Why is the Background of the Book of Hebrews Important to Understanding This Book?

  Of all the epistles Paul wrote, Hebrews is the only one not written to a church or a believer.  But what is a Hebrew?  Have you ever thought about that?   In chapter 1 of the Life-Study of Hebrews Witness Lee shares that the first time the word Hebrew was used was in Genesis 14:13  where Abram [Later God changed his name to Abraham] was called "the Hebrew." He said that the root of this word means "to pass over." 

     Stephen gives a fascinating account of Abraham's experience of leaving his country in Acts 7:1-5.  When Abraham was in Ur a city full of idolatry, the book of Acts tells us that the God of glory appeared to him.  God told him to leave Ur and go to a land that He would show him.  Step by step Abraham followed God across the Euphrates River and into the land of Canaan.  

   This background about Abraham is important because the writer wanted to impress upon these early Jewish believers that they were at a spiritual junction, and they needed to cross the river and come out of their religion.  The background information on page 10 helped me understand what was happening with these early Jewish believers:

In A.D. 63 Ananias, one of the high priests in the Jewish religion in Jerusalem, rose up with the Sadduccees and Pharisees to persecute the Hebrews.  At that time those dear Hebrews appreciated the Lord Jesus, but they were unwilling to forsake their old religion. Eventually the Lord sovereignly raised up a 

circumstance which forced them out of it….Perhaps the high priest said, "If you want to remain here with us, you must be like us. Don't be such a Christian--be a Jew. Be a typical Jew. If you want to be a Christian, get out!"....The Epistle to the Hebrews was written for the purpose of confirming to the staggering Hebrew believers the genuine Christian faith and to warn them not to deviate from it. They had to forsake their Jewish religion (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Hebrews. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1975, Print).

In this chapter brother Lee also points out that the persecution the Hebrews were going through was not coming from the Romans or heathens but from Jewish officials (Hebrews

10:39). That was probably a hard pill for them to swallow, and this chapter brings out that it actually made them doubt the stand they were taking as believers in Christ. 

      The book of Hebrews was written to strengthen these Jewish believers to follow Jesus, the Captain of their salvation.  It helped me to see that the reason the writer of Hebrews continually contrasted Christ and the Jewish religion was to motivate them to cross over. He closed this chapter by saying that sometimes we may find ourselves at places in our own Christian journey where Christ is calling us to be a river crosser, too.

You can  also listen to live excerpts from these messages on Hebrews on The Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.  You will enjoy listening to both  the excerpts  from these spoken messages and the helpful and enlightening commentary of the radio hosts.

Other Posts on the Life-Study of Hebrews:

Why is the Background of the Book of Hebrews Important to Understanding This Book?
What Does God's Speaking Show us In Hebrews 1:1-2?
What Does Hebrews 2:10 Say About Christ?
How Does the Lord Sanctify Us In Hebrews 2:11?
The High Priest in Hebrews 2:17 Makes Me Think of the Poem Footprints
Why is the Sabbath Rest Mentioned in Hebrews 4:9?
Why is Unbelief in Hebrews 3:12 the Biggest Offense to God?
How Do We Come Forward in Hebrews 4:16?
What Does Hebrews 6:1 Say About Christian Maturity?
What Does Hebrews 8 Tell Us About the Differences Between the Old & New Testaments?
What Does It Mean to Gain our Soul in Hebrews 10:39?
Have You Seen God's Silence in Hebrews 11?
How Do You Run the Christian Race in Hebrews 12?
What is the Birthright About in Hebrews 12:16?
From the Life-Study of Hebrews - What is the Central Concept of the Bible?
What's the Focus of the Book of Hebrews?

Just Like Grandma's (But Only Gluten Free) Berry Cobbler

My grandmother used to make berry cobblers every summer.  Her berry cobblers not only looked beautiful with their mounds of sweet dough perched on top of a pan of thickened berries, but they were also downright delicious!  Especially with a few scoops of vanilla ice cream. (Yum) I had some blueberries I needed to use up this week so I decided to make a cobbler with them last night.  

  

Some of them were from some blueberries we had picked with our grandkids and one of our international students.  I told our two students that I usually make a  crisp or something to thank everyone for their help. Earlier this week I made blueberry jam out of most of them. So anyway while my husband and students went to the store for the ice cream, I worked on making the cobbler.

