What is God's Calling for in Ephesians 4:1?

    What is God's calling for?  Ephesians 4:1 says: I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the calling with which you were called."  I read a sentence from page 329 of chapter 39 of the Life-Study of Ephesians that caught my attention, and it said:  According to Ephesians the unique goal of God's calling is the building up of the Body of Christ" (Lee, Witness. Life Study of Ephesians. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1978, Print).  And I've learned from my reading that this is really on God's heart. 

    Paul's letter to the Ephesians shows us over and over that God's purpose concerns the church, the Body of Christ. As Witness Lee mentions in the beginning of this chapter, not many believers have not been so clear about the church being  the goal of God's calling.  I liked this opening excerpt:

In Matthew 16 the Lord Jesus said that He would build His church.  The book of Acts and this Epistle reveal that the church is built up not by the Lord directly, but through the members of the Body....God has called us for the fulfillment of this goal (Page 329).

     In this message he also touches on how Ephesians 4:12 helps to achieve this goal.  Paul mentions that God has given the apostles, prophets, shepherds and teachers as gifts to help build up the Body.  Besides doing that, they also perfect all the other members of the Body to do what they do.  Because I'm a teacher it's easy for me to see this parallel.  Every teacher has the job of perfecting his/her students to do the same thing that they can do. 

    When I've thought about this, I can see that in the Body of Christ it's the same way--if you can preach the gospel well, you can share those experiences with others and even go out with them a few times to help them preach the gospel.  In this way they'll be perfected like this verse talks about.  I learned from one of the chapters that the Greek word for apostle is just a sent one. We can all be sent ones to our neighborhoods and jobs.


You can listen to excerpts of  these Ephesians Life Study messages on Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.

Other blog posts on the Life Study of Ephesians:

What is the Subject of Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians?
What is the Mystery of God's Will Revealed in Ephesians 1:9?
How Does God Head Up All Things in Christ in Ephesians 1:10?
How Does the Spirit Seal us in Ephesians 1:13-14?
What is the Surpassing Greatness of His Power in Ephesians 1:19?
From the Life Study of Ephesians: How Electricity Illustrates God's Purpose to Reach Man
What is the One New Man in Ephesians 2:15?
What is the Stewardship of the Grace of God in Ephesians 3:2?
 What is the Multifarious Wisdom of God For in Ephesians 3:10?
What's God's Calling for in Ephesians 4:1?
What Does It Mean to Learn Christ in Ephesians 4:20?
Seeing the Church as the Bride of Christ in Ephesians 5:32
Seeing the Church as the Warrior in Ephesians 6
How Do We Apply the Armor of God in Ephesians 6?
What are the Seven Aspects of the Church Seen in Ephesians?
Why Did God Abolish the Ordinances in Ephesians 2:15?
Why is the Spirit Mentioned in Every Chapter of Ephesians?

What is the Multifarious Wisdom of God For in Ephesians 3:10?

     Have you ever wondered what the multifarious wisdom of God is?  Ephesians 3:10 is an amazing verse:  In order that now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenlies might be made known through the church the multifarious wisdom of God. When I was reading chapter 31 of Life-Study of Ephesians, it made me think why to them?  It's because God's wisdom is made known particularly to the evil rulers and authorities in the heavenlies (See Ephesians 6:12).  

     I learned from reading in the Life-Study of Genesis that when Satan rebelled against God before the creation of Adam (Isaiah 14), he took one-third of the angels with him.  You can check this out in Revelation 12:4.  It was hard for me to choose what excerpts I liked the most in this message, but here goes This is from pages 268, 270, and 272 : 

The Church is composed of those who once were ruined, corrupted, and damaged.  Before we were saved, we were vipers, poisonous serpents. Furthermore, we were dead in trespasses and sins....Nevertheless, God in His wisdom is able to make us the church...The church is God's greatest boast...Sometimes God may say, 'Look, Satan, I have taken the very people whom you have ruined, and I have made them into the church. Do you have the wisdom to do such a thing?  You do not have the wisdom, but I have it.' ...Because of His wisdom, God can boast to Satan of what He has done with corrupted and ruined man. Have you ever realized that what we are as believers today is of God's wisdom? (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Ephesians. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1978, Print.)

