My review on 1 Corinthians

Greetings our beloved leaders Pst John Shin and Rev Paul C Jong and to all the faithful servants of our Lord Jesus in South Korea. I thank God for your continued testimony of the gospel of water and the Spirit. It is such a great encouragement to us, for we live imitating you, and it is a blessing to live one's life under God's Church.
Dear Pastor Paul C Jong, I thank God who through the Holy Spirit has blessed us so much with spiritual food, such that while the world is undergoing spiritual famine, we are living in abundance, and our hearts greatly desire to share the word with those around us. I am happy to write to you after finishing reading the first volume of Corinthians. I always try to take my time when reading your books because previously I had a poor reading habit, as most people do in Africa. As the saying goes, "If you want to hide something from an African, put it in a book." But I thank God that through your books, I have started developing a reading habit. Reading your books makes it easier for me to understand the Bible, which carries a living word that strengthens and gives me assurance that by believing in Jesus who came by water, blood, and the Spirit, there is an eternal afterlife awaiting me.
I am writing this review in reference to my previous faith and current faith. I thank God for every piece of your teaching. Not only does it help me explain the gospel of water and the Spirit when preaching, but it reaffirms my faith in the gospel that indeed we have become those without sin and are living the remainder of our lives as God's stewards. No matter how much I repeat the gospel of water and the Spirit, my heart does not get tired of it. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth, "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Corinthians 1:10).
While reading this book, something kept crossing my mind: the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. I felt in my heart that what Apostle Paul was telling the Corinthian Church was one and the same to what Jesus himself preached to the people to worship God in "Spirit and Truth." God desires nothing more than to worship him in Spirit and Truth. Jesus found confusion and division among the people of Israel, for it was known by then that the Jews and the Samaritans did not get along in spite of having a common descent; they lived condemning each other.
But one time, Jesus, passing through Samaria, met a woman and asked her for water in exchange for living water. This woman claimed Jews and Samaritans could not associate because Jews worshiped in Jerusalem, while on the other hand, Samaritans worshiped in the mountain. Jesus made it clear to the Samaritan woman that they worshiped what they did not know, but Jews worshiped what they knew. But again, Jesus did not just end in commending the Jews; he continued by saying, "Yet I tell you time is coming when people will not worship in Jerusalem nor mountain but will worship God in Spirit and Truth." Indeed, Jews were in the right to worship in Jerusalem, for it was God's establishment to build the temple there. However, Jews did not live as God's stewards by showing love to those who were weak in faith; instead, they condemned them.
What does worship in Spirit and Truth mean? The "Spirit" means God cares more about our spiritual well-being and approves anyone who has faith in the baptism of Jesus and his blood. The "Truth" is that Jesus has eliminated the sins of the world by being baptized in the river Jordan and dying on the cross, and that he resurrected from death to atone for mankind. He ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit as the seal to those who believe in him; therefore, there is no condemnation to those who believe.
Apostle Paul made it clear to the Corinthian Church that, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” Apostle Paul concluded by saying, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Jesus was sorry for the Jews because even if they thought they were strong in faith, they still did not have "Love" and care for the well-being of others. In one incident, Jesus told a rich man to sell his properties and give the money to the poor. What did he do? He was miserable at this and couldn't do it, which plainly shows that the Jews did not care for one another, especially for those who were weak.
In the Corinthian Church, the brethren started dividing among themselves. Some said they approved only Paul's teaching, others Apollos, others Cephas, and still others claimed they only followed Jesus. What did their division mean? It showed that these brothers and sisters did not care for one another but were only interested in self-glory and served their own flesh. I have come to see how Apostle Paul was a very spiritual person who cared for everyone. I can imagine Paul learning about the issues that rose in Corinth, where some people didn't approve of him as God's servant and preferred Apollos or Cephas instead. If Apostle Paul were a carnal-minded person who served his own glory, I believe he would have cherished and commended those who favored him and condemned those who disproved of him.
But to my surprise, Apostle Paul did not spare anyone; he was sorry for the entire Corinthian Church because they acted immaturely. Even to those who preferred him over Apollos and Cephas, Apostle Paul wrote: "For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow" (1 Corinthians 3:4-7). "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Corinthians 1:10).  
The Corinthian Church was so carnal that even a person who was known to commit adultery with his father's wife was not rebuked and helped, meaning they did not care for the spiritual well-being of that person. Through the Corinthian Church, Apostle Paul emphasized the importance of living for one another's edification—that is the correct way to live a spiritual life and serve our Lord Jesus. Apostle Paul wanted people to be in one accord when serving the gospel and to care for one another's spiritual and physical well-being. Apostle Paul was even made to explain the importance of unity and caring for one another in simple terms using an example of the unity of the body, saying:
“For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body” (1 Corinthians 12:14-20).  
Therefore, we should not overlook the weak saints among us nor easily condemn our fellow brethren, but rather we should show them love and help them. Also, the Holy Spirit gives gifts according to God's will; we should not envy one another in terms of gifts or think that spiritual gifts determine the superiority or inferiority of a person. Instead, each one is given gifts accordingly for the edification of the Church. The Samaritan woman, after learning that Jesus was the Messiah to come, ran back to her village and invited a lot of people to go and see Jesus. This is the life of a steward: to care for others, to invite more people into God's Church, but mostly to look after each other's faith—especially those who seem to be of weaker faith—to help them turn into God's special workers.
