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A great teaching on the proper place of women in the Church.
One of the most controversial doctrines throughout the church age has been the place of women in the church, especially weather they should be allowed to teach or exercise authority in the church. This is no small matter, and must be settled before we can come into our full purpose as the church. When it is settled, it will release one of the greatest overall advances in the church since the giving of the Holy Spirit.
Like any true doctrinal resolution, this most be done without compromising the scriptures, but rather basing our doctrine on them, rightly dividing the written Word that has been given to us for that purpose. In this article, I intend to agitate two major controversies, not for the purpose of creating more division, but so these issues are confronted until they are resolved.
First, it is my position, based on scripture, that women most not only be allowed to teach in the church, but that a great and crucial teaching ministry has been deposited by God in women. It is also my position that there should be no ceiling on the authority that a women can exercise in the church, including apostolic authority, which is also established in the Scriptures.
Second, it is my position, based on studies and observation, that the church has become so feminine that most men feel uncomfortable or bored. Even though the majority of the church is presently led by men, about 75 percent of the church are women who want their husbands, sons, and brothers to be attracted to the church. In general, this will not happen until there is a place for the masculine nature in the church.
How could the church, which is so predominantly led by men, have such a tendency to make the church overly feminine? To some degree, this is a result of the devil’s overwhelming assault to blur the distinctions between men and women. It is also, at least partially, of women exercising illegal influence over the church because they have not been able to do it legally.
This is not to imply that there should not be feminine influence in the church, and even a feminine identity. In fact, I believe there should be even more than there is now, but it should not exclude the masculine. We should have both. This too must be corrected for the church to come into its full purpose.
The church should be the foremost place on earth where men are free to be men, women are free to be women, and everyone is completely free to be who God created them to be, using all of their gifts and talents for His glory. Such a place would be one of the most attractive societies to all the people on the earth, which is why the devil is so intent on blurring the distinctions that God made between men and women.
True men are never intimidated by true women, and true women are never intimidated by true men, when both are real about who they are, the set others free to be who they are. It is actually the wrongful compromises that are causing the divisions because anyone who is compromising who they really are will always be insecure. One of the greatest revolutions in Christianity is about to come because the Lord is going to set the men free to be who He created them to be, and He is going to set the women free to be who He created them to be.
The Great Teaching Ministry
It is basic to Christianity to understand that the Lord game to give us life and to give it more abundantly. Life is our primary business, The word “father” means “life-giver” because the sperm seed comes from the man. However, let us think for a minute. What would happen to that seed if there was no woman present? Who is it that carries the seed, nurtures it, brings forth the life, and does the biggest part of the job raising that life to maturity? Basically until the child is born men do the fun part and the women do all the work. After the child is born, and through its most important formative years, the mother will usually continue to be the greatest source of nurture and teaching.
I am not advocating changing this. In fact, it is, I believe, a divine order of things. However, I do advocate giving honor to whom honor is due. I believe motherhood is possibly the highest calling that one could have on this earth. Every mother is a “queen mother” and should be treated as one and given the highest place of dignity and respect.
A Prophetic Experience
The next three paragraphs from a prophetic experience. I do not believe prophesy should be used to establish doctrine in a church; only the written Word of God can be used for that. I am not trying to establish a doctrine by sharing this prophetic experience, but I am sharing how I came to the following conclusions. Prophecy is some times given to illuminate doctrine and illuminate the scriptures, but if we do not see it in the written Word it should not be accepted. I was given these prophetic experiences in order to see where the true spiritual authority often comes from and how much more we should be devoted to prayer and to honoring, even celebrating, mothers on the earth. In this I am speaking both natural and spiritual mothers.
I have had several prophetic experiences in which I was standing before the throne of the Lord in heaven. In two of them I was able to observe that many, if not the majority, of those that were close to the Lord’s throne were women. There are things in such experiences that you just know you are supposed to see or understand; I knew that most of these were mother intercessors who were responsible for some of the great moves of God upon the earth. Most of these moves were led by men, who are known for them on the earth, but in heaven these women were known for them. They were the ones that carried the spiritual seed nurtured and protected it until it matured.
It was than that I began to understand that many who are the most well-known on earth are not well-known in heaven, and many who are not well-known on earth are some of the most well-known in heaven. The hidden ministry of the intercessor was intended to be hidden, even in scripture, until the day of judgement. In fact this ministry loses its power when it becomes too well-known on the earth. However, those who “see” should recognize where true authority comes from. Having authority with God is much more important than having authority with men.
