Corinthians: Principles Governing Body Functioning — Stephen Kaung

This is Monday evening, November the 5th, 1973, in Richmond, Virginia. Ministry is being given through Brother Stephen Kahn.

Lord, as we gather together in thy presence, ours does thou deserve it, in worship, in love, in adoration. Lord, thou art the Lamb that was slain. Thou art the one who redeemed us out of every nation, tribe, country.

Thou has made us both kings and priests. O Lord, how can we not offer our worship to thee? Thou art so worthy, so worthy. Lord, how can we refrain from praising thee? Thou art so praiseworthy. O may praise, honor, glory be all unto thyself forever and forever.

Lord, there is no ending to praise in thee. Thou art the God. Thou art the Christ. Thou art our Lord. Thou art our Master. For our hearts, if thou has anything to say to us tonight, open our ears, open our understanding, deliver us from ourselves, from all the limitations, the restrictions.

Thou has to set us free, that we may enter into thy self, thy way, because thy ways are higher than our ways, and thy thoughts are higher than ours. Do not allow us to drag thee down, to draw thee to our level, but lift us out of us to thy level, to thy self, to thy way.

Oh, this is the prayer of our hearts. May thy glory be manifested. This is the only reason why we are here tonight. We ask the Lord to breathe upon our ears. May they be living and operating in our lives.

We trust thee, Lord. May we read from 1 Corinthians chapter 14. 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verse 1. Follow as to love, and be amulets of spiritual manifestation. But rather than ye may prophesy, for he that speaks with a tongue, does not speak to man, but to God, for no one hears.

But in spirit he speaks mystery. But he that prophesies speaks to man in edification, and encouragement, and consolation. He that speaks with a tongue edifies himself, but he that prophesies edifies the church.

Now I desire that ye should all speak with tongues, but rather that ye should prophesy. But greater is he that prophesies than he that speaks with tongues, unless he interprets, that the church may receive edification.

Verse 24. But if all prophesy, and some unbeliever or sinful person come in, he is convicted of all. He is judged of all. The secrets of his heart are manifested, and thus falling upon his face, he will do homage to God, reporting that God is indeed among you.

What is it then, brethren? Whenever ye come together, each one of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation, let all things be done to edification. If anyone speak with a tongue, let it be two or at the most three, and separately, and let one interpret.

But if there be no interpreter, let him be silent in the church, and let him speak to himself and to God. And let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. But if there be a revelation to another sitting there, let the first be silent.

For ye can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all be encouraged. And spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace, as in all the churches of the faith.

Let your women be silent in the churches, for it is not permitted to them to speak, but to be in subjection, as the law also says. But if they wish to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is a shame for a woman to speak in church.

Did the word of God come out from you, or did it come to you only? If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize the things that are right to you, that it is the law's commandment.

But if any be ignorant, let him be ignorant. So that brethren desire to prophesy, and do not forbid the speaking with tongues. But let all things be done calmly and with order. We mentioned during the past two sessions that in these chapters, the Apostle Paul is dealing with this matter of the spiritual, the matter of spirituality.

Christ's Lordship and the Unity of the Body

And by the grace of God, we enter into the spiritual realm. There are certain things, basic, that we need to know. Number one, we need to know the Lordship of Christ. We need to see that Jesus is Lord.

We need to see the head. We need to be subjected to the authority of Christ in our lives. We need to hold fast the head. And this is the first essential in the spiritual realm. Then secondly, we need to see the body.

No one is the body. We are just members of the one body of Christ. In one spirit, we have been baptized into one body, whether Jews or Gentiles, Mormon or Sunni. You know, in this world, there is nothing that will separate people.

Or there is no distance that are further than the distance between the Jews and the Gentiles. Because this is not only a racial distinction, not only a national difference, it is even religion. The thing between the Jews and the Gentiles could never be bridged, humanly speaking.

And yet, in one spirit, we have been baptized into one body, whether Jews or Gentiles. And you know, during the time of Paul, he was under the Roman Empire. There were more barmen than freemen. Only Roman citizens, they were free.

They enjoyed all the privilege and the right of citizenship. But the majority of the world were slaves. They had no right, they had no privilege before the law. And the distance between a freeman and a barman was insurmountable.