  This recipe comes from two sources--the fruit bottom comes from a handwritten recipe I got from the recipe notebook at the berry farm we picked at, and the topping recipe comes from a recipe I wrote down years ago from my husband's grandmother's cookbook.  When I made it years ago for some blackberries,  it reminded me of the cobbler my grandmother used to make. 

Berry Cobbler - for an 8 x 8 pan

1.  Prepare Fruit - For BLUEBERRY COBBLER:
(1)  Measure out 4 cups of blueberries (or a bit more) into a saucepan.
(2)  Add  1 1/2 T of butter
(3)  Add  1/2 cup of sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. of vanilla
(4)  Stir in 3-4 T of rice flour and bring to a boil.  Stir for 1 minute or until the berries are thick.
(5)  Taste and make any adjustments.  Put in 8 x 8 pan and top with cobbler below.

For BLACKBERRY COBBLER:
(1)  Put 5 cups of  blackberries into an 8 x 8 pan.
(2)  Stir in 4 T of rice flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1 T of lemon juice.

2.  Meanwhile prepare the dough - In a small bowl put:
(1) You will need 1  cup gluten free flour:  I used 1/4 cup each of of rice flour, brown rice flour, sorghum flour, and  tapioca flour
(2)  Stir in 1 1/2 t of baking powder, 2 T sugar,  and 1/2 tsp. salt.
(3)  Cut in 3-4 T of butter with a pastry blender or knives.
(4)  Stir in 1/2-3/4  cup of milk as needed to get dough right.
(5)  Make any adjustments--more flour? more milk?

3. Put it together:  Put the thickened berries into the bottom of an 8 x 8 pan and then with a spoon put mounds of the dough all over the top of it.

4.  Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes.




Tangy Lemon Pudding   (From my daughter-in-laws family reunion cookbook)

How to Make Your Own Strawberry Leaf Tea

Last  year I bought some strawberry plants.  This spring I noticed how thick they were with leaves, and I thought to myself I wonder if I can dry these and make my own tea just like I've done with peppermint and the other herbs I've dried for the past 12 years.  So when I had a free moment at work this spring, I Googled it and found out on Local Harvest that strawberry leaves don't just make a good tea but they have medicinal benefits just like so many other herbs! Woohoo!!  

   I learned from that site that strawberry leaves and raspberry leaves have similar properties.  They said that because these leaves are rich in tannins, and they're beneficial for the stomach related complaints like pain and diarrhea. Strawberry leaf is also great for joint and arthritis pain.  

   Also because strawberry leaves are rich in vitamin C,  they're great for healing wounds and building resistance to infection. You can check their site and find out more!  

  I have the practice of always checking at least two sites so that I can verify the facts.  This morning I found on Live Strong a great article called What are the Health Benefits of Strawberry Leaves?  Here's what I learned:

1.   Mostly used for stomach pain.  Strawberry leaf tea helps balance the acids/bases in
      your digestive tract 

My strawberry garden

2.   Helps improve digestion. 
3.   Reduces nausea, stomach cramps, and
      diarrhea.
4.   Besides that these leaves contain
      vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C,
      iron, and calcium that help overall
      health.
5.   The caffeic acid in strawberries is a
      natural diuretic that pulls water out of the
      joints, and this helps alleviate the pain
      and swelling of arthritis and rheumatism.

Of course, they point out the following precautions:  It's common knowledge that you should check with your doctor if you're on prescription drugs before you take herbal teas because they may cause an interaction. And if you are allergic to strawberries, you definitely shouldn't drink the tea!

How To Dry  Strawberry Leaves for Tea

1.  Local Harvest points out that they cut the leaves after the flowering stage.  Live Strong says along with the leaves you can dry parts of the stems and flowers.

2.  Rinse strawberry leaves and place on a rack that allows air to circulate.  

 

3.  I usually leave my herbs and plants to dry for about 2 weeks because there's nothing worse than going to all this trouble and having them mold.  When it's warm in the summer ,I check after a week to see how they're coming along. 

4.  Break the strawberry leaves up with your hands as you put them into a jar.

5.  Label and date.

Other Blogs on Making Herbal or Flower Teas:

How to Dry Herbs to Make Your Own Herbal Teas
How to Dry Herbs to Spice Up Your Cooking!
How to Brew  a Cup of Medicinal Herb Tea
5 Great Uses for Dried Lavender
How To Dry Roses & Make Your Own Rose Tea, Rose Oil & Rose Water
How to Make Calendula Tea, Calendula Oil & Salve
More on How to Make Your Own Herbal Teas 

What Does the Account of Onesimus Show Us in the Book of Philemon?

