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I wonder if I reiterate myself again, if it will make any sense to any one else, might as well give it shot, see if you have been reading along.
LADIES!!! DO YOU REALIZE YOU ARE IN A WAR?!
Seriously girls! I don't know how to make this any more plain than the obvious but if I must take you back to the very beginning then I shall.
GEN 3:15 -And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed...
Enmity: the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.
Right from the start, the devil had it in for us! I don't know why he would decide to pick on us, you would think that he would know that women never forget a wrong done to them, and we are very catty. Did he think we wouldn't turn our claws on him? Maybe, he never saw a woman before then! So he didn't know that we fight back!
I know I haven't forgotten what he did to our mother, Eve. And yes I'm holding a gruge.
Simple reason really, he knew that women would bring about his end, and our blessed sister Mary did just that when she obediently and willingly stepped up to the plate to bring our Adonai, Jesus into this world!
But don't worry, our troubles are only at the beginning.
Today's blog is about HOLY CATS! Women Preaching!
I see this question pop up so many times, you would think by now that other people would catch on..."Should women be pastors?"
Short answer YES.
Trust me, my mom was an ordained Reverend (before it was cool), and she and her female co-workers in Christ face numerous challenges to their authority as ministers of the gospel!
We are from the Full Gospel denomination. It seems to me that a lot of the other denominations cherry pick the Bible and try to take things out of context or squeeze in wrong meanings. Ladies, please leave your denomination and just focus on the Bible. The Bible will confirm itself, it doesn't need a anyone to screw it up. Read your Bible for yourself!
Now, the Long answer......
Scripture contrary to female pastors first:
Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
1 Timothy 2:11-13 KJV
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.
1 Corinthians 14:34 KJV
CONTEXT and HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
ALRIGHT LADIES! Let's get down to the meat of these 2 scriptures. Sorry no potatoes- I'm keto lol!
Where we begin, we first have to know more about the author Paul!
The Conversion of Saul
One of my favourite people of the Church is Saul - here after called Paul.
Paul was someone very inspiring to me. He knew his stuff, he knew Torah, he knew Mishnah (oral Torah - law). He studied with great fervor and was very zealous. In fact, he openly killed people who disagreed with what he thought was God's way. Now that is dedication, right?! Ya, a bit over zealous, but my point is, he wanted to be in total obedience to God's law because he thought he was doing what was right in his world view... until the Holy Spirit knocked him clean off his donkey, and struck him blind - because he was absolutely WRONG. Who knew! Right? (Sarcasm)
"Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me!" Jesus said to him in a bright eye burning light.
Funny how Saul had to be struck blind to have his eyes open to the truth! And for 3 days no less. A lot can happen in 3 days... like a whole life changing event!
Jesus had to get super drastic with Paul. He got him where it hurt and humbled him.
Imagine being Paul next; being lead by hand, vulnerable, scared and then, having someone you hated and were hunting and wanting to kill, praying for your eye sight to come back!
I know for fact if I were Ananias, I would have the biggest eat crow grin on my face so that would be the first thing Paul got to see when his sight was restored... more along the lines of not so big now, hot shot!
Then Jesus sent Paul away to Arabia for 3 years before allowing him to preach the Good news and my thinking is, Paul had to unlearn a lot of man's nonsense and be taught the Truth of Jesus Christ. It's amazing what the Holy Spirit can teach you if you are receptive to his teachings. There is a lot of unlearning we all have to do when we start to develop the mind of Christ.
The thing about Jesus's teachings, they were and are almost completely contrary to what the priest of his day were teaching and what Paul thought he knew. Even today, what Jesus taught goes against the world's standards.
If you ever paid attention to Jesus's actions, you would see very clearly that He did not abide by all the man-made laws of the Jewish people.
Jesus "worked" and healed on the Sabbath, did not ritually clean his hands etc.
Jesus/God, did not give 600 laws to the Jewish people, He gave 10, and it wasn't too bind the Jews, it was to show them that without Him, they had no possibility of ever being holy.
These moral laws were proof positive that we all need a Savior. So the Jews not happy with 10 laws added 590 more! I'm sorry, but I can't keep 10!!! 600 is a good old fashion, OH! helleth no! For me.