And yet, in one spirit, we have been all baptized into one body, whether freemen or barmen. As a matter of fact, when we were baptized in one spirit into one body, there was no longer Jews nor Gentiles.

No more freemen nor barmen. But it is Christ all, and we have all been given the drink of one. In other words, we are not only being baptized into one body, but we are made to drink of one spirit. The Spirit of God himself within us is to be the law of the body.

And because we are a living body under a living head. Because we are a living body joined to a living head. Therefore, the Holy Spirit manifests himself being the members of the body by giving each member a gift of gifts.

Now, brothers and sisters, never look at spiritual gifts as a thing by itself. As if the Holy Spirit gives a person a gift, and now it is up to you to use that gift. And with that gift it is to manifest yourself.

Not so. All the spiritual gifts that are given to the members of the body of Christ are the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. They are his manifestations, not your manifestations, not my manifestations.

And by the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, the body of Christ is to be healed, is 1 Corinthians. But before this living body enters into functioning, there is a more excellent way that has to follow.

Love as the Way of Life for the Body

And this is chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians. Follow. The life of the body is life. Because the life in the body is none other but Christ himself. God is love. Unless there is love in the body, this body will disintegrate.

Unless there is love in the body, the functioning of the spiritual gifts will result in confusion rather than in uplifting. Love is the way of life for the body. We often talk of American way of life.

When I first came to this country, I just couldn't understand. Oftentimes I met a wall. Whenever I was at odds with some brothers and sisters concerning certain things, I got the answer. This is our American way of life.

I was so frustrated. It is so intangible. What is the American way of life? They cannot explain it to me. And yet they know it. And I hit the wall with it. Well, after being in this country for so many years, I began to know without knowing the American way of life.

But brothers and sisters, in this body of Christ, it is not the American way of life that matters. It is, and God's way of life for the body is love. Oh, that we may be filled with a love of Christ. Not only love the Lord, our head, but love one another with that love.

Then that body will really grow. That way is known. Then in chapter 14, Paul goes into the functioning of the body. You have the body here. And the life of the body is love. Now the members of the body begin to function, to operate, so that the body may be filled up.

And that is 1 Corinthians. For tonight, we would just like to point out a few points. A few principles, a few guidelines for the operation of the body. You know, the body of Christ is living. You cannot try to confine its operation to a fixed formula.

What the Bible really gives us are a few guidelines or principles. And these principles or guidelines are to be used, not legalistically, but to be used spiritually. Spiritual laws have to be applied spiritually.

When you're trying to apply spiritual laws, technically, it becomes bad. So I do hope that when we enter into this chapter, we must remember that what the Spirit of God is showing us is some of the principles of the body in action.

And these principles had to be applied spiritually, not mechanically, not legalistically. I think these are the few things we have to mention. When you open this chapter, you find as if the first 25 verses seem to be devoted to a contrast of tongues and prophecies.

But of course we know this contrast of tongues and prophecies is just used to illustrate some points. Surely in the body of Christ, surely with the members of the body of Christ, there are more gifts than just tongues and prophecies.

As a matter of fact, even when in chapter 12, Paul lists a few of the gifts of the members of the body of Christ. This is not a complete list. In Romans 12, you'll find a list. In 1 Corinthians 12, you'll find another list.

In Ephesians 4, you'll find another list. But none of these lists are complete. In a sense, they are just some examples. The body of Christ is composed of many members. Therefore, the gifts that the Spirit of God gives to the members of the body are many.

Not just 9. Not just 12. The problem today is, if we do not see these 9 gifts, we say there is no gift. But brothers and sisters, all that you'll find in the Bible is just to illustrate a point, that's all.

And in order to illustrate certain points, Paul takes hold of two gifts. The gift of speaking in tongues and the gift of prophesying. And he uses these two gifts to make some points. One who is speaking in tongues, he edifies himself.

He is speaking with a spirit. But his understanding is not there. Maybe in his heart, in his spirit, he is speaking of mysteries. But nobody hears. In other words, there in his spirit, he may be speaking of mysteries.

But nobody understands. Even himself does not understand. Though his spirit is uplifted. Now that is speaking in tongues. But prophesying is not only speaking with spirit, but it is also speaking with understanding.

And because it is speaking with spirit and with understanding, he himself understands and those who hear him understand. In other words, it edifies. Can you say this gift given by the Holy Spirit is greater than that gift given by the same spirit?