Pastor Paul Jong, this book has made me realize a lot of things, but also I will not hide this from you: for the first time, my mind wrestled while reading concerning the order in the Church. I am saying this not to show rebellion, but to expose my weak part so that you may know the best way to help my understanding and strengthen my faith. If I hide this from you and pretend as if I have understood while I am wrestling, I am only deceiving myself and not you; hence, you cannot help me, even though you have the help I need.
I know previously you might have talked to us like children, but now I believe you are talking to us as adults and those you expect to be of age. I have faith that we should not just accept the word of God which fits our understanding and reject the one which does not fit our understanding. Both that which is easy for us and that which seems hard for us are God's word, and we need to accept them. This book has disclosed so much, even the questions we previously struggled with, but my most difficult part of it is the part concerning women covering their heads and being silent in Church. I would have loved it if you had stressed more on the matter; personally, I think it was rather short for a sensitive matter such as this.
I grew up in a church which believed it was very imperative for women to cover their heads and learn in silence when gathered—not because they are less better than men, but to show submission and order, acknowledging that a woman was given to a man and not a man to a woman. I renounced my old faith because it did not preach the gospel of water and the Spirit, but somehow I retained the teaching of women covering their heads and being silent in the gathering, as it seemed right. Whenever I am reading the Bible, I bear this in mind: "I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?" (John 3:12).
These were Jesus' words to Nicodemus. I believe the word of God is 100% spiritual and we cannot interpret it literally, but this scripture makes me feel God spoke to us in a physical-like manner because no one has ascended into heaven except the Son of Man who descended from heaven. So, every physical word we read carries heavenly wisdom. In other words, the physical order shows us the kingdom and wisdom of heaven according to the will of God. For example, the sun and the moon are both God's perfect creation, and both are special in their own way. The sun cannot say, "I am better than the moon because I give more light," nor can the moon break the order to say, "Today I want to give light to the people during the day in place of the sun, for I feel inferior that I am not permitted to shine during the day." They are both beautiful in nature and shine brilliantly in their respective time and season.
Pastor Jong, I have learned through your books that in the past, God allowed only the Levites to serve him as priests, and among Levi's sons, Aaron and his sons were to serve as high priests. This was God's order, not meaning that the tribe of Levi was more superior or special than the other tribes, nor did Aaron and his sons serving as high priests indicate their superiority over other daughters and sons of Levi. It simply means that God has put order in his Church according to his will.
Pastor Paul C Jong, you mentioned women receiving the Holy Spirit, and that the Holy Spirit gives gifts according to God's will. You also mentioned that if a sister in the church has a gift in teaching, she should not be prohibited from speaking in Church. I believe women and men share the same blessing and faith, and all bear the Holy Spirit.
But my question is: is it possible that a woman can plant a Church and serve as its leader, and all who gather should submit to her? And in a case where even her husband also fellowships in that Church, should he submit to her as well? In terms of submission, I believe all the brethren should submit to Jesus as their true groom and savior, but I mean a woman serving as a senior Pastor. Brother Jong, I respect the sisters in God's Church the same way I respect all God's saints. I am writing to you with a pure heart to learn from this matter.
The word of God indeed does not prohibit the propagation of the gospel, nor does God prohibit women from being in leadership and service of the Church. Previously, I believed that women could speak in public and participate in every way to propagate the gospel according to the gifts given to them. But when it comes to the gathering of the church where men are also present, I find it questionable that men learn through women—unless we are talking about a Bible study where everyone can contribute according to the revelation one receives from the Holy Spirit. But when it comes to the main service, I thought women learning in silence showed order and the hidden wisdom of heaven, and not to deem them inferior to men. The Bible says, "No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man" (John 3:13).
If the physical order were to serve no purpose in representing or showing the hidden wisdom of God, let's say men start conceiving children in their bodies and giving birth, or women start marrying men and not the other way around—pardon me if I reason like a child, I stand to be corrected. Also, God forbids his children to marry or get married to unbelievers. Again, while Jesus was talking to the Samaritan woman, he told her that all the men she had lived with and the one she was currently living with were not her husband. Spiritually, we know that this word teaches us not to engage ourselves with other teachings rather than the gospel of water and the Spirit, and that Jesus is the only true husband for everyone. But can we overlook the physical order and say, "Since it's a spiritual matter, I can go ahead and marry or get married among the sons and daughters of men (unbelievers)?" I believe spiritually and physically, God forbids us to engage in love affairs with unbelievers.
So how can we understand the wisdom of heaven since no one has gone there except the Son of Man who came from heaven, who mostly used to teach the wisdom of heaven borrowing from physical nature? Spiritually, we are all women married to Christ, and all of us ought to submit to Jesus. But as long as we are in this fleshly realm, the physical nature cannot escape the physical order of God. In the resurrection, we shall bear bodies that are neither male nor female, but all shall be like angels.
I have tried to explain my mind as clearly as I can. I hope my writing is not too complicated for your understanding. I respect you a lot as my brother, predecessor, and mostly a leader in God's Church. Please help me understand more concerning this matter so that we may not deprive the sisters in the Church when we come together in gatherings, if need be, even for them to start teaching in main services.
I will proceed with reading volume 2 of Corinthians, and I am also happy to have seen sermons on Galatians. Surely, the food is plenty in God's Church. May you continue to prosper in the Lord.

Brother Chris Mulonga
New Life Gospel Vision Church Zambia