Strife Behind The Pulpit Part 3- An Examination of Women In Ministry: Digging Deeper cont.

Priscilla and Aquila

God has a pattern for ministering to His church, a model that we would be wise to follow. God has put an older couple, Bruce and Catherine Benson in my life who have been faithful mentors and a guides to me over the years. Both of them have imparted a wealth of information to me through conversations and though their selfless love of each other. When I think of their life I am remind of a similar couple in the book of Act chapter 18, they are Priscilla and Aquila. They were a husband and wife team, mentioned several times in the New Testament. Priscilla and Aquila were Jewish tentmakers (Acts 18:2–3), and their business may have brought them into contact with Paul. While Acts does not reveal much about the life of Priscilla before she met and married Aquila, the text does make several mentions of her, always with her husband. Aquila.

Aquila was born in Pontus, but had recently come from Italy with Priscilla. They met Paul in Corinth after he had departed from Athens and they had fled Rome. The roman Emperor Claudius had commanded all Jews to leave that city (Acts 18:2). The three shared a common interest in tent making, as well as a love of Christ. They became dear friends, and Paul lived with them for a time.

While in Corinth, Paul spoke in the synagogue, reasoning with those who would listen to his Christian message, and converting many Jews and Gentiles. Priscilla and Aquila, who had been Christians longer than Paul, helped Paul found the Corinthian church and strengthen others there in the faith. God moved through their ministry. I believe that is was because they modeled what a godly home should be. Peter instructs the wife to be submissive to her husband.. and for the husband to love his wife as Christ (1 Peter 3:1-7). God has ordained the husband to be the Pastor, Provider, and the Protector of the home. Therefore the man MUST be the spiritual leader of his family in and outside the home. We see this modeled for us in the life of Priscilla and Aquila.

When Paul left for Ephesus on the next leg of his journey, Priscilla and Aquila went with him. In Ephesus, Paul left Priscilla and Aquila to go preach in the synagogue. The name of the Lord was greatly magnified as a result of the preaching and healing done (Acts 19:17). Priscilla would have gained the skills to be a missionary from Paul. She and Aquila are credited with being strong leaders of the Corinthian and Ephesian Christian communities. They were always mentioned together signifying that they were a team.

Strife Behind The Pulpit Part 3- An Examination of Women In Ministry: Digging Deeper (cont.)

Who are Chole's People?

A woman, presumably a Christian, mentioned only in 1Corinthians 1:11. She was a resident either of Corinth or of Ephesus. Paul had been informed by some of her household, probably Christian slaves, of the dissensions in the church at Corinth. Nothing more is known of her. Many are quick to assume that because she is mentioned in this manner that she must have been a “pastor”. I would be quick to caution readers against such a hasty assumption. Chloe, who most likely kept the house church, is not mentioned again in the Scriptures. Whether or not she addressed the assembly in any way remains shrouded in ambiguity. So, too, is the participation of other women of the New Testament, including Lydia (Acts 16:14–15) and Nympha (Colossians 4:15). There is nothing in this passage that suggest that she was the shepherd of the flock. Yet even if she had managed to work her way into such a place we must take into account the nature and theme of the book she is mentioned in.

Corinth was an unruly community, Paul rebuked them for many things among them were incest (1 Corinthians 5:1–13), pagan worship, and corrected the women several times over. Chapter 14 of Corinthians is chalked full of exhortations including one in which he said that a women is not to speak in the church rather they are to ask their husbands in private. The Corinthian Church was in a state of complete choas! So to base the doctrine of women pastor's on the idea that people from Chloe's house took this message of division is utterly absurd.
This passage here implies that they were either members of her household or that there was a group of Christians who met in Chloe's house. It is a common accepted idea that there were not many established buildings in which the 1^st century Christians gathered. Instead they would meet together in homes, overseers or elders would watch over this flocks. In a later chapter we will look long and hard and the qualifications of these overseers.
I do not want to give of the impression that I am a misogynist. In fact I do not hate women I am a married man, father and older brother. Some may wrongfully accuse me of being an arrogant chauvinist, I assure you this is not my intention. We do not have to look very long at all to see that women played, and still play, a vital role in Christianity. Without the service of Phobe or the hospitality of Chloe, Nympha and others who opened their homes to groups of believers, 1^st century Christianity would not have been as successful.