Can you say this gift given by the Holy Spirit is smaller than that gift given by the same spirit? All the gifts come from the one and same spirit. All the gifts are his manifestation. How can we say that this gift is bigger than the other and the other is smaller than this one?

How can we say that? So far as the gifts themselves are concerned, it seems to me that they are equally good, they are equally big, or they are equally small. So the Bible does say the gift of prophecy is greater than the gift of speaking in tongues.

Why? This is not because of the gift itself. This is because of the effect of the gift upon the Bible. Now that makes all the difference. When we are speaking in tongues, in his spirit he is speaking of mystery.

And he himself is edified. Nobody else is edified. So far as himself is concerned, that is good. But so far as the body is concerned, it doesn't build up the body. The manifestations that build up the body are greater gifts.

Edification as the Governing Principle

The greatness and the smallness are to be measured by the body. You'll come to the first point. The first point that Paul wants to make is this. When the body operates, it must be guided by this principle, and that is edifying.

This is the principle that governs the exercising of spiritual gifts. And because of that, Paul said, since you are earnestly seeking for spiritual gifts, seek the greater gifts. That is to say, those gifts that will edify the church.

The word edify is not a good translation. I remember Brother Fox used to change it and say edify. The word edify there should be literally translated build up. When spiritual gifts are exercised, they are for the purpose of building up the body.

This is the objective. Therefore, if one speaks in tongues, he is edifying, building up himself. And if there is no interpretation, he should just speak to himself. But if there is interpretation, then it is as great as prophesying.

Because it builds up. Brothers and sisters, why is it that Paul should make such a point concerning the function of the mind of the body of Christ? The manifestation is because of this. In the church in Corinth, they are very rich in gifts, particularly in the speaking of the Holy Spirit.

As if there is not too much prophesying there, but lots of speaking in tongues. And the result is, they tend to display their gifts to make a show of themselves instead of really building up. And it is for this purpose, you'll find Paul says, it is better to speak five words with understanding that will build up a mentality has to be developed.

The mentality of a child is very self-centered. On the one hand, when you see a child, I think everybody loves a child. So innocent, so open, no surprise. And yet on the other hand, the mentality of a child is self-centered.

A child can only think of himself. A child does not care about anybody else. In the midnight, if a child is hungry, he cries. He will get the mother up. He is the most important person in this world. And you watch a child.

When they are accompanied, how that child will act to be the center of attention. A child wants everybody to be focused upon him. And then, brothers and sisters, in the body of Christ, our mentality needs to be developed.

How many of God's children never outgrow their gifts? And even in the exercise of spiritual gifts, here in the church at Corinth, all they do want, they want to draw attention to themselves. They want to display their gifts.

Self-centered. They do not care whether it will build up other brothers and sisters. They only care that everybody will look to them and say, how wonderful. That's a childish man that can think only of himself.

And not in terms of building up their proposals, your mentality. Instead of the mentality of a child, you should have the mentality of a grown-up. Instead of seeking the gift that would display yourself, seek the gift that will build up.

When you are exercising your gift, don't try to draw people to you. When you're exercising the gift, let people be built up in Christ. And that is the kind of mentality that has to be developed. If all God's people, when they come together, they all have the childish mentality, you know what will happen.

But if all God's people could come together with a mentality of the grown-up, oh, how the church would be richly. This is the first guiding principle of the body we operate. The problem with the church in Corinth is not gift, gift.

The problem with the church in Corinth is the childish mentality. That's the problem. Nothing wrong with the gift. Given by God. Manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Given for the purpose of the building up of the body.

But with a childish mentality. So may we grow in the Lord. May we seek to build up. May we be delivered from self-centeredness. From drawing people upon us. But may we build people. Now that is, as God's people come together, there is one object that the glory of the Lord may be.

The Presence of the Lord in the Gathered Church

What is the temple for? The temple is to be filled with the glory of the Lord. And I remember Brother Scott once said, what is glory? And the definition he gives is, when God is satisfied, there is glory.

Not you are satisfied. Not I'm satisfied. But God is satisfied. In Matthew chapter 18, verse 10, the Lord says, Where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them. What is the temple?

