The Tragedy of “Almost”

“For the king knows of these things, to whom also I speak freely. For I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him, for this has not been done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” Agrippa said to Paul, “With a little persuasion are you trying to make me a Christian?” Paul said, “I pray to God, that whether with little or with much, not only you, but also all that hear me today, might become such as I am, except for these bonds.” The king rose up with the governor, and Bernice, and those who sat with them.” (Acts‬ ‭26:26-30‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

The passage above records a very tragic moment. King Agrippa was on the verge of believing in Jesus as Lord, but he hardened his heart and stood up, rejecting the free gift of eternal life.

His actions are essentially saying this, “Stop it. I don’t want to hear anymore. I refuse to accept Jesus Christ as Lord.”

Other translations render Agrippa’s words like this:

“Then Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time [and with so little effort] you [almost] persuade me to become a Christian.”” (Acts‬ ‭26:28‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

The word “almost” is the great tragedy.

It is like coming so close to the finish line in a race but fainting and being disqualified when you are just a hair’s breadth away.

Hell contains many souls who are “almosts”.

“I should have responded when that preacher asked for us to place our faith in Jesus. Why did I harden my heart? I almost got saved, but now it is too late...”

“Therefore, even as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you will hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, like as in the day of the trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested me by proving me, and saw my deeds for forty years. Therefore I was displeased with that generation, and said, ‘They always err in their heart, but they didn’t know my ways;’ as I swore in my wrath, ‘They will not enter into my rest.’”” (Hebrews‬ ‭3:7-11‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

It is possible to know with the mind that Jesus is the Son of God and everything that He claims to be, and yet not be saved.

A person has to believe and confess Him as Lord. If you just believe that He is the Son of God but don’t receive Him as Lord, you are not saved.

Even the demons believe that God is real, but they don’t submit to Him as Lord.

The Holy Spirit convicts the hearts of unbelievers about their sinfulness and woos them to receive Jesus Christ as Lord. But they can choose to reject it. Every individual must choose to accept or reject the gift of eternal life.

Yet, it is God’s will for all to hear the Gospel and to be saved. No matter how dark someone’s past is, he can freely receive forgiveness of sins when he places his faith in Jesus as Lord!

If you are already a born-again believer, through faith in Jesus, you have entered God’s rest—the rest of your conscience and also rest from works-based justification.

You are a saint who is already sanctified, justified, saved, holy, righteous, pure, and blameless. The next time you read these words in the Bible, don’t feel condemned or shrink away. These words describe who you already are in Christ.

“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” (Colossians‬ ‭2:8-10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

Dear brethren, you are not an “almost”. You are complete in Christ.

Let someone know the Gospel so that they are not almost, but fully saved through faith in Jesus Christ!

If you are blessed by the daily teachings/devotionals I share freely on this page, you can become a patron on Patreon if you want to receive an additional daily Bible Study teaching, as well as all my eBooks! Your patronage supports this ministry and enables us to “reach more and teach more” in the body of Christ: http://Patreon.com/miltongohblog

定宇稍早接受澳洲歷史最悠久的雪梨晨鋒報（ Sydney Morning Herald)專訪，內容重點摘要：
1. 我們相信澳洲在印太地區應該扮演更重要的角色。

2. 澳英美軍事同盟可以向中國傳遞一個重要的訊號，我們民主國家會站在一起，中國不要錯估自己實力。

3. 中國的錯估將不僅傷害他國，更會造成中國自身的悲劇。

近來美、澳強化安全合作，我們看到這三件事：「美助澳造核潛艦，巡弋可及台灣」、「美澳2+2會談指出強化與台灣關係，關心台海和平穩定」、「澳英美新軍事同盟AUKUS直指對抗中國對南海、台灣威脅」，這些都牽動著印太局勢。

“We believe Australia will play an important role in the Indo-Pacific region,” Wang said.

“This kind of alliance can send a signal towards China’s government that ‘We all stand together, don’t miscalculate your capability’.

“Those kinds of miscalculations will cause tragedy to China itself.“

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/it-s-important-to-us-taiwan-pushes-for-naming-rights-in-australia-20210917-p58siz.html

我們都還記得二十年前在美國發生的九一一事件。到現在仍時刻提醒著我們，志同道合的國家應團結一心，共同堅守民主自由等普世價值。台灣與美國站在一起，希望這樣的事情永遠不再發生！

We’ll always remember the catastrophic events on 9/11 twenty years ago. It truly reminds us that like-minded countries should stay strong to defence freedom & democracy. Taiwan stands with the U.S. and hope this tragedy will never happen again！

#日本テレネットが発売した、88用縦STG('87.09)からのX-1turbo移植版。

亡き父の残した本に、夢と冒険に挑むならアブシンバル神殿で待つ、との内容があり、主人公フィリップは、老朽化した戦闘機"NIGHT OVER EGYPT"を蘇らせ、エジプトへと飛び立った。

