God's Love in 1 John 4 Seen in the Life of John Newton

    We each have a story to tell of how God’s love won in our lives.  John Newton’s biography on how God saved him testifies of the overwhelming power of God’s love. John’s  father was a sea captain, and after his mother’s death at 7, he started getting into trouble.  Before her death she taught John Bible verses and songs and prayed that he would become a minister.  At eleven, his father started taking him on voyages to keep him out of trouble.  Later when John got captured by some sailors to work on a war ship, it made him even more rebellious and angry at God. 

      Eventually John got into slave trading and experienced a number of narrow escapes. During his time at sea, John’s profanity and behavior shocked even the most seasoned sailors of that day. He was even nicknamed “The Great Blasphemer.”  

        But God never forgot his mother’s prayers, and so one day a violent storm came up at sea.  It lasted over a week, and when the ship started breaking up and water began surging in, John remembered things his mother had told him. Because he couldn’t swim, he prayed that God would have mercy on him and deliver him.  He started to tell God that he was sorry for turning away from him.  God answered his cry.

      When he was 39, he became a minister and preached the gospel for 43 years. As a minister, he wrote hundreds of hymns, but his famous is Amazing Grace.  I was thinking about the story of John Newton when I was reflecting on what I read about God's love in chapters 26-29 and 34-35 of the Life-Study of 1 John.  The man who had sold hundreds into slavery was moved by God's love to preach the gospel of salvation to free man from the bondage of sin!  On page 238-239 Witness Lee speaks about how salvation produces this change in our lives:   

"If you consider your salvation experience, you will realize that when you were saved and regenerated, you passed out of death into life. Because we all passed out of death into life when we believed in the Lord Jesus and received Him as our Savior, a great change in life followed. We began to live another life, a life of righteousness and love. It became our desire to be righteous and to love the children of God. This is not merely an outward change; it is the passing out of death into life. Therefore, when we love the brothers in the Lord, this love is evidence that we have passed out of death into life.…Love is the nature of the divine life we have received" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 1 John.  Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1983, Print).

  Another song that Newton wrote that has touched me is  called  Lord, Thou Hast Won, At Length I Yield.  This line has come back to me many times from this song: "But who can stand against Thy love?  Love conquers even me."  We need to pray that this love will continue to conquer ours and other people's hearts and win.    

I enjoy listening to live excerpts and the commentary on these Life-Studies on the  Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee while I'm cooking, cleaning, and typing.   

Other Posts on 1, 2, 3 John and Jude:

What Does the Greek Word for Fellowship Mean in 1 John 1:3?
What Does 1 John 1:8 Show Us About Sin?
The Promise in 1 John 1:9
What is the Anointing in 1 John 2:27?
Taking a Closer Look at Abiding in 1 John 2:26
God's Love in 1 John 4 Seen in the Life of John Newton
What is the Key to Overcoming in 1 John 5:4?
Touching Account From Church History on the Apostle John

Asian Curried Chicken Soup

The curry in this  chicken soup is just right.  Slightly warming, fragrant, and makes the entire pot delicious.  This soup is also loaded with vegetables so it really makes a great main dish soup.  

I got this recipe from my Come & Dine cookbook, a collection of recipes put together to help our young people go to away for a week of learning about the Bible.

 I tweaked a few things. Our four international students loved the curry in this soup.  Most of them also added some Sriracha to their bowls.

Curried Chicken Soup

1.  Prepare broth - In a large soup pot put:
(1)  8 cups of water with 2 T of fresh lemon juice.
(2)  A 3 lb. skinned whole chicken
(3)  Add the following seasonings:1 T salt, 1 t black pepper,  1 1/2 t Indian curry, 1/2 t sage, 1/2 t oregano, and 2 bay leaves 
(4)  Simmer for 1 1/2 hours and skim off foam from the top.
(5)  Bone and break or cut pieces into bite-sized pieces.

2.  Meanwhile prepare vegetables:
(1)  Chop 1 onion.
(2)  Chop 4 large carrots.
(3)  Chop 3 celery.
(4)  Cube 2 potatoes.
(5)  Slice 2 cups of cabbage.

3. Prepare soup - After chicken is done:
(1) Add all the vegetables and simmer for 1 hour.
(2) Taste and add more  curry, salt, and black pepper, 2 T chicken bouillon.
(3)  The original recipe is slightly thickened:  If you would like to thicken this soup, (I've done it both ways), then mix 1/2 cup of rice flour with 4 T butter to make a smooth paste.  Add a bit of soup and whisk until smooth. Then gradually add to the pot of soup. 

