An Exegesis

Dear Diary,

I realised that my resolution for this year is a colossal hurdle to say the least... Just yesterday, I suffered one setback already even before it started! Oh well... =) I will treat it as a learning process. Not sure if that move already has long-term implications but I guess it is now out of my control on whether things will be the same as before. I guess I will pray hard about it, to be patient and to remember that in everything, I should take it to God in prayer, to follow His will and trust that He knows what is right for me.

I spent most of yesterday at church. We had a cell-group meeting in the morning and I am seriously considering taking up some charity work programme with the church. I managed to find some time after lunch to visit the National Library nearby to borrow some books. Then it was a gathering with the LyNc (youth group) and YA (young adult group) for some games and a sermon by an invited speaker (AOG pastor). Frankly, I think the LyNc is a very united group compared to YA. Then again, it is just an observation.

I continue to be on track by reading Genesis 10 – 12. I attended the early 8am church service this morning alone. I am beginning to like that service and Rev Canon Dr Louis Tay is a very good preacher and he has no qualms about reminding us about hard truths. There seems to be a constant reminder against sexual immorality (eg. Fornication, adultery etc) in recent times and I really wonder why. The other advantage of the 8am service is that I have the huge remaining part of Sunday to do other things, haha...

Okay, just a little sharing on what I read from 1 Corinthians 11:17 onwards this morning... Here at verse 17, Saint Paul spoke on the Holy Eucharist or what we know as the Holy Mass (for RC) or the Lord’s Supper (for non-sacramental churches). He said blatantly that such meetings for the Holy Eucharist were doing more harm than good in the Corinthian church! The major reasons were that there were factions in the church and they were not united. They were divided according to what they chose to believe (ideological) and their social statuses! Yet in verse 19, Saint Paul said that there had to be factions so that those approved by God would be known.

In those days, Christians did not worship in huge cathedrals and churches. They were a persecuted people and they gathered in individual homes. If you read the first part of 1 Corinthians 11, the issue on whether women should have their head-dresses is because Paul was probably talking in the context of a woman at home. Women of those days wore their head-dresses when they went into the streets and they removed their scarves only at home (similar to what we continue to see in the Middle East today). So Paul addressed on whether if a Holy Eucharist meeting was held in a person’s home, should the lady wear her head-dress? People gathered in homes for worship; the rich and the poor. They brought food there but sadly in the church of Corinth, many ate their own food instead of sharing... In doing that, they humiliated the poor amongst them (v. 22).

Saint Paul, then told us that the Holy Eucharist is a tradition which he received from the Lord and was now imparting to the Church in Corinth. Then we continued with v. 24 & 25, which we always pray in our Anglican liturgy just before Holy Communion. Yet, it is a little shocking to me also that Paul described that the Holy Eucharist is the repeated proclamation of Christ’s death until His second coming. Is our Holy Communion supposed to be a “sacrifice of Christ” as the Roman Catholic Church believes when they conduct their Masses? Hmmm... In that participation, we partake in His death and eat His body. Jesus did remind us that we have to eat His body to have everlasting life (John 6:54). The consubstantiation doctrine by Martin Luther addressed these profound words. The Lord’s Supper as a symbolic ritual (as practised in many protestant and charismatic churches), is wrong.... quite clear from this verse. As for the transubstantiation doctrine of the Catholic Church, it requires immense faith to believe that there is no longer the substance of bread in that wafer but wholly and fully the body of Christ. That doctrine has led to the adoration of the “Host” in the monstrance but the Blessed Sacrament is to be consumed and not paraded. Just my opinion.

More reasons to reject symbolism concept of the Holy Communion is that Paul tells us that if we eat the bread and drink the cup in an unworthy manner, we profane and blaspheme God (v. 27 – 29) That is why in Anglican liturgy, a general confession is done before every worship service so that we can be absolved of our sins, and come to God pure in our worship and communion with Him. In 1 Cor 11:30, it tells us that if we take communion without examining ourselves, God’s judgement is on us (v. 30 – 31). Actually, those two verses came as a shock to me as I read them just now! So share your food, be generous... don’t gobble your food and embarrass the poor. That is more applicable to the Pauline times. We don’t feast in churches these days.

Saint Paul continued to say that if we have the Holy Spirit in us, we will NEVER be able to say, “Jesus be accursed (anathema)”. Similarly, if we HAVE NOT the Holy Spirit within us, we will not be able to say that Jesus Christ is our Lord (1 Cor 12:3). There is one Holy Spirit but different gifts. As we read, one verse is of particular note... and that is v.10. There, we see that Paul spoke of the varieties of tongues and the gift to interpret them. Was he referring to the “angelic tongues” which our Pentecostal / Charismatic brethrens are emphasizing (also ref: 1 Cor 13:1)? It seems to me to be so, hence why the Baptists’ and the bible Presbyterians’ rejection of those? Saint Paul then said that everyone in the Church is important regardless of the gifts bestowed. After all, not every one of us will be called to be priests, pastors, missionaries or into full-time ministries (v. 29 – 30). In fact, for v.30, we also see that not everyone with the Holy Spirit will speak in tongues. Hence, the notion that speaking in tongues is a sign of the dwelling of the Holy Spirit is plain ridiculous. Paul reminds us that being a weaker member does not mean one is dispensable. In fact, he went on to say that the weaker parts may even be more necessary to the body (1 Cor 12:22).

Christian living in the Christian church is not about an individual private faith. If one sins, the rest will be affected. If one is honoured, the rest share in its joy (v. 26). As in v. 27, Jesus reminded that we are all part of the Church which is Christ’s body. He is the vine and we the branches (John 15). The Church is Christ’s body... that is why when Paul (he was named Saul then) persecuted the Church zealously, Jesus asked Paul why he was persecuting him (Acts 9:5).

Okay, that’s about all for now... Hope the exegesis helps make the bible reading more interesting! The hectic lifestyle of working begins tomorrow. May God help us do well in our work, do what’s right in our lives, and to overcome our unbelief and lack of faith. I pray that I will find the right person whom I can love, protect, encourage and spend the remaining days of my life together in matrimony. Resolution for this year... in God’s timing though.

God Bless all of us,

Andrew