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The Dangers of Drunkenness and Sedition

2019-04-02 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 16:8-20.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 16:9-10 (NIV) 
9 Zimri, one of his officials, who had command of half his chariots, plotted against him. Elah was in Tirzah at the time, getting drunk in the home of Arza, the man in charge of the palace at Tirzah.10 Zimri came in, struck him down and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah. Then he succeeded him as king. 

On verses 8-14:  Elah’s two year reign as king of Israel is cut short when Elah gets drunk and is killed by one of his officials Zimri.

What can we learn from this?  “Don’t get drunk on wine,” Paul says in Ephesians 5:18,”but be filled with the Holy Spirit”. Too much alcohol dulls one’s senses, clouds one’s judgment, and makes you vulnerable to attack.  In contrast, being filled with the Holy Spirit sharpens your senses, improves your judgment, and equips you to defend yourself against attack.

天地旳主和子

2019-04-02 in /by

马太福音11: 25_27天地旳主和子

25 那时，耶稣说：「父啊，天地的主，我感谢祢！因为祢将这些事向聪明通达人就藏起来，向婴孩就显出来。 26 父啊，是的，因为祢的美意本是如此。 27 一切所有的，都是我父交付我的。除了父，没有人知道子；除了子和子所愿意指示的，没有人知道父。 

在耶稣责备百农等城的人对福音的默不关心和缺乏反应时，本来是很沉重的话题，耶稣却突然开始祷告，转向跟天上的父神谈话。有时我们也会这样做吧，觉得世上的事实在是无理可讲，亲友让你感到灰心时，也只能跟神讲。但是主耶稣不是抱怨，也不是诉屈，祂却发出感谢。在众人拒绝时，祂发出感谢。

耶稣称呼耶和华神是祂的父，是天地的主。因为耶稣知道祂祷告的对象。当我们祷告时，也要知道我们祷告的对象是谁。若我们知道祷告的对象是天上的父，是天地的主，我们的祷告还能没有信心吗？有什么事父不为我们着想? 有何事是天地的主能力所不及呢？当我们认清祷告的对象时，心里自然涌出感谢，因为很自然感到蒙福，不管何时何地，我们都能坦然无惧地来到祂的面前寻求帮助和带领，有一位这样爱我们的神与我们同在。

当审判的日子

2019-04-01 in /by

马太福音11: 20_24当审判的日子

20 耶稣在诸城中行了许多异能，那些城的人终不悔改，就在那时候责备他们说：21 「哥拉汛哪，你有祸了！伯赛大啊，你有祸了！因为在你们中间所行的异能，若行在推罗、西顿，他们早已披麻蒙灰悔改了。 22 但我告诉你们：当审判的日子，推罗、西顿所受的比你们还容易受呢！ 23 迦百农啊，你已经升到天上，将来必坠落阴间！因为在你那里所行的异能，若行在所多玛，它还可以存到今日。 24 但我告诉你们：当审判的日子，所多玛所受的比你还容易受呢！」

在每一个世代，人们都希望神按着他们想要的来改变。例如在我们这个世代，同性恋者强调神也爱他们，这句话没有错，但问题是，他们爱神吗?愿不愿意为神而持守而改变？人只要神的爱和祝福，却不要神的原则和律法。神却不因为人的自私而改变祂的律法和教导，因为祂知道什么对人才是好的。

耶稣在自己的家乡附近的城镇行了许多神蹟奇事，那些人都高兴地领受了医治和帮助，但是对于耶稣所要求的悔改却不理会，让耶稣十分地懊恼。耶稣岂不爱他们吗？但是耶稣绝不溺爱，祂要求我们在接受了祂的救恩之后也要有相对的回应。

推罗是古时候一个很大的地中海海港城巿，也是大商埠，因为十分繁华，犯罪甚多，神藉先知预言这两个城巿必被毁灭。后来果然被巴比伦所破，又被希腊催毁，重建后又被回教军攻击，终于完全消失。今天的古推罗仍是一块供渔夫晒网的净光盘石。圣经的预言完全应验。

