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從「永遠」進入「永生」

2025-05-18 in , /by

約翰福音 3:1-21  

有一個法利賽人，名叫尼哥迪慕，是猶太人的官。 2 這人夜裡來見耶穌，說：「拉比，我們知道你是由神那裡來做師傅的，因為你所行的神蹟，若沒有神同在，無人能行。」 3 耶穌回答說：「我實實在在地告訴你：人若不重生，就不能見神的國。」 4 尼哥迪慕說：「人已經老了，如何能重生呢？豈能再進母腹生出來嗎？」 5 耶穌說：「我實實在在地告訴你：人若不是從水和聖靈生的，就不能進神的國。 6 從肉身生的就是肉身，從靈生的就是靈。

耶穌第一個傳福音的對象是尼哥底母（約翰福音3:1-21），他是法利賽人、猶太人的官，擁有舊約傳統的宗教和社會地位。他夜裡來見耶穌，也許是謙卑尋見、或是避人耳目；但耶穌與他一席詳談，帶他明白如何從舊約的「永遠」進入「永生」，將「永遠」賦予生命意義，闡述永遠的生命。

耶穌劈頭給尼哥底母一個重擊，「我說：『你們必須重生』，你不要以為希奇。（約翰福音3:3-7）」；接著，祂用猶太人熟捻的「摩西曠野舉蛇」歷史（民數記21:4-9），來說明得著「生命」的真理。

以色列人出埃及後，在曠野途中，因艱苦與缺水缺糧而向神和摩西抱怨。神使火蛇進入百姓中間，咬死了許多人，懲罰他們的埋怨與背棄。後來，百姓悔改，神吩咐摩西製造一條銅蛇，掛在杆子上，凡被蛇咬的，只要抬頭仰望銅蛇，就必得痊癒。摩西照做，銅蛇成了神憐憫與救贖的記號。

God’s Preferred Way of Working in Your Life

2025-05-18 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 24:8-25:7.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 24:8-19 (NIV)
8  Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan; she was from Jerusalem.
9  He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father had done.

On 2 Kings 24:8-19:  These verses describe how in approximately 597 B.C. while Jehoiachin is king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invades Judah again, this time deporting back to Babylon approximately 10,000 Judahites, including King Jehoiachin, his mother, wives, officials, 7,000 soldiers and 1,000 craftsmen and artisans. 

God is King Over All

2025-05-16 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 23:21-24:7.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 23:21-23 (NIV) 
21  The king gave this order to all the people: “Celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.” 
22  Not since the days of the judges who led Israel, nor throughout the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah, had any such Passover been observed. 
23  But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the LORD in Jerusalem.
 
On verses 21-23:  In the Book of the Law, God had commanded His people to celebrate the Passover, an annual festival intended to commemorate how God had rescued His people.  As part of ushering a revival (a spiritual awakening) in his land, Josiah leads the people of Judah in celebrating the Passover for the first time in approximately 500 years.

主日

2025-05-16 in , /by

詩篇118:22-24    

22 匠人所棄的石頭，已成了房角的頭塊石頭。23 這是耶和華所做的，在我們眼中看為稀奇。24 這是耶和華所定的日子，我們在其中要高興歡喜。

使徒行傳4:10-11 

你們眾人和以色列百姓都當知道：站在你們面前的這人得痊癒，是因你們所釘十字架、神叫祂從死裡復活的拿撒勒人耶穌基督的名。11 「祂是『你們匠人所棄的石頭，已成了房角的頭塊石頭』。

使徒行傳 20:7  七日的第一日，我們聚會掰餅的時候，保羅因為要次日起行，就與他們講論，直講到半夜。

舊約時代，神賜下「安息日」的律例（十誡的第四誡，出埃及記20:8-11）；因為神用六天的工夫創造天地，第七天祂就安息了。當時的安息日是七日裡的最後一天，為了叫人記念神的作為。

新約時代，耶穌在逾越節期間被釘十字架，星期五（受難日）下午三點左右斷氣，晚上被埋葬，三天後，星期天早上復活（約翰福音20:1-23）；自此以後，星期天（七日裡的第一天）就成為聖日，基督徒聚集一起紀念耶穌（使徒行傳20:7，哥林多前書16:2），就是現在的主日（啟示錄1:10）。

主日（Lord’s Day，拉丁語：dies dominica，源自通用希臘語：he kuriake hemera）即主的日子，這一天是紀念耶穌基督復活的日子。它使人想起神創造的第一日，神在這一天造了光，而基督徒的五旬節(Christian Pentecost)是逾越節後的第五十天，這日子紀念聖靈的降臨，也是星期日（使徒行傳2:1-4）。

The God of Revival

2025-05-15 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 23:1-20.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 23:1-2 (NIV)
1  Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
2  He went up to the temple of the LORD with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets–all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the LORD.
 
On verses 1-2:  Keep in mind that King Josiah of Judah has just discovered the long lost Book of the Law (consisting of the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Pentateuch).  He realizes that he and his nation of Judah have not lived up to God’s commands contained inside that book. 

