MY Call? Shouldn't it be GOD'S Call?

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On Wed, 21 Oct 1998 11:36:49 -0400 Jerry and Wendy Horn
<horn2865@dpnet.net> writes:
>This has been an interesting thread!  One which is probably ruffling a 
>few "feathers"!

And more than a few scriptures.

>My response is one not quite at dynamic as Sis. Yohnk's, but rather I 
>have a few scriptures that I feel apply to me and my husband.
>
>Acts 18:26	And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom 
>when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and
expounded unto 
>him the way of God more perfectly.(KJV)

So they witnessed to Paul...where does it say that Priscilla PREACHED or
PASTORED anywhere?

Firstly, if you believe that you have been called, then you must realize
that one of your primary responsibilities is to preach the Word of God in
context, even if it means that it disagrees with your personal beliefs
correct?

Do you believe the Bible contradicts itself?  If not, then you have to
explain how Paul could command women not to teach men...

You also have to explain why there is NOT ONE SHRED of historical proof
of a female Preacher/Pastor in the Pre-Nicene New Testament Church.

>Rom 16:3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus:
>4 Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not 
>only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.(KJV)
>
>Notice it says THEY???

Yes, THEY laid down their own necks.  But THEY didn't Preach.

>I knew (in the Holy Ghost) when I met my husband, that God had 
>already called me to do more than sit on a pew.  

Alright, but God doesn't give generic "more than sitting on a pew" Calls.
 If He Called you, what specifically DID He Call you to do?

>When I met Jerry, we had many discussions on how we felt the Lord 
>was calling us do work for him.  After all, in Mark:
>
>Mark 16:15	And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and 
>preach the gospel to every creature.(KJV)

Do you believe that He was Calling EVERYONE to Preach, in this scripture?
 Or wouldn't you recognize this as a Universal Call to Witness?

There is a difference.

>OK, so not everyone is called to pastor.  I agree with that.  

Do you also agree that women are never called to Pastor a Church?

>But, we all have a call from God and need to seek Him for what He wants
us to do.

That's not a Call.  That is a responsibility.  EVERY Christian has that
responsibility, whether they are called or not.

>I know without a doubt, that when Jerry received a call from God to 
>come to Delaware, and I asked God to call me too

God does "Call requests"?

And I thought you said that God already Called you to something other
than sitting on a pew...He Called you twice?

> that God honored that request. 

You are saying that God violated His Word just to honour your request for
a Call?

> I didn't want to be the wife just hanging around for the ride.  

Is this the real source for "the Call"?  We cannot Call ourselves into
God's service.  

Many men have tried that, too, some with what we mortals might term good
results, but they are still not in the Will of God.

>I wanted to be an active part in my husband's ministry, but also felt
that God 
>had something special for me to do, not just be "the pastor's wife".

Is there something wrong with being "just" a Pastor's wife?

>I know he has give me a "pastor's heart" for caring for the people we 
>have attending our services, and even for those we come in contact with 
>that may eventually be a part of the church.  

Actually, that would be a "Pastor's WIFE'S heart", since we know (don't
we?) that women cannot be called to Pastor.

>It is not that I don't care about people, but I confess (it is good for
the 
>soul!) that sometimes my flesh can be selfish and not be caring.  

As all of us mortals are capable of, yes.  Would you also say that it is
possible that your flesh that above you stated, wanted "more" than being
"just" a Pastor's wife is at least partially responsible for your
perceived Call?

>God has begun a good work and me and He is being faithful in 
>completing that good work!

But that is different than Him begining a CALL in your life to preach. 
Now before I am misunderstood, please recognize that I know there is
Biblical precedence for women teaching and even preaching to other women,
BUT there are specific injunctions against women preachers and pastors.

>All the training we had under our pastor in Maryland was great.  We 
>had the time of our lives ministering to people and teaching Bible
studies 
>there. Collectively, Jerry and I were teaching more Bible studies that
any 
>one person or couple during our time there.  

And even THAT is Biblical as long as you are teaching the women and he
the men.

>I have been around women who are called to preach.

Called by God?

>Sis Alice Wright  from Annapolis, Maryland, and Sis Janet Trout of
Dover, Delaware/North 
>East, Maryland.  These women do not usurp authority over their husbands.


This has nothing to do with usurping authority over their husbands.  The
Bible clearly says usurping authority over THE MAN (1 Timothy 2:12).  If
you are going to quote scripture, PLEASE quote it correctly, ESPECIALLY
if you believe you are "Called" to preach, surely you must understand the
necessity of quoting the Word of God correctly and in context, yes?

>I have seen them work with their husbands and yet develop their own
ministy 
>in God.

They can HAVE a ministry, just not preaching to mixed congregations, or
pastoring.

>I am not putting myself up with them.  I do not have the experience 
>that they do.  BUT, I am a child of the King, too, and He is no
respector 
>of persons.  He gives all of us gifts (talents):

The Call is not a gift.

>Heb 2:4	God also bearing them witness, both with signs and 
>wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost,
according to his 
>own will?(KJV)

That's the bottom line.  It is HIS own Will, not ours and if we acting
outside of that Will, as stated in His Word, then we need to examine our
motivations.  

Are we wanting to do this because WE think we need to do "more"?  God
knows best where we should be, what we should be doing.  

WE cannot know better than God where we should be and to assume that WE
can give ourselves a Call greater than "just" where he put us is ignoring
the Call that He DID give...

>I just desire to be as the Apostle Paul:
>1 Cor 9:22...... I am made all things to all men, that I might by all 
>means save some.(KJV)

But Paul was CALLED to that station.  We cannot simply appoint ourselves
where we want to be in God's service.

Imagine, for a moment, a new recruit in man's Army thinking that the job
that he's been given is not good enough.  He doesn't want to be "just" a
medic.  He wants to fight with the other men.  So he somehow reassigns
himself to be a combat soldier (which is not possible regardless of how
strong he wants it, btw) and he gets on the field and sure enough, he
fights with the rest of the soldiers, but when the battle is over, he is
laying on the ground critically injured, unable to respond to the echoes
of his wounded friends crying "Medic!"

We do not know better than God where we should be.  We should be praying
THY Will be done, not MY Will and His Will NEVER contradicts His Word.

* * * EVER * * *

Jerry Welch
ICQ: 18489712
www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/2810/
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