What is the house of God? It is the place where God puts his people. And because God's name is there, the glory of the Lord is there. Wherever there are two or three gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Now this is the principle. Yes, when God's people come together, when the body, the one thing that were measured is, whether, if all speak in tongues, Paul says, the unlearned, the sinful person, the unbeliever, they come in and they couldn't understand a thing.

And they say, you're mad. But Paul says, if all prophesy, then the sinful person, the unbeliever coming in, and they are convicted, and they have to bow down and say, the Lord is indeed in their midst.

Brothers and sisters, what matters is the presence. You know, oftentimes, when we come together, what are you looking for, brothers and sisters? Lots of people have talked to me. Oh, they will talk to me and say, now brother, this meeting is no good.

That meeting, what are you looking for? What are you looking for? When God's people assemble together, there is only one measurement. And that is the presence of the Lord. If the presence of the Lord is there, and is real, and is manifesting, that is to say, when God's people come together, they meet the Lord.

They will bow down and say, the Lord is indeed here. But if the Lord's people come together and go away without seeing the Lord, the reality of the body, this is the one thing that you should look to.

It is not how much gift is manifested, what kind of gift is manifested. It is not the liveliness, it is not the knowledge, it is not this, it is not that. But when God's people come together, you should look for only one thing, and that is the presence.

If the presence of the Lord is here, the reality of the body. If the presence of the Lord is not here, nothing, nothing will matter. I believe this is a very important principle. Governing the body in action.

When the Lord's people come together, this is the time that through the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, the head is exalted. The Lord is indeed in your midst. And number three, Paul says, the church, each one of you has a song, has a tongue, has a revelation, has a teaching, has interpretation.

Mutual Ministry and the Two Kinds of Church Meetings

Let all things be done through the anticipation of the church. Here is the body of Christ, and there are many, many mentions. And the Holy Spirit, according to his pleasure, he gives gifts to each one.

And all the gifts are different. So when the church assembles, when it comes into action, here you'll find each one of you, each of you, probably it needs a little explanation here. You know, there are two different kinds of meetings.

Shall we say one is what we call ministry meetings? The other is what we call church meetings. In other words, there is one kind of meeting which is actually work. One who is called by God, who is given certain gifts by God to minister to the church.

That is his ministry. Like God gives to the church some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some teachers and pastors, for the perfecting of the saints. In other words, God sends these men as gifts to the church, and they work upon the body.

He ministers to them. Let us call this ministry meetings. And this kind of meeting is, by outward appearance, is a one-way traffic, just like tonight. Now, of course, the one who ministers needs those who are being ministered to minister to him if he is to fulfill his ministry.

The third part is, when you come to this kind of meeting, everybody in the audience tends to become passive. And let all the responsibility rest on the speaker. No wonder very little is done. If the Spirit of God is really working, and if the ministry is effective, you will find one thing.

The one who ministers is being richly ministered by those people he is ministering to. In other words, they draw out. But by all outward form, it is a one-way traffic, one-way traffic. That is one kind of meeting.

But there is another kind of meeting. We call it church meeting. Why call it church meeting? Because the principle of that meeting is not one-way traffic, but it is both-way traffic. In other words, there is a mutuality there.

Not one person ministers. Exercising his gift to minister to the whole church. But every member of the body ministers one to another. And this is body ministry. I think sometimes people are a little bit confused.

Do you think body ministry is to minister to the body by one person? If you are not just minister to one group, but you minister to many groups, then you have body ministry. Not so. Body ministry is the members of the body minister to one another.

That is body ministry. And body ministry is based on the principle of mutuality. There is no one in the body that is just on the receiving part. There is no one that will be always on the giving part.

You'll find it is mutuality. As the Spirit leads, each one of you has. You minister to me and I minister to you. You give and you receive. Now this is the principle of a church meeting. This is body in operation in the history of Christianity.

We know lots of the so-called ministry meetings, but we know very little of the so-called church meetings. So if I remember correctly, Campbell Morgan once said, and he was a pastor in a big church in London.

I think it's Westminster Church or something like that. And once he said, in the New Testament, there is only one place that tells us how to meet. And yet we do not have such meetings. So he tried to initiate that kind of meeting in his congregation, but it doesn't work.

It didn't work. We are so used to one type of meeting which is ministry meeting. We have someone there on the platform minister to us and we are just sitting there and enjoying. Not even cooperating with it.

