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Don’t Try to Make a Deal with the Devil

2019-04-12 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 20:1-12.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 20:8 (NIV) 
8  The elders and the people all answered, “Don’t listen to him or agree to his demands.” 

On verses 1-12:  Ben-Hadad king of Aram, together with his entire army and 32 other kings (most likely rulers of smaller neighbouring city states), beseige Israel’s capital city of Samaria.  Ben-Hadad tells Ahab in verse 3, “Your silver and gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine.” (In the Nintendo International Version, Ben-Hadad says, “All your base are belong to us.”)  King Ahab of Israel tries to appease Ben-Hadad by agreeing to give what Ben-Hadad initially asks for — “I and all I have are yours” (v4).  But Ben-Hadad says he wants more and says he will ransack the palaces of Ahab and Ahab’s officials (v5-6).  King Ahab realizes that negotiating with Ben-Hadad is of no use.  With the support of the elders and the people of Israel, King Ahab refuses to let Ben-Hadad enter Samaria (v9).  After a trash-talking exchange between Ahab and Ben-Hadad, Ben-Hadad orders his troops to prepare to attack Samaria (v10).

打掃乾淨的屋子

2019-04-11 in /by

馬太福音12: 43_45打掃乾淨的屋子

43 污鬼離了人身，就在無水之地過來過去，尋求安歇之處，卻尋不著。 44 於是說：『我要回到我所出來的屋裡去。』到了，就看見裡面空閒，打掃乾淨，修飾好了， 45 便去另帶了七個比自己更惡的鬼來，都進去住在那裡。那人末後的景況比先前更不好了。這邪惡的世代也要如此。」

畢德生牧師對這段經文有一段很美的註解。他說：基督徒生命的目標不在於把自己弄得何等貞潔乾淨，反而是著重與神的溝通和關係的建立。我們的工作不在於把自己的屋子弄得又乾淨又漂亮，讓它一塵不染；相反地，更重要的是邀請基督在心裡的每一個部份居住作主，讓我們的生命裡充滿基督赦罪的恩典和喜悅。

換句話說，在現世代裡有不少人覺得只要自己保守思想上的潔淨，不要去抽煙喝酒賭博等惡習，這樣子就可以討神喜悅；可實際上我們只是在標榜自己的「義」，而不是神的義。我們覺得靠自己就可以做得很活，活出一個「基督徒」的樣式，而忘了基督徒是要活出主的樣式，不是自己自以為義的樣式。我們想要學主的樣式，可是實際上卻把自己放進一個自設的框框裡，以為那就是「主的樣式」。

所以耶穌提醒我們，當鬼離開時，我們認罪悔改，把心裡打掃乾淨，很好，可是房子是不能留空的。假如房子留空，很快就會有昆蟲、灰塵等亂七八糟的東西來佔據這個房子，就像污鬼又去帶了七個更惡的鬼來。所以我們在信主後，一定要請主來住在心裡，讓主的話填滿我們的心房。唯有當我們的心被主填滿，邪靈才無法擠進來。也只有當主居住在心裡，主的話充滿我們的思想，我們才能自然而然流露出主的樣式，主的生命。

What to Do When You Are Depressed

2019-04-11 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 19:1-21.  Do you struggle with feeling depressed?  In this passage we learn four powerful steps you can take to help you when you are depressed.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 19:1-3 (NIV) 
1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life…

On verses 1-3a:  Elijah has just been used by God to accomplish one of the most impressive miracles ever recorded in the Bible: fire has come down upon Elijah’s sacrifice (1 Kings 18:38-39).  The prophets of Baal are seized, silenced and killed, and Elijah is riding a spiritual high, literally outrunning King Ahab’s chariot (1 Kings 18:40-46).  Yet after all these miracles, King Ahab still seems unconvinced.  Ahab tells his wife Queen Jezebel about everything Elijah has done (1 Kings 19:1).  Queen Jezebel threatens to kill Elijah (v2).  Elijah becomes afraid for his life and starts running — this time not in faith but in fear (v3).

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

馬太福音12: 38_42三日三夜的神蹟

38 當時，有幾個文士和法利賽人對耶穌說：「夫子，我們願意你顯個神蹟給我們看。」 39 耶穌回答說：「一個邪惡淫亂的世代求看神蹟，除了先知約拿的神蹟以外，再沒有神蹟給他們看。 40 約拿三日三夜在大魚肚腹中，人子也要這樣三日三夜在地裡頭。 41 當審判的時候，尼尼微人要起來定這世代的罪，因為尼尼微人聽了約拿所傳的就悔改了。看哪，在這裡有一人比約拿更大！ 42 當審判的時候，南方的女王要起來定這世代的罪，因為她從地極而來，要聽所羅門的智慧話。看哪，在這裡有一人比所羅門更大！

假如你一直跟著我們讀〈馬太福音〉至此，你可能感到奇怪。耶穌己經當著眾人面前，也在法利賽人面前行了許多神蹟，不管是醫治的神蹟，使痳瘋病人潔淨的神蹟等等，為什麼他們還要再看神蹟？難道他們把耶穌當做魔術師了嗎？他們好像在說：你再變個魔術給我們看看吧!

