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灵巧如蛇，驯良如鸽

2019-03-19 in /by

马太福音10: 16灵巧如蛇，驯良如鸽

16 看哪！我差你们出去，如同羊进入狼羣，所以你们要机警如蛇，纯真如鸽。 

16 我差你们去，如同羊进入狼群，所以你们要灵巧像蛇，驯良像鸽子。

16 现在，我差派你们出去，好像羊进到狼群中间；所以你们要像蛇一样机警，像鸽子一样纯洁。

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)

这段经文有几种翻译，都很接近。但我仍然觉得「驯良」如鸽最为贴切。因为纯真给人有一种不懂世故的误解；纯洁又好像太标榜了，谁不犯罪？谁能纯洁无瑕？「灵巧」或「机警」如蛇，您觉得哪个形容得更贴切？可能要找对蛇比较有认识的人来分析才行。我觉得「灵巧」是一种变通的能力，「机警」是对危险的查觉。英文里译为shrewd精明或cunning狡滑，您以为呢？

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

马太福音10: 9_15 服侍的信心

9 腰袋里不要带金银铜钱； 10 途中不要带行囊，不要带两件内衣，也不要带鞋子和手杖，因为工人得饮食是应当的。 11 你们无论进哪一城、哪一村，要打听那里谁是合适的人，就住在他家，直住到离开的时候。 12 进他家时，要向那家请安。 13 那家若配得平安，你们所求的平安就临到那家；若不配得，你们所求的平安仍归你们。 14 凡不接待你们，不听你们话的人，你们离开那家，或是那城的时候，要跺掉你们脚上的尘土。 15 我实在告诉你们，在审判的日子，所多玛和蛾摩拉地方所受的，比那城还容易受呢！

耶稣对门徒的教导一直影响着每个真心服侍祂的人。现在我们若在公司上班要出差，就可以领车马费，伙食费，甚至住旅馆的钱，等等福利。因为是公司派我们出去，所以公司要负责我们的食住和行。但是耶稣的作法何等不同，祂说：「腰袋里不要带金银铜钱；途中不要带行囊，不要带两件内衣，也不要带鞋子和手杖，因为工人得饮食是应当的。」

我不知道你如何，但是叫我出门不带钱，我是不敢出门的。万一车子坏了，万一要买菜，万一…….，我会有很多顾虑。当然信用卡也要带着，万一现金不够。现在有些地方不用现金，只要用信用卡；可是也不太保险，听说一停电，还是只有现金才能交易。总之，不带钱不敢出门。那么，耶稣叫门徒什么都不要带，甚至不带替换的内衣，鞋子和手杖；然后来一句：「因为工人得饮食是应当的。」不是很奇怪吗？

Don’t Give The Enemy a Foothold through Unconfessed Sin

2019-03-17 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 11:14-25.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 11:25 (NIV) 
25 Rezon was Israel’s adversary as long as Solomon lived, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled in Aram and was hostile toward Israel. 

On verses 14-25:  In these verses we see various enemies rising up against Solomon. One is King Hadad of Edom (v14-22) and Rezon of Aram (v23-25).   Notice that the arrival of these enemies comes immediately after the writer of 1 Kings describes how King Solomon repeatedly disobeyed God’s command not to get romantically involved with women who do not worship the Lord (v1-13).  The enemies came after Solomon refused to repent.

What can we learn from this?  The Bible says that we too have an enemy — Satan  — and that Satan’s agenda is to steal, kill and destroy our lives (Ephesians 6:12; John 10:10).  When we persist in sin and refuse to repent, we give room for our enemy Satan to work in our lives.   When I keep sinning and refuse to repent, I effectively give Satan a foothold to work and to cause trouble in the territory God has given me.  

事工的方向和内容

2019-03-15 in /by

马太福音10: 5_8 事工的方向和内容

5 耶稣差这十二个人去，吩咐他们说：「外邦人的路你们不要走，撒马利亚人的城你们不要进， 6 宁可往以色列家迷失的羊那里去。 7 随走随传，说『天国近了』。 8 医治病人，叫死人复活，叫长大痲疯的洁净，把鬼赶出去。你们白白地得来，也要白白地舍去。

这是耶稣门训的摘要，也是可以让我们学习的。在门徒跟了耶稣一段时间后，耶稣开始做栽培的工作。第一就是装备，给他们赶污鬼和医治各样病症的权柄。这就是很实际的能力。所以宣教士不能只会传福音，还要具备一些服侍人的能力。赶污鬼需要有信心和权柄，医治病症在以前是主给的权柄，现在有些医生就做医疗传道。这两样对人都有实质的意义。

主要他们工作的范围只在以色列。那时门徒算是实习吧，主不要他们去外邦人或撒玛利亚人的城。这就给了我们一个很确实的概念，想做主工，要从自己的家里做起。先在自己的家里，自己的教会学习，失败了也没关系，都是自己人好说话。不要好高鹜远，第一步都要从脚下走起。

第三是工作的内容，随走随传：「天国近了」。这也是主耶稣传福音的主要内容。这简单四个字，含有几个深意：1,有个天国，人死不是百了，有得永生上天国的机会，人是有盼望的。2,要上天国，要知道上天国的律。就像移民到哪个地方，都要按著那个地方的律和要求。所以要先与神和好，因为那是神的所在。

Christian, What Are You Doing Dating a Non-Christian?

2019-03-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 1 Kings 11:1-13.  Let’s go!

1 Kings 11:1-3 (NIV) 
1 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter–Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 
2 They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 
3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.

On verses 1-13:  As wise and as rich as Solomon had become by God’s grace, here we see Solomon’s fatal flaw: his insistence on being romantically involved with women who did not worship the same God as he did.  In doing so, over and over Solomon disobeyed God’s command to not intermarry with unbelieving women.  This sin would lead him to worship other gods (v5, 7-8), and would ultimately lead to the downfall of his faith and the removal of his kingdom (v9-13).

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〉。