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Be Strong In The Word and In The Spirit

2019-05-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 10:1-17.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-17:  Having assassinated Joram king of Israel and Jezebel the queen mother, Jehu continues his mission to eliminate the remaining sons in Ahab’s house.  Instead of a sneak attack, Jehu issues a formal challenge to the high officials in Israel’s capital city as well as those in charge of Ahab’s sons.  Jehu challenges them to put one of Ahab’s sons on Ahab’s throne and to fight Jehu and his troops. Fearing that they are no match for Jehu, Israel’s high officials surrender to Jehu and express their willingness to do whatever Jehu wants them to do. So further to Jehu’s command, Israel’s high officials slaughter 70 sons of Ahab and place their heads in baskets.  Jehu then announces that the word of the Lord which Elijah spoke against the house of Ahab has been fulfilled (v10).  Jehu then goes on a killing rampage:  

– First, Jehu kills Ahab’s chief officials, close friends and priests in Jezreel (v11).  

– Then on his way to Samaria, Jehu slaughters 42 unsuspecting relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah who had gone to visit King Joram and Jezebel, not knowing that Jehu had already killed them (v12-14).   Jehu also invites Jehonadab to get into his chariot and says to him, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.” (v16)   

以利亚己经来了

2019-05-13 in /by

马太福音17: 9_13以利亚己经来了

9 下山的时候，耶稣吩咐他们说：「人子还没有从死里复活，你们不要将所看见的告诉人。」 10 门徒问耶稣说：「文士为什么说以利亚必须先来？」 11 耶稣回答说：「以利亚固然先来，并要复兴万事。 12 只是我告诉你们：以利亚已经来了，人却不认识他，竟任意待他。人子也将要这样受他们的害。」 13 门徒这才明白耶稣所说的是指著施洗的约翰。

在这段经文里谈到两件事，一是主耶稣吩咐门徒，在祂从死里复活之前，不可以将祂变像的事告诉别人。假如门徒将所见的传出去，会有怎样的后果呢？我想，若有人听到这样的事，可能会有人把肉身的耶稣当作神膜拜。但是这时的主耶稣，目的是要为众人赎罪，并不是要出风头。其二，有人可能认为门徒疯狂，断了以后传福音的路。其三，就给了想杀耶稣的人有了借口，把耶稣从无罪之人变成有罪。

主耶稣是为了完成神的计划而来世上，并不是为了祂个人的任何目的。祂不要世上的名利富贵或权势，所以要避免一切的虚名和不必要的麻烦。我们在世上的目的，也是要实现神在我们身上的计划，所以千万不要被虚名或权势绑架，以免身不由己，坏了神的计划。

第二部份是谈到以利亚。会不会有人奇怪，倘若《圣经》不讲轮廻，施洗约翰怎么就成了以利亚呢？在施洗约翰尚未出世前，就有天使这样告诉他的父亲撒迦利亚：「撒迦利亚，不要害怕，因为你的祈祷已经被听见了。你的妻子伊利莎白要给你生一个儿子，你要给他起名叫约翰。你必欢喜快乐，有许多人因他出世也必喜乐。他在主面前将要为大，淡酒浓酒都不喝，从母腹里就被圣灵充满了。

The Best Way to Prepare for Eternity

2019-05-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 9:30-37.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 9:30 (NIV) 
30  Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard about it, she painted her eyes, arranged her hair and looked out of a window. 

On verse 30:  Having heard that Jehu has killed her son King Joram, Jezebel expects that she is next, so she paints her eyes and does her hair.  Why?  Some scholars think she was trying to seduce Jehu.  I think the more likely scenario is that she’s getting ready to die as dignified a death as possible.  Jezebel may have thought to herself, “If I’m going to die a queen mother, I better look the part!”  Ironically, despite her efforts to look good in death, Jezebel would end up being killed in the most undignified way, as we will see.  

What can we learn from this?  The best way to prepare for death and eternity is not to get busy doing your hair or make up, but to change your clothes; that is, put on the robes of righteousness that Jesus makes available to you and me.  In other words, if you really want to get ready for death and eternity, if you really want to look good while dying, the absolute best way has nothing to do with your hair and make up and everything to do with having Jesus Christ as your Saviour.  For hair and make up won’t cover your sins, but Jesus’ robes of righteousness can.

不见一人，只见耶稣

2019-05-12 in /by

马太福音17: 1_8不见一人，只见耶稣

1过了六天，耶稣带着彼得、雅各和雅各的兄弟约翰暗暗地上了高山， 2 就在他们面前变了形象，脸面明亮如日头，衣裳洁白如光。 3 忽然，有摩西、以利亚向他们显现，同耶稣说话。 4 彼得对耶稣说：「主啊，我们在这里真好！你若愿意，我就在这里搭三座棚：一座为你，一座为摩西，一座为以利亚。」 5 说话之间，忽然有一朵光明的云彩遮盖他们，且有声音从云彩里出来说：「这是我的爱子，我所喜悦的，你们要听他！」 6 门徒听见，就俯伏在地，极其害怕。 7 耶稣进前来，摸他们说：「起来，不要害怕！」 8 他们举目不见一人，只见耶稣在那里。

