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Jesus’ Splendour > Solomon’s Splendour

2019-03-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 10:14-29.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 10:23-25 (NIV) 
23 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.
24 The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.
25 Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift–articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

On verses 14-28: Previously Solomon had prayed for a wise and discerning heart.  God was so pleased with Solomon’s request that He decided to grant Solomon not only a wise and discerning heart but riches and honor as well, such that in terms of wisdom there would never be anyone like Solomon and in terms of riches Solomon would have no equal in his lifetime (1 Kings 3:12-13).

耶稣差遣十二使徒(下)

2019-03-14 in /by

马太福音10: 1_4耶稣差遣十二使徒(下)

1 耶稣叫了十二个门徒来，给他们权柄，能赶逐污鬼，并医治各样的病症。
2 这十二使徒的名：头一个叫西门，又称彼得，还有他兄弟安得烈，西庇太的儿子雅各和雅各的兄弟约翰， 3 腓力和巴多罗买，多马和税吏马太，亚勒腓的儿子雅各，和达太， 4 奋锐党的西门，还有卖耶稣的加略人犹大。

马太又名利未，在跟从耶稣之前，原任罗马帝国犹太行省的税吏长，在迦百农工作，代表罗马政府向希伯来人抽税。有一个古老的传说借着一幅很著名的画流传下来，就是马太在晚年时受到天使的启示而写下〈马太福音〉。

在义大利画家Guido Reni这幅图中，年老的马太似乎受到天使的启发，通过几乎是催眠的凝视而不是任何口头的语言向他传达福音的经文，但是天使的手势又似乎表达了直接的语言。马太则用羽毛笔快速地在他的书上记录下天使提示的每一句话。主升天后，他在犹太各地传道达九年之久，后来前往埃提阿伯，又赴帕西亚传道，当他重返埃提阿伯时，在乃旦巴城被戟刺死，时约主后六十年。

多马，又名底土马或犹大·多马·迪迪摩斯，皆为「双胞胎」之意。圣经中提到多马三次发言，三次都显出他的疑惑不信。第一次是在拉撒路死了的时候，多马对其他门徒说：我们也去和他同死吧（约11:16）。第二次是在最后的晚餐席上，多马说：主啊！我们不知道你往哪里去，怎么知道那条路呢（约14:5）？

耶稣差遣十二使徒(上)

2019-03-13 in /by

马太福音10: 1_4耶稣差遣十二使徒(上)

1 耶稣叫了十二个门徒来，给他们权柄，能赶逐污鬼，并医治各样的病症。
2 这十二使徒的名：头一个叫西门，又称彼得，还有他兄弟安得烈，西庇太的儿子雅各和雅各的兄弟约翰， 3 腓力和巴多罗买，多马和税吏马太，亚勒腓的儿子雅各，和达太， 4 奋锐党的西门，还有卖耶稣的加略人犹大。

耶稣是个言行合一的人，在说完「要收的庄稼多，做工的人少。所以，你们当求庄稼的主打发工人出去收他的庄稼。」之后，就装备门徒，并打发门徒出去。在这里我们来看一下耶稣的门徒，每个人的个性和认识主的经过都不一样。

彼得，原名「西门巴约拿」，意思是「约拿的儿子西门」，（约翰福音称他为约翰的儿子西门）。「彼得」是希腊文，与亚兰文的「矶法」同意，是石头或磐石之意，是伯赛大的渔夫。跟随耶稣后，承认耶稣是基督，永生神的儿子；后来三次不认主，悔改后成为门徒和初期教会的领袖，后来在尼禄逼迫基督教的时候殉道，官府按照他自己的要求，倒钉十字架而死，因为他认为自己不配像耶稣一样地钉十字架。著有〈彼得前后书〉。

Pursue Excellence in All You Do

2019-03-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

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

1 Kings 10:7-9 (NIV) 
7 But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. 
8 How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 
9 Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king, to maintain justice and righteousness.” 

On verses 1-9:  Having heard of Solomon’s fame, wisdom and splendor, the Queen of Sheba travels approximately 1,200 to 1,500 miles from Sheba (modern day Yemen) to visit King Solomon in Jerusalem.  The Queen of Sheba is thoroughly impressed by King Solomon’s ability to answer her tough questions (v3). 

待收的庄稼

2019-03-12 in /by

马太福音9: 37_38待收的庄稼

37 于是对门徒说：「要收的庄稼多，做工的人少。 38 所以，你们当求庄稼的主打发工人出去收他的庄稼。」

当耶稣生活在世人中间时，祂不是坐在家里享福，等着人来侍候，而是亲自走入人群，到各城各乡去寻找有需要帮助的人。祂采取一种很主动的方式去关心人，表达神对我们的爱。从耶稣的榜样里，我们看见爱不是口里的甜言蜜语，而是实际的行动。

耶稣感受到人巨大的需要，这巨大的需要来自对神的认识，归向神的迫切。因为需要知道，有一位神爱他们，关切他们，愿意俯就，做他们随时的帮助。因为找不到这位神，所以他们去拜偶像拜假神，希望可以得到心灵的满足，但是他们失望了。求神拜佛一点不能解决他们的问题，反而使他们更痛苦，甚至家破人亡，财去人空。