At the end of this message he shares that the display of this multifarious wisdom is what makes the church God's masterpiece and how God has the ability to take everything that happens to us--the good, the bad, the ugly--and show forth His wisdom in it to accomplish His purpose. Wow!!  That's what makes Him God!


You can listen to excerpts of  these Ephesians Life Study messages on Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.

Other blog posts on the Life Study of Ephesians:

What is the Subject of Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians?
What is the Mystery of God's Will Revealed in Ephesians 1:9?
How Does God Head Up All Things in Christ in Ephesians 1:10?
How Does the Spirit Seal us in Ephesians 1:13-14?
What is the Surpassing Greatness of His Power in Ephesians 1:19?
From the Life Study of Ephesians: How Electricity Illustrates God's Purpose to Reach Man
What is the One New Man in Ephesians 2:15?
What is the Stewardship of the Grace of God in Ephesians 3:2?
 What is the Multifarious Wisdom of God For in Ephesians 3:10?
What's God's Calling for in Ephesians 4:1?
What Does It Mean to Learn Christ in Ephesians 4:20?
Seeing the Church as the Bride of Christ in Ephesians 5:32
Seeing the Church as the Warrior in Ephesians 6
How Do We Apply the Armor of God in Ephesians 6?
What are the Seven Aspects of the Church Seen in Ephesians?
Why Did God Abolish the Ordinances in Ephesians 2:15?
Why is the Spirit Mentioned in Every Chapter of Ephesians?

Fabulous Gluten Free Vegetarian Fajitas

Vegetarian fajitas are great not just because they are delicious but because they're a great way to eat a lot of vegetables! A few times a week I like to make meals without meat, and so I googled vegetarian fajitas to see what I could come up with.  

This recipe was the closest to what I was looking for, and it comes from All Recipes; I only made a few modifications--I didn't add the corn or black beans, and I tweaked the seasonings.  Last weekend we were visiting one of our daughters that lives about 500 miles away, and we made this recipe for Saturday night. These pictures are taken from our cooking! We had some really good salsa that we topped these with, and they were fabulous!

Gluten Free Vegetarian Fajitas - For 4-6

1.  Prepare vegetables:

(1)  Slice 2 small zucchini into julienne strips

(2)  Slice 2 yellow squash into julienne strips

(3)  Cut 1 green pepper into strips

(4)  Cut 1 red pepper into strips

(5)  Slice 1-2 sweet onion into thin slices
(6)  You can also add some mushrooms or any other vegetables  you like!

2.  Prepare marinade - In a medium size bowl together:

(1)  1/8 cup of olive oil

(2)  Add spices:  1 t oregano, 1 t chili powder, 1/2 t cumin 1 t garlic powder (or I minced 1 clove of garlic), 1 t salt, 1 t sugar, and 1/2 t black pepper.
(3)  Taste and adjust any seasonings, add a bit more olive oil? chili powder? cumin? salt?

3.  Add the prepared vegetables and let them marinate for 30 minutes to overnight.  

4.  Drain the vegetables.

5.  Warm up corn tortillas in foil in the oven or wrap them in a dish towel and put them in the microwave (time depends on the amount). 

5.  Stir-fry vegetables:
(1)   Put 3 T of coconut oil into a cast iron pan and when the oil's hot add the onions and stir fry for 3 minutes
(2)  Stir in the green/red peppers
(3)  Then add the zucchini/yellow squash and stir fry until it's crisp tender

6.  Assemble:  Spread a spoonful of sour cream on the warmed tortilla shell, and then spoon some of the vegetables on top of that, you can top with fresh tomatoes, salsa, more sour cream, and cheese! 

Other Mexican recipes on this blog:

Mexican Casseroles

Texas Style Gluten Free Stacked Enchiladas  (From my Texas airport cookbook)

Acapulco Delight - A great Mexican Enchilada (From my Heritage School Cookbook)

Michelle's Favorite Vegetarian Enchiladas   (From my daughter)

Kathy's Baked Chili & Chips Casserole  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)

Gluten Free Mexican Quinoa Casserole  (From an Internet search)

Fiesta Gluten Free Tamale Pie   (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)

Authentic Chicken Enchiladas Verde  (From a church friend)

Rebecca's Favorite Chicken & Chile Enchiladas  (From a church friend)

Delores's Chicken & Tortilla Casserole (Made Gluten Free)  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)

Tacos, Chimichangas  & Etc.

