Paul describes just how children of God should conduct themselves in the house of God.
I. Guidanceconcerning Clothing (11:1–16): The desired proper appearance.
A. The pattern (11:1–3)
1. The role model (11:1–2): Paul instructs believers to follow his examples just as he follows Christ’s.
2. The relationships (11:3)
a. The head of the woman is man (11:3b).
b. The head of the man is the Savior (11:3a).
c. The head of the Savior is the Father (11:3c).
B. The parties (11:4–16)
1. Rules concerning the man (11:4, 7–9, 14)
a. His head is to be uncovered (11:4, 7–9).
(1) Demonstrating his relationship to his Savior (11:4, 7)
(2) Demonstrating his relationship to his spouse (11:8–9)
b. His hair is to be cut (11:14).
2. Rules concerning the woman (11:5–6, 10, 13, 15–16)
a. Her head is to be covered (11:5, 10, 13).
(1) Demonstrating her submission to her Savior (11:13)
(2) Demonstrating her submission to her spouse (11:5)
(3) Demonstrating her submission to the angels (11:10)
b. Her hair is not to be cut (11:6, 15–16): It should not be shorn or shaved.
3. Rules concerning both (11:11–12)
a. The woman is not to be independent of the man (11:11).
b. The man is not to be independent of the woman (11:12).
OPEN:
How did you wear your hair 10 years ago? 20?
DIG:
In Greek, the word "head" (1 Corinthians 11:3) means "origin." Why was it important for Paul to state the relationship of women to God, Christ and man? How do 1 Corinthians 11:11-12 fit into your answer?
Paul assumes that women in the Corinthian church will pray and prophesy just as the men do. How do you feel about women leading worship? Have you ever been inspired to worship God because of a woman's efforts?
Pagan cults in Corinth practiced ecstatic worship, which frequently involved loose hair and nudity. How does this information shed light on the situation in Corinth?
REFLECT:
Concern for the glory of God, the interdependence of men and women, and sensitivity to the culture are three principles here. How do these principles apply in your church? In your marriage?
Imitating Jesus - we talk about the perfect example of Jesus and how He is: forgiving, peaceful, a teacher, selfless, and obedient. 1 Corinthians 11
THOUGHTS ON WOMEN WEARING A HEAD COVERING DURING WORSHIP A BRIEF STUDY OF 1 CORINTHIANS 11:3-16 BY Jerry Campbell
1 Corinthians 11:3-16 is a very difficult passage and widely varying views come from very sincere people forming opposing ideas about it. Because of this passage, some have demanded that women wear some kind of covering in worship services. After careful study of this passage, others feel perfectly free to allow women to worship without a covering. This study attempts to understand the language of this passage. (Quotations are from the NKJV.) 3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is manfand the head of Christ is God. The basic subject of the passage is authority: God is the head of Christ; Christ is the head of man; man is the head of woman. 4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. Man should not use a covering when teaching or praying. Removing the covering (hat, cap, etc.) is a sign of respect in the presence of a superior. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. The problem of the woman's uncovered head is not disrespect for God but disrespect for man (husband). This is also very clear in verse 7. That was true in the culture of Corinth in the first century, but it is not true in 21st century America.
THIS FACT IS THE KEY TO PROPERLY UNDERSTANDING THIS PASSAGE.