After these experiences I started to believe that when John and Andrew came to Jesus and asked to sit on His right hand and left, He could not grant this because it was reserved. Many of those for whom it is was prepared are women. Prayer can have more power on the earth than the United Nations and all other seats of authority combined. For the most part, women have chosen this “best part” far more than men.
Even so, the Lord is about to display true womanhood in all of its glory through the church. This will compel women to see and understand all that they were created to be. The Lord is also about to display true manhood and all its glory and all its called to be through the church. This, too, will cause all men to understand what they were created to be. This will also make it possible for both men and women to accept and respect the place of the other. The world was not made to be either masculine or feminine, but the place where both could thrive as they were created.
It is also in this that true unity will come. The way that I became one with my wife is not by making her into a man, but by honoring and appreciating her differences, seeing them as complimentary not conflicting. Now lets look at the teaching ministry that the Lord has given to women, and how essential it is to a healthy church life. Then we will address the authority issue.
THE GREAT CALLING
In Proverbs 6:20-23 we read:
My son, observe the commandment of your father, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother; Bind them continually on your heart; tie them around your neck, When you walk about, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk to you. For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching is a light; and reproofs for discipline are the way of life.
Here we are told to observe the commandments of our fathers, and not forsake the teachings of our mothers. It is said that our basic character traits are set by the time we are four years old. Therefore, this is when the teaching and instruction are most critical. The mother’s teaching has its greatest impact on the child during these most formative years, and this can have the greatest impact on the course of a person’s life. Is there any teaching ministry more important than this? Could there be any ministry more worthy of honor and support than the ministry of being a mother?
In Exodus 20:12 we read the commandment to: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land that the Lord your God gives you.” In Ephesians 6: 1-3, Paul restates this commandment, ensuring that it would receive the same compliance by those in the New Covenant: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with promise), that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.” All of the commandments reveal God’s standard for righteousness. Except for the ones commanding us to love, the commandment to honor our fathers and mothers is emphasized more in both the New and Old Testaments than all others. As Paul pointed out, this is actually the only commandment with a promise attached, and that promise is longevity.
The church has done a fair job of honoring spiritual fathers, but having been a Christian for almost thirty-five years now, I have not heard spiritual mothers mentioned more than a couple of times. The commandment is that we honor both, yet I do not believe much of the church even understands what a spiritual mother is. A good case can be made that the primary reason why so many churches and movements become spiritually irrelevant so fast, not having longevity, is because they do not honor both. If we are going to be the church that we have been called to be, we must honor both our spiritual fathers and mothers.
I confess to having a deep and growing love for Catholics, while at the same time having a great and deep grief for many of their doctrines and practices. The one that I especially consider an extreme is the degree to which the veneration of Mary has been taken. This was seared in my heart when I walked into the great cathedral in Cologne, Germany, and saw what I estimated to be more than a thousand candles burning under the picture of Mary, but just one flickering little candle burning under the picture of Jesus ! However I also think that Protestants and Evangelicals do not honor Mary, the mother of Jesus, enough, even though we are told in scripture that she was to be honored, so all generations would call her blessed (see Luke 1:48) Maybe this is an over reaction to Catholic practices, but both are extreme.
Certainly that young girl who risked all that she did to carry and give birth to the Son of God is deserving to being one of the greatest heroes of faith for all time. However, she did not just carry the seed of the Holy Spirit and give birth to the Son of God, but persevered with Him through the cross, and remained faithful to Him until the end, even though all but one of the apostles had fled in fear.
Though I consider it the most anointed movie ever made, I could hardly endure watching Mel Gibsons movie, The Passion of the Christ. Even knowing that it was a movie, and knowing that they were all actors, it was still almost unbearable to watch a portrayal of our King being tortured the way that He was. Yet Mary stood by her Son, beholding the real torture and crucifixion, which lasted many more hours than the movie, and she stayed with Him until the very end. Why? Because she was His mother.
Mary is worthy of honor not worship, and maybe more than any other person in the Gospels except her Son. God has deposited faithfulness and faith into motherhood, and it deserves such honor. However, we must now ask: How is it that Catholics would go to such extremes in honoring Mary, and not allowing women to be priests? This seems remarkably incongruous, but there are similar contradictions in the practices of much of the rest of the church concerning the place of women.
