What is the message of those Meta forces? For example, the body of Christ?
Talks about Christ as a head, and the believers as members coordinated by the Head.
It is a relationship, a vital relationship between our heads, Jesus Christ and each of us, as long as we are closer to the head we are closer to each other, right?
It's as long as we are connected with a head, we function as a normal body.
Otherwise we can be. I don't know.
Just.
Fake members, or I don't know.
The people. They just tried to consume without giving anything. I have to think about that as members.
If we are connected with our Lord Jesus Christ, the Bride of Christ talks about love and sacrifice from the Lord.
Right, and also from us love and obedience.
The relationship between the Christ and the Bride and the Church is so intimate that nothing can separate.
It, especially because Christ died for us. It is a sacrificial love.
The temple of the Holy Spirit brings a different dimension.
Here we have, you know, the Holy Spirit is the one that is own, the owner of the Church, and also brings holiness, service, and worship.
It is the way that actually we function. If we look at that Old Testament temple, you will see that it actually only beasts good worship.
They could serve in the temple. For us it's easy to understand that, because Peter said that we are a nation, we are people of priests, all of us.
We are priests in God's eyes, and we should bring our worship and our love to Him in our worship.
God's household, talks about authority, dedication, and involvement in the well-being of the family.
Is, the image is like a large farm or an enterprise, where every member of the family contributes to the welfare of the family, bringing with their gifts and talents well-being to that enterprise to that farm coming back to our local church, we we know that the father
was the head of the household, and here, in the local church, the Lord appointed elders and deacons to function as the spiritual authority over the local church.
It calls also for dedication, first of all, from the elder syndicants, because they are the burden bearers, but also for from every member of the from God's family we have to contribute to the welfare of our local church maybe you ask yourself I don't
know it's what I should do in the church, because I don't I don't have any kind of implication.
I'm not involved in the local church. It's.
The what the Lord's work is so big is so complex and so inviting, that no one can say I'm not involved in the local church because I don't have anything to do.
Maybe you don't want to accept your spiritual identity you don't want to accept who you are.
In Christ, because we know that everybody in the moment when we were saved we received at least one spiritual gift to be used for the local church to be, to grow and to develop.
Maybe you don't know your spiritual identity. For this reason you should.
You should start learning from the elder in the church what!
Who you are in Christ, and what we should do for His kingdom.
And also we have involvement for every member of the local church.
The the local church shouldn't have consumers, only givers.
You know how rich we can become when we give to each other, when we support each other, when we become complementary to each other in the moment when some of us are tired, others are coming with their energy, when somebody is distressed somebody will bring the song of joy and the word of encouragement, you know how
blessed blessing we can have in this way.
It's working for such a long time with many local churches.
I hope always by many times I heard you know what it's I.
I'm not involved in my local church because nobody is asking me to do that.
It's if you have a member in the body of Christ, you don't have to be asked.
You have to function. That's it. It's not.
It's not something that you need to to to know very much.
You have to function. The hand doesn't say, Oh, I don't move, because nobody is asking me to move.
Hey? It's moving because it's got away, that that hand was created.
You should understand who you are in Christ, to accept your identity and to become part of the well-being of the family, and also gas people, talks about leadership, rules, and protection.
It is very important for a nation to have leadership, gadgly leadership.
It is very important for that nation to have good laws, and and also to have good defence system to protect donation in the local church.
The elders are doing all these ministries. They are leading.
Then they are bringing the guards, comments, and regards requirements for the believers, and also the duty is to protect the local church from the wolves that came in.
Come inside, in the is sheep. This happens, you know that, or from the teachings from the world that are not from the world of God, or they are anti God.
So we have these images, and because the Church, the is, cannot be described, only one term, those metaphors are just pieces that can be put together to show how complex the church is.
In this morning I read from first Corinthians 11 to 16, because the Lord, in His wisdom didn't bring only metaphors about the church, and also described and asked us to act in a certain way, and this morning I would like to read from first comedians 1211 from 2 to 16 to talk
about the rules and regulations when we worship the Lord for His glory, because that is the purpose that first Corinthians, chapter 11, starting with verse 2.
