August 9
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IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE LORD JESUS
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
-1 Corinthians 11:23-26
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In this letter, Paul declares how he was charged to deliver the Lord’s Supper as a remembrance of what Jesus did for sinners. Paul repeats Jesus words to his disciples during the Last Supper in this letter. When Jesus said these words, he connected the Passover of the Old Testament with the New Testament covenant. When the Israelites escaped from the slavery of the Egyptians in Exodus, it was the blood of the lamb that caused God’s angel of death to “pass” the house of the Israelites, so that the firstborn Egyptian children may be slain. In Exodus 12, we hear the story how the Israelites collected the blood, the lamb had to be sacrificed and killed. Then, during the Passover feast, the meat of the lamb would be cooked and eaten with unleavened bread in preparation for the journey out of Egyptian bondage. The lamb had to be a male, without blemish meaning it could not be sick or diseased in any way. At the last supper, the unleavened bread represented the body of Christ which is sinless and perfect. It was broken on the cross. And wine represented His blood, the blood of an ‘unblemished lamb.’
Paul couldn’t stress more the importance for believers to remember the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ when we partake of the Lord’s supper. He reminds us that as often as we remember the sacrifice that Jesus did to save us from sin, the more we will partake of that act of sacrifice He did for us to be freed from the bondage of sin.
We need to remember that God paid a high price for our freedom from sin by letting his only begotten Son be that unblemished lamb to be sacrificed. We couldn’t pay for it because we are not pure. The only thing God wants us to do is to believe that it is finished already and we need to abide in Christ so that we will always live in His grace and mercy. The Lord’s Supper is a remembrance of the unconditional love God gave his people.
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REFLECTION
• Why is partaking in the Lord’s Supper a very important act of worshiping the Lord? What happens when we forsake remembering this act of love?
Monthly Archives: September 2021
ON DIVISIONS & PREPARATION FOR THE LORD’S SUPPER ILMA’S VLOG
August 8
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ON DIVISIONS & PREPARATION FOR THE LORD’S SUPPER
17 Now in giving this next instruction I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better, but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. 19 For there also have to be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you. 20 Therefore when you come together it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, 21 for when you eat, each one takes his own supper first; and one goes hungry while another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What am I to say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I do not praise you. – 1 Corinthians 11:17-22
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According to Oxford University Press, Corinth was a port city: Along with grand economic gain and philosophical exchange came some questionable interpersonal behavior. Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth show that the problems of the city also affected the Christian community. Among the myriad problems in the Corinthian church were: claims of spiritual superiority over one another, suing one another in public courts, abusing the communal meal, and sexual misbehavior. Paul wrote to demand higher ethical and moral standards. In this letter, Paul rebukes the Corinthian believers on two things. First, he addresses the conflicts and divisions currently ongoing in the church and second, he reproves them of their conduct and attitude regarding the Lord’s supper.
Like a father scolding a child when they are misbehaving, Paul addresses the worldly ways of the Corinthian believers. He confronts and evaluates the way the believers were acting. He wasn’t pleased that divisions occur in the church, but also points out a good thing about the presence of factions in verse 19. He says that the conflicts will highlight those who are approved worker of God’s kingdom. Those who are approved by God will always expose the lies so that the truth will surface. Without the factions, the lies will not be exposed. In verses 20-22, he focuses on the unruly way that they handle the Lord’s Supper. He rebukes their attitude when they come to the Lord’s Supper. They are still thinking that they are in their own houses, where they can eat and drink to their hearts’ delight. They were not preparing their hearts to receive the Lord, but they want to continue to extend satisfying their own cravings. He chastised their attitude that isn’t honoring to God.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it necessary to prepare to receive the Lord’s Supper?
IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING GOD’S ORDER ILMA’S VLOG
August 7
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IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING GOD’S ORDER
10 Therefore the woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as the woman originated from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God. 13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does even nature itself not teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her hair is given to her as a covering. 16 But if anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor have the churches of God. – 1 Corinthians 11:10-16
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In these following passages of Paul’s letter to the Corinthian believers, he expounds further on the symbol of authority on the woman’s head. Previous to these verses, Paul declares the importance of wearing a head covering for women as a symbol of her submission to the man who is the authority in her life in accordance to God’s order of creation. Paul mentions the importance of inter-dependence between man and woman in verse 11. What he is saying here is that a woman cannot be independent from man and a man cannot be independent of woman. The woman was created to be the man’s helper, but it doesn’t mean that he is higher than her. They are created equal according to Genesis 1, but they were both created for a certain role different from each other. The man is the head and the woman is the one who needs to submit to the head. No one is supposed to change the order that God has made and the specific roles they each one plays. This detailed explanation of Paul regarding these interdependence gives us a glimpse of the God of order whom we serve.
In verses 13-16, he presents to them the question whether it is right for a woman to be without head covering and what happens if they exchanged roles in their relationships If the man wears the long hair, it would be dishonoring to him, but if it is a woman who wears the long hair, it is to the man’s glory. It says in verse 15, that it was given to the woman to have the long hair and not the man. What Paul is pointing out here is the focus on the order and differences of roles that God has assigned to the man and the woman. Paul further explains that if someone wants to raise a controversy about this order, they must keep it to themselves or they will bring about conflicts.