有人说这段经文读起来像一次马拉松。摩西从远古的埃及跑来，以利亚在迦南地等著，一手往后，接了棒就往迦密山上跑，一直冲到黑门山，耶稣接了棒就跑去耶路撒冷了。神的永世蓝图就这样简单地呈现在世人的眼前。还有一幅画是义大利画家拉斐尔的耶稣变像图，也有类似的意境，这图和一般解经家的看法在地点上有点不同，一般认为耶稣带着门徒从该撒利比亚出来以后，最近的地方就是黑门山，而拉斐尔的作图则以他泊山为背景。但是不管背景是哪里，重要的是图里所呈现的意境和画家想要表达的意思。

解经王子摩根提到，在耶稣的生涯里有七个重要的关键时刻，就是降生、受洗、试探、变像、钉十字架、复活、升天。这七个关键时刻时都不容许有少微的差错，只要有一点点的疏忽，救世大功就会功亏一篑。

Disturbing the Peace So That Greater Peace Can Result

2019-05-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 9:14-29.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 9:22 (NIV) 
22  When Joram saw Jehu he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?” “How can there be peace,” Jehu replied, “as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?” 

On verses 14-29:  These verses describe how Jehu assassinates Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah.  Jehu travels from Ramoth Gilead to Jezreel where Joram king of Israel is nursing his wounds from battle and where Ahaziah king of Judah has gone to visit Joram (v14-16).  When Joram’s guards spot Jehu approaching in his chariot, twice Joram sends a horseman to ask Jehu, “Do you come in peace?” and each time Jehu replies, “What do you have to do with peace?”  Instead of reporting back to Joram, both of these horsemen decide to follow Jehu (v17-20) and Jehu continues driving “like a madman” in his chariot toward King Joram (v21).

耶稣的荣耀

2019-05-10 in /by

马太福音16: 27_28耶稣的荣耀

27 人子要在祂父的荣耀里同著众使者降临，那时候祂要照各人的行为报应各人。28 我实在告诉你们：站在这里的，有人在没尝死味以前，必看见人子降临在祂的国里。

看过雨果的名著改编的《悲惨世界Les Misérables》，我心里有很大的震撼。在这部影片里，是爱和律法的交战。罗素‧克洛演警长贾维，代表律法；神父代表爱，因为神父没有把尚万强，一个刚被释放的囚犯的偷窃行为告诉贾维，尚万强因而有了重新做人的意愿。贾维好像步步逼迫耶稣的法利赛人，以律法之名不断想加罪于耶稣；而尚万强却因为耶稣的爱重新做人，并且重新认识自己。在影片的最后，因为尚万强放走了被革命党抓住的贾维，贾维因而无法下手射杀背着一个受伤的革命党逃跑的尚万强，贾维选择自杀。影片似乎想让观众觉得在爱和律法的交战中，爱得胜了，律法失败了。

我们都希望爱终于得胜，也希望永远活在爱中，不受律法的綑绑。但是耶稣却告诉我们，祂来是要成全律法，并不是要废掉律法。我们之所以讨厌律法，是因为人不明白神的爱；唯有在人做了父母之后，才知道律法原来就是爱，为了保护，为了让孩子走在正路上，一生蒙福。律法和爱原来并不冲突，只是需要有一定的成熟度才能明白两者之间的关系。

God Wants To Get You Alone

2019-05-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 9:1-13.  Let’s go!

God Wants To Get You Alone + God Is Just + How Do You See The Lord’s Servants?

2 Kings 9:1-2 (NIV) 
1  The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead.
2  When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room.

On verses 1-6:  Elisha sends one of his junior prophets to speak to Jehu and anoint him as the next king of Israel.  Notice Elisha’s instructions to that junior prophet: “Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room” (v2).  When God wants to speak to you an intimate and personal word to you, He often wants to get you in private first.

人能拿什么换生命

2019-05-09 in /by

马太福音16: 24_26人能拿什么换生命

24 于是，耶稣对门徒说：「若有人要跟从我，就当舍己，背起他的十字架来跟从我。 25 因为凡要救自己生命的，必丧掉生命；凡为我丧掉生命的，必得着生命。 26 人若赚得全世界，赔上自己的生命，有什么益处呢？人还能拿什么换生命呢？

 有一个朋友说了一个见证。他在刚过十二岁生日不久后去看一场电影，买票时，他看到十二岁的价钱比十一岁的价钱贵了三毛钱。这当然是几十年前的事了。那时他起了一个念头，向收票员撒谎说他是十一岁。收票员连问都没问就让他进去了。回家后，他很得意地向父母炫耀省下了三毛钱的经过，他的父亲问了他一句话：「儿子，你会为了一毛钱出卖你的灵魂吗？」这句话一直留在他的心中，成为他成长时处事的一个警诫。

在今日的社会里，我们经常会碰到这样的挑战。当耶稣说，跟从祂的人当舍己，背起十字架来跟随祂时，这个十字架有时会以不同的形态出现在我们的生活里。

有一位曾在非洲传道的牧者说了一个故事，某天他在赶往开会的途中，看到有一个小男孩在路边嚎啕大哭。他觉得应该停下来帮助那个男孩，可是又想到开会必然迟到，于是继续往前到教堂。但是心里一直有声音催促他去找那个男孩，于是他找了一个朋友去把那个男孩带到教堂。

God Is At His Best Even When You’re At Your Worst

2019-05-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 8:16-29.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 8:16-18 (NIV) 
16  In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. 
17  He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. 
18  He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. 

On verses 16-18:  Jehoram succeeds his father Jehoshaphat as the king of Judah.  But instead of being a humble, wise, God-fearing king like his father Jehoshaphat was, Jehoram is said to have “walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done” (v18).