6 For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered. In the culture in Corinth a woman praying or prophesying without a covering was as shameful as a woman with a shaved head. A shaved head has been a sign of disgrace in most societies. 7For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8For man is not from woman, but woman from man. 9Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. This is a further discussion of man being the head of the woman, again giving emphasis to the fact that the problem of a covering is between man and woman, not between woman and God. If, in today's culture, there is no disrespect shown by a woman toward her husband or other men, if she does not have a head covering, there is no problem in her worshiping without one. 10 For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. This is a very difficult verse and has received much and varied commentary. Some have suggested that angels are somehow offended or tempted by viewing the uncovered heads of women. Some have suggested that this introduces an additional authority (the first was the authority of the man) to which women must submit. It is best to connect this verse with the next two verses to see the full context. Angels have to be in submission to God, so it is good for them to observe women being submissive to their husbands. 11,12 Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God. Great care must be exercised when the subject of a woman's subjection to man is discussed. It is very easy for men to become abusive in this area. This is not a question of intellectual or even spiritual superiority. Spiritually, men and women come to God on equal terms (Gal. 3:26-28; 1 Pet. 3:7 - note the discussion of submission in verses 1-6). It is a question of leadership. Men and women depend on each other: God created woman from man's rib, but men are born of women. Both men and women must ultimately respect each other, and both must respect God. 13Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Worshipers must give consideration to this matter. It was obvious in the Corinthian setting that it was improper for a woman to worship without a covering on her head. In modern assemblies, it is certainly possible for this to be permissible because there is no such current custom; thus, no problem is involved. 14Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him? It is natural for men to have shorter hair than women. The distinction is in the comparative lengths of the hair. The question involved in verses 14 and 15 is not "how long is long," which can vary from culture to culture, but "Is there a distinctive difference between the lengths of men's and women's hair? 15 But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering. Some have believed this verse says that the whole matter of a woman's covering in worship is satisfied by the fact that she has long hair. Most understand that there are two coverings in this passage, one natural and the other external and additional. 16 But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God. This is very important. This subject should not be allowed to create contention in churches. If a woman lives in a culture that demands a covering, she should accept it and not cause contention. If she lives in a culture that does not demand it, but still wants to wear a covering, she and others should not cause contention. If it is a culture that shows respect in other ways, no one should be contentious in demanding a covering. The word "custom" in verse 16 is difficult because it is not specifically defined. Many have said that it refers to not wearing a covering. However, this makes the language awkward because the focus of the passage has been on wearing a covering. If "custom" refers to wearing a covering, this verse appears to make the whole discussion useless. Paul may have discussed the whole matter to encourage a practice in Corinth without binding a law on all churches in all cultures. From chapter 5 to the end of the letter, there is an awareness of the impact of one Christian's actions on another. This section fits well in that pattern. A practice may be acceptable in some situations without being binding in every situation.
Three final notes:
1. Some have concluded that a woman should not cut her hair. Nothing in this passage suggests that. Verses 5 and 6 say "shaving" the head is a sign of "shame," but say nothing about cutting or trimming the hair. The issue is "long" hair for women and "short" hair for men, a contrast between the sexes. 2. A question comes to SEARCH because people observe the "short hair" of the women in the singing audience. It may be shorter than it could be or than it may have been at other times or in other cultures; however, there is no difficulty in distinguishing the women from the men in this audience. 3. I have done some very quick research on verse 16. The translations have a serious variation only in one place. The KJV, NKJV, ASV and others say "we have no such custom," while the RSV, NFV, NASV say "we have no other practice" (the NASV has a footnote saying "such" is the literal translation). There is not enough difference between "custom" and "practice" for any serious discussion. However, there is a real difference between "no such" and "no other" - the first refers to what has been discussed, and the second could focus on external practices. The first would suggest that Paul discussed the matter of women wearing a covering in worship and concludes that this is not a custom or practice in churches. The second might see Paul as setting up a custom or practice and allowing no discussion of another or different practice or custom. I am not a Greek scholar (I have a minor in Greek), but my quick research has reinforced my conviction that "no such" is the right translation; that is, the literal translation of the words. The other rendering seems to me to be more commentary than literal translation.
1 Corinthians 11 | Worship That Reflects God's Glory | Bible Study
Series: Be Different “Making
Transformative Moves” Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind.
Opening
Thoughts: What does it mean to be a non-anxious presence in
your home, work and in the world? Is it even possible? Learn how the voice of
chronic anxiety can be stilled by the truth of the gospel.
vNewly discovered asteroid may collide with the
earth.
