From the Life-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles - Why Did God Make Man in His Image?

     A lot of people have asked questions like why am I here? Or what is the purpose of my life?  When my husband was in high school, these questions bothered him.  Life didn't make sense to him--he couldn't settle for the philosophy that you live, work, and then die.  My husband was like--Is that all? 



Pussy willows are out again!

    When I read about why God created man in the Life-Study of 1 & Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah & Esther, it was a whole different take than what he grew up thinking.  In chapters 2, 4, and 7 Witness Lee talks about how God created man. so He could have a  reproduction. This excerpt explains what that means and is from chapter 2, pages 9 -11:

"After God finished the creation of Adam and his wife, He looked upon everything that He had made....However, God's hobby was far from complete because at that time man had only God's image and Gods likeness but not God's life and nature....According to His eternal plan God Himself had to become a man....Eventually after another thousand years, four thousand years after the creation of Adam, God came to be a man, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a human virgin (Matt. 1:20, 23). He grew up for thirty more years, but no one knew that He was God become a man, a God-man" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra & Nehemiah. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1995, Print).

      Through Witness Lee's study of both the Bible and church history, he used the expression God-man to describe the two natures that the Lord possesses. As you will see in the article quoted below he wasn't the first to do that.  Way back in the second century the church fathers spoke about why the Lord became a man; this is quoted in chapter 7 on page 48:

"The Word became flesh to make us "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4):  "For this is why the Word became man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God" (St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 3. 19, 1).  "For the Son of God became man so that we might become God" (St. Athanasius, De inc., 54, 3). "The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Opusc. 57:1-4).  (Catechism of the Catholic Church, pp. 115-116).



       It's obvious God isn't happy to just be a God-man all by Himself. In order to do this ,the Bible shows us that the Lord's divine life needed to get into man.  Later on in this chapter Witness Lee says the Lord told His disciples in John 12:24  how this would happen. Through death the Lord would be like a grain of wheat that falls into the ground and dies so that He could be reproduced into many grains, like you and me.  Doesn't this astound you? 
 
     Hearing and reading about this truth has helped me understand what God's goal is, and that He is using everything in my life to accomplish this goal of spreading His divine nature into me.  Knowing this has helped me understand why God has arranged so many things in my life!

  You can listen to excerpts of Witness Lee's speaking the Life-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, & Esther on Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.   You can also read the online Life-Studies of these books and check out other resources available to enhance your study of the Bible on Living Stream Ministry's website.
 
Other Posts from the Life-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, & Esther:

From the Life-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles - How did Watchman Nee & Witness Lee Take a Stand For the Truth?
From the Life-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles - Why Did God Make Man in His Image?
From the Life-Study of Ezra - How God Used a Gentile King to Fulfill His Purpose
From the Life-Study of Ezra - Why Did Ezra Return to Jerusalem?
How Did God Use Nehemiah's Aggressiveness in Nehemiah 2:20?
Why Did Nehemiah Charge Ezra to Read the Bible to the People in Nehemiah 8:1-8?
What's Really Happening in the Story of Esther?

Savory Chicken Mornay - Easy to Make Gluten Free!

    I first had this recipe when I was in junior high and the woman who made it just called it chicken broccoli.  It was one of my favorite casseroles because of the way all the flavors seemed to explode in my mouth. 

Anyway today I was looking through my Come & Dine church cookbook for a chicken recipe to make for a friend who just got out of the hospital.  Making the gluten free chicken soup for the sauce is a cinch.  I've done it so many times, and it tastes just as good!.  Get all the ingredients together by the stove before you begin and it will be easier.  Enjoy!

Chicken Mornay - Serves 6 to 8

1.  Prepare chicken:  Rinse 3 whole chicken breasts or use 1 whole chicken chopped into pieces. Salt and pepper the chicken and sprinkle lightly with Indian Curry.

2.  Partially cook chicken:  Put 1/4 of a cube of butter into an 8 x 8 baking pan and melt it at 350.  Then add the chicken pieces and bake for 30 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile make gluten free cream of chicken soup:

(1)  In a pan melt 2 T of butter and stir into it 1/4 cup of tapioca starch. 
(2)  Whisk in 10  ounces of milk
(3)  Stir in 1/2 tsp. dried basil, 1/2 tsp. thyme, 1/2-1 tsp. of salt, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper. 
(4)  Then add 1 tablespoon of Better Than Chicken Bouillon,  and 1 teaspoon of Indian curry. 
(5)  Stir in 2/3 cup mayo, and 1/3 cup evap. milk Taste and make any adjustments.

4.  Arrange casserole in a 9 x 13 casserole pan OR put in a crock pot:
(1)  Arrange 20 oz. of frozen broccoli on the bottom of the pan.
(2)  Lay chicken pieces over the top.
(3)  Pour the sauce over the chicken.
(4)  Sprinkle with 2/3 cup of cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 more minutes or until browned on top.

Note:  You can prepare this casserole in advance and refrigerate until cooking.  Just add 10 more minutes to the cooking time.