This is a matter that must be addressed and rectified if we are going to fulfill our full purpose. This is why Paul reminded Timothy that it was because of his mother and grandmother that he was in the faith (see II Timothy 1:5) We will also see how Paul, contrary how many assert, gave such honor to women, their teaching ministry, and their authority. We will do this without in any way bending the Scriptures, but we will have to straighten out a few wrong interpretations, which are easily revealed as such.
Who Is The Priest
This leads to another issue. There was a doctrine promulgated in the 1970s that the man was “the priest of the home.” I felt at the time this would be a devastating doctrine in the church, and I think we can see clearly now just how devastating it was. As stated Timothy’s mother and grandmother were responsible for him being in the faith. Most of the great men and women of God can point to their mothers, like Solomon did, as the real person behind their success.
First, all Christians are called to be priests, not just men. This doctrine seemed an attempt to instill the importance of men being the spiritual heads of their homes, but it was very misguided. Priests are intercessors, and the fact is, that in general, women tend to be much better intercessors than men, and because of this doctrine, some of the best intercessors were neutralized.
Many people like to point to the failures of highly visible ministries during the 1980s as the reason for the great slide of moral integrity in the church, but I think a good part of it can be traced to some of the doctrines of the 1970s that took prayer, one of our greatest weapons, out of the hands of many who knew best how to use it.
If this doctrine was taken from the Old Covenant, the perpetrators should have followed the model to its conclusion. There was a division between the kings and priests under the Old Covenant. The kings held secular authority in order to allow the priests to be devoted to the divine service and to teach the way of the Lord to the people. Likewise, in the New Testament the man is the head of the home, but this is in order to take care of the management of the affairs so that the woman can be free to do that which is more important. In the Lord, those in authority are the servants of those under them.
What women are called to do in the home, in intercession, and teaching the children, is far more important than going out and making money. If we look at it from a worldly, human perspective in these times, in a society that scores value so much according to possessions and wealth, it is understandable why women staying at home with the children might think of themselves as second-class citizens. However, this will not be the case for anyone looking from the more important, spiritual perspective.
I personally have no problem with women having careers and professions, and believe they should be rewarded with both money and authority commensurate with their accomplishments, equal to men who do the same thing, but that is a low calling, not the high calling that motherhood is. Even so, the real issue is: Are we doing the Lords will? I have no doubt that many women are doing the Lord’s will in the profession but I also have no doubt that many, who may still be doing a great job and accomplishing much, have settled for less than they could have attained in this life by not esteeming their calling as mothers far above any secular profession. It is what we do for eternity that really counts. Many of the accomplishments that we have received the accolades of men will look very shallow on the Day of Judgment. The real issue is whether we were seeking first the kingdom of heaven in our pursuits, or our own interests.
The Greatest Wisdom
King Solomon was said to be the wisest man who ever lived, except of course for the Lord Jesus. After writing the book of Proverbs, which is the only book in the Bible devoted exclusively to wisdom, Solomon concluded it was: -- “the oracle which his mother taught him” (Proverbs 31:1). The wisest man who ever ruled on earth was taught his great wisdom by his mother!
Solomon’s mother knew that he was destined to be king, and she saw and devoted herself to preparing Him for his destiny. It was an awesome calling to prepare the future king, but our children have a greater calling than Solomon; they are called to rule and reign with Christ. Therefore, every mother of a Christian child is a true “queen mother” who deserves even more honor than any queen mother of a mere earthly kingdom.
The following statement by Solomon in the Song of Solomon is quite enlightening.
"Go forth, O daughters of Zion, and gaze on King Solomon with the crown with which his mother has crowned him on the day of his wedding, and on the day of his gladness of heart."
(Song of Solomon 3:11)
Solomon was the son of David, the greatest king of Israel. He was the heir to the throne because of his father, yet here he confesses that it was his mother who crowned him.
If we read the story in scripture, we see that one of his brothers was trying to seize the crown for himself when Solomon’s mother went and interceded for her son with King David, and Solomon was then crowned. Likewise it is probably the intercession of mothers, in the natural and spiritual, that enable more people to assume their callings and purposes than we will probably ever suspect until it is revealed, to all on the Day of Judgment.
