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面子

2019-03-24 in /by

馬太福音10: 32_33 面子

32 凡在人面前認我的，我在我天上的父面前也必認他； 33 凡在人面前不認我的，我在我天上的父面前也必不認他。

上個星期天我們小組聚會，請了一位宣教士鄭伯海牧師來分享他們在厄瓜多爾的事工。厄瓜多爾是一個位於南美洲西北部的國家，北與哥倫比亞相鄰，南接祕魯，西濱太平洋，與智利同為南美洲不與巴西相鄰。鄭牧師在分享時，我心裡浮起一個問題，為什麼有的人可以放棄自己的事業或工作，還有大半生的青春，去一個遙遠，生活習慣背景文化都不一樣的地方宣揚耶穌基督的福音，而有的人連邀請朋友來參加教會聚會的勇氣都沒有？

有的人可以站出來為福音爭戰，為福音入獄，為福音犠牲性命，有的人連在大眾前做飯前禱告都不敢？

當保羅說，「我不以福音為恥，這福音本是神的大能，要救一切相信的，先是猶太人，後是希臘人。(羅1:16)」為何他會特別提到他不以福音為恥？因為在當時的社會上，保羅放棄了他在社會上的地位，為了福音甘願成為階下囚，被人丟石頭，被人驅逐，經過船難，逃過謀殺，等等。福音彷彿成了他的生活裡的咒詛，讓他不能享受平凡人追求的安逸生活、聲名地位，以及榮華富貴。而這正是一般人所逃避的，因為他們不想失去保羅所丟棄的。

Be Careful, Not Gullible

2019-03-24 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 13:11-22.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 13:18-19 (NIV) 
18 The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the LORD: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.'” (But he was lying to him.) 
19 So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house. 

On verses 11-19:  In these verses the man of God from Judah is on his way home when he is met by a “certain old prophet living in Bethel” (v11).  Having heard from his sons about the impressive feats this younger prophet from Judah was involved in, the old prophet finds this younger prophet and invites him to come to his house and eat.  Initially the younger prophet refuses, saying that God has told him not to eat or drink (v16-17).  But when the old prophet says that he too is a prophet and that an angel told him to bring the younger prophet back with him to eat and drink, the man from Judah goes with the old prophet and eats and drinks with him.  Little did the man from Judah know that the old prophet was lying.  

你們比許多麻雀還貴重

2019-03-22 in /by

馬太福音10: 26_31 你們比許多麻雀還貴重

26 所以不要怕他們，因為掩蓋的事沒有不露出來的，隱藏的事沒有不被人知道的。 27 我在暗中告訴你們的，你們要在明處說出來；你們耳中所聽的，要在房上宣揚出來。 28 那殺身體不能殺靈魂的，不要怕他們；唯有能把身體和靈魂都滅在地獄裡的，正要怕他。 29 兩個麻雀不是賣一分銀子嗎？若是你們的父不許，一個也不能掉在地上。 30 就是你們的頭髮，也都被數過了。 31 所以，不要懼怕，你們比許多麻雀還貴重。

在這短短的六節經文裡，你能找出幾個「怕」字？讀這段經文時，覺得耶穌好心疼跟隨祂的人。好像明知山有虎，偏向虎山行，其實主耶穌也捨不得跟隨祂的人受苦，所以祂要讓我們不要怕。

第一個不要怕，是不要怕那些罵主和門徒的人。他們罵主趕鬼是靠著別西卜(魔王)，當然也會罵耶穌的跟隨者，甚至因而陷害他們。就像罵引用聖經的人是製造仇恨的人，等等。但是他們在背地裡所說的話，所設計的壞事都會顯露出來，證明他們才是別西卜的跟隨者。

第二個不要怕，是不要怕只能傷害我們肉體的人，該怕的是能把身體和靈魂都滅在地獄裡的，那便是耶和華神。世人或撒旦多只能害死我們的身體，但是主會給我們一個復活的身體和永遠的生命，誰也不能奪去。

Faith in the Lord = Real Power

2019-03-22 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 13:1-10.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 13:2 (NIV) 
2 He cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD: “O altar, altar! This is what the LORD says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who now make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.'”