     The book of Philemon is more than a story about a runaway slave.   And you know that’s about all I would have gotten from it if I hadn’t read the Life-Study of Philemon.  One thing that touched me from my reading was learning more about the background.  

Onesimus was a slave who had runaway from Philemon (who had been saved earlier by Paul) and who was an elder in the church in Colossae.  So under the Lord’s sovereignty Onesimus got put into the same Roman prison as Paul.  Paul shares in his letter to Philemon that while in prison he had brought his slave Onesimus to the Lord.  Paul’s speaking about this is very tender:

I entreat you concerning my child, whom I have begotten in my bonds, Onesimus….Him I have sent back to you—him, that is my very heart…. Philemon 10, 12b

    Last week I listened to both of the radio programs on Philemon that are put out by Living Stream Ministry’s radio program called Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee, and I really enjoyed listening to them (check the link for this below). I would highly recommend these to you because it is great to hear actual excerpts from these spoken messages and the radio host and his guest have great conversations that give further clarification about these excerpts.

    During the first radio program on Philemon a brother shares that Paul’s letter shows that his attitude was not like he was conducting a gospel campaign in that prison to win souls, but that he was begetting a spiritual child.  They also shared that Onesimus’ salvation is striking because he was a slave, and slaves in the Roman Empire had no rights and were treated like animals. That's why Paul's charge to Philemon in verse 16 to receive Onesimus not as a slave but as a beloved brother is very touching.  I was helped by Witness Lee’s explanation on pages 9-10 in chapter 2 of the Life-Study of Philemon why this account is important to the Body of Christ: 

The first church, the church in Jerusalem, came into existence approximately 34 or 35 A.D. The Epistle to Philemon was written about thirty years later....In the Epistle to the Colossians Paul emphasized that all the believers are part of the new man. Furthermore, in the new man there cannot be Greek and Jew, slave and freeman [Colossians 3:10-11]. Philemon was a freeman, and Onesimus was his bondservant.  But in the new man they were of equal status....The Epistle to Philemon should be regarded as a continuation of Colossians 4 and considered as an illustration of how in the new man all social rank is put aside...Ranks have been abolished because the believers have been constituted of Christ’s life ( Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Philemon. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry. 1980, Print).

You can  also listen to live excerpts from these messages on 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon on The Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.  You will enjoy listening to both  the excerpts  from these spoken messages and the helpful and enlightening commentary of the radio hosts.

List of Other Life-Studies on 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, & Philemon:

What is Paul's First Exhortation in 1 Timothy 2:1?
How Can You Be Nourished With the Words of the Faith in 1 Timothy 4:6?
Looking at the Church's Decline in 2 Timothy
From the Life-Study of 2 Timothy - How Did Paul Inoculate the Church Against Decline?
Why is the Word Healthy Used So Much in the Epistle to Titus?
Why  Should You Avoid Questionings in Titus 3:9?
What Does the Account of Onesimus Show Us in the Book of Philemon?

Joann's Oriental Gluten Free Meatballs

We have been hosting a family from Taiwan already for 3  weeks, and the mom has made some Taiwanese food for us each week--already we've had rice noodle, fried tofu and vegetables, and pork and pepper stir-fry.  

This week she taught me how to make oriental meatballs. We made these with ground turkey instead of beef, and you couldn't tell. These make a lovely appetizer! A student from China told us they make the same thing but without the rice.  We used Thai sweet chili sauce to dip them in.

 JoAnn's Oriental Gluten Free Meatballs 

Makes 30 meatballs

1.  Bowl #1:
(1)  Soak 2 cups of sticky rice (also called sweet rice) in a medium size bowl with water to cover for at least 6 hours.
(2)  Drain.

2. Bowl #2: 
(1)  Soak 4 Chinese mushrooms in a small bowl in warm water for 1 hour to soften.
(2)  Then mince.

3.  Bowl #3:  Put 1/4 cup of dried shrimp in a small bowl to soften and then mince.

4.  Bowl #4:  Finely slice 1 green onion and put it into a bowl.

5.  Bowl #5:  Mince up 3 cloves of garlic.

6.  Bowl #6:  Put 3/4 lb of ground turkey into a bowl and mix it with 1 T of gluten free tamari.

7.  Bowl #7:  Chop up 3 T of cilantro

8.  Combine ingredients in the ground turkey bowl:
(1)  Add 1 egg and the contents of Bowl #2, 3, 4,  and 5.
(2)  Grate on your finest side 1/2 of a carrot over the bowl.  

