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What is Headship?It’s been said, “They just don’t make missionaries like William Carey.” Carey changed the history of missions and the face of India 200 years ago. Few know of Carey’s sister, paralyzed and bedridden for 50 years. Although unable to speak for much of that period, with great effort she allowed herself to be propped up in bed. She wrote long encouraging letters to her brother. And she prayed for him several hours per day for 50 years! The roll of women in ministry and the church is what the first part of chapter eleven is about. Of course it is an often misunderstood chapter in every generation. This text deals with authority in the church. In some circles this chapter is seen as a focus on the question, "Should Women Wear Hats in Church?" Are men allowed to have ponytails? But the biblical principle has nothing to do with hats or hair length. It has nothing to do with superiority, or inferiority. Rather it's all about humility, liberty, and order in the church and home. So Paul begins chapter 11 with a bold statement. Before dealing with the controversy, he lays down his model for us. 1 Cor 11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. Paul boldly says, my life is an example of a servant of God, follow my example. I don't know about you, but I am personally challenged by that statement. What a challenge for us, can we tell our families, can we confidently say to our friends the that type of thing. Follow the godly example I am giving. From that he rolls into this interesting, somewhat controversial text. 1 Cor 11:2 I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you. Since Paul had some negative things to say to the church later in this section, he opens his dialog on a positive note - by praising them for some things they are doing well. Two things that he gives them praise for: 1. THEY REMEMBERED HIM IN EVERYTHING. They remembered Paul and appreciated him. Sure Corinth had their problems, but they get credit for praying for Paul and not taking him for granted. I like that, because I feel like a guy who is loved by this church. I know of a church who's pastor I know fairly well, and they treat him awful, they try to control his every move, tell him how to do things, and seldom heed his preaching. Not so in Corinth, they had their issues, but as far as their relationship with Paul it was prayerful, and full of thanks. 2. THEY PRACTICED WHAT THEY HAD BEEN TAUGHT. Corinth was faithful to keep the teaching that had been given them. That's why he could pen out this bold letter to them, because although they still needed to grow in their faith, and despite of their problems, they were sincere in their desire to grow. They heard from the Lord, and they made honest adjustments to the issues. So after telling them he appreciated them, Paul tries to give them some guidelines for proper worship and a balance of authority in the church. READ THE TEXT 1 CORINTH 3:3- 16 Paul said. Acts 20:27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will (counsel) of God. Paul held nothing back from those he preached to, he wanted them to know everything about the Lord. So as a pastor of this church, I want to be able to say the same thing. There are portions of scripture that have more excitement, some have more daily application, some are just easer to teach. But I believe that it is the steady diet of the exposition of the word of God - that helps us continue to grow in our faith and knowledge of the Lord. So, today we will consider a portion of text that is a little obscure, a little removed from our society, yet very important that we understand to overall principle as it applies to believers in every generation. Paul starts out with the principle of headship, then he clarifies the practice of this principle as it applied in the 1st century church of Corinth. The principle is - “that God has a hierarchy for the church.” The problem in Corinth was disorder in worship. So along with giving us the proper roll of women in ministry, he continues on with the theme of propriety in worship, into the next few chapters. When Paul says the word “head” he uses the normal word for the our heads. This thing that contains our brains, eyes, ears, nose and that is “control central” of the body. So he uses head figuratively, to refer to priority in function. That is what the head of our body does; it runs the body; it is in charge and gives the direction to the body. So when Paul talks about the man is the head of the woman, he talking about leadership. 1. GOD'S HIERARCHY. The place of women in the church is not a question of superiority or inferiority, but is based upon humility and liberty. To show that Paul starts with. "The head of every man is Christ." Its the declaration of Christ's right to all mankind. He is the leader of everyone, whether they recognize it or not. Christ is the head and one day every knee will bow before him. One of the biggest problems in the Corinthian church was disorder in the public meetings. Some of the members both men and women were assuming more freedom than they should have. There was disorder at the Lord's Supper, and there was abuse in worship, and confusion in using spiritual gifts. And Corinth had been blessed with spiritual gifts, but they sadly lacked in spiritual order. So Paul tries to take them to the principles of God's hierarchy, that he created the family to have a head. Ron Wiseman, who is a very wise man, once said, anything with two heads is a freak. That is why later Paul would tell the married couples that the husband is the head of of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. Paul