Now I place you, brethren, that you remember, be in all things, and keep the traditions just as I deliver them to you.
But I want you to know that the head of every minister is Christ, that the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head, but every woman who plays or prophesied with her head uncovers dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved for if a woman is not covered, let us, also be
sure, but if it is shameful for a woman to be shown or shaved, let her be covered for a man, indeed, ought not to be covered, he said, since he is the image and glory of God, but Owen is the glory of for many is not from women.
But women from the men. Nor was men created for the women, but women for the men.
For this reason the worm, the woman wants to have a symbol of authority on her head because of the angels.
Nevertheless, neither is men independent of women, nor the women of men in the Lord, for as women came from men in the Lord, for as women came from men, even so, men also came comes from women, but all things are from God judge among yourselves it is proper for women, to pray to God.
With her head uncovered. Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is at this dishonor to him.
But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to have, for hay is given to her for recovering.
But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.
The passage is very complicated, very difficult to explain, not because it's not clear.
Paulse teaching, but because in our culture and in our mind we are biased by the things around us and by the example of our other Christians, and for this reason we take this message many times in the wrong way, I was praying about this I had a long night last night it was longer than I hoped but
I hope that I will understand a few things about worshiping the Lord for his glory.
First of all, you see, the verse 2 is a word of praise.
It is wonderful, because oh!
Paul is interested in the way we worship in the local church.
Is his desire to do it in the right way. However, because he addresses some of improper practices in their worship.
He wanted to let them know that he was satisfied with their putting into practice.
People see, we have 10 chapters in first Corinthians.
The Church. Inquiry is, was a special church, has a lot of challenges, a lot of struggles, a lot of problems, and also so many blessings.
If you read first, Corinthians, actually, you can talk about your local church and about some aspects in your local church history.
And when I studied first, coincidence a long time ago, it was so important for me to understand how I can apply what happened in the first century in the fifties or sixties in the first century up to 2,000 or so actually it was in the ninetys on the did this study, and I realized that actually many
things, that they were applied to the first century. Christians actually can be applied to us today without context, to allizing them, because that is the tendency.
Today, they say, Okay, that is the it happened in the first century.
Now in the 20 first century is different.
Will find out that it is not as different because Paul had 3 kind concerns.
First he was committed to honouring God by applying the principles of Scripture Scripture to worship.
He was interested in that. What shipping is an act of submission and celebration in the act of joy and obedience, is an act of giving yourself to the Lord.
Mind, heart, and body, and work with with everything you have, and you are to bring him up to glorify him that is worship, and is not only singing, singing in the worship group is part of it, but is not all of it, or shipping is that moment when we open our scriptures and
we ask God's blessings to understand she's word, and to be illuminated by the Holy Spirit, to understand the message.
It is a time when we meet together, and we pray together.
It is a time when we give to the Lord. It is a time when we share about our needs and about our burdens.
You know the real worship is not only an act is a lifestyle, and should be part of our life for each of us.
The second concern that Christians should be regard. This should do regard for one another in public worship.
We worship together we worshiped. The Lord is our object of worshiping. At the same time we have to do it in a very, very.
Sensitive way that we don't hurt each other, and we don't turn our mind from God to other things.
He was also concerned that the Church not damage its witness to a watching world.
Maybe we don't realize being so caught in our local church activity that people from outside of the local church are looking at us.
Our neighbors. I don't know how much do you?
Do you realize how how often your neighbors look at you?
And they know that you are Christians, and you are followers of Christ.
In Bucharest. I read an evangelistic outreach with the whole local church.
We are 300 plus people, and we divided ourselves in 3 groups.
One group said, We we don't want to go to.
I don't feel comfortable going and talking with people about Christ.
And I said, Okay, you stay in the chapel and pray for us.
Another group said, Okay, I will go in the parks and around our assembly there are 3 or 4 different large parks.
And they said, Okay, we will go there and do your share your gas policy. The people around us.
And and another group went to the neighborhood. Houses and buildings, high-rise buildings in the area, and we set. We will do that.