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!)

Poultry

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

Mouth Watering Italian  Sausage Soup   (This is  my friend Debbie's recipe)
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  Bible study 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)

Vegetable

Creamy Pumpkin Soup  (from Food Network)
My Favorite Gluten Free Pumpkin Curry Soup  (Combo from Food & All Recipes)
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)

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)

Taking a Closer Look at Abiding in 1 John 2:6

      What does it mean to abide in the Lord?  For me this has been ongoing.   I like 1 Corinthians 1:30  because it presents an astounding fact about  this:  Of God are you IN Christ Jesus.  And based on that, we should stay there, but we’re probably more out than we’re in.  One time at a conference I heard a brother talk about abiding in an unusual way that made most of the audience chuckle.  He stretched the word out to show how long our being out of the Lord looked like, and the ins were really short at first, and then gradually the outs grew shorter and the ins longer sounding.   

   As I’ve been reading the Life-Study of 1 John, I’ve been learning about  abiding because John speaks extensively on this truth in his First Epistle.  Sometimes I’ve had  to read some of the paragraphs a few times just to let the truth soak in. Today I took notes from my reading to help me focus on it.  

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk even as that One walked.  1 John 2:6

   In chapter 16 and on page 138 Witness Lee gives a clear explanation on  abiding:

To be in Christ is the start of the Christian life.  That was God’s doing once for all (1 Cor 1:30).  To abide in him is the continuation of the Christian life.  This is our responsibility in our daily walk, a walk which is a copy of Christ’s walk on earth (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 1 John. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1983, Print). 

   In chapter 23 where he speaks a lot on how the anointing teaches us to abide in the Lord, he gives the Greek meaning for abide on page 201:  The Greek word translated “abide” is meno, a word that means to stay (in a given place, state, relation, or expectancy);  hence, abide, remain, and dwell.   In chapter 16 he explains on page 136-138 what this abiding looks like because people should be able to tell that we are dwelling in God by our living.  He says that because we have Christ living within us, we not only have Christ’s life but also His holy nature.  And because of that there are certain things that we cannot do.   

I enjoy listening to live excerpts and the commentary on these Life-Studies on the  Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee while I'm cooking, cleaning, and typing.   

Other Posts on 1, 2, 3 John and Jude:

What Does the Greek Word for Fellowship Mean in 1 John 1:3?
What Does 1 John 1:8 Show Us About Sin?
The Promise in 1 John 1:9
What is the Anointing in 1 John 2:27?
Taking a Closer Look at Abiding in 1 John 2:26
God's Love in 1 John 4 Seen in the Life of John Newton
What is the Key to Overcoming in 1 John 5:4?
Touching Account From Church History on the Apostle John

Spicy Cuban Black Bean Soup

I like beans.  Just about any kind, but especially northern, kidney, pintos, and black beans.  I usually make a pot of pinto or black beans every Saturday to serve with some Mexican food.  When I saw this recipe for black bean soup at a market in the Seattle area last Saturday, I picked it up because I like to try out new bean soup recipes.  

 I normally make soup on Tuesdays because that's the night I have a meeting with some other believers. All I have to do when I arrive home is make up some gluten free muffins, cornbread, or quesadillas and put together a salad. 

Just so you know when I made this I deleted a few spices and tweaked others and added chili powder instead, plus I threw in  in some corn for color!  

Even our students from Vietnam and China liked it!!  

Spicy Cuban Black Bean Soup

1.  Prepare black beans - In a medium sized bowl put:
(1)  2 cups of black beans with water to cover. 
(2)  Sit on the counter overnight.
(3)  Drain in the morning.

2.  Prepare vegetables:
(1)  Chop 1 yellow onion
(2)  Mince up 2 tablespoons of garlic.
(3)  Chop 2 T of cilantro.

3.  Prepare soup - In a soup pot put:
(1)  1 T of olive oil  and the onions and sauté until soft, add the garlic and cook 30 seconds longer.
(2)   Add spices:  2 t of chili powder, 1 t of paprika, 1 t of cumin, 1 t oregano, and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
(3)  Then add 6 cups of water with 6  t of Chicken Better than Bouillon or 6 cups of chicken stock,  2 t  of salt, 1 t of honey (or sugar), and 1 T of red wine vinegar.
(4)  Also add drained beans, one 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes,  1 1/2 - 2 cups of frozen corn, and the chopped cilantro.
(5)  Simmer on the stove for 30 minutes to an hour.  I put mine in the crock pot on high for about 8 hours.