「聽從」聲音或讓聲音「空響」

2025-05-15 in , /by

帖撒羅尼迦前書5:19-22      19 不要消滅聖靈的感動， 20 不要藐視先知的講論。 21 但要凡事察驗，善美的要持守， 22 各樣的惡事要禁戒不做。

那是個忙碌的週五上午，一早跟學生討論研究進度、接著一場視訊會議、之後又有研究生固定的專題演講…；中午吃完便當，正想休息片刻，卻來了一通電話，提醒我下午的拜訪行程。起身走向校園的另一個角落，天氣熱，身體有點累，心想拜訪行程完後就打道回府，迎接週末，好好休息。

擦擦汗，坐在會議室等候拜訪會議，滑手機看email，「老師！下午三點可以在哪裡找到您?」訊息映入眼簾。喔！喔！找我？下週二要期中考了，問問題？不是跟大家約好，明天週六上午開放讓同學問問題嗎？今天下午三點！我累了，我不想回辦公室，我要回家。正想要回訊息，會議開始了，我停下滑手機。

接近下午三點開完會，我再打開手機看，「老師！您傳給我的訊息怎麼空空的？」原來剛才猶豫不知如何回覆，就送出空白訊息。此時心中聲音湧現…，我掙扎著思考，回研究中心太遠，回機械系館還算可以，那就在系館中庭好了，我不想上五樓辦公室，太麻煩了。回了email，緩步走向系館，呆坐中庭木椅，收到回覆訊息「我從體育館過來，十分鐘，馬上到」。

Have a Soft and Responsive Heart toward God’s Word

2025-05-14 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 22:1-20.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 22:1-20 (NIV)
1  Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.
2  He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.
3  In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the secretary, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the temple of the LORD. He said:
4  “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people.

On verses 1-20:  At just eight years old Josiah becomes king of Judah.  At age 26, Josiah leads a campaign to repair the temple of the Lord.  As the temple is being repaired, workers in the temple recover an old Book of the Law, which most likely contained the first five books of the Bible, also known as the Pentateuch. 

也許你會想知道聖經形成的簡史

2025-05-14 in , /by

提摩太後書 3:14-17

但你所學習的、所確信的，要存在心裡，因為你知道是跟誰學的， 15 並且知道你是從小明白聖經，這聖經能使你因信基督耶穌有得救的智慧。16 聖經都是神所默示的，於教訓、督責、使人歸正、教導人學義都是有益的， 17 叫屬神的人得以完全，預備行各樣的善事。

舊約（猶太人稱為《希伯來聖經》）主要由摩西五經（律法書）、歷史書、詩歌智慧書及先知書所組成。從西元前15世紀（摩西時代）到西元前4世紀陸續完成，主要用希伯來文寫成，少部分（但以理書部分章節、以斯拉記）使用亞蘭文。舊約定典在主前2世紀至主後1世紀逐漸被確定，猶太人在主後90年左右的「雅米尼亞會議」（有爭議）普遍認定了舊約的範圍。

新約由四福音書（馬太、馬可、路加、約翰）、使徒行傳、保羅書信、普通書信及啟示錄所組成。大約在主後40年到100年間完成，主要以希臘文（通用希臘語Koine Greek）書寫。最早的書信和福音書已在教會中廣泛使用，直到西元4世紀，特別是主後397年的迦太基公會議正式確認新約27卷書目。

隨著猶太人散居地中海四周，許多人不再通曉希伯來文。西元前3世紀在埃及，約70位學者將舊約翻譯成希臘文，「七十士譯本(Septuagint)」因而問世，對早期教會影響深遠（新約作者常引用此譯本），也使更多人能以通用語言接觸到神的話語。

Even When You’ve Lost Everything, There Is Still Hope

2025-05-13 in /by

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 21:1-26.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Kings 21:1-18 (NIV)
1  Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah.
2  He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
3  He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them.

On verses 1-18:  Manasseh replaces his father Hezekiah as the king of Judah.  But rather than following the Lord like his father Hezekiah did, Manasseh goes headlong into worshiping idols, committing violent crimes and even sacrificing his own son in the fire as part of idol worship. 

賜生命的主

2025-05-13 in , /by

約翰福音3:15  叫一切信祂的都得永生。

約翰福音17:3   認識祢獨一的真神，並且認識祢所差來的耶穌基督，這就是永生。

約翰福音14:6  耶穌說：我就是道路、真理、生命。若不藉著我，沒有人能到父那裡去。

舊約中「永生」一詞來自希伯來文 עוֹלָם (ʿolam)，意思是永遠、長久、或時間的無限，因為沒有生命的含意，詞意並不直接等同於「永生」。

舊約常用的「永生神(El Olam)」是將永遠和神兩個字放一起，表明神在時間層面的屬性，祂是自有永有的（出埃及記3:14），祂是從亙古到永遠的神（詩篇90:2）。

神說：「我憑著永生起誓…」（申命記32:40），「惟耶和華是真神，是活神，是永遠的王。」（耶利米書10:10），這兩處經文的永生和永遠，是同一個字ʿolam，指出神是永不改變的長遠存在，並未呈現生命的含意。

舊約希伯來文中很少出現直接對應具「永生」含意的詞，僅有一處，詩篇133:3「好比黑門的甘露降在錫安山，因為在那裡有耶和華所命定的福，就是永遠的生命。」此處，永遠的生命(chayyei olam)是將永遠和生命兩個字放一起。

大衛王渴慕：「…引導我走永生的道路。」（詩篇139:24），所羅門王領悟：「神造萬物，各按其時成為美好，又將永生安置在世人心裡。然而神從始至終的作為，人不能參透。」（傳道書3:11）他們同樣在尋求永遠及永恆，但並未訴及生命的意涵。