(3)  Then add seasonings:  2 T gluten free tamari, 1 T + 2 t rice mirin, 2 t sesame oil, 1 t salt, 1/2 t black pepper and 2 t tapioca starch.

9.  Make meatballs:
(1)  Put about a cup of rice on a small salad plate and about 1 of tapioca starch.
(2)  Male a 1" meatball.
(3)   Roll it into the rice making sure  the  rice coats the meatball and sticks to it. Add more tapioca starch if you need to.
(4)  Set them on a dinner plate.

10.  In an electric put a small rack that a plate can sit on.
(1)  Put about 3 cups of water in.
(2)  Steam the meatballs for 10-15 minutes at medium-high heat. Check and make sure the rice is tender.
(3)  Add more water before you steam the next plate.

Other Chinese recipes on this blog:

BEEF RECIPES:
Delicious Gluten Free Beef Broccoli Stir Fry
The Best Gluten Free Mongolian Beef Stir Fry
Gluten Free Ginger Beef Stir Fry

CHICKEN RECIPES:
Gluten Free Chinese Almond Chicken Stir Fry
Amazing Gluten Free Chinese Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
Gluten Free Garlic Chicken Stir Fry
Gluten Free Chinese - Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry
Gluten Free Chinese - Spicy Kung Pao Chicken Stir Fry
Gluten Free Chinese - Authentic Chinese BBQ Chicken
Rose's Chinese Yellow Curry with Chicken & Vegetables
Gluten Free Chinese - Fantastic Soy Sauce Chicken

TOFU RECIPES:
Tofu & Vegetable Stir Fry
Orange "Beef" Tofu Stir Fry

FISH RECIPES:
Steamed Scallion Ginger Fish with Stir-Fried Bok Choy
Fantastic Mahi & Vegetable Stir Fry

NOODLES & RICE:
Gluten Free Gluten Free Chinese Fried Rice
Fantastic Mahi & Vegetable Stir Fry

SOUP RECIPES:
Chinese Chicken Soups  - Bok choy chicken, chicken & spinach, and chicken & cabbage
Gluten Free Chinese Hot Pot
Chinese Egg Drop Soup
Chinese Egg & Tomato Soup


SALAD RECIPES
Gluten Free Chinese Chicken Cabbage Salad
Roses's Refreshing Cucumber Salad
Chinese Mandarin Salad & Thai Peanut Dressing 

Why Should You Avoid Questionings in Titus 3:9?

  We have to pay attention to what we're actually spiritually eating.  I was listening to Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee last week, and this was the bottom line of Program 7.  And here's the connection--in Chapter 3 of his letter to Titus Paul gives him a strong charge:

But avoid foolish questionings and genealogies and strifes and contentions about the law, for they are unprofitable and vain.  Titus 3:9

    Before that verse Paul lists a number of positive things like our Savior God, God's kindness, love, mercy, grace, and eternal life. I like the way Witness Lee points out that this chapter shows us in our practical Christian experience what belongs to the tree of life (go back to Genesis 2) and what belongs to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 

   The fact that Genesis portrays these two sources as fruit from trees gives us a big clue that we're either eating what's going to spiritually give us life or what's going to give us death.   Here's some excerpts from page 47 of chapter 6 of the Life-Study of Titus that helped me see this better:

The negative things dealt with in verses 9 through 11 should be avoided….Those matters are of the tree of knowledge that is deadening, matters that belong to the tree  of knowledge and kill their victims….The Lord's ministry is not the teaching of any individual. The ministry is the teaching of God's New Testament economy. This means that the Lord's ministry is the healthy teaching which conveys to us the New Testament economy….God's economy can be likened to a kernel or a grain….The content of the teaching of the New Testament economy is the all-inclusive Christ and the church as the Body of Christ. Any teaching that deviates from this central focus should be regarded as a differing teaching. (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Titus. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry. 1980, Print).

So to me this means you can either eat questionings about minor truths, get stuck in genealogies, and debates about the law, or you can eat the truths about God's love, grace, and life!  On the program the hosts likened that to eating the inedible parts of certain plants like their leaves or stems. 