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REFLECTION
• Why is God’s order something that a believer ought to follow?
WHY WOMEN NEED HEAD COVERING ILMA’S VLOG
August 6
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WHY WOMEN NEED HEAD COVERING
6 For if a woman does not cover her head, have her also cut her hair off; however, if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, have her cover her head. 7 For a man should not have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. 8 For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; 9 for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake. – 1 Corinthians 11:6-9
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Wikipedia that says that until at least the 18th century, the wearing of a head covering, both in the public and while attending church, was regarded as customary for Christian women in Mediterranean, European, Middle Eastern, and African cultures. A woman who did not wear a head covering was interpreted to be “a prostitute or adulteress.” In Europe, law stipulated that married women who uncovered their hair in public was evidence of her infidelity. A veil or “mantilla” was worn by Christian women in Spain, Latin America, the Philippines, Eastern Europe and Russia. I remember wearing them in the Roman Catholic church as a child up until my teen years. “Dupatta” was worn by Christian women in India and Pakistan. “Net’ela” was worn by Christian women in Ethiopia and Eritrea. In the U.S., bonnet was among the Anabaptists and Conservative Quakers while wide brim hats would be worn by Christian women in the Southern U.S. Another commentary says that having a woman’s head short or shaved meant different things in different cultures. In Jewish law, it was the mark of adultery (Numbers 5:11-31). In the Greek world, it could be the mark of a prostitute or lesbian.
So, why is Paul addressing this issue of head covering for women? Earlier in this letter, he addressed the order of headship in verses 1-5. Was Paul following the Jewish law? He clarifies the reason in this part of his letter. In verse 7, Paul refers to the creation story in Genesis 1 where man was made in the image of God and woman was created to be the helper of the man and for his glory. In verse 8, he reminds the Corinthian believers that since woman was created from man and not vice-versa. So, the woman’s head covering signifies that she is under the headship of a man and when she doesn’t wear a head covering, she is defiled. There must be a deeper meaning to the physical wearing of the head covering. It is a reminder for women to submit to men who is their head so she doesn’t go wayward and unprotected. The modern women won’t agree with this concept.
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REFLECTION
• Why is it important for women to remember that they must submit to their head?
HEADSHIP IN THE BODY OF CHRIST ILMA’S VLOG
August 5
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HEADSHIP IN THE BODY OF CHRIST
Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.2 Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I handed them down to you. 3 But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ. 4 Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head. 5 But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for it is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved. – 1 Corinthians 11:1-5
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In this letter, Paul reminds the Corinthian believers about headship in the kingdom of God. In the first verse, he makes himself a role model for the Christians to follow, so that they know how it is to submit to authority. Since he learned from Christ himself, he wants them to imitate the example that Jesus set for him to follow. If they follow him, they are also following Jesus Christ. In verse 2 he acknowledges their adherence to the traditions that were handed down to them but points out the importance of knowing the order that God has set for all believers to follow. Here is the order in the kingdom of God according to this letter of Paul to the Corinthians:
• God is the head of Christ
• Every man in the family of believers has to submit to Christ since He is the head of every man. – he particularly specifies that if there is something else on his head while he is praying or prophesying, then he is disgracing himself.
• Every woman has to submit to the man since he is the head of a woman –According to Clarke, It was a custom, both among the Greeks and Romans, and among the Jews an express law, that no woman should be seen abroad without a veil. This was, and is, a common custom through all the east, and none but public prostitutes go without veils.” To be without a head covering is equals to have no protection. Paul clearly likens a woman without a head covering as one who has a shaved head.
Sadly, in our world today, the order in God’s kingdom had been messed up. The world has twisted God’s order and has made each person without a covering, not submitting to an authority, but only following their own will. When someone is not under the authority of someone, they are actually exposing themselves to danger. Can you imagine a world where no one submits to authority? It would be chaos and destruction, wouldn’t it?
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REFLECTION
• How is submitting to authority or your head a mark of a true believer?
WHATEVER YOU DO, DO IT FOR GOD’S GLORY ILMA’S VLOG
August 4
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WHATEVER YOU DO, DO IT FOR GOD’S GLORY
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God. 32 Do not offend Jews or Greeks, or the church of God; 33 just as I also please everyone in all things, not seeking my own benefit but the benefit of the many, so that they may be saved. – 1 Corinthians 10:31-33
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Paul reminds the Corinthian believers to make sure that everything they do, whether eating or drinking, they have to glorify God. Why is it important for us to be mindful of the motives behind what we do? Because our sin nature is so pervasive in us, we need to do the opposite of what its default is. Paul clearly says this too in his letter to the Romans in in chapter 7 verse 15 where he says that we don’t understand what we are doing for we want to do good but end up doing what we hate. Our nature wants to do what is sinful but the Spirit wants us to do the opposite. When our motives focus on the self, it will definitely not glorify the Lord. The “self” wants to satisfy its cravings and not bow down to the Lord God. This nature was the consequence of the first sin of Adam and Eve. Because they disobeyed the Lord, they incurred the punishment of that desire to become as knowledgeable as God. We inherited that nature and we need to go against it by purposefully choosing to do the will of God.
