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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.

防備人

2019-03-19 in /by

馬太福音10: 17_20 防備人

17 你們要防備人，因為他們要把你們交給公會，也要在會堂裡鞭打你們， 18 並且你們要為我的緣故被送到諸侯君王面前，對他們和外邦人作見證。 19 你們被交的時候，不要思慮怎樣說話或說什麼話，到那時候必賜給你們當說的話； 20 因為不是你們自己說的，乃是你們父的靈在你們裡頭說的。

遠志明牧師說過一個比喻，主耶穌是羊羔，進入世人當中被宰了，那些把耶穌送上十字架的人，好幾個後來都跟隨主，變成忠心的僕人。那些跟隨主的人，因為有了主的生命也變成羊，進入世人(狼群)當中，又被吃掉了；那些吃了羊的狼因為有了羊的生命，就變成羊了。就這樣循環下去，逐漸地，羊越來越多，被吃掉，就有更多的羊變出來，福音就這樣傳遍了全世界。

仔細思想，他的話是有幾分道理。主耶穌此時己經開始培訓門徒，祂沒有給門徒一個富貴美滿的遠景，而是實話實說，十字架的道路上滿是荊棘坎坷，要遭遇很多世人眼中的不幸。但是主要我們知道，不管在何時，祂都與我們同在；甚至在我們受逼迫時，父的靈，聖靈也會賜給我們當說的話。

記得聽過一個文革時的見證：有位基督徒被抓去審問，他們問他：「你是不是罪人？」他一想，沒錯啊，立刻回答：「是，我是罪人。」他們問他犯了什麼罪，全招出來。他就開始如數家珍，把心裡以前有的嫉妒、苦毒、怨恨，等等，一直說。那些審他的人一聽沒辦法，就停了審訊。他因而逃過了許多酷刑。那位弟兄說，他相信當時認罪的靈感是來自聖靈的引導。

Before You Make a Big Decision

2019-03-19 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 12:1-15.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 12:1-5 (NIV) 
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all the Israelites had gone there to make him king.
2 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard this (he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), he returned from Egypt.
3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him:
4 “Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
5 Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then come back to me.” So the people went away.

On verses 1-5:  Israel is about to make Solomon’s son Rehoboam the next king of Israel.  While in Egypt, Jeroboam hears about this, returns to Israel and rallies all of Israel behind him, perhaps with promises that if he was made king instead of Rehoboam, he would make sure that the Israelites’ load is lighter. 

靈巧如蛇，馴良如鴿

2019-03-19 in /by

馬太福音10: 16靈巧如蛇，馴良如鴿

16 看哪！我差你們出去，如同羊進入狼羣，所以你們要機警如蛇，純真如鴿。 

16 我差你們去，如同羊進入狼群，所以你們要靈巧像蛇，馴良像鴿子。

16 現在，我差派你們出去，好像羊進到狼群中間；所以你們要像蛇一樣機警，像鴿子一樣純潔。

16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.(NIV)

16 “Stay alert. This is hazardous work I’m assigning you. You’re going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don’t call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.(MSG)

這段經文有幾種翻譯，都很接近。但我仍然覺得「馴良」如鴿最為貼切。因為純真給人有一種不懂世故的誤解；純潔又好像太標榜了，誰不犯罪？誰能純潔無瑕？「靈巧」或「機警」如蛇，您覺得哪個形容得更貼切？可能要找對蛇比較有認識的人來分析才行。我覺得「靈巧」是一種變通的能力，「機警」是對危險的查覺。英文裡譯為shrewd精明或cunning狡滑，您以為呢？

By God’s Sovereignty You Are Royalty

2019-03-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 11:26-43.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 11:26 (NIV) 
26 Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against the king. He was one of Solomon’s officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah. 

On verses 26-30:  Here we read of Solomon’s greatest human adversary, Jeroboam.  Jeroboam came from a tough background.  His mother Zeredah was a widow, probably meaning that Jeroboam’s father Nebat was not around for significant parts of Jeroboam’s life (v26).  Nonetheless, Jeroboam was a leader, becoming one of Solomon’s officials (v26).  He was a man of standing, meaning he may have been rich or had a good reputation among his peers (v28).  He excelled in his work, so much so that Solomon promoted him to be in charge of the entire labor force of the tribe of Joseph (v28).  

服侍的信心

2019-03-17 in /by

馬太福音10: 9_15 服侍的信心

9 腰袋裏不要帶金銀銅錢； 10 途中不要帶行囊，不要帶兩件內衣，也不要帶鞋子和手杖，因為工人得飲食是應當的。 11 你們無論進哪一城、哪一村，要打聽那裏誰是合適的人，就住在他家，直住到離開的時候。 12 進他家時，要向那家請安。 13 那家若配得平安，你們所求的平安就臨到那家；若不配得，你們所求的平安仍歸你們。 14 凡不接待你們，不聽你們話的人，你們離開那家，或是那城的時候，要跺掉你們腳上的塵土。 15 我實在告訴你們，在審判的日子，所多瑪和蛾摩拉地方所受的，比那城還容易受呢！

耶穌對門徒的教導一直影響著每個真心服侍祂的人。現在我們若在公司上班要出差，就可以領車馬費，伙食費，甚至住旅館的錢，等等福利。因為是公司派我們出去，所以公司要負責我們的食住和行。但是耶穌的作法何等不同，祂說：「腰袋裏不要帶金銀銅錢；途中不要帶行囊，不要帶兩件內衣，也不要帶鞋子和手杖，因為工人得飲食是應當的。」

我不知道你如何，但是叫我出門不帶錢，我是不敢出門的。萬一車子壞了，萬一要買菜，萬一…….，我會有很多顧慮。當然信用卡也要帶著，萬一現金不夠。現在有些地方不用現金，只要用信用卡；可是也不太保險，聽說一停電，還是只有現金才能交易。總之，不帶錢不敢出門。那麼，耶穌叫門徒什麼都不要帶，甚至不帶替換的內衣，鞋子和手杖；然後來一句：「因為工人得飲食是應當的。」不是很奇怪嗎？