Be Careful Not to Repeat Your Predecessors’ Mistakes

2019-04-01 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 16:1-7.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-7:  The reason God decided that the kingship of Israel would no longer go through Jeroboam’s family line and the reason God wiped out Jeroboam’s house entirely was because Jeroboam had turned away from the Lord to worship idols of his own making and led all of Israel to do the same.  Baasha must have realized this at some point.  Yet even after being the very instrument God used to wipe out Jeroboam’s house, Baasha becomes the new king and commits the very same sins Jeroboam committed.  Following in Jeroboam’s footsteps, Baasha worships idols and causes the Israelites to do the same.  Failing to learn from the mistakes of his predecessors, Baasha receives a message from God through the prophet Jehu: just like God wiped out the house of Jeroboam for their sins, God would also wipe Baasha and his house (v3-4).  

What can we learn from this?  

1. We are to honour those who go before us but we also need to be aware of what mistakes they made so that we do not repeat them.  

智慧之子总以智慧为是

2019-03-31 in /by

马太福音11: 15_19智慧之子总以智慧为是

15 有耳可听的，就应当听！ 16 我可用什么比这世代呢？好像孩童坐在街市上招呼同伴说： 17 『我们向你们吹笛，你们不跳舞！我们向你们举哀，你们不捶胸！』 18 约翰来了，也不吃也不喝，人就说他是被鬼附着的。 19 人子来了，也吃也喝，人又说他是贪食好酒的人，是税吏和罪人的朋友。但智慧之子总以智慧为是。

耶稣在这段经文里谈到传福音的辛苦，主要是因为人对福音莫不关心。说实在话，每个人最关心的还是自己的事。所以说事不关己，关己则乱。人们关心的大多是物质上的需要，而不是对永生的盼望。耶稣所形容的世代其实跟我们现在的世代也很像。

耶稣用当时的孩童在巿集玩游戏做为比喻，当犹太人结婚时就会吹笛跳舞，但是当孩童招呼同伴玩游戏时，他们吹笛，朋友却不理睬，不肯随着音乐起舞，让人很扫兴!孩童看大家不喜欢玩结婚的游戏，就邀请大家玩举丧出殡的游戏，在举哀时人们都要捶胸痛苦哭，可是还是没有人理他，也不捶胸。

毕德生牧师用一个现代家庭的例子来解释，他说：那些人就像小孩跟父母吵着要跳绳，但是父母说太累了，不能陪他们玩；当孩子们想跟父母谈心时，父母又总是太忙。耶稣用这样的比喻来说明社会的麻木不仁，没有反应。

他们看到施洗约翰不吃不喝地禁食，就说他被鬼附着；而看到耶稣与门徒又吃又喝，就说他们贪食好酒，是税吏和罪人的朋友。这就是人的本相，总喜欢批评，却不去寻求事实和真相，看到表面就很自大地说东道西，眨低别人，以致于永远浮游在真理周围，自绝于福音的门外。

Don’t Get Blindsided by an Inside Job

2019-03-31 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 15:25-34.  Don’t Get Blindsided by an Inside Job + How Do You Want God to use Your Life
Let’s go!

1 Kings 15:25-28 (NIV) 
25 Nadab son of Jeroboam became king of Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years.
26 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, walking in the ways of his father and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit.
27 Baasha son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar plotted against him, and he struck him down at Gibbethon, a Philistine town, while Nadab and all Israel were besieging it.
28 Baasha killed Nadab in the third year of Asa king of Judah and succeeded him as king. 

On verses 25-28:  These verses summarize the short 2 year reign of Nadab king of Israel.  The writer of 1 Kings does not find anything noteworthy about Nadab except two things.  First is how Nadab followed his father Jeroboam in worshiping idols and doing evil in God’s sight.  Second is the way Nadab died: while Nadab is in foreign territory trying to capture the Philistian city of Gibbethon, another unsuspecting enemy — in this case, Baasha, an Israelite and a member of Nadab’s own kingdom — strikes Nadab down and becomes the new king of Israel.