Again, we need to consider why there has been so much attention given to honoring spiritual fathers, but so little to spiritual mothers. It is probably because so much of that ministry is hidden, carried out in prayer before the Lord. Such ministry is still not esteemed in the church, the way that it should be.
Some may have the argument that Solomon ended up falling, so his foundation must not have been as strong as it should have been. That is true, but I do not think it was that he honored his mother to much, or did not honor his father enough. The fact is Solomon did have longevity and was allowed to be king for many years after he introduced apostasies into the nation. An argument could be made that this was actually the result of him honoring his father too much. By this I mean that Solomon only had his father’s vision and when he finished building the house of the Lord, he did not have a vision of his own, so he drifted from faith.
To truly honor our fathers and mothers does not mean that we cannot go farther than they did, or have a vision for things that they may not have had. In fact, if you listen to a truly loving father or mother, they delight in seeing their children going farther than they did. Our ceiling should be the floor of the next generation. The way they can honor us most is by taking what we leave to them and going much farther.
The Lord is Masculine
Another issue that must be settled is that the Lord is masculine. Again, one of the devil’s ultimate intentions to thwart the purposes of God is to blur the distinctions that God made between men and women. One of the ultimate conclusions and delusions of this apostasy is to try to make God into a woman. It is not “our mother in heaven”. He is our Father in heaven. He did not create us Adam and Steve, but Adam and Eve. Jesus was a man and is the man Christ Jesus. As the scripture makes it clear, He continues to be the One as the mediator between God and man (see I Timothy 2:5). This cannot be compromised, and those who try to erode this clear teaching of the scriptures are on a path to a profound deception and bondage, not liberty.
It is the delusion of the pretenders to true authority, who obviously know of their own inadequacy, to suppose that for them to ascend to their purpose they have to bring others lower. No true woman who is confident in her own purpose, is in any way intimidated or offended by God being masculine. It is only the weak, insecure, or deceived who think that for them to advance they have to change others, or anything external for that matter.
Let us consider this – the Lord is so secure in who He is that He is not intimidated by His bride, the church, doing even greater works than He did. In fact, He wants her to. Likewise, no true man who is secure in his manhood is intimidated by his wife doing even greater things than he has done. In fact, a true man will applaud, support, and encourage her, just as the Lord does His bride.
The bride of Christ may do greater works than the Lord did while here on earth, but she will do it through His power and authority. Likewise every husband and wife team is a partnership. However some of the great men of God great men of faith are those who allow their wives to be all that they are called to be, and do all that they are called to do.
Women do not have to emasculate to be able to minister or to take the authority that men are called to walk in, but rather the reverse is true – they need to find men who are men and who are secure enough to let them be who they ere created to be. The only freedom that any of us will ever know is to be God created us to be and allow others to do the same.
Women in Business
It is fitting that Solomon concludes his great book of wisdom, the book of Proverbs, with an entire chapter devoted to the perfect woman. It is also noteworthy that some of the most esteemed characteristics of this woman were her business skills. She was into real estate, developing, manufacturing, and was a remarkable manager. Her husband delighted in her for it.
If you want a New Testament reference, Lydia was a businesswoman in Phillipi, the first to receive the Word of God in Asia, and it was in her house that the disciples met (see Acts 16: 14, 40). God has given to women some of the greatest gifts for business and management, and the truly wise men appreciate it, and not only free them to do it, but honor and appreciate them for it.
The Great Controversy
All of this brings up an important and controversy issue. What about the New Testament Scriptures that say women should not be allowed to teach or even speak in the church? That is a good question. One thing we are committed to is basing our doctrines and practices on scripture above all things. First let us look at I Timothy 2:11-15.
Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness, But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, not Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression. But women shall be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in the faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.
Now let us consider that many have taken this statement as a conclusion that because Eve was deceived, women are more prone to deception than men. How many wars were started by women? How many cults, sects, or false teachings? How many false religions? Now answer these same questions about men. So do you still think women are more prone to deception than men? These obvious facts have made this an issue for many over the years. Then why should Paul say this? That is a question that deserves an answer. Even if this statement is true as intended, if only Eve was deceived, then Adam knew what he was doing! How smart was that?
Before addressing this let us look at I Corinthians 14: 34-35, which says:
Let the women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but let them subject themselves, just as the Law also says. And if they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in a church.
