正代表你的心是善是恶，你的口无法隐藏真实的你。

与主相合

2019-04-08 in /by

马太福音12: 22_30与主相合

22 当下，有人将一个被鬼附着、又瞎又哑的人带到耶稣那里。耶稣就医治他，甚至那哑巴又能说话，又能看见。 23 众人都惊奇，说：「这不是大卫的子孙吗？」 24 但法利赛人听见，就说：「这个人赶鬼，无非是靠着鬼王别西卜啊。」

25 耶稣知道他们的意念，就对他们说：「凡一国自相纷争，就成为荒场；一城一家自相纷争，必站立不住。
26 若撒旦赶逐撒旦，就是自相纷争，他的国怎能站得住呢？ 27 我若靠着别西卜赶鬼，你们的子弟赶鬼又靠着谁呢？这样，他们就要断定你们的是非。 28 我若靠着神的灵赶鬼，这就是神的国临到你们了。 29 人怎能进壮士家里抢夺他的家具呢？除非先捆住那壮士，才可以抢夺他的家财。 30 不与我相合的，就是敌我的；不同我收聚的，就是分散的。

在这里，有人将一个被鬼附着、又瞎又哑的人带到耶稣那里。这个人又瞎又哑，但是鬼还是要利用他，折磨他。但是鬼不能让他开口讲话，也不能看见。这个人的状态让我们明白鬼与真神的不同，区别太大了。鬼会愚弄人，但是神怜恤人的软弱，祂愿意帮助我们，祂不捉弄我们。

看到耶稣医治这人，使他能看见能说话，又把鬼赶走，使他得到自由，在场的众人莫不惊奇。他们联想到大卫那将要来的子孙弥赛亚。相反地，那些自认敬虔的法利赛人看到这样大的神蹟，却立刻说耶稣靠着鬼王赶鬼，没什么了不起!

Lead Like Elijah, Love Like Obadiah

2019-04-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 18:1-15.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 18:1-2 (NIV) 
1 After a long time, in the third year, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” 
2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab…

On verses 1-2:  God used Elijah to perform some of the most incredible miracles you will read about in the Bible.  Why Elijah?  I believe Elijah’s secret is that he was obedient.  Whenever God told him to do something, in faith he would obey (verse 2 to “So Elijah went…”).  If you want God to move powerfully in your life, it hinges on how quickly and fully you will obey the word He speaks to you.

1 Kings 18:2-6 (NIV) 
2 …Now the famine was severe in Samaria, 
3 and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of his palace. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD. 

压伤的芦苇祂不折断

2019-04-07 in /by

马太福音12: 14_21压伤的芦苇祂不折断

14 法利赛人出去，商议怎样可以除灭耶稣。 15 耶稣知道了，就离开那里。有许多人跟着他，他把其中有病的人都治好了， 16 又嘱咐他们不要给他传名。 17 这是要应验先知以赛亚的话说： 18 「看哪，我的仆人，我所拣选、所亲爱、心里所喜悦的！我要将我的灵赐给他，他必将公理传给外邦。 19 他不争竞，不喧嚷，街上也没有人听见他的声音。 20 压伤的芦苇他不折断，将残的灯火他不吹灭，等他施行公理，叫公理得胜。 21 外邦人都要仰望他的名。」

当耶稣医好手枯干的人之后，群众的反应是继续找人来看病，而法律赛人则更加想办法要除掉耶稣。耶稣不停地要让世人知道神的爱，表达祂的善意和关怀，但是一些人只想利用祂，另一拨人则不但拒绝祂，并且想致祂于死地。这和现代的社会有什么区别吗？

在这些事件里，耶稣表现了以赛亚先知所说的，那位神的仆人的特质；「他不争竞，不喧嚷，街上也没有人听见他的声音。压伤的芦苇他不折断，将残的灯火他不吹灭」。耶稣彰颢神对人的怜恤，因为祂看见人的苦难，人的病痛，人的有限，人需要帮助。但是从另一方面来看，严守律法的法律赛人以为对神忠诚，可是他们完全看不见人的软弱和需要，人的病痛和苦难在他们眼中似乎是理所当然。甚至连看见耶稣解决了一个又一个的问题后，他们也不为所动，只感到耶稣受群众欢迎和接纳成为他们地位的威胁。因此他们和神的救恩失之交臂。

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

2019-04-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 17:1-16.  Let’s go!

On verses 17-24:  A widow in the town of Zarephath has been taking care of the prophet Elijah.  With Elijah’s help she has learned to put God first in her life.  But when this widow’s son, only a young boy, becomes sick and eventually dies, this widow gets angry at God and directs that anger at Elijah, God’s servant: “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?” (v18)  

Elijah too is distraught by the boy’s tragic death.  He takes the dead boy in his arms, brings him to his room, and begins to pray: “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” (v20).  But then Elijah stretches himself on the boy and cries out to God three times for this boy to come back to life, and “The Lord heard Elijah’s cry” (v22).  Seeing her son back alive, the woman says “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth” (v24).

耶稣医治手枯干的人

2019-04-05 in /by

马太福音12: 9_14耶稣医治手枯干的人

9 耶稣离开那地方，进了一个会堂。 10 那里有一个人枯干了一只手。有人问耶稣说：「安息日治病可以不可以？」意思是要控告他。 11 耶稣说：「你们中间谁有一只羊当安息日掉在坑里，不把牠抓住拉上来呢？ 12 人比羊何等贵重呢！所以，在安息日做善事是可以的。」 13 于是对那人说：「伸出手来！」他把手一伸，手就复了原，和那只手一样。 14 法利赛人出去，商议怎样可以除灭耶稣。

从12章的第一段经文里，我们很容易发现耶稣关心的重点和法利赛人关心的重点是不一样的。法利赛人关心的是安息日的律法被破坏了，耶稣关心的是门徒饥饿需要补充食物的迫切。

在这段经文里，我们再次看到，耶稣把人的需要放在安息日的律法之上。法利赛人还是把律法放在人的需要之上。但是耶稣说了一个例子，就是若有羊掉在坑里，法利赛人却一定会不顾律法去救羊，因为羊是他们的财产。这一点说明法利赛人把物质放在人之上，并不是真正的遵守律法，只是借着律法来表示他们的地位不容侵犯。也表示他们的人生秩序的安排有问题。

How to Experience God’s Supernatural Provision

2019-04-05 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 17:1-16.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-16:  In these verses we are introduced to Elijah, one of the most powerful prophets in the Bible.  First, Elijah goes to King Ahab (probably in the capital city of Samaria) and predicts that rain will not fall in Israel for years except at his word (v1).  

Second, we see how God supernaturally provides for Elijah’s needs, initially at a brook in the Kerith Ravine while Elijah hides from Ahab and his prophet-killing wife Jezebel (v2-7).  Later God provides in an amazing way for Elijah and a widow’s family in the town of Zarephath (v8-16).