It was. It was Sunday morning, I mean we disturbed the regular traditional service, and we said, Let's do this.
We left they said, We will be for 2 h. We will be going to share Christ with people around us.
The 2 groups. You stay inside and pray for us, and after that we will come and we'll share with you what the Lord did in the this time we were witnessing.
You know what happened. After 2 h. There were people who were faithful, and they were praying inside.
We came back we came back, and many of us came with the people that accepted Christ.
When we share them with them. The good news on the neighborhood homes or in in the in the park, and you know what some of them said.
We are watching you for such a long time.
Why you didn't come earlier.
For us. It was a painful lesson, but it was a blessed lesson, because encourages us to be more effective in sharing Christ with people around us.
I would like you to remember this story, and maybe if the Lord put on your heart to start praying for your neighbors, and to start trying to share Christ with them, because they are watching you.
And can be a good testimony or not. Such a good testimony.
The second aspect is the divine order, inverse. 3.
But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
Christ is the head of men the husband is the head of his wife, and God.
The Father is the head of Christ. We have here to observations, that the headship is a relationship does not imply superiority or inferiority.
We have to realize that is that women are not second class citizens.
Men are not second-class citizens if they are under the lordship of Christ, or if the women are under the authority of their husbands, or the members in the local church, under the authority of the elders or deacons, my friends, is not here about being superior or inferior it's.
not about that is talking about order is talking about a certain way of living in this world that we can become.
Oh, people that are really, really involved in people's life.
And we can bring global to God. The second observation is that the members of the Trinity are co-equal and eternal.
One in essence, nature, power, action, and will. This is from our creed.
We believe that it's we don't see that Christ, being inferior to to God, a Father or the Holy Spirit being inferior to Christ or to the Father.
No, they are equal. Co. Eternal, is the same. They have different roles, that is the same nature.
You have to. You have to understand that men and women have different roles.
They are heavy, different goals in the family. They have different goals.
Different roles in the local church. It's not about being superior or inferior.
It's not about being bigger or smarter than the others.
Actually, I know many women that are smarter than their husbands, but it's a it's a fact.
I can give you examples. I can give you names, but I don't have to.
Yeah, it's not about that. It is about God's order.
You have to realize that it's God's Word.
You have your roles, and your wife has herols, and if people don't accept their identity and their roles, they will become.
Fighting against each other because the roles would be, instead of being complementary, will be in a position. We have to understand that this is God's order. If we want to be good worshippers and writers shippers for the Lord let's accept our roles and leave them for His glory.
The same headship in the family of church does not imply being superior or inferior.
Honor your head for the sake of Biblical teaching versus 4 and 6.
What does the meaning for the first century? Christians first of all, Paul was concerned in public ministry, in the local church.
He was concerned about that. It is a man with vision from God.
She. If we read this passage carefully, we realize that actually he brings women to a higher level that you told common for for that culture in Polish culture, we mean were second class citizens, and Paul talks about being equal.
Here is not a contrast, is it? Is he compares men and women at the same level.
Read the passage very carefully, and you realize that it's not about trying to oppress women or trying to keep them under certain dictatorship.
No is just. Paul brings women from here to here and say, Okay, now you have this.
You are equal in gas ice, but you have different roles, and to show them, including in your attitude and your way, you dress yourself.
He is talking here about Christians meeting together, and we mean taking a public part in the service.
You know that in the Jewish culture women didn't have the right to go in the in the court.
They stayed in the Women's court, in in Temple.
They couldn't go beyond that gate to come in the place where the men were worshipping.
And Paul comes here, and he said, No, wait, we are equals.
Let's let's work in our equality doing our personal roles.
He says to these coincisions, to be careful and to follow that order, because is the property functioning in full capacity is what the road wants for us.
And we have here woman should wear head covering, and the men should not, and the principal location meeting both men and women, should show respect and consideration.
It is easy, but some some commentators are saying, No, it's here.
The covering head covering is oh, woman's hair.
No, it's not.
Is the same word in Greek for men and women uncovering.
Is not about her, some of us. I'm sorry.
It's not about that. It is about something to put on your head.