These scriptures are so clear and straightforward. How could we possibly doubt that this was exactly what the apostle meant? I will give you six reasons:
1) It is in contradiction to other scriptures. 2) It is in contrary to the entire weight of scripture.
2) It is in contradiction to Paul’s own practices. 4) Nowhere does the Law say this.
5) The fruit that has come from this interpretation is bad.
6) If we are to honor our mothers, what could possibly be more dishonoring than to tell them that they are not even able to speak in church.
The main reason why these two verses have been challenged by sincere Bible-believing Christians is when they are taken literally, they stand in contradiction to other scriptures, which cannot be overlooked. A basic principle of biblical interpretation is found in Psalm 119: 160: “The sum of the word is truth, and everyone one of Thy righteous ordinances I everlasting.” If there is ever an apparent contradiction in scripture, there is a reason for it.
A basic principle of biblical interpretation is even if you do not understand the reason for such a seeming contradiction, you never base your doctrine on the one or two scriptures that stand in contradiction to the rest of the Bible, but always the “sum” of the Word or the weight of scripture. Even so, this does not justify overlooking any scripture. If there is a seeming contradiction in the scriptures, we can be assured it is intended to be there by God. The tension between seeming contradictions is to drive us to a deeper understanding. I say here “seeming” contradictions because even those that seem the most apparent, I have learned there is always a higher perspective that will bring both into light and into harmony with each other, regardless of how impossible it may seem.
Another problem that scholars and leaders of the church have in literally interpreting these two verses is that no where in the Law does it say that women are not permitted to speak in the congregation. Paul who had been the “Pharisee of Pharisees” would have known this better than anyone. This seems to confirm what theologians have asserted, that Paul was quoting here a letter or a report from the Corinthians concerning practices they had adopted and was replying to them. These consider the next verses to be Paul’s reply to the Corinthian practice of not allowing women to speak:
Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only?
If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues. But let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner (I Corinthians 14: 36-40)
My wife and daughter recently visited the church in Corinth, Greece, and were given another interesting explanation for these verses. It was explain to them that many temple prostitutes had been converted in Corinth, and to custom, had their heads shaved. To protect them from more scorn in the church, Paul issued a decree for the church in Corinth that all women should wear head coverings. Also, because of the heated bickering between the women of the church and these converted temple prostitutes, Paul also mandated that all the women should keep silent in the church. They asserted that this was only for the church in Corinth because of this special circumstance, which is why Paul did not mandate this practice in any other churches. It is true that none of the other churches in the New Testament were given this instruction or had this practice.
There have been many other interesting and sometimes convincing explanations given to these verses by some of the great teachers in history. Probably the best reason why these verses are not to be taken as a doctrine that the whole church is that it is in contradiction to Paul’s own practice.
Paul acknowledges in Romans that Priscilla and Aquila instructed Appollos, who himself became one of the greatest teachers in the first century church. Paul named Priscilla first, indicating by the clear protocol of the times that Priscilla was the preeminent one instructing Apollos. It was even considered in the first century to have been an intentional statement of liberation for women in the church to teach men.
Paul further establish this at the end of his letter to the Romans. When he listed those that the church in Rome should greet, Priscilla was again named first as if to verify his intention in this (see Romans 16:3.
In Romans 16:7 Paul writes, “Greet Andronicus and Junias. My kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.” This clearly names a women among the apostles. We are also told that the apostolic office was given to be a “witness of the resurrection” (see Acts 1:22, 4:33). It is noteworthy that the very first witness of the Lord’s resurrection was a woman, she actually bore witness of it to the apostles. Who were at the time cowering in fear and did not believe the witness!
Obviously it takes far more bending of scripture to hold to the doctrine that women should not be allowed to speak in church, or have authority, than it does to accept that they should. However both positions or conclusions can leave unanswered questions for those who are sincere seekers of the truth and genuinely desire to obey the Word of God. I, therefore, do not believe that either position should be held so dogmatically that we allow it to divide us. We must so esteem the scriptures that we would never rationalize a text we do not agree with. Having heard and read a multitude of teachings on this subject. and having examined it myself, I base my doctrine and practice on what I consider to be the weight of the scriptures rather than a single text that seems in contradiction to it, while remaining tolerant to those who see otherwise.
There are many other ways in which both the Lord and apostles honored and elevated the status of women in bold departures from the practice of the times. As stated, the Lord chose a woman to be the first to see and declare his resurrection, which was in fact the apostolic mandate. As He promised in Psalm 68:11, “The Lord gives the command; the women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host.”
