Women ministries - An HF post from long ago

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The following post was sent long ago to HF about women ministries.
Please consider.....  (THoughts from Bro. Gray - teacher par 
excellence!!)

-- 
In Christ,
Mike Blume
mfblume@ns.sympatico.ca
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/mfblume/mblume.htm

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A controversy has been witnessed concerning the role of 
women in the church.  As with all controversies, there are 
factions. One one hand, the unlearned wrestle with the 
scriptures to their own destruction, and on the other hand, 
the untaught are tested as to their regard for scripture, 
and for the church.

This is a broad subject, but I am confident that we can 
convey and put in order the teaching of the church in a few 
words. No doubt, the result of apostolic teaching will be 
order and peace, not imagined but real
and genuine. 

There will be those who cannot abide in peace, but this is 
accounted for and it should not shock the young Christian. 
Indeed: 

"But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such 
custom, neither the churches of God." - 1Co  11:16 

We must allow the final authority to be established by the 
apostles, through the scruptures.

So what saith the scripture:

Being read alone ...

"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." - Tim 2:11-12

... has led some to say that women have no place in 
teaching, preaching or prophesying, and leave it at that. Of 
course, this does create quite an issue. Without further 
elaboration, it simply strikes at the nature and essence of 
half of the human race.

What does this passage mean? First, what does it not mean:

1. It does not mean that a woman cannot prophecy. The 
prophecy of Joel fulfilled at Pentecost according to the 
demonstration of the Spirit and the preaching of Acts 2:17-
18 clearly indicates an inclusion of women to be used in 
prophecy.

Where? Some will say "in private". However we realize that 
prophecy is for the edification of the church (1 Corinthians 
14:3-4). Acts 12:9 reveals Philip's daughters as 
prophetesses. It was renouned that these four women 
prophesied.

Since prophecy is the use of a human vessel for speaking the 
direct word of God under the unction of the Holy Ghost, 
annointed teaching and preaching cannot be excluded from the 
ministry of women,  scripturally.

2. 2 Tim 2:11-12 does not mean women cannot pray, or that 
they should pray silently. 1 Cor 11:4-5 indicates that the 
head of the woman must be covered so as to properly honor 
her head WHILE praying. Furthermore, the same verse connects 
prophesying, and incorporates the same criteria.  Speaking 
to the church in edification and comfort while under subject 
to headship is evidently depicted as a common operation of 
women in the of the ordained church.

3. It does not mean that a woman cannot teach. In Titus 2:3-
4 scriptural circumstances depicting women as teachers is 
given. Also, if expounding and teaching can be considered 
synonomous (I hope it is in my ministry:), Pricilla and her 
husband Aquilla did indeed teach one of the great apostolic 
preachers of the
first generation, Apollos (Acts 18:26).

Thus, we can conclude that the *silence* cautioned by Paul 
in the scripture text does NOT exclude women from exercising 
scripturally endorsed ministry. As with men, there are 
conditions for such ministry, and they need to be understood 
and not neglected 'lest confusion and damage result.

So, then to what DOES 1 Tim 2:11-12 refer?

In 1 Tim 2:11, the silence is to be "with all subjection". 
This qualifies the silence. Verse 12 elaborates on the 
reason. "... I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp 
authority over the man.. ". As we have seen the ministries 
are available to women, but not unless she is under 
authority to a man. 

We do not have General Board members who are women, as there 
is no need, however, under the authority of the presbytry, 
women have been pastors, and of course, powerful 
missionaries. Often, women are willing to do things to which 
men will not rise, and are ordained of God as an example of 
godiness and SUBMISSION, which the men who default in their 
responsibility and holiness are not a party. Men
who are not under authority and as useless and unscriptural 
as women who are not.

So, the restriction to a woman's use in the ministry or in 
public meeting, is that such ministry must be under the 
authority of men. Our problem though, sometimes arises with 
MEN who do not WANT to be under ANY authority and will 
therefor use these verses as excuse for their own rebellion.  
I know of one such man who fed the rebellion of his heart 
when his pastor's daughter was appointed to lead a music 
ministry. Rather than praying through, and working in 
harmony with the pastor, who of course, his
daughter represented in this case, the man determined that 
the pastor's ministry  was unscriptural. It is clear that he 
was seeking an excuse for defiance, for the answer is never 
in rebellion. In such cases, improper and partial readings 
of the scripture are used to attempt to bolster the "case" 
of such individuals, but the Bible allows no contention over 
such matters.

Second, the passage in 1 Corinthians 14 deals mostly with 
women LEARNING, not teaching. Again, 1 Tim 1:11 says "Let 
the woman learn in silence..."

"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. And if they will 
learn anything, let them ask
their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak 
in the church." - 1 Cor 14:34-35

The unlearned women often interrupted the services with 
questions, and comments. Paul addressed these 
*interruptions*, pointing out that the subjection of woman 
to husband also required the husband and wife to act in such 
a way that order was maintained in the church. ("it is a 
shame for women to speak in the church")

The distractions were to be brought in under reign of the 
husband, where he could fulfill his responsibility by 
teaching these issues at home (much as Adam ought to have:) 
("...let them ask their husbands at home..." )


In these days, those who ignorantly maintain an absolute 
prohibition against women in public ministry must do so in 
clear defiance of the Word of God.  Ignorance serves as an 
excuse to the untaught, but to seriously malign the female 
half of the human race unscripturally, and in so doing make 
accusation
against the Church of the Living God is poorly motivated to 
say the least. We feel no reluctance to
apply the highly charged and often overused term, "sexist" 
to such commentary. 

To see women minister in missionary, and evangelistic work 
labouring tirelessly, giving their lives in establishing 
churches is awe inspiring. And, it is truly Apostolic. Let 
God have his way in every life, and let everything be done 
properly, and in order as someone recently reminded us! 

Thanks to Bro. David F. Gray for the general information 
provided in this message.



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