That's it.
Many times we are so caught on this idea. I see that in many other churches now I don't see anybody covering their head.
I'm sorry I've visited churches, monsters, and masks, and in all of those my wife and my daughters had to cover the head.
You know that?
Yeah.
And this know, is no compromise. There.
They had to cover their head.
I know that is only a tradition, and people are keeping that.
But is, you know, those churches and those religious organizations have a doctrine there that says, Ok.
So the way we are addressed we honour or dishonour God.
It's good to think about this, and to understand what is going on.
In verse 7 to 12 we have the creation argument from Paul.
Headship has been true since God created the world. We know God created Adam from dirt.
Yeah, from that. And because he felt alone, and he needed help.
God created a refined human being out of at them. He created a woman.
And then we have the first love poem in the Bible, in Genesis.
Look! This is born for my bones and flesh with my flesh in Hebrew.
That is a song.
God's Word is based on the fact that man was created by God for God.
And the woman was created for men, for men.
It's a fact we don't have to deny this, and priority does not imply inferiority.
The fact that Adam was born before Eve doesn't mean anything from the level.
We are as men and women is not about superiority or inferiority.
It's not about that. It's about God's order.
It's like, you know, going on the street, and you have a up, you know, a stoplight.
And you say I don't need to take care of this.
I don't care about it. I just go. What happened.
Is luck. What I saw I saw in green Cairo, and people were closing their eyes, and they were driving to the intersections without and hanging.
That's it. No, it's a lot of facts can happen.
The law doesn't want this, that is God's order, because where is order?
Is protection. Where is protection? Is a piece where it's space is well-being.
You have to put all these together and to realize that actually, God's order is the one that helps us to to live a decent life and also to continue to develop.
Well, and submission is not inferiority. The 10 men the term submission in Greek is a military term.
You know that right? It's a term that talks about being on the the authority and being protected in this way and helped to grow and develop.
That is the idea of the term submission in in the Greek language.
My wife, of works with women and teachers about those things, and I also priced once when she was talking with another lady.
Another Christian lady, and she said, Okay, you know what the Lord is asking us that we mean to be submissive.
That woman changed a lot. In a second she became so angry and so.
Mississippi. Oh, I I was shocked!
Mischievous!
Up to that moment for me. She was a ugly woman.
Her husband is a wonderful man, and they are getting along very well.
But she cannot take the idea that she can be submissive to her husband, and I ask her jokely, jokingly, if you are not submissive to your husband, to whom I used toissive in order to be protected, and to be to have a good life in Christ to Christ oh, i'm
sorry. It's the Bible says to be submissive to your husband.
Like to Christ.
She missed that part she teaches Sunday School class, believe me.
Yeah. She missed that part. Come on, let's read the Bible.
The whole plan of salvation, and accepted it is for our protection, is for our own good.
Versus 13 to 15 under your head, for the sake of nature.
Paul is. He was a special. I love this guy. I know that is, he was guided by the Holy Spirit, and he wrote what we have in the Bible.
He wrote more than that. But you know what he is asking.
Make your own judgment, you say for yourself, look around you, and see what is natural nature.
Here is how his culture felt about what was nature? What is the common sense?
This is the term here. What is the common sense here for women to be shaved? All for the men to wear long hair?
If it is a shame for a woman to be shaved, especially in that culture, you know that only prostitutes shaved their hair.
If that is a shame for a woman to be shaped.
Why do you try to be whatever you are not?
Try to be submissive to your husband it's not a big deal.
I had this discussion with my daughters, a Diana and I have 3 daughters, all of them.
Well educated? No, in theology, because they went to Christian colleges, and they came to me, and they asked me, Daddy, you are a professor of theology.
Please tell us why we cannot preach in the Church.
Good question.
It's a great, wonderful. Ok, show me in the world of God where you can find a place where a woman can pitch in the church.
And I help them with some Greek, because they didn't know a lot about that.
But I told them, Ok, here.
Is in for male or female. Here, male or she may.
I encourage you to do this kind of study, and will help you a lot to understand God's order.