Jewish Religion
The thing about Paul, he came from a very misogynistic religion.
Did you know that in the 2nd Temple that there was a "Court of Women" and a "Court of Gentiles"? Neither were present at the first Temple!
God, not even once, segregated women and foreigners from Himself. But the Priest went off their rockers a bit and implemented these new courts and the notion that they were superior. God wanted all men and women to come to Him and worship Him as one nation!
Women in Jewish society at this time, were considered property, they had no rights, and were often disposed of quickly. A man could divorce his wife for any reason.
I mean if she had burnt his toast she could be kicked out & put away (divorced) with nothing. Some times, if she were lucky she could go back to her father's house if he allowed, but such was the stigma of being divorced that most times she was destitute. A woman had to survive by any means necessary and that often meant prostitution because she had been disgraced and had nothing. Hence the lady at the well with 5 husband's but wasn't married to the guy she was living. Desperate times.
If a woman was lucky and had any skill, she could flee to the world of the Greeks and was able to have her own business, and possibly thrive! But that was a rarity.
I am telling you ladies all this for context. I want you to understand very clearly that God never intended for women to be treated so horribly. But as a result of sin, things got worse for women.
See, the devil hates us as I told you from the start and what he wants is our total destruction, and sadly, there are far too many men willing to oblige this STUPID line of thought.
When Paul came into the Christian faith he brought with him a Jewish mindset and you can see through his letters that he grew and changed a lot. At the beginning, he tried to marry the two ways because he still cared about the opinions of the Jewish people he encounter.
For example, the circumcision of Timothy! Paul was afraid that people would judge them both because Timothy was not circumcised so he did it himself! Timothy was about 24yrs old! Imagine how mad Timothy was when Paul realized that outward circumcision was meaningless, and Titus didn't have to go through the ordeal!!! (Acts 16:1-3 and Gal 2:1-5)
Some scholars say that Titus was not circumcised because he was Greek and Timothy because he was half Jewish.
I reject that and stand by my previous conclusion that Paul was learning and growing as he went. You can not stay the same when Jesus has a hold of you. Old things pass away...
He wasn't inconsistent, he was growing. And as God worked on Paul he had to let go of his religiosity and his Jewish mindset to be able to understand the freedom of Grace without works.
There is ABSOLUTE Freedom in Jesus! When you decide to make Him Adonai of your life, you will see that your way makes way for Jesus to change you! His thoughts become your thoughts, His way becomes your way, you become one with Jesus and your whole world change from the inside out!
He is the Vine, we are the branches. We grow together!
How many people do you know went "woke" and then realized how wrong they were in their thinking and did a complete about face? That's the work of the Holy Spirit! He is bringing the enlightenment of the Cross of Salvation to many people! Paul experienced the same growth that we all do.
Points
1) Now, 1 Tim states that women need to learn in silence because Paul said First Adam was formed and then Eve. Then the fall...
So what does that mean? True and yes correct, Adam was created first, however, why was woman taken from man's side? His rib? And when did she become subordinate to her husband?
Because God made her his equal. She had different abilities, but they worked with what Adam had. Complimentary, opposite sides of the same coin.
Do you realize that they were literally the same person. Eve was formed right from Adams own DNA! They were literally two people of one flesh! 💥BOOM BABY!💥
I also want to point out something I just learned recently, God called both of them Adam! It wasn't till after the fall that Adam called her Eve. God saw no distinction between the two of them. Because again, they were the same person in the eyes of God.
Maybe that is how the Trinity works! All the same "DNA" so to speak but unique individuals.
Remember back in the old days how women were titled? I would have been called Mrs. Ryan Hood, because I took on the identity of my husband. Because we are ONE flesh in marriage. And equally valuable, but completely unique. That is how God designed it. One man, one woman, one flesh.
Gal.3:28
[28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
Now again, when did Eve become subordinate to Adam? When God cursed her. Up until then, she was his equal.
GENDERLESS, ONENESS IN CHRIST
We are all one in the body of Christ. There is no head but Jesus. No one is top dog, except Jesus. No one is greater, except Jesus. We are all one body, we all work together for the common good of the gospel. We are not independent, we are ONE.
