During the journey to explore the teaching from Paul in his
epistles to Corinthian church, I observe some points which I felt are
interesting and they make me to reflect on current situation as well as my life
as a Christian.
The first matter is about church discipline. During Paul’s
time, the discipline action was to ex-communicate the person and asked the
person to leave the church. Paul told the Corinthian believers that even do not
eat with such people. What I learn is that the purpose to ex-communicate such
people is to keep the purity of the church. As of today, I understand that
churches still exercising such discipline, by announcing to the whole
congregation to ex-communicate anyone who has sin and failed to produce any
fruit of repentance. However, nowadays, there are so many different churches
around, and also with so many difference denominations. Anyone who has been
ex-communicated from one church, could easily go to any other church nearby
without any trouble. If this is the case, the purpose of such discipline looks
like become ineffective. In the past ten over years, I did witness certain
discipline actions being executed in church. Some cases, the persons’ sin were
exposed, and announced to the whole congregation. Certain cases, were been
handled with privacy, particularly while those people repented and prepare to
walk through counselling, for restoration. I had witnessed some good result, and
the person was restored back to be a faithful person, and even start to involve
in ministry, to helping the other. The person did become a wounded healer, and
his past failure experience, has become a powerful witness to help those people
who fail in similar sin. However, there were also cases that the person ignored
the warning, refused to attend any counselling session, and run away from the
church which exercise the discipline, and moved to other church. While I
reflecting on such cases, what I felt is that as a leader in church, one of the
important task is to pray for all members in the church for God’s protection.
Besides of that, to encourage and mobilise all members to guard one another.
Also doing teaching with the congregation to know how to stay away from sin, to
stand firm against any form of temptation. I believe that prevention is still
better that the restoration after the sins committed. However, the church still
has to hold up the biblical truth and exercise the discipline whenever any sins
is exposed. The first step I think about is the protection of all other members
in the congregation, to avoid being fallen as any victim of such sins,
particularly involve any sexual immorality. Nowadays, it is not surprise that
there are goats among the sheep, and some people visit churches, is not to look
for God, rather, is to look for anyone to be their victim. The exposure of
their sins is to alert all other members, not be fallen as his second victim. I
have witnessed a case, that a married cell group leader, seduced a lady, a new
believer, in his group, to have sexual relationship with him. Once we confirmed
he has committed such sin, he was exposed immediately, in order to ensure no
other ladies will become the second victim of his sin. The purpose to expose
his sin is to inform all embers to stand alert, and it is of course, his cell leadership
post was removed immediately. Besides of the protection purpose, the next step
I will consider is the restoration of the person. I felt that the discipline is
not to hand the person over Satan, rather, to help the person to stay away from
the sin. The purpose of conviction to the person, is not to condemn, but,
expect the conviction will bring the confession, and eventually lead to
restoration. If the person take the second step, confessed and acknowledge his
sins, and show the sign of repentance, then, helping the person to be restored
will be the ultimate goal for the discipline. Besides of that, I felt that if
any sins were exposed in the church, the leaders of the church have to stay
alert, and continue to intercede for the church. I believe that whenever a sin
was exposed in a faith community, it may be act as a sign of the weakness of
the community. It may not be a single incident. The leaders have to come
together, not just do the accusation, rather, turn it to intercession, to pray
for God’s divine protection for the whole community, in order to keep the
community to be pure and clean in front of God. This is what I have learn
through the journey to study Corinthian.