Because the Corinthians were asking so many questions about what to eat or drink, Paul addressed their hearts in this letter. He stresses that they only serve one Master, God himself. They cannot cater to their whims and desires and old customs since it will be against serving God. In verse 32, Paul brings an important admonition. He stresses the importance of ensuring that they do not offend anyone and do their best to please everyone for the sake of the gospel. Paul isn’t telling them to be people pleasers but God pleasers. It is very easy to be deceived by thinking that we want to please God by pleasing others. But if its purpose is self-motivated and not to preach the gospel, a believer may be compromising their faith. He brings out a very important principle of living in peace in the last verse: seeking the benefit of many and not of our own. How often do we seek our own welfare and look after our needs and not take into consideration others’ welfare? We live in this world where Satan rules and each time we are motivated by self-seeking desires, we will struggle to follow the Spirit’s leading. “Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.” That is Paul’s antidote to selfishness for the Christians.
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REFLECTION
• How can we always remember to do things for the glory of God?
SEEK NOT YOUR OWN ADVANTAGE ILMA’S VLOG
August 3
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SEEK NOT YOUR OWN ADVANTAGE
23 All things are permitted, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted, but not all things build people up. 24 No one is to seek his own advantage, but rather that of his neighbor. 25 Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions, for the sake of conscience; 26 FOR THE EARTH IS THE LORD’S, AND ALL IT CONTAINS. 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions, for the sake of conscience. 28 But if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of that one who informed you and for the sake of conscience; 29 Now by “conscience” I do not mean your own, but the other person’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered about that for which I give thanks?
– 1 Corinthians 10:23-30
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In this letter, Paul teaches us the principle of selflessness and of discerning what things build up others. In verse 23, he says that although we are given freedom with so much things, we are to exercise caution as to which ones are beneficial to building up others. In verse 24, he shares the secret to peace: not to seek one’s own gain, but to build others up. Sadly, many of us goes to our default setting of self-seeking tendency. Paul is full of the Holy Spirit in how he explains God’s will for his people. He wants them to set aside all self-seeking acts. Instead, he advises the Corinthian believers, to seek the advantage of others. Why is this teaching very important in a believer’s life? It leads us to think less of ourselves and more of others. It starves the desires of the flesh and follows the leading of the Spirit. The Spirit of God wants us to love others and show them mercy. The flesh wants to satisfy its own desires and lusts.
In verse 25, he talks about the importance of letting go of rules and legalism. The Jews followed so much rules and prohibited so many things. In this verse, he is challenging the believers to exercise freedom for the sake of conscience. What happens when we focus so much on the rules? We get trapped in guilt and fear. Then in verse 26, he reminds the believers that God owns all things, so there is no need to fear what to do and what not to do in case unbelievers engage them into sharing their meals with them. What Paul is teaching here is the principle of acceptance and letting go of rules so that they can bring Christ in their midst.
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REFLECTION
• How is seeking your own advantage against God’s law of love?
FLEE FROM IDOLATRY ILMA’S VLOG
August 2
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FLEE FROM IDOLATRY
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to wise people; you then, judge what I say. 16 Is the cup of blessing which we bless not a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is the bread which we break not a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Since there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf. 18 Look at the people of Israel; are those who eat the sacrifices not partners in the altar? 19 What do I mean then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but I say that things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become partners with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?
– 1 Corinthians 10:14-22
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In the following passages, Paul instructs the Corinthian believers to run from idolatry. He gave them a food for thought in verses 16-17 regarding the consequences of sharing the blood of Christ with those who do not believer in Him. Though there are many members in the family of believers, they are considered one body of Christ. So, if they partake of the cup of blessing in communion with other pagans, they are defiling the body.
In verse 18, Paul is referring to those Corinthian believers who have consumed meat that were offered to idols. When Paul said to them that idols are nothing and food sacrificed to idols is nothing in the earlier passages of this same letter, the Corinthian believers took it literally and arrogantly think that they can still follow their old beliefs and mix it up with the teachings of Jesus Christ.
In verse 20, Paul clarifies that the Gentiles offer their sacrifice to demons and not to God. Paul warns them not to become partners with demons. What he meant by this is that if they partake of whatever the Gentiles are offering to their gods, they are compromising their commitment to God. In verse 21, he set the clear boundaries that whatever is sacrificed for the idols, cannot be sacrificed to God. In verse 22, he warns them not to provoke the Lord into jealousy by their ignorance to mix up their worship to God with idolatry. Sadly, even in our world today, paganism has entered many religions and even Christianity. Many false religions are not teaching the true gospel and thus mislead many to think that they are worshipping God when they are actually worshipping the devil
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REFLECTION
• Why are so many deceived with what is an idol and what is idolatry?