John.15
[1] I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
[2] Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
[3] Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
[4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
[5] I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
[6] If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
[7] If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
1 Cor 12:12-14
12 There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its many parts make up one body. It is the same with Christ. 13 We
were all baptized by one Holy Spirit. And so we are formed into one
body. It didn’t matter whether we were Jews or Gentiles, slaves or free
people. We were all given the same Spirit to drink. 14 So the body is not made up of just one part. It has many parts.
Next verse same as the first?
2) Corinthians states that women can't teach a man so saith the law...
Question
A. Is a female Christian saved by Jesus still under the law?
B. What law?
Answers
A.a. When did woman become subjected to man?
-When we were cursed.
A.b. What did Jesus's death on the Cross do?
-Break the curse!
Women are no more under the law than a man. When Jesus died on the cross He died for women too. He broke the curse over us, the same way He did for men. We women are NOT UNDER THE LAW, we are under Grace. By the way ladies, pain in child birth is under the curse.
N.B. - I had my only daughter with out an epidural, in under 2hrs with less than 20mins of actual pushing. I'm not under the curse and neither are you! You don't have to have pain in child birth!!
Jesus restored us back to our equal position with man. Divine order was restored for women! It wasn't until the fall and the curse that we were made Subject to mens authority! God did not design women to be subservient, He didn't even distinguish us by a separate name! We have a legitimate right to total equality with men.
Now, I have my own theory on this scripture, Paul's letters are always answers to specific situations that the churches were dealing with. Paul was dealing with a very disorderly congregation and I believe that he was responding to suggestions that were being made, in vs 36 Paul says:
What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
1 Corinthians 14:36 KJV
To me, because the following verse speak about order, he is admonishing them for their disorderly behaviour as well as telling them their idea of silencing people (women) was incorrect.
Looking at the wording of the scripture, the scripture says "Speak", The word for “speak” (laleō) does not necessarily mean a formal role in the pulpit—it is a general word that can also be translated “talk.” Paul used a general word to say that women should not talk, and we have to make an interpretive choice: Was he prohibiting formal speaking roles, or talk in the audience, or something else? (Heckler, know-it-all, chatty-cathy etc.)
Paul says that instead of speaking, women should be in submission. This implies that the Corinthian women were speaking in an insubordinate way. The fact that Paul said in chapter 11 that women could pray and prophesy, and in chapter 14 that two or three people could prophesy in a worship service, shows that women are allowed to have a slot in the speaking schedule. It is not insubordinate for them to speak prophecies; it is therefore likely that Paul is prohibiting some less-formal speaking, such as chatter or comments from the audience.
Paul has already indicated that women can pray and prophesy in church (chapter 11), and a worship service includes two or three people prophesying in turn (14:29-32). This means that it is permissible for women to have formal speaking roles in the church. Paul was apparently forbidding some other type of speech. Just as he did not allow tongue-speakers or prophets to speak out of turn, he did not want women to speak out of turn, saying things in such a way that they were breaking social customs about what is appropriate.
God is Orderly. Everything He does is orderly and church services must follow order.
Paul did not make blanket statement, he commanded order.
Question
B.b. What law was Paul referring to?
Answer
-The oral law, the Mishnah.
Sorry folks, that right there disqualifies itself. I and every other Christian out there are not bound by the Oral Laws of the Jewish people. We follow the Moral law of God, given by God Himself. Even Jesus Himself, never followed the man made Jewish laws!
There is no where in the Bible (OT), that expressly or implied, forbids a woman from teaching men, or speaking in the congregation. In fact, God appointed women to positions of Leadership over men! Our Adonai, Our Jesus, LOVES Women! We are His bride, His daughters, His precious flowers. Pluck a single petal from us and Jesus will have words for you.
Ladies, in Psalms 68:11-12 11The Lord gives the command; a great company of women proclaim it: 12“Kings and their armies flee in haste; she who waits at home divides the plunder...
Not all of us are called to be preachers or evangelist, but we are all called to proclaim the gospel!
There are those who are called to stay home, some of us have to take care of the home front, but a GREAT company of Woman are going to have to get out into the battle and fight for souls and the women at home are going to get the same rewards for taking care of things here.