ステージは縦ステージと3Dステージ、最後にはボスが待機しているという構成。残機制で全10ステージとなる。

BGMは小川氏と恋瀬氏による共同編曲で、X-1版はFM8音で編曲されている。

Manufacturer: 1987 Nihon Telenet
computer: X-1turbo series
Hardware: YM2151
Composer: Shinobu Ogawa,Nobuhito Koise
------------------------------------------------------
00:00 01.IPL / テレネットロゴ
00:13 02.Nights over Egypt / タイトル
01:42 03.Mysty Pyramid / オープニング
03:33 04.Eagle / ステージ1 *2Dモード
04:59 05.Bleeding Volcano / ステージ1～4 *3Dモード
06:49 06.Shinin' Ship's Journey / ステージ2 *2Dモード
09:35 07.Street Fightin' Boogie / ステージ3 *2Dモード
11:49 08.Wish-Wish-Wish / ステージ4 *2Dモード
14:38 09.Burnin' Heatin' Beat / ステージ5 *2Dモード
16:36 10.Spectacles / ステージ5 *3Dモード
18:24 11.D-D-Danger / ボス
19:29 12.Over the Rescue / ゲームオーバー
19:38 13.Sweet Tragedy / バッドエンド
22:57 14.Reminisce / ハッピーエンド
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週六，美國 Tennessee 州中部發生致命洪水，造成至少 18 人死亡，多人下落不明。破紀錄的降雨量讓水位迅速上漲，當地居民措手不及。最年輕的罹難者為一對僅 7 個月大的雙胞胎嬰兒，不敵洪水的威力，從父親的懷抱中被沖走。

📝 訂閱講義 & 朗讀稿 (只要 $88 /月)：https://bit.ly/ssyingwen_notes
👉 延伸閱讀：https://ssyingwen.com/ssep48
🖼️ IG 單字卡: https://bit.ly/ssyingwenIG

😴 8/29 週日休息一集，9/1 週三恢復～

———

本集 timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:51 第一遍英文朗讀
3:05 新聞 & 相關單字解說
14:36 額外單字片語
20:23 第二遍英文朗讀

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臉書社團 (朗讀文字)：https://www.facebook.com/groups/ssyingwen/posts/289936546225925/

朗讀內容參考了
The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/aug/23/tennessee-floods-flash-flooding-death-toll-damage
Associated Press: https://apnews.com/article/floods-tennessee-c7c876734f3ddbafd61fd98989a647f1
BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58300877
NPR: https://www.npr.org/2021/08/23/1030325945/the-floods-in-tennessee-arent-freak-accidents-theyre-a-new-reality

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本集提到的單字片語：
Tennessee 田納西州
Landlocked state 內陸州
Tennesseans 田納西人
Nashville
Flash flood warning 突發性水災的警報
Meteorologist 氣象學家
Hurricane 颶風
Tropical system 熱帶系統
Break / shatter / smash the record 破紀錄
Torrential rain 暴雨
Flood / flooding 水災
Floodwater 洪水
Deluge 嚴重水災
Flash flood 暴洪
Survivors 倖存者
Panic attack 驚恐發作
Jet skis 水上摩托車
Boats 船
Helicopter 直升機
Wreckage 殘骸
Rhode Island 羅德島
Connecticut 康州
New York 紐約州
Climate change 氣候變遷
Global warming 全球暖化
Supercharge 增壓、超級充電
Disaster
Calamity
Catastrophe
Tragedy
Staycation


♥️ 喜歡時事英文 podcast 嗎？♥️
你可以支持我繼續錄製 podcast 👉 https://bit.ly/zeczec_ssyingwen

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#podcast #田納西州 #洪災 #洪水 #暴雨 #學英文 #英文筆記 #英文學習 #英文 #每日英文 #托福 #雅思 #雅思英語 #雅思托福 #多益 #多益單字 #播客 #國際新聞 #英文新聞 #英文聽力 #taiwanpodcast

#セイブ開発が稼働させた、AC用縦STGであり、雷電II(AC/'93年)をリメイクした作品。
コースは3面分のステージを攻略し、最後に本作オリジナルボスと戦う練習、IIの5面までをプレイする初級、全8+1面からなる上級の3つとなる。
稼ぎ要素として道中出現する勲章とミクラスが存在。
また、ゲームオーバー時とゲームクリア時に破壊率等を腕前判定として公開される。

複数のコースにより、初心者から上級者まで楽しめる作品となり、勲章を集めるスコアアタックの面白さや隠しステージもプレイヤーを飽きさせない要素だろう。
まさに初期雷電シリーズの集大成といえる一作。

BGMは佐藤氏が作・編曲、殆どが雷電I・IIからのアレンジ曲で、DX専用曲も追加された。

作・編曲：佐藤豪氏

Manufacturer: 1994 seibu kaihatsu / Seibu Kaihatsu (EJK)
system: raiden II
Hardware: Z80,YM2151, OKI6295(x2)
composer & arranger: Gou Satoh
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
00:00 01.Coin
00:02 02.Course Select *DX追加曲
01:35 03.Intro ～ Gallantry / TRAINING SCENE 01/NOVICE LEVEL1/EXPERT LEVEL1 開始 *DX追加曲(Gallantryにイントロが新たに追加)
05:52 04.Metal Storm
08:30 05.Mission Accomplishment
08:39 06.Tragedy Flame
12:39 07.Fighting Thunder
17:35 08.All or Nothing
20:39 09.Rough and Tumble
23:06 10.Depression
26:08 11.Burnt Field
28:55 12.Flap Toward the Hope
31:17 13.Decisive Battle
34:03 14.Go To Blazes!
37:09 15.All Clear
38:01 16.Result Screen / RANKING *DX追加曲
40:14 17.Name Entry
42:07 18.Unused Track *DX追加曲
42:17 19.bgm 01
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