That is wonderful is not men's made rule. It's not men's order, it's God's word, and that is wonderful.
As we generate children of God, their desire will be to do what God was calling them to do.
I was.
As you heard. I was speaking at the men's retreat and fighter, and Saturday and Saturday and Saturday, and I don't feel bad, but I was kind of harsh under men.
Right? You guys, yeah, I was straight to the point. I had to.
Because, in my opinion, the man should be the head of the household.
He has God's authority, and he has to be the priest in his house.
I believe that I think it's very important. If the man doesn't fulfill his role, his mandate.
Sometimes it's possible for the woman to take his place, and that is, you know, a situation that you compromise situation.
You just survive in this way.
The men should be the priest of his house. Hold!
And I told the man that actually they should be submissive to Christ, and their wives should be, submissive to them, because in this way they can protect them.
They can protect their wives, they can help their children, they can protect and encourage them to grow.
Do you remember what happened in Moses time when he asked donation, he asked the Pharaoh to let him leave for 3 days with the whole nation to worship the Lord in the desert?
Said, oh, sure go! You man, you can go for 3 days is no problem.
It's but you live, your children, your wives, and all your material possessions.
Do you remember what Moses said? We don't live here even a nail.
Everybody will go with us. That is, our duty is to go together to worship the Lord according to His ruling and the way he wants us to live.
Also Paul didn't want that. The public worship of God to be corrupted, and by damage the witness to the world.
People were watching the church, especially because it was a new movement, and many people were looking.
What kind of strange creatures are those meeting together? But they look to us in the same way today, for some of the people around us. We have Martians.
We are strange people. Yeah, because they one told me somebody told me not long ago.
Thank you. You're an educated man. How can you believe in God?
I believe that because I'm an educated man. I told them, yeah, yeah, it's.
I read, I study, I meditate, I encourage you to do the same.
I'll ask him. But anyway, it doesn't matter. It's just an idea that actually, we have this ability to look around us and to see that actually, the Lord created a certain order.
For our protection, and the last verse talks about honoring your head for the sake of a posterior authority.
In this final argument Paul appeals to his apostolic authority.
He said, Okay, you know what other churches accepted, what I'm telling you.
A quarantine, you should do the same.
We don't have to argue. We don't have to.
He is not arguing, because he knew that that is God's will.
It is God's order. Is not a man-made order.
Conclusions.
We honor God when we worship Him according to the principles he gives us in chapters 1214 Paul sets down Biblical principles to guide the people of God to worship him correctly.
We have to worship Him according to the principles he gives us.
Yeah, it's basic.
We are not free to make up our own rules for worship.
Now the conclusion, there is a divine order regarding worship.
To have the order from security from God, and also every man underscribed by worshiping him in a way that is Biblical and not pagan, and the wife honors her husband by acting like a woman, and not like a man in worship.
Ladies, don't try to be like men is not nice.
You are beautiful, you are delicate, you are the be women, be women!
I encourage you to do that. Don't try to be what what something.
The Lord didn't make you to be. Do you see how ugly is that this in our society today, when people with no common sense are mutilating, children, changing the sex and sexual orientation don't try to fall in the same trap on the spiritual level?
Be careful. The world wants us to be men, and we mean and to enjoy being who you are. We are.
And third conclusion. Cultural standards are relevant to worship practices.
The Corinthian Christians were not to act like pagan in their way.
In which they worship God for the men. That meant that they did not have to cover their heads.
You know, ship for the women. That meant that they would not act like men, and so they would cover their heads in worship.
Is basic.
I don't have time to go in different theological aspects, but you know what I we live in a very confusing time, and we make it even more confusing because we are caught in that traap that is called worldview.
Let's ask the Lord to give His light, and to understand the Biblical view, and to see ourselves, to see our neighbors, to see the creation with God's eyes.
He loves us, and he is ready to reveal Himself, and to make us understand what is going on.
Don't miss this point.
Made the Lord working all our lives, and help us to grow in knowing Him, and entrusting Him, and in worshiping Him, because He only deserves our worship and our place.
Amen!