How terrible for the one to minister to a congregation and find these people sitting there as his judges. And we are used to that kind of meeting. There is a place for such kind of meeting. In the New Testament, you'll find that.

But brothers and sisters, there is a far greater place, if I may put it that way, for the building up of the body. The body, the members of the body must minister to one another. If it is only the ministry type of meeting without the church type of meeting cannot be healed quickly and healthily.

Thank God. It seems as if God is moving his people in that direction today. More and more people begin to realize when we come together, we need to minister to one another. Each, remember this, underline it.

Not just a few big members. Not just a few with greater gifts. Probably people with greater gifts, bigger members, they should minister more because they have more to give. But that does not take away the smaller members with more gifts.

You may have a psalm. What is a psalm? You may not be a musician. You may not be a poet. But you may have a psalm. What is a psalm? If you read a psalm, you'll find psalms all over. You will have an experience with God.

And out of your experience with God, or the experience of Christ, there is music. There is poetry, poems, concerts, not in rhymes and rhythms. But can any believer say he never has a psalm? He never has an experience of Christ in his life if anyone has a psalm.

Or you may have a time. Or you may have a teaching. Or you may have a revelation. Or you may have a prophecy. In other words, it is unlimited. Unlimited. It is all-varying. Do not say that I must be like that brother or that sister.

Then I have something to contribute. Not at all. Each of you has. Not according to what you do not have, but according to what you do have. Brothers and sisters, some people, may I say, have a kind of genius mentality.

You never prepare yourself. You never study before the Lord. You never seek the Lord's face. But when you come to a meeting, you're waiting to be so moved by the Spirit of God at the spur of the moment that you may do something, contribute something.

Each. The Bible says each of you has. When the children of Israel come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord, they do not come empty-handed. Through the year they have been laboring on their fields. And out of the labor of their hands, they bring the baptism.

They bring the produce. They bring what the Lord has taught for them. And they bring them to the temple. If you come empty-handed and suddenly you find a basket fall into your hand. I do not think it will not happen, but it rarely happens.

That's the problem. God's people are not diligent in their daily life. God's people are curious in their daily life. Therefore, when they come together, nobody brings anything. They all come empty-handed.

And if you come empty-handed, you are expecting to be saved. Because you haven't got anything. No wonder you'll find a poverty there. Only by the mercy of God, after a long time of struggling through, then it seems as if but a little bit is squeezed out.

That is not the way. The way is every brother, every sister. In their daily life, they are diligent before the Lord. They are learning the Lord. They are learning His words. They are learning His ways.

And because everyone is diligent, therefore you'll find some may have a song. Some may have a teaching. Some may have this. Some may have that. And brothers and sisters, when each of you hold and come together and contribute, minister with that which you are prospered by the Lord, that's how the body is healed up.

Not genius type, but diligent. Even a genius is 95 perspiration and only 5 inspiration. It is true. As we come together, we need to be led of the Lord. But still, the Lord must have something to lead you, have something to bring.

Preparedness and the Spirit's Leading in Assembly

Well, it creates another problem. And it is a problem so different from our problem. Our problem is very little has been brought. But you know, if we really are diligent before the Lord, and each of you has, each of you has, suppose there are 50 people there and everyone has something.

Now there is a problem. What? Because we are still living in time. One day that problem will be solved. But today there is this problem. Is it because the Lord has given you something during the week?

Therefore, you have to squeeze that into the meeting. Otherwise, you think, what a waste. Not that. Oh, the beauty of it is, each one of you has, everyone comes together with an open heart to give as well as to receive.

And here is the leading. The Holy Spirit may touch upon one person and say, give. He may jump over another person to the third one and say, give. Even if you have the guidance of the Holy Spirit in you.

We often misunderstand guidance in you. Everybody sits there passively waiting for guidance. Just like those people in that porch of the Pharaoh, the first up waiting for the water to move. And you jump.

The Holy Spirit does not guide that way. Does not guide that way. If you are sitting there passively, if you do not bring anything with you, the Spirit of God has nothing to move with. That is not guidance in the meeting.

Guidance in the meeting is, everyone comes prepared as it were, prepared before God's grace. Everyone comes bringing something there. Oh, how thrilled it is to see the Spirit of God begin to speak. And you know, when the Spirit of God moves, sometimes it brings awe to you.