I'm sorry to burst the religious bull snot bubble, but we ladies have a divine calling on us and there are many great women who have gone before us to proclaim the Gospel!
Don't let the religious bull snot stop you from your divine calling! You have a right to preach and to teach the Gospel and not just to kids!
You have been called up to the front lines! Lace up your combat boots, apply your lip gloss, and get ready to stomp a few devils back down to where they belong!
It is your God given right and your duty! You're woman enough and it's time for all hands on deck! There are souls that need saving and you my sister are just the woman for the job!
Pliny the younger, while persecuting Christians during the years of the early church martyred numerous women who were leaders in the home churches! You my sister are in good company!
Check out this Wikipedia page for a list of females martyred for Jesus:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_women_of_the_patristic_age
Be that voice in your friend group, be that voice at your work or gym! Yes you will lose friends and family but you are preaching the Cross of Jesus! The cross is offensive! Jesus is offensive! His truth is offensive! BE OFFENSIVE!
BETTER THEM GO TO HEAVEN HATING YOU, THEN HELL LOVING YOU!
In our sin fallen world, the devil's influence over men is very eager to destroy women. Look at today's society where men are dressing like women and trying to usurp our role!
This is not an accident ladies, this is an all out assault from the devil to take us out again! We can't stop fighting back now!
Our western society has broken the foundation of our morals with allowing for same sex marriage which in turn has open the door to the total depravity of a sinful world. It's only going to get worse and we got to fight back!
The devil, that defeated foe will not have our children or our men!
Take a stand for Jesus Sister Christian. Time is short.
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Notable 20th Century Generals
Emilia Baeyertz
Margaret E. Barber
Susan Hammond Barney
Vonette Bright
Emeline S. Burlingame
Shirley Caesar
Ann Carr (evangelist)
Elisabeth Cassutto
Dorinda Clark-Cole
Beverly Crawford
Jan Crouch
Rosina Davies
Lynn Davis (singer)
Millie Dienert
Manie Payne Ferguson
Nona Freeman
Mae Eleanor Frey
Gayle Haggard
Lydia Elizabeth Hall
Marilyn Hickey
Alveda King
Bernice King
Anne Graham Lotz
Henrietta Mears
Joyce Meyers
Aimee Semple McPherson
Selina Mills
Beth Moore
Gertrude Morgan
Hannah T. Pratt
Susannah Jane Rankin
Della Reese
Dorothy Ripley
Esther Kerr Rustho
Ruth Carter Stapleton
Helen Thompson Sunday
Mary Magdalena Lewis Tate
Uldine Utley
M. E. Willson
Notable NT ladies:
Brothers and sisters:
Greet Prisca and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus,
who risked their necks for my life,
to whom not only I am grateful but also all the churches of the Gentiles;
greet also the Church at their house.
Greet my beloved Epaenetus,
who was the firstfruits in Asia for Christ.
Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.
Greet Andronicus and Junia,
my relatives and my fellow prisoners;
they are prominent among the Apostles
and they were in Christ before me.
Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.
Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ,
and my beloved Stachys.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the churches of Christ greet you.
Romans 16:3-9
Mary Magdalene (Matt 27:57, 61; Matt 28:1-10; Mark 15: 40-41,47; 16: 1-8, 9-11; Luke 8:2-3; 24: 1-11, 22-24; John 19:25; 20: 1-3, 11-18)
Tabitha/Dorcus (Acts 9:36-42)
Mary, the Mother of John Mark (Acts 12:12; Col 4:10)
Lydia (Acts 16: 11-15, 40)
Priscilla (Acts 18:2-3, 18-20, 24-26; Rom. 16: 3-5; 1 Cor. 16:19; 2 Tim 4:19)
Phebe (Romans 16:1-2)
Mary of Rome (Rom. 16:6)
Junia (Rom. 16: 7)
Tryphena (Roman 16:12)
Tryphosa (Rom 16:12)
Persis (Rom. 16:12)
Mother of Rufus (Rom. 16: 13)
Julia (Rom. 16:15)
Chloe (1 Corinthians 1:11)
Euodias (Phillip 4: 2-3)
Syntyche (Phillip 4:2-3)
Apphia (Philemon 1:2)