要努力进天国

2019-03-29 in /by

马太福音11: 11_14要努力进天国

11 「我实在告诉你们：凡妇人所生的，没有一个兴起来大过施洗约翰的；然而天国里最小的比他还大。 12 从施洗约翰的时候到如今，天国是努力进入的，努力的人就得着了。 13 因为众先知和律法说预言到约翰为止； 14 你们若肯领受，这人就是那应当来的以利亚。 (和合本)

12从施洗的约翰的时候直到现在，天国不断遭受猛烈的攻击，强暴的人企图把它夺去。 (新译本 )

12-14 For a long time now people have tried to force themselves into God’s kingdom. But if you read the books of the Prophets and God’s Law closely, you will see them culminate in John, teaming up with him in preparing the way for the Messiah of the kingdom. Looked at in this way, John is the ‘Elijah’ you’ve all been expecting to arrive and introduce the Messiah.(MSG)

在这一段经文里，主耶稣划出了两个时代。第一个时代是众先知和律法到约翰的时代，第二个时代是从施洗约翰到如今的时代。这里我摘录了一段江守道弟兄对这段经文的看法：

主说：“现在时代改变了，律法和先知的时代到施洗约翰己经停止了、已经过去了；从施洗约翰直到如今是另一个时代了。”在这个时代的里面，神所注意的，乃是天国，我们要进天国里头去。但是什么样的人才能进去呢？祂说：“努力的人就进去，努力的人就得着了。”

Don’t Let Your Past Define You

2019-03-29 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 15:9-24.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 15:12-14 (NIV) 
12 He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his fathers had made. 
13 He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. Asa cut the pole down and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 
14 Although he did not remove the high places, Asa’s heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life. 

On verses 9-15:  These verses summarize the long 41 year reign of Asa king of Judah.  What I love most about Asa is that he deliberately chose not to follow the evil practices of the generations before him.  His father Abijah was an idol worshiper who did not follow the Lord.  His grandmother Maacah was as well.  Yet Asa did not allow his past to define his future.  He did not let his ancestors’ idolatry determine his relationship with God.  Rather Asa took deliberate steps to remove idolatry not just from his own life but from Judah as a whole.  Verse 14 says “Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life”.   

耶稣论施洗约翰

2019-03-28 in /by

马太福音11: 7_10 耶稣论施洗约翰

 7 他们走的时候，耶稣就对众人讲论约翰说：「你们从前出到旷野是要看什么呢？要看风吹动的芦苇吗？8 你们出去到底是要看什么？要看穿细软衣服的人吗？那穿细软衣服的人是在王宫里。 9 你们出去究竟是为什么？是要看先知吗？我告诉你们，是的，他比先知大多了。 10 经上记着说：『我要差遣我的使者在你前面预备道路』，所说的就是这个人。

耶稣在这段话里不只是论施洗约翰，更指出人心里的一种情形。我们都有一种先入为主的观念，提到富翁就想到为富不仁，看到官员说话就觉得都是官腔，看到生意人就觉得他们没一句诚实话，都是想把你的钱掏空，等等。我们心里有很多早己设定的观点。因此当我们来到耶稣面前时，也会品头论足一番。

在这里耶稣谈到人们对施洗约翰的看法，指出人们的想法和实际有很大的距离，表示人有智慧上的不足和缺陷。当施洗约翰在旷野呼喊时，竟有人希望他穿着细软衣服，像心里想的高贵人一样？就像很多人看基督教时，也像门外汉，说所有的宗教都一样，都是劝人为善？当我们读到耶稣的教导时，你就知道不是那么一回事。

Blessed Because Someone Went Before You

2019-03-28 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 15:1-8.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 15:3-4 (NIV) 
3 He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been. 
4 Nevertheless, for David’s sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong. 

On verses 1-8:  Here we read about Abijah son of Rehoboam and his 3 year reign as king of Judah.  The writer of 1 Kings saw little that was noteworthy about Abijah’s reign other than the fact that he committed all the same sins his father Rehoboam committed (v3).  In fact the only reason God allowed Abijah to continue reigning as king was for his great grandfather David’s sake (v4), because David had followed the Lord.  Because David obeyed, his great grandson Abijah was blessed long after David was gone.