Rachel Ray's Recipe for the Best Fish Tacos   (From Food Network)
Fantastic Baked Chimichangas  (From my Syre School Cookbook)

Authentic Chicken Flautas  (My hispanic friend Abbie taught me how to make these!)

Delicious Chicken Fajitas  (A mix of many recipes)
Fabulous Vegetarian Gluten Free Fajitas   (From an Internet search)
Easy Gluten Free Baked Taquitos  (From a newspaper clip)

Beans & Rice

The Best Homemade Refried Beans  (From an Internet search)

Texas Pinto Beans & Rice  (From my Texas airport cookbook)

Mexican Chicken & Beef

Anna's Pollo Guisado (Mexican Braised Chicken)  (From a church friend in Phoenix)

Fantastic Gluten Free Carne Asada!  (From an Internet search--a combination of sites)

Belizean Chicken, Black Beans & Rice, and Belizean Coleslaw  (From my daughter's family)

Soups

Mexican Chicken Soup- A Great Remedy for Colds & Flu  (I got this over 25 years ago from a Mexican cookbook)

Bethany's Crowd Pleasing Tortilla Soup  (From a friend in Califiornia)

Southwest Turkey Soup   (From my Syre School Cookbook)

Salads

Baja Salad with Black Beans & Quinoa  (My own version of something I ate in Seattle)

Mexican Salmon & Mango Salad  (Modification of a Betty Crocker recipe)

What is the Stewardship of the Grace of God in Ephesians 3:2?

     What is  the stewardship of the grace of God in Ephesians 3:2? Without some background it's hard to understand many New Testament verses. A lot of times if I'm reading a section of the word that I don't get, I'll just gloss over it. Witness Lee loved the Bible, and when you listen to him on the Life Study of the Bible or read the Life-Studies, you'll see what a student of the word he was. He didn't gloss over anything. And because of that he was able to completely open up Paul's realization in Ephesians 3:2 which says, If you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God which was given to me for you.  

    Here's a part from the message that helped me see we are all stewards of this grace! This is from chapter 28 Life Study of Ephesians, pages 244-246:

The Stewardship of the grace is the dispensing of the riches of Christ. According to the context of chapter 3, grace refers to the riches of Christ....When the riches of Christ are enjoyed by you, they become grace. The desire of God's heart is to dispense Himself into man...This is the central point of the whole Bible....God's economy is to carry out the dispensing  of Himself into man.  We share in this economy through our stewardship, our ministry of dispensing the riches of Christ... Go to school or to work for the purpose of carrying out your stewardship according to God's  economy for His dispensation. (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Ephesians. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1978. Print). 

God needs all of us to enjoy the riches of His grace every day so we can carry out this stewardship.  And even that takes grace!

You can listen to excerpts of  these Ephesians Life Study messages on Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.

Other blog posts on the Life Study of Ephesians:

What is the Subject of Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians?
What is the Mystery of God's Will Revealed in Ephesians 1:9?
How Does God Head Up All Things in Christ in Ephesians 1:10?
How Does the Spirit Seal us in Ephesians 1:13-14?
What is the Surpassing Greatness of His Power in Ephesians 1:19?
From the Life Study of Ephesians: How Electricity Illustrates God's Purpose to Reach Man
What is the One New Man in Ephesians 2:15?
What is the Stewardship of the Grace of God in Ephesians 3:2?
Do You Know What the Multifarious Wisdom of God is in Ephesians 3:10?
What's God's Calling for in Ephesians 4:1?
What Does It Mean to Learn Christ in Ephesians 4:20?
Seeing the Church as the Bride of Christ in Ephesians 5:32
Seeing the Church as the Warrior in Ephesians 6
How Do We Apply the Armor of God in Ephesians 6?
What are the Seven Aspects of the Church Seen in Ephesians?
Why Did God Abolish the Ordinances in Ephesians 2:15?
Why is the Spirit Mentioned in Every Chapter of Ephesians?

What is the One New Man in Ephesians 2:15?

        I'm on a tough passage in Ephesians:  Abolishing in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace, Ephesians 2:15.    Yesterday I listened to a Living Stream Ministry's radio broadcast on Ephesians 2:15 (Program #23), and a line stuck in my head about the one new man being the most crucial item in the New Testament.   