On verses 1-10:  King Jeroboam is now deeply entrenched in idolatry.  An unnamed prophet from Judah appears before Jeroboam while Jeroboam is offering an idolatrous sacrifice.  This unnamed prophet predicts that one day a young man named Josiah will be born to the house of David and “will sacrifice the priests who now make offerings here” (v2); in other words, the prophet predicts that this young man Josiah would put an end to idolatry in Israel.  Approximately 290 years after this prophecy is made, a young man Josiah is indeed born to the house of David, becomes king of Judah, and puts an end to idolatry in his land (See 2 kings 23).

僕人不能高過主人

2019-03-21 in /by

馬太福音10: 24_25 僕人不能高過主人

24 「學生不能高過先生，僕人不能高過主人。 25 學生和先生一樣，僕人和主人一樣，也就罷了。人既罵家主是別西卜，何況他的家人呢？

24-25 “A student doesn’t get a better desk than her teacher. A laborer doesn’t make more money than his boss. Be content—pleased, even—when you, my students, my harvest hands, get the same treatment I get. If they call me, the Master, ‘Dungface,’ what can the workers expect? (MSG)

畢德生牧師把這段經文翻譯得很容易理解，他說：一個學生不能月比他的老師更好的桌子我想是指在學校裡)。一個僕人再怎樣賺錢也沒有主人賺得多。但是要懂得滿足，甚至當你，我的學生，與我共同收穫的同工，也會得到與我相同的待遇。假如他們叫我這個主人是別西卜，那我的同工能期望他們叫你們什麼？

我們一般不介意在做錯事時受到懲罰，但是為了做對的事卻受到惡待，就很難理解和接受了。最近有位在美國一間私校讀書的女學生因為看到同性戀的標誌和旗幟到處飛揚，她覺得身為基督徒應該把神的話語讓世人知道，於是在學校裡張貼了一些聖經裡的經文。不料被老師發現後，不但撕下那些經文，還勒令她退學。

Let Faith in God’s Promises, Not Fear, Empower Your Thinking

2019-03-21 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 12:25-33.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 12:25 (NIV) 
25 Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel. 

On verse 25:  Jeroboam goes to Shechem, the very place where Rehoboam had been crowned king, and then Peniel, building up his interests in both cities so as to help protect his kingdom.

1 Kings 12:26-27 (NIV) 
26 Jeroboam thought to himself, “The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. 
27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam.” 

忍耐到底，必然得救

2019-03-20 in /by

馬太福音10: 21_23 忍耐到底，必然得救

21 「弟兄要把弟兄，父親要把兒子，送到死地；兒女要與父母為敵，害死他們。22 並且你們要為我的名被眾人恨惡，唯有忍耐到底的，必然得救。 23 有人在這城裡逼迫你們，就逃到那城裡去。我實在告訴你們：以色列的城邑你們還沒有走遍，人子就到了。

耶穌在兩千多年前的預言，一一應驗在我們的眼前。尤其是在資訊發達的今天，我們更可以通過新聞或網路，快速得知世界各地基督徒的情況。自今年2月以來,尼日利亞卡杜納州已造成至少120人死亡的大屠殺，在本周一(3月18日)最近一次發生的襲擊事件中, 再次造成50多人死亡, 140多間房屋被毀。

2018年基督徒因信仰而被殺的有4,136人。當人們意識到基督徒所宣告的是一位真神，而不是讓他們感覺良好的偶像，讓他們任意妄為的信仰時，他們就群起拒絕，因為撒旦在他們的生命中做王。我們看到在猶太人的家庭中若有人信耶穌，就要遭到和家人斷絕關係的痛苦，被社會拒絕的無奈。在回教或印度教的家庭也是如此，有時甚至把信主的家人送上法庭，要他們死。

Be Quick to Learn and to Respond to God

2019-03-20 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 12:16-24.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 12:18-19 (NIV) 
18 King Rehoboam sent out Adoniram, who was in charge of forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam, however, managed to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 
19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

On verses 16-20:  Finding Rehoboam to be unresponsive to their demands, the Israelites, other than the tribe of Judah reject Rehoboam as their king.  Rehoboam tries sending Adoniram his messenger to appease the people, but the people kill Adoniram and nearly kill Rehoboam.  They appoint Jeroboam as their new king instead, in rebellion against the house of David.