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!)

Poultry

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

Mouth Watering Italian  Sausage Soup   (This is  my friend Debbie's recipe)
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  Bible study 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)

Vegetable

Creamy Pumpkin Soup  (from Food Network)
My Favorite Gluten Free Pumpkin Curry Soup  (Combo from Food & All Recipes)
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)

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)

What is the Anointing in 1 John 2:27?

    Context really helps, especially when trying to understand a word like anointing.  And the Apostle John brings up this particular word in his second chapter:

I took this spectacular sunset picture
 last week.

And as for you, the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone teach you; but as His anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is not a lie, and even as it has taught you, abide in Him.   1 John 2:27

     Witness Lee often said that you need the entire Bible to understand the Bible, and if this word is unusual to you, you can find it way back in Exodus 30.  When God told Moses how to build the tabernacle, He gave him specific directions for how to make the holy anointing oil. All the things that were put in the tabernacle were anointed with this oil, even the right ear, thumb, and toe of the priests.  It consecrated everything that was used in serving God in the tabernacle.    (I would encourage you to read the extensive and enlightening Life-Study of Exodus!)

  As New Testament believers though, this anointing is no longer outward but inward.  Many times brother Lee would use the illustration of painting to explain what this anointing does within us.   He talks about this illustration in chapter 21, pages 179 and 181:

"Paint is the best illustration of the compound ointment. What is the best way to know the elements of a particular paint?  The best way is to buy a can of paint and apply some paint to a piece of furniture….In a similar way, it is by applying Himself to us as the "paint" that the compound Spirit teaches us concerning the Triune God and His activities [His incarnation, human living, death, resurrection, and ascension]….The Triune God who is now organically one with us, is teaching us concerning Himself….This knowledge is not doctrinal;  it is experiential. In a similar way, we come to know the Triune God by enjoying and experiencing Him….When the Triune God becomes our enjoyment and experience, His moving is the anointing within us" (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 1 John. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry,1983, Print).

    He mentions in this chapter (on page 183) that because there were so many heretical teachings bombarding the believers at that time, John reminded the believers that through the Lord's anointing they would be able to know the truth concerning the Trinity from the lies. Probably what touches me the most about what I read is that whenever we contact the Lord through prayer, singing, or fellowshipping with others, God is painting us layer upon layer.  And through that painting we are getting saturated with all the elements of this heavenly paint.  One time a brother encouraged us that we should always have the sign "wet paint" on our being so that when people touch us, they get some of that paint on them, too.  I really like the footnotes on this verse in the Recovery Version of the New Testament, and if you don't have one, you can click on this link and order one for free!

I enjoy listening to live excerpts and the commentary on these Life-Studies on the  Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee while I'm cooking, cleaning, and typing.   

Other Posts on 1, 2, 3 John and Jude:

What Does the Greek Word for Fellowship Mean in 1 John 1:3?
What Does 1 John 1:8 Show Us About Sin?
The Promise in 1 John 1:9
What is the Anointing in 1 John 2:27?
Taking a Closer Look at Abiding in 1 John 2:26
God's Love in 1 John 4 Seen in the Life of John Newton
What is the Key to Overcoming in 1 John 5:4?
Touching Account From Church History on the Apostle John

Gluten Free Comfort Food That Hits the Spot - Chicken Divan

   Chicken divan is probably an American comfort classic.  This rich sauce with just a hint of curry and lemon is just delicious.  And then add to that fresh broccoli spears (or frozen) and juicy pieces of chicken breast and you've got it. 

 I made this for our international students last weekend who I knew loved chicken, broccoli, and curry. I figured it was like an American spin on these Asian favorites, and guess what?  They loved it!  You should have seen their plates heaped with rice with the chicken divan cascading over the top.  

This recipe comes from my Syre School Cookbook.  I just substituted the two cans of cream of chicken soup with this recipe below for white sauce that uses Better Than Bouillon.  

Chicken Divan

1.  Prepare chicken:  Cook and cube 2-3 large chicken breasts.

2.  Prepare gluten free chicken soup: 
(1)  Melt 2 T of butter in a large skillet and whisk in 4 T of rice flour.
(2)  Slowly add the milk mixture and whisk to keep it smooth.
(3)  Add seasonings:  2 t Chicken Better Than Bouillon, 2 t Indian curry, 1 t salt, 1/2 t black pepper.
(4)  Thin with more milk if it's too thick.  
(5)  Then mix in 1 cup of mayonnaise and 1 T fresh lemon juice. 