     It helped me understand this a bit more when Witness Lee clarified in the Life-Study that the new man is not something different from the church but the highest aspect of the church (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Ephesians.  Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1978, Print).

   In my Recovery Version of the New Testament, there are 9 footnotes on this one verse.  I would encourage you to get your own free New Testament study Bible.  Here is one of the eye-opening footnotes on this verse: 

The Jews and Gentiles were separated to the uttermost by the separating ordinances. But both were created in Christ with the divine essence into one new entity, which is a corporate man, the church.  

What I've seen from reading this passage in the Epistle to the Ephesians, the Life-Studies, and listening to the radio broadcast messages is that besides dying for our redemption, the Lord also crucified the ordinances that divided the Jews from the Gentiles because His goal was to create one new man composed of believers from every country. It's such a glory to God when all the believers around the world are one with one another! 

If you'd like to hear the audio of these messages, you can do that by listening to Programs 22-24 pertaining to the one new man on The Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.

Other blog posts on the Life Study of Ephesians:

What is the Subject of Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians?
What is the Mystery of God's Will Revealed in Ephesians 1:9?
How Does God Head Up All Things in Christ in Ephesians 1:10?
How Does the Spirit Seal us in Ephesians 1:13-14?
What is the Surpassing Greatness of His Power in Ephesians 1:19?
From the Life Study of Ephesians: How Electricity Illustrates God's Purpose to Reach Man
What is the One New Man in Ephesians 2:15?
What is the Stewardship of the Grace of God in Ephesians 3:2?
Do You Know What the Multifarious Wisdom of God is in Ephesians 3:10?
What's God's Calling for in Ephesians 4:1?
What Does It Mean to Learn Christ in Ephesians 4:20?
Seeing the Church as the Bride of Christ in Ephesians 5:32
Seeing the Church as the Warrior in Ephesians 6
How Do We Apply the Armor of God in Ephesians 6?
What are the Seven Aspects of the Church Seen in Ephesians?
Why Did God Abolish the Ordinances in Ephesians 2:15?
Why is the Spirit Mentioned in Every Chapter of Ephesians?

Fiesta Gluten Free Tamale Pie

 Making a tamale pie is a great way to use up leftover chili.  That's what I usually end up doing with it.  I also find this is a great recipe for a busy Saturday.  


But if you don't have any chili, here is a good recipe that I have used several times.  This recipe comes from my church cookbook called Come & Dine which I have been using for over 13 years. 

Fiesta Gluten Free Tamale Pie

1. Prepare vegetables:
(1)  Dice 1 medium onion
(2)  Dice 1 green pepper

(3)  Mince 1-2 cloves of garlic
(4)  Chop 3 T cilantro (I like to add this to my Mexican dishes for extra zip.)

2.  Prepare meat sauce:
(1)  Put 1 pound of lean ground beef into a skillet and cook over medium high heat.
(2)  Then add the onion and green pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Then add the garlic and cook 3 seconds.
(3)  Stir in 1 15-oz can of tomato sauce and1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes. (The recipe calls for just 28 oz of diced tomatoes, but I like using some tomato sauce too, so you can do what you would like.)
(4)  Add seasonings;  2 T of chili powder,  2 t salt, 1/2 t black pepper, (I like to add a bit of salt and pepper to this)  1/2 t oregano, 1 t cumin, 1 t brown sugar (I usually add to cut some of the acidity), and chopped cilantro.
(5)  Taste and make any adjustments in flavor.
(6)  Reduce heat and let simmer 10-15 minutes.
(7)  Stir in 1 1/2 cups of frozen/canned corn and 1 15-oz can of kidney beans.
(8)  Stir in 1 cup of sliced olives.  See step 4 assembling the tamale pie.

3.  Make cornmeal topping - In a bowl put:   This topping comes out great.  It may seem a little thin and runny but it creates a beautiful and delicious crust.
(1)  Lightly beat 2 eggs 
(2)  Stir in 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of organic cornmeal. 

4.  Assemble tamale pie - Put the following into a 9 x 13 pan:
(1)  Pour the meat sauce mixture into the bottom of the pan and even it out in the pan.
(2)  Spoon the cornmeal mixture evenly over the top.
(3)  Grate cheddar cheese over the top of that.