I know I have a few more minutes, and Brother Fred asked me to tell you a few things about the minister, so I will be telling you about that.
Ok, sure it will be only for a few minutes. Our ministry is based in Romania, but is also extended in other countries.
In Europe, we teach that Timothy's Bible Institute, Aiana teaches English, as I ministry tool, and I teach ecclesiasty past theology, biblical counselling, and other courses, and we are doing conferences, and ministry, conferences, in
family setting in leadership settings and serving the Lord, and other things like that.
Ajana is involved in working with women in but we means conferences and Bible study for women, and both of us.
We are involved also in counseling. We teach, and we encourage people to to come closer to the Lord, to have their problems solved, and I'm also involved in pitching and teaching, and in radio and TV ministry.
We just came from back from Romania 2 weeks ago.
And in January and February I was already on 3 different TV stations and the radio to talk about different aspects of the god's work, and also personal involvement in the ministry.
Last year, when the Romanian Government asked the University school to teach online because of the Covid starting from January, our dorms were empty, and we prayed the Lord and said, Lord, how will we should do just keep those rooms?
Unused, and shortly after that started the war in Ukraine, and thousands and thousands of refugees started to come to to Romania, and because we were in Bucharest and only in Bucharest is a American the Ukrainian Embassy where people could
take the passports to go to other parts in Europe.
Many of them came to Bucharest, and by gas grace we were able to house over 300 Ukrainian refugees, mainly old people and mothers with small children, and we helped them 24 over 7 the Lord provided resources financial resources from here from from the States.
And from other parts of the world, and also human resources. Tbi students and guardians and Christians from the local Assembly we are ministering to that is very close in the same place with the Bible Institute.
Over 40 people were available day and night to help those people that are coming.
They are coming. Midnight. 20'clock in the morning, where they had to leave for the airport or for the bus to go to other countries to o'clock, 30'clock in the morning, and this dedicated people.
They just gave their time and energy to help that ministry.
It was a blessing for many people. We have good good results from that.
And I were more involved in the counseling part, and in supervising the ministry, because we are the older couple, and in the place they called me the priest and Vianna the priest wife, and they asked me to come for a confession, and I did that yeah, many of them they were Eastern
orthodox Ukrainians, and they they need it.
The good news it was unbelievable. A couple, a large family came to our place with their children.
If you have 3 or 4 or 4 children, you could leave the country as a family, otherwise men should be inlisted and should be fighting, and because they were more than they had more than 3 children.
This family came to our place, and they stayed over the weekend, and we said, Ok, let's go to church.
Oh, no, we don't go to church. You know that this is a Christian school, and we have to do that.
They came, and when we, when we finished the meeting we had in Ukraine and the Romanian posted songs, and the Bible verses, and so on, they were so excited, and after we finished the meeting the man started crying and she told me you know what I didn't want to come
but I am so glad that you ask me to come, because I lived in Ukraine in my hometown, a block away from a Baptist church, and many times I was invited to go there, but I never went.
But when you ask me to come, and when I saw your love and your desire to help us, and to be with us, I realized how much I missed for not coming to the church, I encourage you, my friends to help people when they are in need and tell them, about the real motive you're helping them because
you want to spread the love of God, and it was a great time for for our ministry.
But we started to have classes again in campus, and we stopped, having refugees in our place.
But we continued supporting at least twice a month with humanitarian aid.
Thousands and thousands of dollars across the border, because we have graduates and students at the border in the semis around the border, and you're just crossing the border and sending them to Ukrainian Christians that they were distributing to other people the next trip will be in 2 weeks
and we are praying for those because they are going that area.
What is the working zone? Please pray for gods. Work in Romania and for us as we will be living in after Easter will be back to Maine, and please continue to be the men and the women.
The Lord wants you to be for his glory. Thank you.
So, you guys, you didn't tell me that.
It was a great message. Awesome message.
Did you all get a lot of snow?
It does little bit dusting.
Oh, that's good!
Oh, morning, all morning!
Oh, well, that's good. Then it didn't interfere with the men's retreat.
Yeah. It was good weather.
Hmm!
How are you doing today, brother Matt?