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耶稣的荣耀

2019-05-10 in /by

马太福音16: 27_28耶稣的荣耀

27 人子要在祂父的荣耀里同著众使者降临，那时候祂要照各人的行为报应各人。28 我实在告诉你们：站在这里的，有人在没尝死味以前，必看见人子降临在祂的国里。

看过雨果的名著改编的《悲惨世界Les Misérables》，我心里有很大的震撼。在这部影片里，是爱和律法的交战。罗素‧克洛演警长贾维，代表律法；神父代表爱，因为神父没有把尚万强，一个刚被释放的囚犯的偷窃行为告诉贾维，尚万强因而有了重新做人的意愿。贾维好像步步逼迫耶稣的法利赛人，以律法之名不断想加罪于耶稣；而尚万强却因为耶稣的爱重新做人，并且重新认识自己。在影片的最后，因为尚万强放走了被革命党抓住的贾维，贾维因而无法下手射杀背着一个受伤的革命党逃跑的尚万强，贾维选择自杀。影片似乎想让观众觉得在爱和律法的交战中，爱得胜了，律法失败了。

我们都希望爱终于得胜，也希望永远活在爱中，不受律法的綑绑。但是耶稣却告诉我们，祂来是要成全律法，并不是要废掉律法。我们之所以讨厌律法，是因为人不明白神的爱；唯有在人做了父母之后，才知道律法原来就是爱，为了保护，为了让孩子走在正路上，一生蒙福。律法和爱原来并不冲突，只是需要有一定的成熟度才能明白两者之间的关系。

God Wants To Get You Alone

2019-05-10 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 9:1-13.  Let’s go!

God Wants To Get You Alone + God Is Just + How Do You See The Lord’s Servants?

2 Kings 9:1-2 (NIV) 
1  The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead.
2  When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room.

On verses 1-6:  Elisha sends one of his junior prophets to speak to Jehu and anoint him as the next king of Israel.  Notice Elisha’s instructions to that junior prophet: “Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room” (v2).  When God wants to speak to you an intimate and personal word to you, He often wants to get you in private first.

人能拿什么换生命

2019-05-09 in /by

马太福音16: 24_26人能拿什么换生命

24 于是，耶稣对门徒说：「若有人要跟从我，就当舍己，背起他的十字架来跟从我。 25 因为凡要救自己生命的，必丧掉生命；凡为我丧掉生命的，必得着生命。 26 人若赚得全世界，赔上自己的生命，有什么益处呢？人还能拿什么换生命呢？

 有一个朋友说了一个见证。他在刚过十二岁生日不久后去看一场电影，买票时，他看到十二岁的价钱比十一岁的价钱贵了三毛钱。这当然是几十年前的事了。那时他起了一个念头，向收票员撒谎说他是十一岁。收票员连问都没问就让他进去了。回家后，他很得意地向父母炫耀省下了三毛钱的经过，他的父亲问了他一句话：「儿子，你会为了一毛钱出卖你的灵魂吗？」这句话一直留在他的心中，成为他成长时处事的一个警诫。

在今日的社会里，我们经常会碰到这样的挑战。当耶稣说，跟从祂的人当舍己，背起十字架来跟随祂时，这个十字架有时会以不同的形态出现在我们的生活里。

有一位曾在非洲传道的牧者说了一个故事，某天他在赶往开会的途中，看到有一个小男孩在路边嚎啕大哭。他觉得应该停下来帮助那个男孩，可是又想到开会必然迟到，于是继续往前到教堂。但是心里一直有声音催促他去找那个男孩，于是他找了一个朋友去把那个男孩带到教堂。

God Is At His Best Even When You’re At Your Worst

2019-05-09 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 8:16-29.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 8:16-18 (NIV) 
16  In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. 
17  He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. 
18  He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD. 