You find that even though it may be a song, it may be a teaching, it may be a song, it may be a revelation, and yet you find there is a unity, there is a harmony, there is a direction. It is not this order.

It is the leading. And some brothers and sisters, they do not care how the Holy Spirit leads in the meeting. He has to put His Spirit to ministry. Oh, how much we need. We need the Spirit. If it is just yourself, the Spirit is enough.

But if it is the body, we need, how we need to be open, alert, that the Holy Spirit may protect us. How we need to see the direction that the Spirit is moving in the meeting. Oh, brothers and sisters, when this happens, it's more than beautiful, it is glorious.

You see the Lord. You see the Lord. This is how God's people meet. Or even if the Holy Spirit does not pick you this moment, do not be discouraged. It doesn't mean that you do not have anything. It doesn't mean that you are more, you are inferior.

It doesn't mean that. It is just the sovereignty of the Spirit of God. And nothing is lost. At another time, it is deposited there. The Holy Spirit touches and brings it into life at the right moment for the right purpose.

Nothing is lost. This is the way God's people should meet. It is not of this order. But it is an order. It is the order of the Spirit of God in the body. It is not an order arranged by man, programmed by man.

No. It is an order of the Spirit in the body. As the Spirit moves, He manifest Himself in certain days. And you will find it all in perfect peace. Perfect simple. Perfect harmony. There is no jarring note.

There is no distraction. But it is building up, building up. Now, of course, in 1 Corinthians 14, this is a church in the face of all the wonders, exercising, functioning as the Spirit directs. The principle is.

But it doesn't mean that there is only one kind of meeting. There can be variations. It can be a prayer meeting. It can be a meeting studying the Bible together. It can be an open fellowship meeting. But the principle is.

Order, Spiritual Gifts, and Women in the Church

Now, we will come to the most difficult part. Here you will find Paul says, Let a woman. I think I cannot skip that. But I'm not trying to avoid it. Brothers and sisters, I have to go back a little. You know, Paul was in Corinth for a year and a half.

And during that a year and a half, he said he knew nothing among them but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I believe that. Because he did not tell these believers how to meet. He really knew nothing else.

But Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Many people got saved. And of course, those people who were saved, they assembled together. As an expression of the body of Christ. You are free to say that Paul never instructed them how to meet.

Was it a negligence on the part of Paul? Suppose I go to a certain place. And suppose by the grace of God, a number of people got saved. I will gather them together and say now we are to build a New Testament church.

Now you're going to meet in this way. And I will lay down 10 or 100 rules and regulations. Now this is what you should do. This is what you shouldn't do. Suppose I do that. You know what will happen? These rules, these regulations will kill the life in the believers.

Instead of let the life flow as the Spirit leads. They will look into these rules and regulations. You go back to the Old Testament. You don't have a New Testament church. You have an Old Testament congregation.

That's what you have. So Paul was very wise. And to a number of people got saved. He said meet together. Minister to one another. And he left. So these people came together. And they were rich in gifts.

All these gifts are being displayed. And all the members of function very lively. Too lively. Because they began to fight against each other. Uncommonly. Not very beautiful. God allows them to grow without trying to circumscribe.

Let the life grow. Let the life grow. And then when life grows to a certain degree. Then some direction. Some instruction. Brothers and sisters, I believe that is what Paul was doing. First Corinthians.

The letter to the first Corinthians. The first letter to the Corinthians is of corrective nature. Not of selective nature. In other words, in the first letter to the Corinthians. There are very little selective things.

But more of corrective. Because something is already done. But it's not quite right. Therefore, it needs to be corrected. So here you'll find when Paul said let the woman be silent. Remember, he didn't tell the woman to be silent from the very beginning.

If he did, they would be silent already. You see my point? Very often out of our good intentions to keep the word. From the very beginning he laid down the law. And you know what happens? Usually when an assembly or first begins.

Usually there are more women than men. And usually women are more spiritual than men. And if you start with such legality. You say this is the Bible. I believe in it. But the letter to you'll find more than half of the body is paralyzed.

And the other half, smaller half can hardly keep it going. You say this is wrong. This is wrong. Thank God as life begins to grow to a certain degree. The Spirit of God will step in and say now there needs to be regulated.

And this is, I do not know if you'll go along with me. But this is how I read it. We should not neglect the Word of God. And yet the Word of God is not to be blatantly neglected. It has to be applied in life.