走在人群当中，你感受到什么？能感受到耶稣所看到的吗？一片待收的庄稼，但是没有收割的工人。这些庄稼指的是神要赢回的灵魂，这些灵魂在撒旦的桎梏中活得太久太沉痛了，神听见人心的呼喊，就像祂当年听见以色列人在埃及当奴隶的哀告。那时祂差遣摩西去拯救以色列人，这次祂道成肉身，亲自成为人来到人间。看到人的困苦流离，祂心痛了。

God is in the Rebuilding Business

2019-03-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 9:15-28.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 9:15-17 (NIV) 
15 Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the LORD’s temple, his own palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer. 
16 (Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire. He killed its Canaanite inhabitants and then gave it as a wedding gift to his daughter, Solomon’s wife. 
17 And Solomon rebuilt Gezer.) He built up Lower Beth Horon, 

On verses 15-24:  Here we read of more towns and buildings that Solomon built (v15-19, 24), and more people whom he involved to help with constructing those buildings, including both conscripted foreigners (v20-21) and his fellow Israelites (v22-23).

Notice in verses 16 and 17, the writer of 1 Kings mentions that Pharaoh king of Egypt captured the town of Gezer, burned it down and destroyed it.  However, when Solomon king of Israel took over the destroyed town, he rebuilt it.  What can we learn from this? 

没有牧人的羊

2019-03-11 in /by

马太福音9: 35_36没有牧人的羊

35 耶稣走遍各城各乡，在会堂里教训人，宣讲天国的福音，又医治各样的病症。36 他看见许多的人，就怜悯他们，因为他们困苦流离，如同羊没有牧人一般。 

当你看到耶稣当年做的事情，你会有什么感想吗？祂走遍各城各乡，而不是只留在一两个地方。那时的文通不像现在有汽车，有巴士，有各样的交通工具，那时就靠着一双脚，所以每天都会很累。

祂做哪些事呢？一是在会堂教训人，就是教导，可能类似现在的讲道；祂讲的内容是天国的福音。法律赛人和文士们也教导，但是他们只懂律法，不知有天国。耶稣说：「 除了从天降下仍旧在天的人子，没有人升过天。(约3:13)」所以，除了耶稣之外，还有谁更有资格讲天国的福音？除了耶稣，谁能告诉我们天国的福音？

因为有天国，所以人有盼望，不是一死百了；因为有天国，所以人有价值，因为神爱我们，我们是有家可归的人，永恒的家；因为有天国，所以人的价值观需要改变；因为有天国，我们希望成为可以被神接纳的儿女，等等。你可以想到，当我们一旦知道有天国之后，我们生命和生活的目标就完全不一样了。为什么说耶稣带来划时代的革命，因为祂让人知道有一个天国。

God Cares More About Your Character than Your Accomplishments

2019-03-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 9:1-14. Let’s go!

1 Kings 9:1-2 (NIV)
1 When Solomon had finished building the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do,
2 the LORD appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon.

On verses 1-9: Earlier in 1 Kings 3:5, when Solomon was just starting his reign, God appeared to Solomon in a dream at the city of Gibeon. At that time God told Solomon to walk in His ways and obey His statutes as David his father had (1 Kings 3:14). Now, fast forward to today’s passage in 1 Kings 9. Here we see that Solomon has completed building the temple, his own palace and “achieved all he had desired to do” (v1). God appears to Solomon again in a dream (v2) like He did over a decade earlier in 1 Kings 3:5 and His message for Solomon is the same: “walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart and uprightness as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws.” (v4).

耶稣赶鬼医哑巴

2019-03-10 in /by

马太福音9: 32_34 耶稣赶鬼医哑吧

32 他们出去的时候，有人将鬼所附的一个哑巴带到耶稣跟前来。 33 鬼被赶出去，哑巴就说出话来。众人都稀奇说：「在以色列中从来没有见过这样的事！」 34 法利赛人却说：「他是靠着鬼王赶鬼。」

这故事是耶稣在传道时做的一部份工作，医病赶鬼都是为了让人能明白救赎主来到人间，因此坐在死荫地的人看见有大光照着他们。在前面几个医治里，有瘫子、患血漏的、病死的，等等，都是生理上的疾病；现在耶稣要医治另一种病。

这种病本来不是病，却是因为有鬼在人的身体里，以致于这个人变成了哑巴，说不出话来。耶稣把鬼赶出去之后，那人就能说话了，可见他的哑是因为鬼作怪，并不是生理上的问题。

How to Worship God

2019-03-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 8:54-66.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 8:54 (NIV) 
54 When Solomon had finished all these prayers and supplications to the LORD, he rose from before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven. 

On verse 54:  Solomon began his prayer standing (v22), but he ends his prayer kneeling with his hands spread out to God.  Why?  It’s because as Solomon continued to pray, he realized more and more how much he and his people needed God.  His humility and his desperation for God grew the more he prayed.