Most people I know try to eat the parts of the plant with the most nutrition.  I like that our brother has helped open the truth what the kernel in the Bible actually is--he points out that it's  Christ who is now the life-giving Spirit living (1 Corinthians 15:45B) within our spirit (Romans 8:16) and the church which is the Body of Christ (Ephesians 5:32). I'm so thankful that these Life-Studies and broadcasts are so full of spiritual nourishment  and encouragement!  

You can  also listen to live excerpts from these messages on 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon on The Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.  You will enjoy listening to both  the excerpts  from these spoken messages and the helpful and enlightening commentary of the radio hosts.

List of Other Life-Studies on 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, & Philemon:

What is Paul's First Exhortation in 1 Timothy 2:1?
How Can You Be Nourished With the Words of the Faith in 1 Timothy 4:6?
Looking at the Church's Decline in 2 Timothy
From the Life-Study of 2 Timothy - How Did Paul Inoculate the Church Against Decline?
Why is the Word Healthy Used So Much in the Epistle to Titus?
Why  Should You Avoid Questionings in Titus 3:9?
What Does the Account of Onesimus Show Us in the Book of Philemon?

Michelle's Greek Quinoa Salad

  My daughter is a first-class foodie.  She likes to cook, and she's a lot more creative than I am.  She's made this salad for family occasions many times, and we're all like that salad is so good!

   Anyway  last week, I made souvlaki for a family dinner, and she made this quinoa Greek salad.  While I was grilling the chicken, I asked her for the recipe and sent it to myself with these pictures. What's great about this salad is you can add a lot of your own individual touches to this delicious and protein packed salad.

Michelle's Greek Quinoa Salad

1.  Prepare vegetables:
(1)  Chop up 1 orange bell pepper.
(2)  Chop up 1/4 of a red onion.
(3)  Dice up 1 cucumber.
(4)  Chop up 2 roma tomatoes.
(5)  Chop up 2 T of fresh parsley.

2.  Meanwhile cook up 1 cup of quinoa according to package directions. Let it cool.

3.  Make  the dressing - In a small dish put:
(1)  2 T of olive oil and 2 T of lemon juice
(2)  Stir in 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. of black pepper.

4.  Combine ingredients - In a serving dish put:
(1)  The cooled quinoa. 
(2)   Add the chopped vegetables.
(3)  Then add a can of garbanzo beans and 1/4 cup of Mediterranean feta
(4)  Mix to combine all the ingredients.
(5)  Finally stir in the dressing.  Taste and make any seasoning adjustments.

Note:  The two of us who were gluten free just put the souvlaki on the lettuce and topped it with tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki. 

List of Other Salads on this Blog:

Greens/cabbage:
Make it Yourself Thai Peanut Dressing for Mandarin Salad  (My friend Judi's recipe)
KFC Copycat Cole Slaw   (A friend shared this with me)
Belizean Coleslaw    (From Internet search)
Antioxidant Rich Kale Super Salad  (A copycat from a deli, dressing from Syre School Cookbook)

Main Dish Salads
Gluten Free Chinese Chicken Cabbage Salad   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Baja Salad with Black Beans & Quinoa  (A remake from something I ate at a restaurant)

Mexican Grilled Salmon & Mango Salad   (From a Betty Crocker summer cookbook)
Jackson Square Shrimp Salad   (From my Syre School cookbook)

Pasta & Quinoa:
Tasty Gluten Free Pasta Salad  (Something I picked up over 20 years ago!)
Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad Bowls   (From an Internet search)
Michelle's Greek Quinoa Salad   (My foodie daughter's own delicious creation!)
Another Great Salad with Quinoa - Janah's  Original Quinoa, Cranberry & Feta Salad  (a recipe my daughter 
came up with)
Red Quinoa, Black Bean, & Corn Salad  (A yummy recipe on the Trader Joe's bag of red quinoa)

Vegetable:
Jeremy D's Sensational Greek Salad   (My son-in-law's recipe)

Grandma's Perfect Potato Salad   (Family recipe)
Rose's Refreshing Cucumber Salad   (From a Chinese friend)
A Great BBQ side Salad - Curried Pea Salad  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)

Dot's Easy Bean Salad  (Recipe from an  83 yr old friend of my father's)

Fruit:
Grandma Marilyn's Frozen Fruit Salad  (My mother-in-law's recipe)