4 Rejoice in the
Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!5 Let your gentleness be
evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be
anxious about anything, but in every situation,
by prayerand petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is
true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is
lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think
about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or
received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be
with you.
Summarize the main
story: Describe the events of the story in your own words.
vReview and
retell the story.
Reflections
for applications:
vAnxiety
(Acute
Anxiety vs. Chronic Anxiety)
vPhilippians
4:4-9
oRejoice
(Celebrate)
Be joyful.
oAnxious
(Pull
apart)
vJesus used the same word in Matthew 6:25, 31-34 “Therefore
I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or
about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body
more than clothes? … 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or
‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all
these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek
first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to
you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will
worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
vHelpful Insights and suggestions:
oBe
present – don’t worry about tomorrow.
§Worry doesn’t change the past or the future.
§How long have you lived?
oBe
prayerful – Prayer is the faith response to worry.
oBe
thankful – You can choose to focus on what’s best.
oBe
at peace – Be at peace with God and one another.
§Worry
doesn’t remove tomorrow’s PAIN, it just removes today’s PEACE.
§Anxiety
is often generated by false beliefs & false needs as well as assumptions
& expectations. – Steve Cuss
§Peace
is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God.
Digging
Questions:
·How
will you respond in being different? What transformative move needs to be made?
·What do these biblical texts tell you about God and His nature?
·What is God calling us to do?
Take Away
Challenges
·What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in
this passage? How will you apply it to your life this week?
·Whom do you know who needs to hear this?
·What is God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What
beliefs, thoughts or actions need to be addressed or changed?
The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis is a very creative approach to Christian psychology. The letters are an imaginary correspondence
between Screwtape, an experienced demon tempter, and his nephew, Wormwood, a novice demon recently assigned to tempt a man in order to win him over to the devil. Frequently Screwtape suggests subtle temptations to subtle sins.
Screwtape also suggests that a certain amount religious practice is not bad for the devil's cause, as long as it is done in an outward way with little or no influence over the man's will. At one point Screwtape writes to Wormwood
about moderation:
Talk to him about "moderation in all things." If you can once get him to the point of thinking that "religion is
all very well up to a point," you can feel quite happy about his soul. A moderated religion is as good for us [devils] as no religion at all and more amusing.
If Jesus had taught a religion of "moderation in all things," he would have been welcomed by the Sadducees and could have
avoided the cross. Not only were the claims of Jesus about himself extravagant, but also the demands he laid upon others were pervasive.
“Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment...every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed
adultery...If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away...If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away...Do not swear at all...Do not resist one who is evil...Love your enemies...You
must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect...Judge not...Enter by the narrow gate...whoever would save his life will lose it...Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”
This does not sound much like "moderation in all things."
==============
HELP ME PRAY
October 16 , 2018
Dr. Joe Pettigrew
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God.”
Philippians 4:6
When you pray, how much of your prayer is spent praising and thanking God, and how much is spent making requests?
We should take advantage of every opportunity we get to say “Thank You” to God in prayer. If we’re happy, our joy will be multiplied by sharing our
gratitude with the One who made it possible. If we’re down, we’ll feel better when we focus on the good things God is doing in our life.
Too often my prayers, even during my devotional time, sound like a fast-food order. The problem with that approach is that it’s one-sided. Shouldn’t
prayer be a conversation, a way of exercising and celebrating our relationship with God?
Constant asking may not make for a good relationship.
If we’re serious about having a relationship with God, a good rule of thumb may be to begin our prayers with praise and thanksgiving. That way, if we
run out of time, we will have gotten to the critical, relationship-building part. God will take care of our needs and honor our requests. He proves that every day.
Thought of the Day: Ask God to forgive you for the times you forget to tell Him how much you appreciate what He has done for you.
=======================
August 31, 2009
What Are You Worried About?
by Rick Warren“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.
Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4:6–7
MSG).
Two businessmen were talking about the economy:
Jack: “I’m about to lose my job and our house is in foreclosure,
but I don’t worry about it.”
Bob: “How can you not be worried?”