God used women in profound ways to shape the future and He still is using women today. Without the Godly influence of my wife, mother, sisters and dear grandmothers in the faith I could not be the man I am today. There are several grandmother in the faith who have poured into my life and the lives of others. They have given me a glimpse of what true love, service, and humility is. They have shown me things of the Spirit I would have missed and provided insight that only a woman can give.

A Greater Remembrance Memorial Day Sermon 5-20-12

A Greater Remembrance

Hebrews 10:26-39

Memorial day is a day in which we reflect upon the sacrifices of the brave men and women who fought to defend our freedoms and liberties. I pray we never forget their sacrifices. However It is a more fervent prayer that we never forget the greater sacrifice of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. I stand here today to call the church to a greater remembrance. I call us to remember the love of our savior, to remember the place where we once stood. I petition you to reflect back to a time when this church stood as a beacon of light in this community and to strive to rise above that rich spiritual heritage to become the people that shine brighter than the sun.

Let us never forget the rich heritage, the sacrifice and the passion of those who have gone before us!

Don't start down the slippery slope of apostasy. First you get comfortable, then you get lazy, then you swell up, next you rot from the inside out then you die.

Stop rotting on the pew, because before you know it, will be too late and your filth will burst and your true nature will show itself.

If you realize that you are starting down the slippery slope here are several imperative steps you must take.

I. Repent of your self. Hebrews 10:26-29

A. For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins - Heb 10:26 (KJV)

• Deliberately/willfully keep on sinning. This means intentional and continual sin, a person refusing to stop or repent; the warning is do not do this! This would be like knowing God and His principles, yet intentionally disobeying them and/or enticing others to do so too. This would also be abandoning the care of a church fellowship, deserting the Church, and/or not going anywhere to worship as well as doing things contrary to God's will. This insults God, and causes Christ to be crucified again; His grace is still there, beckoning us back. But if we stray too far and too long, we will pay for it and will deserve it. It is grace that is offered—which we do not deserve. This is also a retort to those who think they are not sinning when they are, or rationalize it as OK. (Ex. 24:8; Num.15:27-31; Lev. 4:2,22; Mark 14:24; Heb. 5:2; 6:4; 2 Pet. 2:1; 1 John 1:8; 2:1-2).
• This is the unpardonable sin. (Blashphemy of the Holy Spirit Mt. 12:31-32)

B. What have you done with Jesus?

• Hebrews 10:27-29
• Have we disregarded the sacrifice of Jesus?

II. Fall Into The Hands of God Hebrews 10:30,31

A. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God for sinners.

• God is a good and righteous judge
• We are all found guilty we are not righteous.
• If God is a good judge He must judge us according to our crime. No amount of good out weighs the crime...
• Our Behavior has Consequences
Draw a line.... Imagine the most evil person who ever lived put them at one end of the line... (Hitler)... Imagine a person who lived the most benevolent life ever, put them at the other end of the line... (Mother Teresa)... Put yourself somewhere in between. Now lay that paper down and stand back 100 feet they don't look that far apart anymore.
• We all have the potential for the same evil as Adolph Hitler's Masacare of the Jews. Because in our heart is selfishness, pain,

B. God is alive and able to bring us new life.

• As believers we should treat His presence with reverence
• God The Son has the ability to pardon our sins and forgive us.
• Christ took our place to grant new life. We ought to walk in the newness of life.

III. Remember To Stand and to Hold Your Ground Hebrews 10:32-39

• Remember … you stood your ground/ fight. Greek word athlesis is where we get the word “athletics.” They have tasted and seen that the Lord is good; they have produced Fruit and have changed lives. Even in judgment and warning, God is there with His hands stretched out with comfort and encouragement that “you can do it.” So, do not be discouraged when life gets tough; hang on and in there. Jesus will get you through! Also, in context, is the importance of mutual faith and support to build up one another and persevere through tough times (Psalm 34:8).
• Face of suffering/endured hard struggle/afflictions/contest/conflict. This is set in athletic language as you are just about to finish a race but before it ends, you give up, when you could have made it and even won. You can do it!
• The Just Shall Live By Faith. Hebrews 10:38a
• This is the tittle of a great Trilogy in the New Testament In Paul's Writings, quoted from an old testament passage of Habakkuk.
• Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11
• Romans emphasizes “the just,” Galatians deals with “shall live,” and Hebrews centers on “by faith.”
• The secret of victory was in their faith and patience ( "courageous endurance")
• But If Any Man Draw Back. Hebrews 10:38b-39
• The believer who lives by faith will "go on to perfection" (Heb 6:1). But the believer who lives by sight will "draw back to perdition" (Heb 10:39).
• Perdition- The Greek word translated "perdition" is used twenty times in the New Testament and it is translated by different words: "perish" (Acts 8:20), die (Acts 25:16), "destruction" (Rom. 9:22), and "waste" (Matt. 26:8)
• A believer who does not walk by faith go back into their old ways of life and wastes their life.