The second teaching from Paul make me think it deep is about
the legal battles among the church. Paul taught the Corinthian people, should
settle the difference within the church, and should not bring it to the
non-believers. During the class, the discussion also led us to think about how
much we are prepare to give up our right, and accept lost and suffering. I felt
that it is really a tough question, particularly, we used to hear about
personal right. Today the world so much emphasis on individualism, and everyone
has his/her own right, and we are taught that we must protect our right. No one
welcomes the teaching about to give up our own right. I look back my life, and
feel that I am on a journey to learn to give up my right on whatever matter I
encountered. In the past, I have witnessed numerous disagreement within the
church, and among the leaders. I saw the church was separated, members were
wounded, and some pastors lost their ministry. Years, ago, I started to learn
to meditate on Jesus’s journey to the cross. Besides of that, I also meditate
on the word from Jesus while he was hanging on the cross, particularly, the
first word, that he asked the Heavenly Father to forgive the people to put him
on the cross. Whenever I meditate on this occasion, I felt this is the most
unfair circumstance in the world. How can an innocent person to die for me,
under such painful suffering. Since my Lord suffer such unfair situation, to
pour out his grace and mercy, how I can ask for fairness in my life, and demand
my God to give me fair treatment? I trust His protection and he will strengthen
me, I therefore, learn to willing to give up my own right. I am still on the
journey, and not yet capable to give up my right every times. But whenever I
encounter any unfair situation, my try my best to remind myself that my Lord
has grace and mercy, thus I only ask for grace and mercy, and not ask for
fairness. It is a tough journey, but with God’s strength, I felt the result to
me is that I can live a life more joyful and do not allow any bitter root to
grow in my heart. This class just remind me and also strengthen me to continue
in this journey.
The third issue which make me to think deep is about the
divorce. The divorce rate is now at all time high, and Christian community is
not exempt from this trend. The individualism, propel all walks of life to
consider their personal interest and self-indulgence as first priority. In
addition, the increase in acceptance of single parenthood, also making more and
more couple, resolve their difference by divorce, rather than going for
counselling to resolve their problems and difference. Paul’s teaching looks
like very strict, and whoever divorced, should not re-marry again. However, nowadays,
the situations are far more complex and there are many different situations
lead to the couple to go for divorce. In fact, the strict rule, seem unable to
discourage the divorce, but it has impact to certain people to continue to live
in guilt, or unable to be restored to be a normal, joy life. Even some may say
that the victim will be free to get marry again, but not all divorce cases can
be so easy to determine who is the victim, or who is the culprit. As Chinese proverb
said, a good judge will unable to judge any family dispute. Even as Christian
leader, it is still difficult to play a fair observation and make judgement on
family matters. I feel that the only way has to start from the very beginning of
the marriage, by encouraging all the young people to seek Godly advice before
their courting with their partner. For those anyone become a new believer, who has
already married, the church leaders have to teach them the biblical concept
about marriage and encourage them to live a life as a good testimony for the Lord
before their spouse. Saving any marriage always be the ultimate goal, but still
have to consider the personal safety, and not to tolerate any physical, mental
abuse to be prolonged period, which end up create any deep wound in lives. For
this topic, I found that it is very difficult to having on single rule to apply
to all different cases, and I believe that leaders have to allow Holy Spirit’s
guidance, to balance between the rule and grace, to provide good and sound
advice to the people. This course did help me to think it deep, but I feel that
I am unable to conclude, and insist that all re-marriage should be prohibited.
I always feel that we have to stand by those weaker party, but not necessary
the ladies, as of today, some ladies are so self-centre and the men are become
the victim of the divorce. I feel that the divorce is any interesting topic,
but it is very difficult to handle it
The forth matter I have learned in this class is about the
Baptism of the death. I feel that this topic looks like seldom been discussed, and
it have been ignored in the past. In fact, reading the Corinthian in the past
many occasions, I never pay attention to this verse, and I do not understand
the meaning of baptism on behalf of the death. The discussion in the class,
fill with grace and compassion to the family of such deceased people, and I
feel that there is a warm family spirit among us. I fully agreed with one of
our classmate’s opinion, that, to consider the feeling of the family before
talking about the theological issue. I feel that as a minster, to help the
family of the deceased person to walk out from their grief, should be the priority,
and the teaching can be done at a later stage. My conclusion is that what we
do, should start it from love, which will give us a direction which never go
wrong.
The class will be over and ended on Saturday,
but I feel that the learn on Paul’s heart will never be ceased.