Jack: “I’ve hired a professional worrier. He does all my worrying
for me. That way I don’t have to think about it!”
Bob: “That’s a fantastic idea. How much does it cost to hire a professional
worrier?”
Jack: “$50,000 a year.”
Bob: “$50,000! Where are you going to get that kind of money?”
Jack: “I don’t know. That’s HIS worry!”
Worry is something you learn to do.
There is no such thing as a “born worrier.” It is a learned response to life. You learned to worry from two sources:
1. You learned to worry from experience. After years of mistakes, failures, and unfulfilled expectations, you’ve discovered that things don’t always turn out right. Out of these experiences, you formed the habit
of worrying.
2. You learned to worry from examples. There are many models around you. Studies show that children usually pick up their parent’s worries. Anxious parents raise anxious kids.
Since worry is a learned response to life, it can be unlearned!
The starting point for overcoming worry is to realize it is useless. It does you no good to worry. It is “stewing without doing.” Worry has never changed
anything. Worry cannot change the past. Worry cannot control the future. Worry only makes you miserable today.
Worry has never solved a problem, never paid a bill, and never cured an illness. It only paralyzes you so you can’t work on the solution. Worry is like
racing a car when its engine is in neutral; it doesn’t get you anywhere, it just uses up gas.
The Bible teaches, “An anxious heart weighs a man down” (Proverbs 12:25 NIV).
On top of that, worry exaggerates the problem. It plays on your imagination. Have you ever noticed that when you worry about a problem it gets bigger? Every time you repeat if over and over in your mind you
tend to add details, amplifying it so you feel worse.
What’s the solution? Instead of worrying, talk to God about what’s worrying you. He is someone who can do something about it.
“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you
know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4:6–7 MSG).
Where do we find our identity? How would people describe you?
Junkpile - what do you see?
Text Graphic
God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.
Reflections:
We can be made clean on the inside.
John 17:14-16 - 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by[d] the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Digging Questions:
How to live a “Set Apart” life. Be Holy 1 Peter 1:13-16
Be Prepared 1 Peter 1:13
Be Self-Controlled - 1 Peter 1:13
Be Hopeful 1 Peter 1:13
Be Obedient 1 Peter 1:14
Be Holy 1 Peter 1:16
Live as Exiles/Foreigners
God sees me! 1 Peter 1:17
Recognize our differences 1 Peter 1:18-19
Living the Plan (not the dream) 1 Peter 1:20
Love Each Other
1 Peter 1:22
Stand on what Stands Forever
1 Peter 1;23-25a (Isaiah 40:6-8)
Take Away Challenges
How much time do you spend in God’s word getting close to Him?
Restoring
Relationships: Reconciliation, Not Always Resolution
by Rick
Warren"Work hard at living in peace with others" (1 Peter 3:11
NLT).
The seventh biblical step toward
restoring a relationship is to emphasize reconciliation, not resolution.
It's unrealistic to expect
everyone to agree about everything. Reconciliation focuses on the relationship,
while resolution focuses on the problem. When we focus on reconciliation, the
problem loses significance and often becomes irrelevant.
We can re-establish a
relationship even when we are unable to resolve our differences. Christians
often have legitimate, honest disagreements and differing opinions, but we can
disagree without being disagreeable.
The same diamond looks different
from different angles. God expects unity, not uniformity, and we can walk arm
in arm without seeing eye to eye on every issue.
This doesn't mean you give up on
finding a solution. You may need to continue discussing and even debating--but
you do it in a spirit of harmony. Reconciliation means you bury the hatchet,
not necessarily the issue.
With whom do you need to restore
fellowship? Pause right now and talk to God about that person. Then pick up the
phone and begin the process. The seven steps toward restoring relationships are
simple, but they’re not easy. It takes a lot of effort to restore a
relationship. That's why Peter urged, "Work hard at living in peace with
others" (1 Peter 3:11 NLT).
But when you work for peace, you
are doing what God would do. That's why God calls peacemakers his children.
