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The Devil’s Diabolical Instigation of Believers’ Distrust of God

In this battle of Satan against God’s sovereignty, he often targets God’s dear servants. In the case of Job, he schemed to “touch all that he hath” (Job 1:11), and later to “touch his bone and his flesh” (Job 2:5). His intent of “touching Job” in order to cause trouble in his life was that he may turn Job against God by causing him to curse God! Usually, with most believers, he would try to “take them out” through sinful temptations. He does this relentlessly through the allurement of sensual living and the unholy pursuit of creature comforts through affluent lifestyles, which many – even godly people – find so hard to resist. However, sometimes the devil may find it difficult to trap believers by temptation alone, as in the case of godly and spiritually well-exercised saints (like Job). When he can’t get a foothold in their spiritual lives to cause damage to their testimony, he would unleash his second ploy, i.e. through unimaginable pain and sorrow. The ultimate intent of such fiery trial was to turn people against God. In one way or the other, the devil is constantly trying to instigate believers’ distrust of God’s sovereignty.

In the case of Job, the cruelty and sadism of the devil was clearly seen when he challenged God to grant him permission to attack Job concerning his possessions and his body. In one day, all his vast numbers of sheep, camels, oxen and asses were wiped off, and all his ten children were crushed to death in a collapsed house caused by a whirlwind (Job 1:13-19). In another day, his whole body was wrecked with sore boils, resulting in excruciating pain and agony, so much so that his abode became next to a heap of ashes outside as he could not stay in the house due to his disease (Job 2:7-8). Through all these, the devil was instigating Job to curse God “to thy face” (Job 2:5b) and bring dishonour to His name! Thank God Job endured – in all this Job neither “charged God foolishly” nor did he “sin with his lips” (Job 1:22b; 2:10c).

Dear Christians, truly there are times when we struggle to explain the cause of our sufferings. Frankly, so many types of trials and calamities befall God’s people that we can’t fathom the exact cause(s). But would there ever be a trial upon God’s people if God does not permit it? It is important to understand that God always has a hand in the troubles we experience. In God’s sovereignty, He “opens the floodgates” of trials for you to suffer. You become, as it were, the “battle front” being engaged by the merciless devil. This is not because God has abandoned you, but rather, He counts you worthy to suffer to prove His supreme point that His arch-enemy cannot do anything to completely usurp His authority.

Oh, this is a most formidable “battlefield”! But beloved believer, persevere and stand firm. Knowing that God allows your trials, may you “watch thou in all things, endure afflictions” (2 Timothy 4:5a) and “greatly rejoice … through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7). So, if you are in the midst of some unexplainable trouble, be assured that God’s sovereign hand is there. It is not that He has turned against you, but He has only taken away your “fence” which has protected you all this while. By God’s sovereign will, “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us”, being “persuaded, that neither death, nor life … nor principalities, nor powers … nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39)!

The Devil’s Subversive Undermining of Believers’ “Integrity”

Unfortunately, the reality is that many who suffer horrendously or see the righteous suffer undeservedly may conclude in their heart that there is no God; or if God exists, He is one with limited power. Their initial enthusiastic faith in a loving God quickly “vaporises” in the fiery furnace of sufferings. Many such professing believers end up as agnostics. They fail to “hold fast their integrity”, unlike Job (cf. Job 2:3), and lose trust in a sovereign God. That is exactly Satan’s diabolical objective – to prod believers to defy God’s sovereignty.

To thwart the devil’s undermining of our “integrity” (through the use of intense sufferings upon believers), we do well to consider Job’s reaction. Job’s horrendous trials did not distract him from the sovereignty of God; God was still the object of his heart’s love. He cherished and worshipped God even in his abject poverty and suffering. Take note of his heart’s confession in Job 1:21, “the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” He didn’t utter these words out of bitterness that God did not care for him, but out of worship and deference to – not in defiance of – God’s sovereignty (cf. Job 1:20). Scripture says “he holdeth fast his integrity”.

