Women's Ministry

[PastorHarrison]

In response the article I posted here on Women Preachers, when that article ran in the paper a local Church of God with a woman pastor responded by saying that I Tim, I Cor, Eph 5 and Titus 1 & 2 are "Mosaic Law" and that women can now preach because there is no more male / female re Gal 3:28. She asked in the newspaper that I answer those questions.... here is my reply:

Trusting The Bible On:
?Woman?s Ministry?
At risk of seeming contentious or argumentative, yet for sake of correcting false doctrine & false teaching, Paul frequently ?reasoned? with the Jews ?out of the scriptures? [Acts 17:2, 18:4, 18:19 & 24:25]. Some trusted the Bible and some didn?t. Good questions have been raised about what God said concerning his ordained order for women in ministry. The answers to those questions are found in scripture. Many great women are found throughout the word of God serving in incredible roles in ministry, beginning with Eve and the greatest woman?s ministry of all - ?Motherhood?. Are there women disciples in scripture? Yes! Were women mightily used of God in scripture? Yes! Do women serve God in wonderful ways in the Bible? Yes! But not once, not ever, anywhere in the Bible, as a Pastor, Apostle or Preacher or Deacon! You find them serving in their own ordained roles & ministries. You might get it in a false bible, but you won?t ever get a single priestess, pastoress, deaconess, or preacheress out of a real Bible {AV1611 King James Bible}. Why not? Because God said ??I suffer not a woman to TEACH nor to USURP AUTHORITY over the man?? [i Tim 2:12]. ?Let your women keep silence in the churches?for it is a shame for women to speak in the church?. Can God have possibly said it any clearer? Some men & women hate these verses. They twist, distort and reason them away [see Mark 7:13]. Question 1. Isn?t this an O.T. restriction given under the law? No! This is in I Timothy not the O.T. Law! Trust the Bible - The Mosaic Law (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy) {God?s word} also says God only calls men as pastors. It is reiterated in the N.T. but as we see in Matt 5:27-28, the N.T. often cuts far deeper and is harder to live in than the law ever was! No, our verses are N.T. given 2000+ years after the law and 40 ? 65 years after Christ: See [i Tim 2:11-12; Titus Ch 1-2; I Cor 14:34-35; Eph Ch 5]. This is not ?under the law? it?s ?in Grace? for the local church. Question: What about Eve, Sarah, Deborah, Jedidah, Ruth, Anna, Esther, Phebe, Priscilla, Mary and Martha etc? Wonderful Godly women who served God faithfully and honorably! But not as Priest, Pastors or Preachers or Deacons. God does not violate or contradict his word! Question: What about Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek?neither male nor female? Many Jews thought getting saved required 1. Being a Jew & 2. Keeping the Law. God gave this letter to teach that being a Jew & keeping the Law won?t get you saved! See Gal 2:16, 3:7, 14, 5:4! He said being a man, woman, Jew, Gentile, slave or free has nothing to do with salvation. None of that matters at the foot of the cross! You come to Jesus by Faith or you don?t come! Saying that this verse means women can preach today because they?re no longer ?women? would give the sodomites {homosexuals} a great argument for ?gay? marriage. They could claim ?we?re not really violating the word of God because we?re no longer ?men marrying men? or ?women marrying women? we?re just ?one in Christ??! That?s a heresy. Question: What about women who say God called them to preach? God does not call women to preach they called themselves. ?Let your women keep silence in the churches: (notice that?s not just the Corinthian church as some confuse ?look close and trust your Bible! It reads church(es) ??for it is a shame for women to speak in the church?. Women & men alike call themselves to preach. Should women be witnesses? Yes! Share the gospel with lost people? Yes! Serve God? Yes! Teach other women & children the word of God? Yes! Can a woman help her husband expound the Bible to a confused adult man? Yes! [Acts 18:26]. Question: What?s a prophetess? Study every use of that word in the Bible ? it was a woman who could tell the future as it related to will of God. A prophetess was NOT a pastor, priest or preacher in the Bible. God didn?t forbid women from preaching because they can?t do it well, or because they don?t know the Bible?but because of Eve?s transgression and the woman?s place in the family of God [Gen 3, I Tim 2, Eph 5] What a dear Christian women should do is to honor, accept, embrace and submit to the word of God. The role and place of women is prestigious, honorable, beautiful, loved, cherished as the weaker vessel and vital to the world, to the home, to the family and to the body of Christ. Millions are in heaven now because of dear Christian mothers, Grandmothers, sisters, aunts, daughters and wives.

[blossom]

Hi Pastor Harrison,

1 Corinthians 14:34
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law.

I would like you to clarify for me if you mean the above verse is saying for women not to preach, or not to talk at all. For example during our adult Sunday School class the Pastor will often ask questions for us to call out answers or ask if we have questions?

I have been taught not by our current Pastor that this verse was because the church was in disorder with everyone speaking and such like at once and the women were told to be quiet in order to cut down on the noise and chaos. No mention was made in the explanation that this was in relation to preaching.

Also how was the preaching done during this time. We today have someone out the front preaching but in the bible we see Jesus talking and people questioning. So in the early churches what was preaching etc.

Please don't think I am disputing what you are saying but am very interested to know your response to my questions. I know the bible is clear about women not being preachers 1tim 2:12 has made that abundantly clear.

My husband only just recently learnt that there are inaccurate copies of KJV bibles where publishers have changed various words. We have never heard this said in any of our churches before, I wonder how many others don't know. I have heard that scofield bibles change some of the text in the KJV but I don't know what other publishers do.

Thank you for your dilligent study of God''s word.

God Bless

Blossom

[HappyChristian]

blossom - if your pastor invites questions, and your hubby doesn't have a problem with you asking them, you're fine!!

[PastorHarrison]

Considering "scripture with scripture" it is clarified that "speaking" in the church is not referring to every utterance of voice - considering Anna, Elizabeth & Phebe and Priscilla who spoke in a church setting. Rather dear sister, it is that "speaking" as clarified in scripture is meant - the focul teacher, preacher, pastor. In other words, it does not mean a woman cannot utter a word in a church, but rather that she cannot assume the role of "the speaker" {the Pastor, the Head, the Preacher} which pictures the husband of the wife.

A woman most assuredly can and should pray in church, teach other women & children in church and serve the Lord in the church - simply, not as it's pastor or preacher.