Don Not be of those who draw back in the faith, or those who give up or fail to follow through with your commitment.
This is your life don't waste it.

The "saving of your soul" is the opposite of "waste". To live by faith is to obey God's word and Trust Jesus to be able to save your soul.
We must loose our life in Christ and then and only then will find true meaning, security and eternal life.
You must choose if your going to wander in the wilderness of waste or live confidently.
As we live by faith and walk with our Great Hight Priest Jesus we will be guided into perfection and life.

Strife Behind The Pulpit Part 3- An Examination of Women In Ministry: Digging Deeper

Strife Behind The Pulpit: An Examination of Women In Ministry: 

Digging Deeper

Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior... so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored

Titus 2:3-5

             History alone is not the basis of the argument of gender in the pulpit. There are many doctrinal issues involved in the controversial debate over gender and the clergy. I think the first item of business that needs to be covered is that God loves and calls women to His service just as He does men. Women are no less meaningful to God as men are. Remember God is no respecter of persons, For there is no respect of persons with God. Romans 2:11. Please ladies if you don’t hear anything else in what I am saying hear this. God created men and women to do the same basic task, love God and love others. Each and every person is called to live a life of service. Let us take a look at the life and ministry of some great women in the first century church.

Paul’s Epistles give us a glimpse into the life and ministry of the early church. In the book of Romans he introduces to several godly women. These women served faithfully in the church day and night. They help an important place in the early Christian movement, yet many are quick to assume that just because of their mention and place that they were “pastors” or shepherds. If we are to hold to the Bible as our final authority and not superficial feelings and historical movements, than we ought to study out the scriptures for the answer and not the Women’s Liberation Movement. Many people would say, "Why even talk about this issue? It’s just not important; it’s not important to the gospel." Well, let me ask you a question. Is fidelity to the word of God important to the gospel? Yes it is. Is fidelity to the word of God where the culture is pressing against us, important? Yes, it is extremely important. And so, the real issue here is the authority of Scripture.

Phoebe

             "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea; that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well."

Not much detail is given about her nor is she mentioned anywhere else except in this final chapter in Romans. But she will always be remembered as the person who delivered Paul's epistle to the believers at Rome. What an amazing task this must have been. Travel was not easy nor safe, but she was given this great letter and sent to deliver it. With it came a personal recommendation from Paul, this tells us a lot about this lady. Paul told them that she was a servant of the church in Cenchrea and many assume that she might have been a deaconess or minister there. The word for servant, translated from the Greek means attendant and is used elsewhere to denote a Christian teacher, pastor, deacon or deaconess. We will deal later with the qualifications for Christian teachers, deacons and pastors. However the word was also used in the case of a servant or someone who did errands as a slave. Whether or not Phoebe was a deaconess or servant one truth remains, she was a great help to the many people. If a Pastor does not have the heart that Phoebe portrayed they were failing in the service.

Paul instructed this church to help her out in whatever means necessary as she also helped others. This is an important truth that illustrators the principal of reaping what you sow. Just knowing that she helped and ministered to others in their time of need would empower the Romans to assist her while in Rome and on her journey. This is why Paul mentioned it. He instructed them that she had been a great help to others and even himself, so in the same way they should assist her when possible. Jesus said, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" ( Luke 6:38 ).

This is one of the key principal how the Kingdom of God works, we will reap what we sew. So in helping others, others will be more likely to help us. Paul is advocating that Phoebe has earned their help and respect by the help she had given him.

 The same holds true for us today, we are more likely to assist those who willingly help us and vice versa. Like Phoebe we are servants of Jesus and ministers to His church. We are tasks with helping and caring for our brothers and sisters when there is a need. Today, I pray that you become aware of those needs and step in and help when possible. Just like Phoebe, you will be remembered for your servant’s heart and for caring and ministering to the saints of God. May this truth bless you today as you walk in it! It is apparent the role Phoebe played in the early church was one of service not leading the church as the pastor or overseer.

 

Strife Behind The Pulpit: An Examination of Women In Ministry: A Historical Overview

Strife Behind The Pulpit: An Examination of Women In Ministry: 

A Historical Overview

The popularity of women in ministry is largely connected with the growing emergence of the Women's liberation movement of the 1800's.