What is Job’s “integrity”? It is his firm belief that God is sovereign, even in his troubles. Things had not spun out of control; nor had God difficulty in keeping chaotic situations in check. He refused to react according to his downcast emotions. Job’s integrity is that he had always ordered his life by subjecting it to God’s sovereignty. His was not a mere intellectual faith; his was a faith with works (cf. James 2:17-18). He had experiential faith, hence he spoke with experiential knowledge that God is sovereign. His unshakeable conviction of God’s absolute sovereignty in all aspects of his life and the world around him, helps him to have proper behaviour in his doings and dealings. That is the believers’ integrity, which the devil is constantly trying to undermine.

Conclusion

The apostle Paul hits the nail on the head when he warns Christians in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”. The devil is constantly on the prowl. He is not going to stop his attack just because his wicked ploys were thwarted from time to time by godly saints who, like Job, hold fast to their integrity amidst their suffering. He is going to take this battle till the end of time; in the meantime, you and I are his targets. The way to continue to fight the battle when the devil, by God’s permission, comes to “touch” or trouble us, is to stay in submission to God. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). That’s where our safety is. Even if he would tear us apart, stay under the mighty hand of God in total submission to Him, knowing that God will not allow the devil to utterly destroy us.

Thank God, there is ultimate victory for us, for God is still in control. We cannot be subdued because our sovereign God is watching over us! Remember, Satan is already a defeated foe. The devil can battle against God’s dear child, but not beyond what God allows (cf. Job 1:12; Job 2:6). May we then, by faith, continually trust in and uphold God’s sovereignty over our lives, come what may – that is how we glorify God in this formidable but conquerable “battle front”.

Sermon Text: Psalm 63
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 3rd December 2023

Sermon Text: James 1:25
Speaker: Pr Kelvin Lim
Date: 26th November 2023

Apart from God and Job, the one major character in the first two chapters of the Book of Job is, undeniably, Satan. In these first two chapters alone, Satan is referred to some 13 times. Thus, Christians cannot just pass over this character. We need to take a good look at this character and the way he functions.

The name “Satan” in Hebrew means “adversary”. He is God’s enemy, as well as the enemy of God’s people. He is the unceasing, untiring adversary of both God and man. His hatred towards God knows no bounds. He has no regard for God and would throw any challenge at Him, as demonstrated in his temptation of Christ in the wilderness (cf. Matthew 4:1-11). That is how cunning and wicked this adversary is. He would go against God to the very end, as is clearly seen even at the end of Christ’s millennial reign on earth, when the Lord would chain him and cast him into the eternal lake of fire (Revelation 20:7-10). Meanwhile, there is a cosmic battle (of cosmic proportions) being raged by Satan against God, whereby believers often get “caught in the crossfire” (cf. Job 1:8-19)!

So, whether we understand it or not, we are all caught up in this great battle that the devil is waging against God. Yet God is not a helpless onlooker who could only stand idly by and watch as events unfold. He is actively involved in defending, protecting and guiding us in the midst of this terrible battle. No evil (whether natural or man-made or satanic) may encroach upon us outside of His jurisdiction (cf. Job 1:12).

Be Not Ignorant of the Devil’s Devices

Be that as it may, the devil is constantly trying his level best to deal a “knockout blow” to believers that would keep them downcast and in deep despair, and ultimately instigate them to deny God’s sovereignty (cf. Job 1:11b; 2:5b). As the apostle Paul warns us, we must not be “ignorant of his devices”, lest “Satan should get an advantage of us” (2 Corinthians 2:11). From the episode of Job’s sufferings, we see in a very clear manner how the devil uses us as his “arena” in his battle against God. One of his most diabolical and favourite tactics is to turn the ones whom God has created in His own image (even mankind) against Him. Oh, we must not be ignorant of this cunning device of the devil, which he tried viciously against Job! From our biblical understanding of the Book of Job, the devil is trying to challenge the sovereignty of God over Job’s life. This should not surprise us as he has always been a “challenger” and usurper since time immemorial, soon after he was created. He had been an angelic being of heaven, one of God’s created angels; in fact, he was the chief of the cherubims.

In Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:12-17, we read of the condemnation and downfall of the devil. When he, being lifted up with pride, rebelled against God and tried to usurp God’s authority, he was cast down to this earth (cf. Revelation 12:9). Since the day he was cast out of heaven, he has been constantly trying to usurp God’s glory. According to his warped and malicious mind, the best possible way to usurp God’s glory is through mankind by instigating their defiance of God’s authority. That’s disobedience, which was the first sin of mankind! Having succeeded with Adam and Eve, the devil is still trying to do the same with their descendants – but in different ways. He uses different things in different people’s lives to bring about defiance of God’s sovereignty.

In a myriad of ways, the devil is trying to captivate believers’ souls to love things other than God. Whether it be our studies and scholastic pursuits, our job, profession and career prospects, our children, our house, or even our physical appearance, the devil wants to take our allegiance away from God through all these distractions. His is a twisted theology – “worship God in order to get the things that you love”. That is precisely the “prosperity theology” promoted in Charismatic circles. Worship God to be rich, powerful, famous, prominent. That’s false religion! Rather, true religion is coming to God as our true wealth, He being the greatest Lover of our infinitely precious souls. We cannot love anything more than God if we put God as the object of our heart’s devotion. Didn’t Jesus say, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment” (Mark 12:30)? In getting believers to love material things, possessions, position, status, relationships, etc. more than God, Satan’s ultimate objective is to usurp God’s sovereignty over believers’ lives. Oh, be not ignorant of the devil’s devices!

The Devil’s Malicious Disdain of Believers’ Submission to God’s Sovereignty

Now, it must be categorically stated that God has no problem giving material prosperity and abundance to His children, if He so chooses. This is reflected in Job’s possession of great substance and his prominent status in the society of his time (Job 1:3). But that is not what God is most happy about with His children – not wealth and health. There is something else that He is more concerned with. In commending Job before the devil, God said, “Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?” (Job 1:8). God specifically mentioned four outstanding spiritual virtues of Job, namely his blameless life (“perfect”), his righteous character (“upright”), his reverence of God (“feareth God”), and his careful shunning of sin (“escheweth evil”) which reflects his purity of heart. Instructively, God did not commend Job regarding his material abundance, house and animals, or his efficiency in managing wealth. But look who’s talking about all these? “Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land” (Job 1:9-10).

In his reply, the devil blatantly sidestepped God’s focus of His discussion. God is talking about Job’s spiritual maturity, well-being, wholeness, integrity. But the devil wanted to draw attention away towards material things – “his house”, “all that he hath”, “work of his hands”, “his substance”. The devil was saying that everything was going well for Job – his business was good, his family was flourishing, he was in good health. His insinuation was that Job’s piety was all because God had put a protective “fence” around him. Malicious as he is, the devil then put forward a challenge to God. He sadistically added that if God were to “touch” (i.e. to destroy, to cause maximum damage to) all that Job had, Job will defy, rebel against and “curse” God, not fear and worship Him (Job 1:11)!

Herein is the intense and fierce conflict between God and Satan. God is watching over His servant and rejoices in His servant’s recognition of His sovereignty over his life, as well as his complete surrender to God as his Master. This harmonious and perfectly maintained “Master-servant” relationship provokes Satan. How vicious Satan is! He cannot stand the sight of God’s servant being at peace with his heavenly Master. He is full of jealousy, wrath and hatred. “Sovereign God and submissive servant” – this is the relationship that is under attack! Satan regards it with contempt and disdain: “Doth Job fear God for nought?” He could not – and will never – accept that anyone could love God so intrinsically without thinking of getting any external benefit in return. He wanted to prove God wrong.