On verses 16-18:  Jehoram succeeds his father Jehoshaphat as the king of Judah.  But instead of being a humble, wise, God-fearing king like his father Jehoshaphat was, Jehoram is said to have “walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done” (v18). 

体贴神的意思

2019-05-08 in /by

马太福音16: 21_23体贴神的意思

21 从此，耶稣才指示门徒，他必须上耶路撒冷去，受长老、祭司长、文士许多的苦，并且被杀，第三日复活。 22 彼得就拉着他，劝他说：「主啊，万不可如此！这事必不临到你身上。」 23 耶稣转过来，对彼得说：「撒旦，退我后边去吧！你是绊我脚的，因为你不体贴神的意思，只体贴人的意思。」

在耶稣和彼得短短的对话中，主耶稣给我们一个很明确的信息：主知道祂在做什么，祂要做什么，祂不需要我们的意见。祂只要我们跟祂一样，顺服神的旨意。

其次，莫小看主耶稣对彼得的责备。当主耶稣指出彼得不体贴神的意思，只体贴人的意思时，祂用的名词是：撒旦。

主耶稣是有备而来，在祂即将离世前，祂把门徒们带到该撒利亚腓利比。在那里，祂给了门徒一个毕业考。该撒利亚腓利比充满了偶像崇拜和世俗的污秽，道德的败坏。主耶稣也要我们看清楚自己身处的环境，也是和当年的该撒利亚腓利比一样，换汤不换药。

当我们置身在这样的社会里，我们能清楚地认识耶稣是谁吗？还是人云亦云？我为什么信耶稣？你又为什么信耶稣呢？我们能像彼得受感而说：「祢是基督，是永生神的儿子。」吗？假如现在有人问你为何信耶稣，你会怎样回答呢？我听过一些答案：信耶稣有平安，信耶稣有喜乐，耶稣会帮助我度过困难，帮我解决问题，等等。但是还没有听人回答：「因为祂是基督，是永生神的儿子。」

The King Has Spoken and You Are Restored

2019-05-08 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 8:1-15.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 8:6 (NIV) 
6  The king asked the woman about it, and she told him. Then he assigned an official to her case and said to him, “Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left the country until now.” 

On verses 1-6:  Elisha the prophet tells the woman whose son he had raised back to life to move away from Israel for a time due to a severe famine that would hit Israel.  After being away from Israel for 7 years, the woan returns to Israel, but by this time the government has taken over her land.  Now the woman is at the mercy of the king, who has power to decide whether or not to give the land back to her.  It just so happens that on the same day that the woman appears before the king to request that her land be restored to her, Gehazi the servant of Elisha had been telling the king about what Elisha had done for this woman.  On this basis, the king speaks the word to restore the land to this woman, including all the income that her land had generated during her seven year absence.

Faith and Unbelief

2019-05-07 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 7:1-20.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 7:3-4 (NIV) 
3  Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? 
4  If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’–the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.” 

On verses 1-20:  In the middle of a siege and famine in Samaria where food resources are increasingly scarce and expensive, Elisha the prophet predicts that within 24 hours the finest flour and barley will be sold for extremely cheap.  An officer of King Joram does not believe it.  In response to the officer’s unbelief, Elisha states that this officer will see it with his own eyes but will not eat any of it (v2). 

你们说我是谁

2019-05-07 in /by

马太福音16: 13_20你们说我是谁

13 耶稣到了该撒利亚-腓立比的境内，就问门徒说：「人说我人子是谁？」 14 他们说：「有人说是施洗的约翰，有人说是以利亚，又有人说是耶利米或是先知里的一位。」 15 耶稣说：「你们说我是谁？」 16 西门彼得回答说：「你是基督，是永生神的儿子。」 17 耶稣对他说：「西门‧巴约拿，你是有福的，因为这不是属血肉的指示你的，乃是我在天上的父指示的。 18 我还告诉你：你是彼得，我要把我的教会建造在这磐石上，阴间的权柄不能胜过他。 19 我要把天国的钥匙给你，凡你在地上所捆绑的，在天上也要捆绑；凡你在地上所释放的，在天上也要释放。」 20 当下，耶稣嘱咐门徒，不可对人说他是基督。