3.  Lightly steam 1 large bag of broccoli spears according to package.

4.  Arrange casserole in a 9 x 13 pan:
(1)   Arrange 1 large package of broccoli spears on the bottom of the pan. 
(2)  Scatter the cubed chicken over the top.
(3)  Scoop gluten free chicken soup mixture over the top. 
(4)  Grate cheddar cheese over the top.

5.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

List of other casseroles 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)
Rebecca's Favorite Chicken & Chile Enchiladas  (From a church friend)
Delores's Chicken & Tortilla Casserole (Made Gluten Free)  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)

Pasta Casseroles:

The Best Gluten Free Lasagna   (From my church Come & Dine cookbook)
Fantastic Gluten Free Macaroni & Cheese  (Modified from Heritage & Internet search)
Gluten Free Comfort Food - Downright Delicious Gluten Free Tuna Noodle Casserole  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)

American Favorites:

From Scratch Gluten Free Turkey Pot Pie

Scalloped Potatoes - (From my mother-in-law)

Breakfast for Dinner:

Hash Brown Egg Casserole  (From my friend Lisa)
Mexican Migas Breakfast Casserole  (Modified from a recipe from an airport cookbook)
Baked Zucchini Frittata  (I picked this up from a Whidbey Island farmer's market)
Jan's Sausage & Vegetable Frittata  (From a friend who was a home ec teacher)

The Promise in 1 John 1:9

     I've heard it said that a tiny piece of insulation can block the flow of electricity. It amazes me that something so seemingly small could block something so powerful.  I thought about that when I was reading chapter 6 of the Life-Study of 1 John because Witness Lee mentions that our sin can frustrate the flow of this divine fellowship within us.  But it doesn't have to block it forever because of this verse in 1 John:

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 1:9

   
      All of this made me think about a conversation we had  a month ago with a college student who told my husband and I that he was troubled because he wondered how often God would forgive him. So we opened up 1 John 1:9 and read it with him. My husband told him this was a promise. Together we read it phrase by phrase and even made it our prayer.  

  
      We could also tell that Satan was dumping accusation on him, so we turned to Revelation 12:10b-11 which is another favorite of ours and read:  "…for the accuser of our brothers has been cast down, who accuses them before our God day and night, And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they loved not their soul-life even unto death."  It would almost seem we don't stand a chance against Satan's 24/7 accusation, but this verse shows us that the blood of Jesus is powerful enough to shut his mouth!

   Witness Lee’s fellowship on the blood of Christ and confession has been a great help to my Christian life.  It’s important to know the truth that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all the sins we commit  even after we’re saved. On page 107 in chapter 12 of the Life-Study of 1 John, he shares how God's faithfulness and righteousness secure our forgiveness:  

The promise in 1:9 should never be misused as an encouragement to sin. This means that we should not think that we may continue to commit sin and then confess and receive the Lord's cleansing….Because we still have sin in our nature, it is always possible for us to sin. If you sin, you need to confess your sin to God. He has promised in His gospel to forgive us, and He will be faithful to His word. Furthermore, in redemption, God judged Christ on our behalf. This means that He will not judge us for our sins if we confess them through the redemption of Christ.  As the righteous God, He will surely cleanse us from our unrighteousness. In this way we may preserve our fellowship with Him and enjoy Him day by day (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 1 John.  Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry. Print, 1983).  

      At the end of our conversation with this student, we flipped back to Matthew 4:4 to point out that if Satan still accuses us after we confess our sins, we need to do what the Lord did. When the Lord was being tempted by the devil in the wilderness, He  proclaimed, “It is written man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.  We shared with him when Satan accuses you for what you’ve already confessed, you just need to speak back 1 John 1:9! 

I enjoy listening to live excerpts and the commentary on these Life-Studies on the  Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee while I'm cooking, cleaning, and typing.   

Other Posts on 1, 2, 3 John and Jude:

What Does the Greek Word for Fellowship Mean in 1 John 1:3?
What Does 1 John 1:8 Show Us About Sin?
The Promise in 1 John 1:9
What is the Anointing in 1 John 2:27?
Taking a Closer Look at Abiding in 1 John 2:26
God's Love in 1 John 4 Seen in the Life of John Newton
What is the Key to Overcoming in 1 John 5:4?
Touching Account From Church History on the Apostle John