但是耶穌行神蹟從來不是為了滿足人的好奇心，而是為了人的需要，為了憐憫體恤受苦的人而行的。我們禱告時若沒有得到神的回應時，有時要回想一下自己的心態，是為了滿足自己的好奇，或是想向神撒嬌，或是為了向人炫耀你跟神的關係，或是為了懶惰想差遣神幫你做事，你會發現你的禱告飄向太空沒有回音。耶穌只回應真誠的祈求。

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.  

樹好果子也好

2019-04-09 in /by

馬太福音12: 31_37樹好果子也好

31 「所以我告訴你們，人一切的罪和褻瀆的話都可得赦免，唯獨褻瀆聖靈總不得赦免。 32 凡說話干犯人子的，還可得赦免；唯獨說話干犯聖靈的，今世來世總不得赦免。33 你們或以為樹好果子也好，樹壞果子也壞，因為看果子就可以知道樹。 34 毒蛇的種類！你們既是惡人，怎能說出好話來呢？因為心裡所充滿的，口裡就說出來。 35 善人從他心裡所存的善就發出善來，惡人從他心裡所存的惡就發出惡來。36 我又告訴你們，凡人所說的閒話，當審判的日子必要句句供出來。 37 因為要憑你的話定你為義，也要憑你的話定你有罪。」

耶穌的每一句話都那樣鏗鏘有力，沒有一句廢話，能夠把主的話放在心裡的人，何等有福。因為耶穌的話對一個人品格的形成實在是太重要了。

假如你有上臉書或推特的話，可能會注意到有不少人以為隨便說話無所謂，所以甚至在網上揚言要殺某人，要把對方全家的人都殺光等等威脅的言辭。他們沒想到被警方一搜就搜出來，被抓到警局問罪時，又鞠躬又求饒。真是早知如此何必當初，逞一時筆舌之快。在社會上如此，到了審判的日子，自己說過的每一句話，寫過的每一行字都要被搜出來，那時真是無藏身之地，也只能認罪了。

有的人說自己是刀子嘴豆腐心，但耶穌說：「心裡所充滿的，口裡就說出來。 」不要在用口傷了人心之後，再用一點小恩小惠去彌補，就覺得是豆腐心，所以亂講無所謂。有些話存在心裡會使人心如刀割，再多的豆腐也無法裹傷或醫治。而「心裡所充滿的 」才真正代表你的心是善是惡，你的口無法隱藏真實的你。

與主相合

2019-04-08 in /by

馬太福音12: 22_30與主相合

22 當下，有人將一個被鬼附著、又瞎又啞的人帶到耶穌那裡。耶穌就醫治他，甚至那啞巴又能說話，又能看見。 23 眾人都驚奇，說：「這不是大衛的子孫嗎？」 24 但法利賽人聽見，就說：「這個人趕鬼，無非是靠著鬼王別西卜啊。」

25 耶穌知道他們的意念，就對他們說：「凡一國自相紛爭，就成為荒場；一城一家自相紛爭，必站立不住。
26 若撒旦趕逐撒旦，就是自相紛爭，他的國怎能站得住呢？ 27 我若靠著別西卜趕鬼，你們的子弟趕鬼又靠著誰呢？這樣，他們就要斷定你們的是非。 28 我若靠著神的靈趕鬼，這就是神的國臨到你們了。 29 人怎能進壯士家裡搶奪他的家具呢？除非先捆住那壯士，才可以搶奪他的家財。 30 不與我相合的，就是敵我的；不同我收聚的，就是分散的。

在這裡，有人將一個被鬼附著、又瞎又啞的人帶到耶穌那裡。這個人又瞎又啞，但是鬼還是要利用他，折磨他。但是鬼不能讓他開口講話，也不能看見。這個人的狀態讓我們明白鬼與真神的不同，區別太大了。鬼會愚弄人，但是神憐恤人的軟弱，祂願意幫助我們，祂不捉弄我們。

看到耶穌醫治這人，使他能看見能說話，又把鬼趕走，使他得到自由，在場的眾人莫不驚奇。他們聯想到大衛那將要來的子孫彌賽亞。相反地，那些自認敬虔的法利賽人看到這樣大的神蹟，卻立刻說耶穌靠著鬼王趕鬼，沒什麼了不起!

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.