5.  Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until done.

Other Mexican recipes on this blog:

Mexican Casseroles
Texas Style Gluten Free Stacked Enchiladas  (From my Come & Dine cookbook)
Acapulco Delight - A great Mexican Enchilada (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Michelle's Favorite Vegetarian Enchiladas   (From my daughter)
Kathy's Baked Chili & Chips Casserole  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Gluten Free Mexican Quinoa Casserole  (From an Internet search)
Fiesta Gluten Free Tamale Pie   (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Authentic Chicken Enchiladas Verde  (From a church friend)
Rebecca's Favorite Chicken & Chile Enchiladas  (From a church friend)
Delores's Chicken & Tortilla Casserole (Made Gluten Free)  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)

Tacos, Chimichangas  & Etc.
Rachel Ray's Recipe for the Best Fish Tacos   (From Food Network)
Fantastic Baked Chimichangas  (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Authentic Chicken Flautas  (My hispanic friend Abbie taught me how to make these!)

Delicious Chicken Fajitas  (A mix of many recipes)
Fabulous Vegetarian Gluten Free Fajitas   (From an Internet search)
Easy Gluten Free Baked Taquitos  (From a newspaper clip)

Beans & Rice
The Best Homemade Refried Beans  (From an Internet search)
Texas Pinto Beans & Rice  (From my Texas airport cookbook)

Mexican Chicken & Beef
Anna's Pollo Guisado (Mexican Braised Chicken)  (From a church friend in Phoenix)
Fantastic Gluten Free Carne Asada!  (From an Internet search--a combination of sites)
Belizean Chicken, Black Beans & Rice, and Belizean Coleslaw  (From my daughter's family)

Soups
Mexican Chicken Soup- A Great Remedy for Colds & Flu  (I got this over 25 years ago from a Mexican cookbook)
Bethany's Crowd Pleasing Tortilla Soup  (From a friend in Califiornia)
Southwest Turkey Soup   (From my Syre School Cookbook)

Salads
Baja Salad with Black Beans & Quinoa  (My own version of something I ate in Seattle)
Mexican Salmon & Mango Salad  (Modification of a Betty Crocker recipe)

What is God's Masterpiece in Ephesians 2:10?

A beautiful Arizona sunset. I liked the way the palms
 were silhouetted against the sky

 "For we are His masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand in order that we would walk in them."  What do you know about this masterpiece?  Probably apart from this Life Study of Ephesians, I wouldn't know very much.  Last week while I was still in Arizona I read Message 21 which covers Ephesians 2:4-10.

     In the first part of Ephesians 2 Paul reviews what the believers were before their salvation--dead in offenses and sins (2:1), walking according to the world as sons of disobedience (2:2), and children of wrath (2:3). Not a very good picture compared to the high truths presented in chapter 1!  I found it very helpful when Witness Lee shares in message 22 that in chapter 2 we see what we've been saved out of to be God's masterpiece (Life Study of Ephesians, Page 196).

I liked this explanation in Message 21 of what God's masterpiece actually is:  We, the church, the masterpiece of God's work, are the highest poetry, expressing God's infinite wisdom and divine design. God has made many things, but none of them is as dear, precious, valuable, and desirable as the church.  The church is God's masterpiece...God created the heavens and the earth, but neither the heavens nor the earth is God's masterpiece. Likewise, God created man, but not even man is God's masterpiece.  Only one item of God's work in this universe is His masterpiece, and this masterpiece is the church...His greatest workmanship is the working of Himself into man and the constituting of man into oneness with Himself to produce the church" (Page 186-187).

I'm always amazed when I read or hear something like this.  I've watched documentaries on the earth like Privileged Planet. These programs show how vast the universe is and that scientists are still studying it.  But that's still not God's masterpiece.  What I saw from this message is that Paul shows us that God's greatest workmanship is what He's doing in us not outside of us!

Other blog posts on the Life Study of Ephesians:

What is the Subject of Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians?

What is the Mystery of God's Will Revealed in Ephesians 1:9?

How Does the Spirit Seal us in Ephesians 1:13-14?

What is the Surpassing Greatness of His Power in Ephesians 1:19?