You can also make this recipe with some rice and layer it on top of the chicken or serve it on the side.

 List of other chicken recipes on this blog:

Asian:
Authentic Chinese BBQ Chicken  (From my friend Rose)
Gluten Free Soy Sauce Chicken   (Modified from Internet search)
Tasty Gluten Free Filipino Chicken Adobo  (Modified from Internet search)
Gluten Free Sweet & Sour Chicken (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Make Your Own G.F. Teriyaki Bowls  (From me!)

Italian & Greek:
Chicken Souvlaki   (Marinade for chicken from my son-in-law)
Gluten Free Chicken Cacciatore With Peppers & Mushrooms  (Modified from my mother-in-law)
Delicious Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan   (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
My Son-in-Law's Own Recipe for Greek Chicken
Delicious Chicken Florentine Lasagna  (From my church cookbook)

Mexican:
Pollo Guisado (Mexican Braised Chicken)  (From a church friend in Phoenix)
Belizean Chicken, Black Beans & Rice, and Belizean Coleslaw  (From my daughter's family)
Make Your Own Chicken Burrito Bowls (From a collection of my recipes)

American Favorites:
Amazing BBQ Chicken    (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
The Best Gluten Free Oven Fried Chicken   (From my sister-in-law)
Fantastic Gluten Free Chicken Kabobs  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Great for Summer BBQ - Lemon Rosemary Chicken Legs  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Curried Mushroom & Apple Chicken  (From my church cookbook Come & Dine)
The Best Homemade Chicken BBQ Sauce  (From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook)
A Gluten Free Twist on Tarragon Chicken - From my  church Come & Dine cookbook
Saucy Chicken 
Chicken & Mushrooms in Wine Sauce   -( From my church Come & Dine cookbook)
Our Family's Fall Favorite - Chicken & Zucchini Casserole with Gluten Free Biscuit Topping - -( From my church Come & Dine cookbook)
Blackberry BBQ Chicken - A Tasty Sauce You'll Have to Try! (Off a package of blackberries)
Ray's BBQ Chicken - (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)
Country Style BBQ Chicken - (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)

Chicken Casseroles
Chicken Divan  - From my Come & Dine Cookbook
Chicken Pot Pie - A combination of 3 different recipes!

From the Life-Study of Ezra - How God Used a Gentile King to Fulfill His Purpose

     God is the sovereign ruler of every country. You can see this again and again in the Old Testament.  When the Israelites repeatedly disobeyed God and worshipped idols, He first raised up the Assyrians to capture the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  Then when the Southern Kingdom didn’t get the message and they fell into idolatry, God raised up the Babylonians to burn the temple and tear down the walls of Jerusalem.  They left only the poorest people of the land; the rest they hauled into captivity.

    The prophet Jeremiah foretold that they would be in captivity for 70 years (Jer. 25:11).  In the book of Daniel we see that God had led him to pray three times a day for Jerusalem. And just like clockwork we see in the Bible that God worked through that prayer to stir up Cyrus the King of Persia’s heart to issue a decree to let the Israelites return and rebuild their temple. 

Ezra 1:1-3 Now in the first year of Cyrus the king of Persia, so that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus the king of Persia; and he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and put it also in writing, saying,
      Thus says Cyrus the king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth has Jehovah the God of heaven given to me; and He has charged me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
     Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him; and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and let him build the house of Jehovah the God of Israel--He is God--who is in Jerusalem.

      In verse 5 it says that God stirred up the leaders of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi to return to Jerusalem.  It’s touching that the first thing the people did was rebuild the altar of God and offer burnt offerings like Moses had commanded the people in Exodus (Ezra 3:2-3).  By keeping the Feast of Tabernacles and offering the daily burnt offerings, the worship of God which had been lost for 70 years was finally recovered!

      In chapter 3 of the Life-Study of Ezra  Witness Lee talks about the difficulties the Israelites encountered rebuilding the house of God.  Mostly they were frustrated by the people brought in to Samaria by the kings of Assyria and Babylon.  These people even hired counselors to frustrate the rebuilding of God’s house throughout all the days when Cryus was king (Ezra 4:1-6).  They even got King Artaxerxes to issue a decree that stopped the building work.  But God wasn’t stopped; He raised up King Darius to support Cyrus’ decree that the house of God should be rebuilt.   Finally in the sixth year of his reign, the house of God was dedicated (Ezra 6:15). 

At the end of chapter 3 Witness Lee ties this in to the situation among believers today:

"Today very few believers care for the building up of a proper local church in their locality as the house of God.  This means that God is kept homeless. He does have a home in the heavens with the angels, but He needs a home with the humanity of His heart’s desire. God wants to have such a house. through such a house God will have His kingdom" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah & Esther. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1995, Print).

It amazes me that the story of captivity and the return of the Jews to rebuild God’s house is a parallel of what God is doing among His believers today.  What I see here is it's important for God's people to cooperate with God when He stirs up our spirit. What would have happened if Cyrus hadn't made a decree?  What would have happened if none of the Israelites had responded?   