我们都很希望知道别人是怎样看我们的，也希望自己对自己有多一点的理解，看看两者合在一起准不准，从而更加认识自己。因此很多人喜欢做个性测验，看星座，看血型，看喜爱和讨厌的颜色，等等。但是耶稣与我们不一样，祂很清楚知道祂是谁，祂也希望世人知道祂是谁。

该撒利亚-腓立比座落在黑门山的山脚下，是约但河主要的发源地，和「但」城相距不远。旧约时代以色列人在此膜拜巴力，希腊统治之后用潘神取代，此地改名为潘尼亚斯。除了潘神庙之外，大希律为了感谢罗马该撒赐他此城，也在此地盖了一座奥古斯都庙；此地还有希腊主神宙斯庙、圣山羊坟墓洞，等等。

防备法利赛人和撒都该人的酵

2019-05-06 in /by

马太福音16: 5_12防备法利赛人和撒都该人的酵

5 门徒渡到那边去，忘了带饼。 6 耶稣对他们说：「你们要谨慎，防备法利赛人和撒都该人的酵。」 7 门徒彼此议论说：「这是因为我们没有带饼吧！」 8 耶稣看出来，就说：「你们这小信的人，为什么因为没有饼彼此议论呢？ 9 你们还不明白吗？不记得那五个饼分给五千人，又收拾了多少篮子的零碎吗？ 10 也不记得那七个饼分给四千人，又收拾了多少筐子的零碎吗？ 11 我对你们说要防备法利赛人和撒都该人的酵，这话不是指著饼说的，你们怎么不明白呢？」 12 门徒这才晓得他说的不是叫他们防备饼的酵，乃是防备法利赛人和撒都该人的教训。

耶稣的门徒有时很可爱，十分糊涂。当耶稣提到要谨慎，防备法利赛人和撒都该人的酵时，他们竟因为带饼而联想到食物的酵。当他们回想这一段时，大概都会觉得很好笑。因此耶稣提醒他们，何必为了忘记带饼而忧虑？几个饼几条鱼给五千人、四千人吃饱的主，难道不能喂饱他们12个门徒？我们有时候会不会像门徒一样，因为缺乏而忘记主是赐恩的神，只顾担心而忘了在神没有难成的事？

在当年耶稣要门徒防备法利赛人和撒都该人的教训，在今天主会叫我们防备谁的教训呢？在假新闻假消息充斥的世界里，我们怎样保守自己的心一直向着耶稣？

法利赛人和撒都该人都是当时宗教界的领袖，他们按著摩西五经教导之外，还加上许多人的见解；法利赛人自认虔诚，可是说一套做一套。在现在的社会里，你可曾觉得来自上面的教导不合乎《圣经》？

Don’t Play the Blame Game + Know Who Your Real Enemy Is

2019-05-06 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 6:24-33.  Let’s go!

On verses 24-32:  King Ben-Hadad of Aram has laid seige to Samaria, Israel’s capital city.  Without ongoing access to food, Samaria suffers a severe famine.  The Israelites in Samaria are so desperate that in verses 26-29 we read about two Israelite mothers who apparently agreed that they would eat their sons to survive.  Now that one mother’s son has been eaten, the other mother refuses to let her own son suffer the same fate.  So they call out to Joram King of Israel to make a decision.  (This conflict between two mothers recalls a previous conflict in 1 Kings 3 when King Solomon had to judge between two mothers who both claim claim that their own son is the living one while the other’s son is the dead one.)  

What can we learn from this?  These mothers were willing to eat a son in order to survive, yet even their son’s flesh would not sustain them forever.  In contrast, in John 6:53-55 Jesus makes a statement that many would misunderstand: