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一杯凉水

2019-03-26 in /by

马太福音10: 40_42 一杯凉水

40 「人接待你们，就是接待我；接待我，就是接待那差我来的。 41 人因为先知的名接待先知，必得先知所得的赏赐；人因为义人的名接待义人，必得义人所得的赏赐。 42 无论何人，因为门徒的名，只把一杯凉水给这小子里的一个喝，我实在告诉你们：这人不能不得赏赐。」

我有一个侄儿在保利维亚做宣教士，今年要回加敍职一年。昨晚在脸书上看到他登了一则消息，询问谁有多余的汽车可以转售。我的心里有点酸，同时也为他感到骄傲。这个侄儿非常聪明，在做宣教士之前有一个很好的工作，上司都很欣赏他，正准备给他升迁。没想到天父更欣赏他，征召他去全时间服事。

从平常人转为宣教士，是一个很考验人的经历。因为原来可以支付自己的生活费绰绰有余，还可以这里奉献那里捐助，心里上自觉不错，有点骄傲，因为「我是帮助人的」。一旦成为宣教士之后，不但自己赚不了生活费，所有需求全凭信心，全靠他人的奉献和捐助。这种转变对于一个意气风发的年轻人真是很冷酷的考验，你不再高高在上了，你变成需要帮助的人。我想，这也是主耶稣的经历，从天上被尊崇的宝座上下来，成为一个穷苦人家的孩子；出来传道后，也要接受他人的供应，而且还有些来自女人。祂放弃君王的荣耀，甘心成为卑微。

Don’t Pretend In Front of God. Come Clean Before Him.

2019-03-26 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 14:1-20. Let’s go!

1 Kings 14:6 (NIV) 
6 So when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why this pretense? I have been sent to you with bad news. 

On verses 1-6:  Jeroboam’s son Abijah is sick, so Jeroboam tells his wife to disguise herself and consult the prophet Ahijah to find out what will happen to the boy.  Up in years, Ahijah was physically blind, but the Spirit of God helped him to discern that the woman coming to see him was Jeroboam’s wife.

What can we learn from this?   Here are three lessons I believe the Holy Spirit taught me from these verses:

得着生命

2019-03-25 in /by

马太福音10: 34_39 得着生命

34 「你们不要想我来是叫地上太平，我来并不是叫地上太平，乃是叫地上动刀兵。35 因为我来是叫『人与父亲生疏，女儿与母亲生疏，媳妇与婆婆生疏； 36 人的仇敌就是自己家里的人』。 37 爱父母过于爱我的，不配做我的门徒；爱儿女过于爱我的，不配做我的门徒； 38 不背着他的十字架跟从我的，也不配做我的门徒。 39 得着生命的，将要失丧生命；为我失丧生命的，将要得着生命。

在这段经文里耶稣向我们展现了一个出乎我们意料之外的情景。我相信很多人信主都是为了得到从主来的平安和喜乐，没有人期望生活里会有更多的纷争和不安。尤其是耶稣的门徒，其中有不少是当时的奋锐党，也就是当时的革命党。他们希望脱离罗马的统治，再一次恢复马加比时代，犹太人自治的时期。

但是耶稣说，你们不要想得太美，以为祂来是要叫地上太平。耶稣从来不给人假的希望，祂把一切会发生的事告诉我们，让我们知道当门徒要付上代价，不当门徒也要付上代价。当门徒虽付上代价，却会得到永远的生命；不当门徒也要付出代价，就是失去一切，包括现世的生命和永恒的生命。

从历史来看，耶稣的话何等真实。历代的宗教战争，有多少假基督之名而行？而在家庭里，因为跟随耶稣，也有许多人付出父子生疏，母女生疏，婆媳生疏的代价，因为信仰不同，价值观不一样，为了和平共处，不能不生疏，彼此敬而远之。

Protect Yourself and Your Family Against the Lion’s Attack

2019-03-25 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 13:23-34.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 13:23 (NIV) 
23 When the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the prophet who had brought him back saddled his donkey for him.

On verses 23-32:  Earlier in verses 21 and 22, the older prophet gives the younger prophet a word from God that the younger prophet has defied God’s command by eating and drinking when God specifically told him not to eat and drink during his trip (v21-22).  Notice the younger prophet’s response in verse 23: there is no indication that the younger prophet repented or felt remorse for what he did.  It seems like he just got on his donkey and proceeded to go home as if everything was normal.  Notice what happens next to the younger prophet: “As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying on the road, with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it.” (v24)

面子

2019-03-24 in /by

马太福音10: 32_33 面子

32 凡在人面前认我的，我在我天上的父面前也必认他； 33 凡在人面前不认我的，我在我天上的父面前也必不认他。

上个星期天我们小组聚会，请了一位宣教士郑伯海牧师来分享他们在厄瓜多尔的事工。厄瓜多尔是一个位于南美洲西北部的国家，北与哥伦比亚相邻，南接祕鲁，西滨太平洋，与智利同为南美洲不与巴西相邻。郑牧师在分享时，我心里浮起一个问题，为什么有的人可以放弃自己的事业或工作，还有大半生的青春，去一个遥远，生活习惯背景文化都不一样的地方宣扬耶稣基督的福音，而有的人连邀请朋友来参加教会聚会的勇气都没有？

有的人可以站出来为福音争战，为福音入狱，为福音犠牲性命，有的人连在大众前做饭前祷告都不敢？

当保罗说，「我不以福音为耻，这福音本是神的大能，要救一切相信的，先是犹太人，后是希腊人。(罗1:16)」为何他会特别提到他不以福音为耻？因为在当时的社会上，保罗放弃了他在社会上的地位，为了福音甘愿成为阶下囚，被人丢石头，被人驱逐，经过船难，逃过谋杀，等等。福音仿佛成了他的生活里的咒诅，让他不能享受平凡人追求的安逸生活、声名地位，以及荣华富贵。而这正是一般人所逃避的，因为他们不想失去保罗所丢弃的。

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.  

你们比许多麻雀还贵重

2019-03-22 in /by

马太福音10: 26_31 你们比许多麻雀还贵重

26 所以不要怕他们，因为掩盖的事没有不露出来的，隐藏的事没有不被人知道的。 27 我在暗中告诉你们的，你们要在明处说出来；你们耳中所听的，要在房上宣扬出来。 28 那杀身体不能杀灵魂的，不要怕他们；唯有能把身体和灵魂都灭在地狱里的，正要怕他。 29 两个麻雀不是卖一分银子吗？若是你们的父不许，一个也不能掉在地上。 30 就是你们的头发，也都被数过了。 31 所以，不要惧怕，你们比许多麻雀还贵重。

在这短短的六节经文里，你能找出几个「怕」字？读这段经文时，觉得耶稣好心疼跟随祂的人。好像明知山有虎，偏向虎山行，其实主耶稣也舍不得跟随祂的人受苦，所以祂要让我们不要怕。

第一个不要怕，是不要怕那些骂主和门徒的人。他们骂主赶鬼是靠着别西卜(魔王)，当然也会骂耶稣的跟随者，甚至因而陷害他们。就像骂引用圣经的人是制造仇恨的人，等等。但是他们在背地里所说的话，所设计的坏事都会显露出来，证明他们才是别西卜的跟随者。

第二个不要怕，是不要怕只能伤害我们肉体的人，该怕的是能把身体和灵魂都灭在地狱里的，那便是耶和华神。世人或撒旦多只能害死我们的身体，但是主会给我们一个复活的身体和永远的生命，谁也不能夺去。

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).