“This do in remembrance of Me.” In our mind is to be the picture of what Jesus did for us. We gaze upon the Tree and the Blood that flowed, and we enter into communion with the Living Lord.

Our renewed spirit, the one that was given life when we were born again, is involved in this meal also. There is a spiritual feeding going on, and the emblems serve to remind us of how much God loved us.

2. I Corinthians 10:22. Why does Paul ask, “We are not stronger, are we?”

Participating in any demonic activity sets up a competition between that demon and Jesus. More to the point, it is a competition between the Lord and our puny selves. It makes Him jealous. Now, if you make the Lord jealous, are you ready for what comes next? Are you ready to fight with the Lord Himself? Are you strong enough for that?

3. I Corinthians 11:3. “God” is the head of “Christ”. Is not Christ God?

Headship in the Heavenlies. And on Earth. Who is in charge? What is the chain of command? A woman is to look to her husband for that authority. The man is to look to Jesus Christ. And Jesus, ever the Son, continues to be submitted to the Father.

This does not change the substance of Jesus Christ, only speaks of His function as compared to God the Father. His example of subordination to the Father is set before a man and a woman here, reminding them that they too have clear responsibilities when it comes to submission.

4. I Corinthians 11:4-5. Why must a woman cover her head, but not a man?

We assume here that the covering mentioned for the woman is in worship. We are not told about the everyday dress, though it is certain that people in that part of the world, whether today or then, are comfortable with a woman’s showing her submission at all times.

But the question: Why is the woman covered and not the man? Does not the man have to show submission to His Higher Authority, Jesus Christ?

Paul’s reasoning, and we believe he speaks from the Spirit when he talks to the church, is as follows:

• Man is the image and glory of God. First created for that very purpose. He is not to cover that connection between Him and Heaven.
• Woman comes next, made out of man. She is the glory of man. Her glory is meant for man only.
• So the woman needs to have some sort of symbol of authority on her head, because angels, who have been known to misstep in the area of authority, are watching.

He goes on to say that “in the Lord” ultimately, the two are dependent on each other. But this observation does not cause him to go back and erase what he has already written.

Oh how far modern woman, and man too, has come from this sublime teaching!

5. I Corinthians 11:16. We have no other practice, says Paul. Meaning?

Sorry to say, there are two valid ways to look at this one. Two camps have formed around them. There is a slight difference in the possible translation of a Greek word that could be at the heart of it. Did Paul say “other” or did he say “such.”

First, you go back to verse 13: “… is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered [obviously no]?” …well, we have no other [such] practice, nor do any of the other churches in fact. This is what we believe, and who we are.

In other words, no changes are to be made in the way we have been operating. Women, I have given you the reasoning behind all this. Now, cover your heads, for the glory of your husband and the betterment of the church.

But second, there is the possibility that Paul was saying that no rule had been formed in the church as yet. “We have no such practice” of demanding that women have long hair and have it covered. So each woman is free to choose as she will…

Now you read that text with both ideas in mind, one at a time. See where the flow of the text leads you.

6. I Corinthians 11:19. “Those approved may become evident.” What does this mean?

Human nature demands that problems are going to come into the church body. Heresies. Divisions. False men. God allows them in to illuminate the truly godly in the church, who, standing next to these dark ones, are so clearly light and truth.

7. I Corinthians 11:27-29. Guilty? In what sense? What does it mean to “discern the body”?

Context, context. The church was in chaos. Communion time was also meal time. No one was thinking about the body and blood of Jesus. They were concerned about a good meal. They were pushing and shoving and gluttonizing. If it was sin that put Jesus on the cross, then treating these emblems in such a careless carnal way was to participate in that sin. Neglect. Disrespect. In God’s eyes, His people are guilty when they approach Him this way. “Discern the body” seems to have to do with the right focus and attitude toward the bread and wine.

8. I Corinthians 12:13. Who has received the Spirit baptism?

Anyone that is truly in the Body of Jesus – and who knows their identities? – has been baptized in the Holy Ghost. That’s how you got in. Men baptized you in water, but Jesus added you to the church by baptizing you in the Spirit. I do not make light of this. I am not calling it automatic. I believe an experience is essential. That experience in Acts was connected to repentance, the forgiveness of sins, water baptism. There was always “something” that happened in those experiences that was initiated from heaven, while things were going on in the church. But that package of events, culminated by that experience, is the baptism of the Spirit.

9. I Corinthians 12:28. Is there any indication here that prophets and apostles will not be needed in the ongoing church?

Though we use logic and reason and excuse, no, there is no clue here that these offices will die out altogether. There will always be a need for men to go into areas where no one has gone before, with the power of God and the Word of God. These men will quite often be martyred and mistreated, but new churches will arise when the initial work is finished. Call them missionaries if you like. Apostles is the same word in another language. But these men have been here all along. They are first in time, first in authority (in their field), first in suffering.