(To be continued next week)

Sermon Text: Psalm 3
Speaker: Rev. Paul Cheng
Date: 19th November 2023

Teaching Children God's Word

For more than three decades, our church has been organising the yearly Daily Vacation Bible School (DVBS), with two primary goals – (i) salvation of children, and (ii) spiritual nurture of the believing children. The best way to achieve this goal is to teach the truths of Holy Scripture to children with love, faithfulness and fervour. 

The importance of teaching children God’s Word is repeatedly emphasised in Scripture. One biblical passage that testifies to the necessity and urgency of teaching children God’s truth is 2 Timothy 3:15, where Paul powerfully (though very briefly) narrates Timothy’s salvation and spiritual nurture from his childhood. “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” The Greek word for “child” (bréphos), used by Paul, denotes “infants” or “babes”. So, at a very early stage of childhood, Timothy was being instructed in the Scriptures. It is such early, sustained instruction of the Word that granted Timothy the biblical wisdom of salvation to put his faith in Christ. 

Such a clear biblical admonition and example must surely instil in us the earnestness to teach our children both at home and in the church. We covet all the church members to pray for and participate in bringing children to the upcoming DVBS. Parents must not let this opportunity slip by. This is more important than all other educational and leisure activities. I urge all the members and friends of the church to invite and bring children to the DVBS. Please do not delay any further. 

Let us pray for all our preachers and sisters, who are involved in the DVBS as teachers of God’s Word to the children. Let us also uphold the Children’s Ministry Committee members who have laboured in organising this event for the spiritual benefit of our children. Praying for all serving and contributing to this particular programme is a great need. “Brethren,” as Paul said, “pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you” (2 Thess 3:1).

Updates from Gethsemane BPC, Cebu

Dear Pastor,

Greetings to you in our Lord’s most blessed Name! I am writing this email to share with you some updates from our side.

Last week, we had a long holiday here in the Philippines. On October 30, we had the Barangay Elections, and then Oct 31 was declared a holiday in view of the “All Saints’ Day” and “All Souls’ Day” on November 1 and 2, respectively. It somehow gave us the opportunity to spend some profitable time with our families and loved ones, especially the opportunity to share with them the truth about the commonly practised observance of holidays by the Roman Catholics. I thank God also for the time to reconnect with my siblings as they came over during the holidays…

By God’s grace, we are pressing on in the work of the ministry. Thank God for the completion of the repair works at the Care Ministry. Praise God for the labours of our Care Ministry brothers in assisting the carpenter that we had commissioned for the job. We hired only one carpenter to save on the cost of labour, and he was assisted by all our Care brothers under the supervision of Dn Samuel Mingo. I have some photos to share with you.

As to the Sae Young property, the Korean owner arrived around the third week of October but has gone back again to Korea, as what we learned is that she is undergoing treatment. The agent told us that she was not in favour of our offer for the property.

Also, I would like to inform you that Rev. Lagapa has invited us (Rev. Donald, Eld. Eli, Pr Edsel and myself) to attend the Bible Conference to be held in Bukidnon on December 4-6 with the theme: “The Reformed and Premillennial Faith”, with Dr Jeffrey Khoo as the speaker. Rev. Donald and I will share God’s Word in the morning devotions while Eld. Eli and Pr Edsel will facilitate some activities planned.

We are now in the month of November, barely 2 months to the combined Youth and Bible Witness retreat. We have been in prayer as we look forward to your and the brethren’s coming, looking forward to a blessed time of hearing and learning God’s Word, as well as a time to fellowship among brethren.

We are in constant communication with Dn Norefel, trying as much as possible to assist and facilitate the ongoing preparations, particularly in the transport arrangement among others. Thank God for the opportunity to co-labour with all of you in this special activity.

On behalf of the church and my family, thank you for your prayers and support. Please do extend our greetings to your family and the church. Thank you!

Respectfully,
Rev. Reggor

Brethren, Christians are exhorted not to be earthly-minded, but be heavenly-minded.

