But that does not mean that, because of that, a sister should be hit.
Well, God set an order in the family. For why? For what? For work to be done.
God has a work for the family. He gave that word to Adam, and Eve is to help Adam to fulfil that work: to subdue all things and to bring all things unto the feet of Christ.
And, brothers and sisters, only by the cooperation of the man and woman can that work be done.
You know, strangely, in human nature, in our fallen life, man does not like to be head. Man would rather relegate the responsibility to woman.
It is a tremendous responsibility to be head of the family. It is not easy. God will hold you responsible.
So you find today, in many families, even in Christian families, the sisters have taken over. The brothers have given the responsibility of the headship of the family to their wives. They do not want to bear any responsibility.
It is human nature—the fallen nature of man. A woman does not like to obey, to submit. She wants to lead. So the whole world is upside down, and the work is not done. Family life is destroyed.
Brothers and sisters, we who are the redeemed of the Lord, God wants that order restored, too.
Does not the very life in you tell you, as a man, that you should be head of the family? You should take up your responsibility seriously before God. You cannot do it without the grace of God.
Does not the life in you, sisters, tell you that you should learn to submit to your husband? You cannot do it. You need the grace of God.
Naturally, neither the man nor the woman can be the head or the body by themselves. We cannot do it. It is not in us—that is, in our flesh. On the contrary, the opposite is true.
But the grace of God is sufficient for us. His grace is there and will enable the husband really to be the head of the family, to sacrifice himself, to complete his wife, and to love his wife.
And it is the grace of God in the sisters to learn to adjust herself, to complete and to help her husband.
If that order is restored, how beautiful is that family?
Brothers and sisters, I know this is not something you need to be taught, even though I am teaching it. If you really live by the divine life in you, that divine life will teach you that this is what you should do.
So this divine order in the family has to be recovered.
And then, of course, it is not only to be restored in the family. A family is a miniature of the church of God. It has to be recovered in the church.
You know, in 1 Corinthians 14, when God’s people assemble, there is an order.
In Christianity today, when people assemble, they have a program. Why do they have a program? To keep order. If there is no program already printed out, now what will happen? It will be a free-for-all. So you have to have a program.
Why? It is because they do not know the presence of the Head in the church.
If the Holy Spirit is present, Who represents Christ as Head, He is the One Who will bring out that divine order. You do not need to plan it or print it. You do not need to organize it and put it upon people.
If brothers and sisters will all be in the Spirit when we come together, as the Spirit moves, there will be songs, there will be edification, there will be prophesying, there will be tongues, interpretation of tongues, and you will find everything will be for the building up of the body of Christ.
When you come to a meeting, what do you expect? Do you expect someone to tell you what to do? Do you expect to have a printed program you can follow? Or do you expect the Holy Spirit to guide and lead you?
If all of us will come, will open our spirit, and let the Spirit of God move among us, then, brothers and sisters, you will find there will be no disorder, but there will be order.
But remember: two and threes. That is order.
And in the assembly of the church, you know, the trouble with the church in Corinth was that there was no order there. It was a church full of spiritual gifts, especially the gifts of tongues and those spectacular display gifts. So everybody wanted to display their gifts in the meeting.
You know, today it is just the opposite. Everybody is quiet. But in the church in Corinth, everybody was noisy. There was such noise, you know. Everybody tried to put in his or her two pennies’ worth, displaying their gifts. No order, no order—not led by the Holy Spirit. A free-for-all.
So Paul had to correct them and say, “Well, God is not a God of disorder, but of peace.”
Learn to submit yourselves to the Holy Spirit. And even so, because the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of order, two or three—not too many, or it becomes very monotonous and tiring—but two or three, and everybody will have a chance.
And you know, in the church in Corinth, the sisters seemed to be especially gifted. And you know, it is very strange: the brothers usually are more restrained. Why? Because they use their mind too much. And the sisters seem to be freer because they are moved by their emotion.
So you find in the meeting, always the sisters are in the front. They monopolize the meetings, and the brothers are staying back. “Okay, you take the responsibility.”
Now, I am not saying the sisters should not come forward. But at least we need to remember there is an order there. The brothers represent Christ; the sisters represent the church. So the brothers should take the leading part, and the sisters should take the supporting part.
And that is the way you find that order comes forth—beautiful. Let all things be done orderly and calmly. You know, a meeting is beautiful. It is like music; it is beautiful if that order is followed.
And, of course, in the church of God, you find everybody has a responsibility. Everyone has to function, because we are the body of Christ. But still, you will find in the church God raises up some brothers to take the responsibility, the function of elders: to supervise, to guide, to lead.
It is not appointed by man. Because he is a big shot in the world, therefore you make him an elder—no. The Holy Spirit has appointed those who are more mature in the manifestation of life. These are the people the Holy Spirit has appointed to function as leading brothers, as leaders. And those who have less life learn to follow.
But remember again: it is a matter of life, not position, but life.
Spiritual authority is life, not position. When the life is there, there is authority. When the life is gone, the authority is gone. The position may remain, but it is of no profit. It is better you do not have that position.
To God, we give absolute obedience, absolute submission. Through man, no matter who he is, if God has placed him above you, you can give him absolute submission—that is an attitude—but not absolute obedience.
No man in the world can demand absolute obedience from another person. That is the prerogative of God. We have to obey God rather than obey man, but we can maintain a submissive posture.
So, brothers and sisters, the church cannot be built if there is no order. But order cannot be established if there is no life.
We do look to the Lord that divine life will become a reality in us, and divine order will also be brought here.
And finally, that divine order, established in Christian families and established in the church, one day you find everything will be brought under the feet of Christ. And Christ will bring everything to God the Father, that God may be all in all.
That is the ultimate of divine order.
Shall we pray?
Dear heavenly Father, we just talked about something that is so heavy, and yet it is so important. We do pray that Thou wilt refresh our spirit, strengthen our inner man, that we may take this in and not feel overwhelmed, but rejoice in the Lord.
We do praise and thank Thee that though it is humanly impossible, yet with God all things are possible, and Thou hast given that divine life to us. And with that life, that order.
So may Thy life be manifested in divine order: in me personally, in the family, in the church, and finally in this world, when God shall be all in all.
In the name of our Lord Jesus, amen.