Without question, some of the greatest evangelists in history have been women, and some of the greatest today , who I think merit being considered true apostles are women.
A third major, theological problem of not allowing women to speak in the church is that we have women named as prophetesses in both the Old and New testaments. This includes Miriam and Deborah in the Old Testament (see Exodus 15:20, Judges 4:4 ) and Anna and Philip’s daughters in the New Testament (see Acts 21:9 ). We are also told in the books of Joel and Acts that when the Lord pours out His Spirit, our sons and daughters will prophecy. (see Joel 2:29 ). Would God give someone the gift of prophecy, but not allow them to speak?
It should also be noted that just before Paul seemingly mandated in his letter to the Corinthians that women should not be allowed to speak, he wrote that if they prophesied, they should do so with their head covered. How could they prophecy if they could not speak?
Another major problem that we have, if we do not allow women to teach or speak in the church may be the most important of all. Could there be anything more dishonoring to our mothers than to tell them that they are not even allowed to speak in the church? These are the ones who probably been our most important teachers, These are the ones that not only gave life to us, but nurtured and taught us from the beginning. The Lord thought it was so important for us to honor them that it was the only commandment He gave with a promise attached to it – the promise of long life, which to most would be one of the greatest promises of all.
Summary
We will be limited in our spiritual advancement until this matter is resolved in the Church. This involves more than half of the present citizens of the kingdom, more than half of the members of the body of Christ. Until women are allowed to function in the place to which they have been called, the body of Christ will be at best like a stroke victim that is paralyzed.
The church is called to be the light of the world. This implies that we must have the answers to the world’s pressing problems. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.” (II Corinthians 3:17 ).
Yet the church in our times has not only failed to lead the great liberation movements of recent times, we have often been their greatest enemies. This must change.
When we fail to lead with sound biblical truth, the enemy will fill the vacuum with every form of perversion. Many leaders in the church have mistaken the nature of those who filled the vacuum as the nature of the whole movement. The primary reason why there are such perversions and extremes in the women’s liberation movement is because the church did not take the lead in setting women free from the oppression they have been subject to. This movement should not have to be led by women; godly men who have the heart of God for His children and household should have led it long ago!
We must rise up and preempt the enemy by taking the high ground on every important issue of our times. Even if we are starting late, as much of the church is doing in relation to women’s liberation, it is not to late to seize the high ground of sound biblical truth, take our stand, and push the darkness back.
One of the great problems that we have in the church is that there are many teachers, but not many fathers. Most whom I have heard described as spiritual fathers are older men who have served faithfully for many years, and are not spiritual fathers, but just old teachers. A father is not just one that is old, but someone that reproduces. Most men become fathers when they are young, not old. A spiritual father is one who reproduces his ministry and the grace that has been given in others. However, for a man to become a father, there must be a woman present. For a man to become a father, a woman must also become a mother. We must start recognizing and honoring both our spiritual fathers and mothers.
We need to recognize and honor the women who carry the seed of the Lord through intercession, and then nurture the young with words of life and a constant vigilance. These spiritual mothers will be some of the best teachers of newborn believers, just as mothers are the best teachers of young children. This is not to negate the place of men in this, but God made men and women to be different and did divide the labor required to propagate the race. This does not negate of women teaching on the highest or most advanced levels either, but the foundations are more important to lay properly. This is a gift and honor that the Lord has given especially to women.
When the world sees godly women of the church in their God-given roles, being fulfilled to the uttermost because they are being who they were called to be, motherhood and womanhood will be esteemed as the glorious calling that they are.
The Lord wants to display womanhood just as He wants to display His bride, the church. The church is a bride, and is referred to in the feminine because that is the nature she is called to reveal. The church will never be able to do this without women being in their place.
We also need to understand that the bride is to be like “an army with banners,” Which is quite masculine, and we will not be that until men are in their place. These may seem to be contradictory natures, but the male and female natures perfectly compliment one another when they are right, when the Lord is finished with His church, the world will see in it the perfect glory of both the man and the woman. Men will look at the men in the church and say “That is what I am called to be.” Women will look at women in the church and say, “That is what I am called to be.” True unity will only come when men are men and women are women. There would be no Jezebels if there were on Ahabs. Until we are both free. Neither can be free. |