Women in pastoral ministry is by historical terms a relatively new concept. There were a handful of women involved in ministry in the first few centuries of the church, yet there lacks historical and biblical evidence of women serving in a divinely improved pastoral role. It was not until the early 1800's when women began to make a major run for pastoral positions.

In the early 19^th century women like Catherine Booth, Olympia Brown, Anna S Hansacombe, and began to fill pastoral roles. Unlike their predecessors of the first and second century, these women were not simply opening their homes for studies and ministering to the saints. They took on the primary leadership of congregations, preaching the word and the authority of the local church. There are no records of women being ordained into the public gospel ministry before the 9^th century ("Chronology of Women's Ordination.")

During the 18^th and 19^th century in American history, the nation experienced a surge of reformative voices. It was an era commonly known as the enlightenment. Today the Enlightenment is often viewed as a historical anomaly, a brief moment when a number of thinkers infatuated with reason vainly supposed that the perfect society could be built on common sense and tolerance.

It was during this time that people started to question religious norms. Rational thought and logical seemed to invade the principals of scripture. Thomas Jefferson, a leading enlightenment thinker, compiled his own version of the Bible in which he cut out anything that could not be logically justified (ie. miracles, or divinity). Making good on a promise to a friend to summarize his views on Christianity, Thomas Jefferson set to work with scissors, snipping out every miracle and inconsistency he could find in the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John ("A Founding Father's View of God."). Then, relying on a cut-and-paste technique, he reassembled the excerpts into what he believed was a more coherent narrative and pasted them onto blank paper -- alongside translations in French, Greek and Latin

The waning sense of religious importance, the rise of tolerance, and the woman’s right movement of the 1800s contributed greatly to the emergence of women in pastoral positions. One could almost draw a parallel between the history of woman’s rights movements and the rise in women ordained into pastoral ministry. In 1848 The first women's rights convention is held in Seneca Falls, New York. Subsequently, in 1853 Antoinette Brown was ordained by the Congregationalist Church.

There is not a single women mentioned among the Apostles (messengers of God). Women served alongside them, as we shall discuss later. All through out the New Testament men are called to lead the church. Women are assisting and ministering as well but in various roles. Later we shall explore in detail the roles of such great women , as Phoebe, Dorcas, Chloe, Nympha, Lydia and others. It is my desire to discover to the best we can their role in the Church and what all of us can learn from their service. Has there been but one women known to have preached a world renowned revival, leading to the salvation of hundreds of souls? What one woman “pastor” is considered among the greatest pastors of all. History has yet to produce one female pastor that ranks with Whitfield, Edwards, Spurgeon, or the like. I empathize greatly with the cries of the women to let their voices be heard. I applaud their fight to have voting rights and be treated as equal. But the pulpit is no place for such a battle.

Strife Behind The Pulpit: An Examination of Women In Ministry

Strife Behind The Pulpit: An Examination of Women In Ministry

Part 1 

(Introduction)

This is a highly controversial issue, one which has many augments and positions. Much prayer, study, and research have gone into this series of writings. I hope you take time to read them with a clear conscience and an open mind. In the words of Aristotle,"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."  I challenge you to hear me out and to examine what I am saying from the standpoint of Scripture and reason. I stand fully by scripture as the basis of my idea, reason and doctrine. Any historical or logical reasoning is used only as a elaboration of my doctrinal viewpoint. The Bible is not subject to cultural changes.

In my journey of faith, I have observed many troubling events. From the time I was a ten year old boy some of my greatest heroes where the brave men who dared to stand behind the pulpit. I was impressed by the dedication, commitment, and passion of these men. It became my longing to one day join the ranks of this fine men. A fire flared up within me to  join in the proclamation of the glorious good news about the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In the moths and years to come I began to apply myself to studying the word of God, and learning from any minister who would take the time to assist me on my journey.

While I was preparing myself for what I knew was God's call on my life I began to notice a great deal of strife and controversy that surrounded the pulpit. It seemed that many of these men whom I held in high esteem began to expose their true natures, and individuals stepped behind pulpits who did not know their right hand from their left. I was taken back when the pulpit became the center for debates over gender equality. I remember the first time I heard a woman speak from behind a pulpit. I was alarmed. I was unsure of the idea of the role gender played in ministry for some time, yet something did not sit well with me. As I grew in the lord, and studied the word deeper I came to my present position: the pulpit is not the place for strife and equality battles.