could have tried to solve these problems by issuing rules, instead he patiently explained the spiritual principles that supported the teachings he had given the church. He founded his arguments on the Word of God. His example, Jesus - who willingly, voluntarily, submitted to the authority of the Father. Does this mean He was inferior to the Father? No, Philippians 2 tells us he was in very nature God, but took on humility. So, too the woman who chooses to submit to the authority of her husband, or the church, does so not out of inferiority, but out of humility. We see this principle in our Lord Jesus Christ, who humbled himself and became obedient to the plan of God, even the cross. Then after establishing the principle, Paul deals with some specific areas of confusion in their public worship. From there he says, the head of the woman is man. In the church, and in the married home God's authority structure is that the man is the head. To some men, that means they are the boss, the one who is in charge, the big Cahoona! But that is not what the head means. TURN TO EPHESIANS 5:25-32 God's model for headship. GO OVER IT. Back to our text. After establishing the principle, Paul moves into the application for submission of women to the authority he has established. The application has to do with ministry, structure, and order in the church. 1. Praying and Prophesying To this day, Jewish rabbis teach that because Moses covered his face after he met with God on Mt. Sinai, the wearing of a hat, yarmulke, or a prayer shawl is a sign of humility before God. But according to Paul they are wrong.
Good bible interpretation, tells us that the New Testament interprets the Old Testament because it fulfills it. So we believe Paul where in 2 Corinthians 3 he tells us that Moses covered his face not out of humility, but because the glory that shined from it was fading away. Like the Old Covenant, it could not last, it could not save, because it was not designed to. So the glow on Moses face from being in the presence of God, was fading and he covered his face so the people would not be discouraged. So here Paul says, a man ought not cover his head because he dishonorers his head when he does. But the woman he says, like Jesus humbled himself and submitted to the father, they should cover their heads. Sounds confusing doesn't it. But understand, he is not talking about hats, he's talking about authority. The head coverings had a lot to do with culture, and showing humility, which we will consider in a moment. There are those who say women should never share prophecy or pray in the assembly. Paul disagrees, he says that they need a sign of authority when they do. What is this all about? Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. The Christian faith brought freedom and hope to women, children, and slaves. It taught that all people, regardless of race or sex, were equal before God and one in Jesus Christ The local church was probably the only entity in the Roman Empire that welcomed everyone, regardless of nationality, social status, sex, or economic position. So with this newfound freedom came some confusion. Some of the women would speak in the public meetings out of turn, or when they were no in submission to the authority of the church leadership. Some would use their freedom in Christ to not wear a head covering that was required in their culture, and very important in Corinth. Paul did not forbid the women to pray or to prophesy. But like all the ministry in the church he wanted to make sure things were done properly and in order. So as Paul deals with things that are out of balance, we see today many churches are divided about these same issues. Some churches recognize women as pastors, I believe that is not part of God's plan. 1 Tim 3:2-3 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife... Some churches subject women to dresses, and hats, and they are not allowed any part of ministry. We believe that although the New Testament does not permit women elders / pastors, just as women in the early church were very involved in ministry, today without women in ministry, the local fellowship would not be complete. Every member of the church, men or women who lives a submitted life, is allowed to speak the word of God as long as it is in proper order and within the functions of the church. Every member is allowed to pray and be used in the gifting God has given them. Later Paul encourages the women to teach other women and children. But, they were not permitted to usurp the authority of church leadership. In Corinth, some women were speaking out of turn, they would ask their husbands questions from across the room, and the whole church was out of balance in the way they used the gifts of the Spirit. So Paul takes them to God's plan. Christ is the head of man, man is the head of the woman. Just like Jesus who was in very nature God, submitted to the father when he came to earth as a man. 1 Tim 3:11 In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. 2. THE CULTURAL ASPECT. The Middle Eastern society was very jealous over its women so they cover their heads. You may recall there in the center of Corinth, was the temple to the goddess Aphrodite, and over 1000 temple prostitutes, who roamed the city each night. People recognized them because they did not cover their heads, and they cut their hair so everyone could know who their were. So it was important both in the culture and in the city of Corinth particularly, that believers looked different. For the women, they wore long hair and, in public, wore a covering over their heads. But Paul reminds them that this covering symbolized more then the outward, it is a sign of submission and purity. In that church for a woman to appear in public without the covering, let alone to pray and share the Word, was both daring and blasphemous. What about today? 