Seek Christ Above

Paul said in Colossians 3:1, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

The opening words of the verse – “If ye then be risen with Christ” – assume that the readers are those who have experienced new life in Christ (i.e. those who are born again). The word “if” is used logically, as a means of argument, not a means of doubt.

Representatively, all the elect of God died with Christ unto sin and resurrected with Him unto newness of life. Dying and rising with Christ is a spiritual reality that they also personally experience. In an earlier chapter, Paul told the believers that “you, being dead in your sins… hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Colossians 2:13). So those who are “risen with Christ” are no more dead in their sins, but they “are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12b). Our faith in Christ, the joy of forgiveness, sanctification and all other spiritual realities which we enjoy are abundant evidence of the power of His resurrection that is at work in our lives (cf. Ephesians 1:19-20).

In our text, Paul speaks of the new spiritual pursuit of those who are risen with Christ, as they “seek” (zēteite) or strive earnestly for those things above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. The phrase, “those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God”, points us to all things with reference to Christ’s present exalted state.

Since He is interceding for us as our Advocate at His Father’s side, we must seek His forgiveness and sanctification (cf. 1 John 2:1).

Since Christ reigns in heaven as the Head of the church, we must submit to His headship (Ephesians 1:20-22; 5:23-24); we must give Him pre-eminence in all the affairs of our life (Colossians 1:18); we must seek to be nourished up in the fullness that He grants us as our Head (cf. Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 2:10, 19); we must seek to grow unto the Head, even our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:15); and we must seek to be knitted together as His body (Colossians 2:19).

Since He is preparing a place for us in heaven, let us be ready for His coming, and for the heaven and the rewards which He is preparing for us (John 14:1-3; Colossians 3:24; Hebrews 10:35).

Seek the Things Above

Paul continued his exhortation to be heavenly-minded by instructing Christians to “set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2). Those who are risen with Christ have not only a new spiritual pursuit (Colossians 3:1), but also a new passion, which Paul describes here.

The verb “set your affection” (phroneo) means “direct your mind to something”. A Christian’s thoughts should be directed to Christ and the things associated with where He now dwells. That is our ultimate destination; hence it must be our preoccupation while we live on this earth. We are to be heavenly-minded (“on things above”) because, as Paul says in Philippians 3:20, “For our conversation (or citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ”.

What are your great interests? The great object of our contemplation should be the celestial city that Jesus is preparing for us. Readiness for that final home must be our greatest passion on earth.

While we are exhorted to be heavenly-minded, we are also cautioned not to be earthly-minded – “not on things on the earth”. Our affections should not be placed on wealth and health, houses and lands, honour and pleasure, etc. Neither should our passions be the worldly fashions and corrupting entertainment of this world. Worldly lust must be denied. The deeds of the flesh, which are sinful, must be mortified. No provision should be made for the encroachment of worldly allurements.

While Christ and heaven draw us upwards, the world and its charms draw us downwards. Let us not yield to the pull of earthly things, but earnestly pursue heavenly things. Let us not love things that are earthly and perishing, but rather those that are heavenly and everlasting. The apostle John admonishes us in 1 John 2:15-16, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Christians must always be conscious and deliberate to prefer and pursue heavenly and eternal matters above earthly and carnal matters. Unless our affections are set on heavenly matters, we will never appropriately seek after them. Let Christ and heavenly things be our greatest concern, passion and pursuit. Let us be desirous of everything that fixes us to heaven and its eternal glory.

Sermon Text: Psalm 62
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 12th November 2023

Sermon Text: Psalm 61
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 5th November 2023

As announced over the past few Sundays, our church’s ACM 2023 will be held today at 4p.m. in SingPost L5 Auditorium. The ACM documents have been uploaded to our church website for all the church members’ perusal. I urge all church members to be present, as this meeting is to be held, according to our church constitution, at least once annually to consider our congregation’s affairs.

How to Prepare for the ACM:

Pray for reverential and orderly conduct by all participants of the ACM, for the Bible instructs us concerning all church meetings, “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). 