You can listen to excerpts of Witness Lee's speaking the Life-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, & Esther on Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.   You can also read the online Life-Studies of these books and check out other resources available to enhance your study of the Bible on Living Stream Ministry's website.

Other Posts from the Life-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, & Esther:

From the Life-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles - How did Watchman Nee & Witness Lee Take a Stand For the Truth?
From the Life-Study of 1 & 2 Chronicles - Why Did God Make Man in His Image?
From the Life-Study of Ezra - How God Used a Gentile King to Fulfill His Purpose
From the Life-Study of Ezra - Why Did Ezra Return to Jerusalem?
How Did God Use Nehemiah's Aggressiveness in Nehemiah 2:20?
Why Did Nehemiah Charge Ezra to Read the Bible to the People in Nehemiah 8:1-8?
What's Really Happening in the Story of Esther?

A Favorite of the Irish - Mulligan Stew

This week I read a St. Patrick's book to a kindergarten class, and it mentioned Mulligan stew.  I remembered seeing that recipe in my Come & Dine church cookbook. I never tried it because it looked a bit different with Vienna sausages and cheese. Mulligan stew includes meat, potatoes, and vegetables, and I learned that you can add pretty much any kind of vegetable to it.  I've never made it before, but I plan to try it out this next week.

  In my recipe they made hamburger into patties and cooked on top of the vegetables.  So I checked about three websites to compare it with others.  Here is my outcome--I added a few more ingredients, and cut out the sausages and the cheese! 

MULLIGAN STEW

1.  Prepare veggies:
(1)  Cube 2-3 russet potatoes
(2)  Cut 2-3 carrots into 1/2" slices
(3)  Chop 1 onion
(4)  Cut 2 ribs of celery in 1" slices
(5)  Mince 2 cloves of garlic

2.  Prepare meat:  My church recipe calls for ground beef, but I also saw recipes for 1 pound of cubed stew meat.  You dredge this with 1/4 cup of rice flour and brown it in a Dutch oven with the onions and garlic.

3.  Then add 20 oz of beef broth.  You will need enough to cover the vegetables so you may need to add a bit of water to it.

4.  Add spices:  Add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of thyme.

5.  Let this simmer for 40 minutes.  Then add the potatoes and carrots and let simmer an hour or more.  Add 1 cup of peas during the last 30 minutes.

Serve with homemade biscuits.

List of My Favorite Soups, Chili & Stew Recipes: 

Beef 

Grandma's Favorite Beef Stew  (My mother-in-law's delicious recipe!)

Just Like Home Ukrainian Borscht   (A Polish student  said this tasted like his mom's!)
Mouth Watering Italian  Sausage Soup   (This is my friend Debbie's recipe)

Poultry

This is the Best Gluten Free Minestrone Soup!   (A recipe my son modified)

Mexican Fiesta Chicken Soup   (A recipe I got years ago from a Mexican cookbook)
My Thanksgiving Turkey Soup  (My very own special concoction!)
Gary's Incredible Gluten Free Arkansas Gumbo  (Given to me by a Bible study friend from Arkansas)
Jeannie's French Market Soup  (A friend from when my kids were little)
Southwest Turkey Soup  (From my Syre School cookbook)

Fish
Northwest Salmon Chowder  (From my Heritage School cookbook)
Almost Like Ivar's Clam Chowder (From my Come & Dine Cookbook)

Bean & Legumes
Vi's Best Chili  (A  friend's great recipe)
Bethany's Crowd Pleasing Tortilla Soup  (One of my daughter's friends special soup)
Country Style Lentil Soup   (From my Heritage School cookbook)
Kathy's Texas Chili & Chips (From my Come & Dine cookbook)
Spicy Cuban Black Bean Soup (From a store recipe card)
Marilyn's Make It From Scratch Chili  (From my mother-in-law)
Lisa's Red Lentil Soup - From my friend Lisa

Vegetable

Downright Delicious Potato & Kale Soup  (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)
A Great Fall Soup - Make it From Scratch Corn Potato Chowder  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
French Pumpkin Soup  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)

Asian
Chinese Chicken Soups  - Bok choy chicken, chicken & spinach, and chicken & cabbage (Modified from Internet search by our Chinese students)
Make Your Own Gluten Free Chicken Pho!  (Modified from a newspaper article)
Gluten Free Chinese Hot Pot  (Modified by a Chinese student)
Chinese Egg Drop Soup  &  Chinese Egg & Tomato Soup  (Modified  from a student's recipe)

Vegetarian & Gluten Free Tom Yum Soup (A delicious Thai soup) 
Deluxe Miso Soup (Kenchinjiru)   (Adapted from Internet search)
A Thai Mom Teaches Me How to Make Tom Yum Kung  (A student's mom's recipe)
A Vietnamese Cooking Lesson - Lien's Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup  (An International student's aunt's recipe)
Cooking Beef Pho for Vietnamese Students  (Modified Recipe)
Asian Curried Chicken Soup  (From my Come & Dine church cookbook)
Rose's Very Own Recipe for Chinese Beef Bone Soup  (from Rose my friend from Taipei)