1 Tim 2:9-10 I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. The godly women, should dress appropriately, not seductively, not drawing attention to yourself. But adorned with your faith, and faith is proved by good deeds. And they should live in humility subject to the authority God has given the church. Paul sought to restore order by reminding the Corinthians that God had made a difference between men and women, that each had a proper place in God's church. And they had appropriate customs that symbolized these relationships to reminded both men and women of their correct places in the divine scheme. Paul did not say, or even hint, that difference meant inequality or inferiority. If there is to be peace in the church, then there must be order. Warren Weirsby says. “Order has rank. We understand that - rank and quality are two different things. The captain has a higher rank than the private, but the private may be a better man. God's order in the church - is based on three fundamentals that Paul gives us. 1. Redemption. Just as modeled with Jesus- the Father is the Head over Christ. Head does not mean "origin," because that would mean that the Father originated Christ – rather Christ submitted to the Father. John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning . In His redemptive ministry, the Son was subject to the Father even though He is equal to the Father. Likewise, in the church and in the home, the woman is subject to the man even though in Christ she is equal to the man. Both man and woman are made in the image of God and for the glory of God, but since the woman was made from the man she is also the "glory of the man." She glorifies God and brings glory to the man by living a godly life under God's plan and within God's order. 2. Creation God's order is based on the fact that man was created first, and that the woman was created for the man then that it was the woman who was deceived. But even though, the woman may have come from the man at the beginning, today, it is the man who is born of the woman. So in reality we are partners together with God. 1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. I like the NIV there partners with you in the gracious gift of life. Then Paul brings the angels into it. What is that all about, be covered, be humble, be submitted to God's hierarchy, because of the angels. Jon Courson suggests, it is because the Angels saw what happens when things are out of balance, they saw 1/3 of their fellow angels fall, when Satan decided to defy God's authority structure. So the woman who is covered, in Corinth her head, today by the authority God has established. So that is a sign to the angels that the woman who is living in order and understands God's plan. 3. Nature The final argument is nature, how normally, nature gives women longer hair and men shorter hair. Nowhere does the Bible tell us how long our hair should be. It simply states that there are normally noticeable difference between the length of the men's hair and the women's hair. I have seen many people in different parts of the world apply this in different ways. Some cultures to this day, demand woman in church to wear head or even face coverings. Others say no, but she must never cut her hair, and men must have crew-cuts. Still other, like our fellowship, believe that every believer is to be submitted to the authority God has given. Then we walk in his ways, as we live out the tenets of our faith, and love the Lord with our lives offered to him in humility. 4. FINALLY -- APPLICATION. It may seem hard to find some application from this part of scripture. But we will, when the church, or the home are functioning in the was God designed, we are more effective in our ministry and there is peace and harmony in the home. TURN TO 1 PETER 3:1-6. God's plan for the home. Both the husband and wife submitted to one another out of reverence for Christ. Thats how the two become one flesh, the husband who recognizes his wife is his partner, and he is not called to dictate to her, but to love on her. The wife who lets her beauty shine by living a humble godly life. As we submit to one another because we honor God, the result will be harmony in the home. And harmony in the church. Women who submit to the authority God has established are living in faith. And your will be blessed because really you are submitting to God, and God honors faith. At a meeting of the American Psychological Association, two graduate students, presented their findings on how members of the various sections of 11 major symphony orchestra perceived each other. The percussionists were viewed as insensitive, unintelligent, and hard-of-hearing, yet fun-loving. String players were seen as arrogant, stuffy, and un-athletic. The orchestra members overwhelmingly chose “loud” as the primary adjective to describe the brass players. Woodwind players seemed to be held in the highest esteem, described as quiet and meticulous, though a bit egotistical. Interesting findings, to say the least! With such widely divergent personalities and perceptions, how could an orchestra ever come together to make such wonderful music? The answer is simple: regardless of how those musicians view each other, they subordinate their feelings and biases to the leadership of the conductor. Under his guidance, they play beautiful music. PRAY, INVITE, BENEDICTION, SING. Series: 1
Corinthians -Through the Bible |
(C) High Sierra Fellowship 2008 |