Please plan and make necessary arrangements to attend the ACM, and come to the venue 15-20 minutes early to sign in to enter the auditorium. This would help towards the counting of participants and the determining of the quorum to proceed with the meeting.

Let us pray for the Pastor and Elders (office bearers of the church), that the Spirit of God would empower them to conduct the meeting with wisdom, and present all reports of the past year as well as plans for the upcoming year faithfully and skilfully. 

If church members have any questions on the reports or plans, please submit the questions early for the office bearers to provide studied answers. 

Though ACM is a business / administrative church meeting, we must be mindful to do all things according to the counsels of God’s Word with great reverence and thanksgiving to God, who has blessed the church spiritually and physically. Let us all gather together with boundless praise for the Lord. “He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31). May our thoughts be about His goodness. Let every heart rejoice and give thanks unto the Lord. “So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:7). 

The church leaders and members must participate in the meeting with mutual love and respect. “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6). We must avoid all belligerent, fault-finding, slanderous, provocative, and quarrelsome attitudes. 

Let us not forget the biblical admonition that we should be “endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). “A house divided cannot stand.”

Our recollection and evaluation of the past year’s ministries (local and overseas), as well as our awareness of the needs and burdens of the present and new ministries, must create within us a humble and ready spirit to serve the Lord faithfully and fervently in the coming year. May we renew our commitment, and consecrate ourselves to serve Him joyfully and enthusiastically.

May the Lord bless our gathering together. May we acknowledge and carry out our stewardship responsibilities faithfully, as we joyfully seek to serve our God out of hearts full of gratitude in thanksgiving for the indescribable gift given to us in His Son!

Biblical Guidelines for Orderly Worship

Paul has laid down much-needed principles for orderly worship services. Sadly, the Corinthian church had been conducting their worship services as they felt best - a kind of free, spontaneous worship service where anyone could sing a hymn, prophesy or speak in tongues. However, Paul sharply rebuked such a disorderly, chaotic conduct of worship and instructed the church with some guidelines. Paul insisted on orderliness and purpose in the church’s public gatherings, as attested to in 1 Corinthians 14:26-40.

Worship must not consist of free-for-all, spontaneous activities: The Corinthian church had not maintained order when they gathered for worship. Everyone did as he liked – hence, Paul asked, “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying” (v. 26). Our conduct should not distract other worshippers from truly worshipping the Lord in spirit and truth.

Worship services must be edifying: Everything done during public worship must be intended to bring about the building up of the church. Promoting spiritual growth and maturity of the church must be the chief concern of all in the worship services. Nothing should be done with personal promotion or prominence in view but with others’ edification. “Let all things be done unto edifying” (v.26b).

Worship services should not be haphazardly put together: Even if several people have the same spiritual gifts in a local church, Paul did not permit them to exercise their gifts simultaneously. Paul urged that each service element should not be haphazardly thrown together with no order, but with meticulous deliberateness so there will be no confusion (vv. 29-33). We are reminded that “God is not the author of confusion but of peace.” Disorganised services can distract the worshippers from fully focusing on God. Those who plan the worship services must deliberate on what they include and how they order them.

Worship services should be led by those in the church leadership: Women in the church are advised to submit to men of leadership and not to speak in public worship (vv. 34-38). The principle of prohibiting women from questioning their leadership applies to all the leadership realms of the church, especially regarding the worship service. Neither men nor women in the worship should challenge or disrupt the church leaders who lead the worship service. Public worship services and other church activities must be planned and led by church leaders, and all worshippers and members should respect and submit to their authority regarding the worship service.

Worship services should be Word-focused: In vv. 36-38, Paul emphasised the declaration of God’s revelation. Today, the divine revelation received through prophecy is complete and is given to us in the Bible (cf. 1 Cor. 13:9-10; Rev. 22:18-19). So, the declaration and practice of the Word in the church worship service are paramount to God-honouring worship service.