 Acts 2 16 "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:" See also Joel 2:28-29. Holy Spirit put this word on my heart this morning, along with the scripture, Mark 16:9-20. We will take a look at that scripture, and then take a quick look in scripture at some of the most noteworthy women of the Bible. Finally, we will try to understand the controversy over whether or not women should remain silent in church, as written by Apostle Paul. This is a difficult word to understand and/or write, and I pray that God guides my words in His Will, and opens the ears of His children to hear. In Jesus' Mighty Name. Amen. Admittedly, addressing this topic is something I have avoided over the years, since God awakened me to His Power. Why? Because I am a woman, so immediately anything I say could be considered biased, even by me. Over the years, however, God has proven to me repeatedly with signs and wonders in my life, and through his words in these blogs, that I am no longer my own, but His. See other words about God's Power in My Testimony and My Walk With God. Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen. So, let's first look at the scripture Holy Spirit put on my heart with this word: Mark 16 9 "Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. 12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. 14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen." We will break that down into two discussions, Mark 16:9-16 now, and then Mark 16:17-20 at the end of this blog. We can see in Mark 16:9 above that after His resurrection, Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, a woman, from whom he had previously cast out seven devils. This is significant because, as we will see, Jesus had every opportunity to appear first to one of His male disciples. John 20:1-10 tells us that Mary Magdalene first saw Jesus' sepulchre open, and she ran to tell Simon Peter and another disciple. Then, they all ran back to the sepulchre, and Simon Peter entered inside, and then the other disciple, and they both saw that the sepulchre was empty. John tells us that the other disciple believed, John 20:8, but "Then the disciples went away again unto their own home." John 20:10 The disciples just left. They had no idea what the empty sepulchre meant. They did not know what to make of it: "For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead." John 20:9 The disciples, including the eleven, lacked faith, and could not remember Jesus' words spoken to them in Mark 9:31: "For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day." Matthew 16 22 "Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." They could not hear His words. Furthermore, because of their hardness of heart, and unbelief, they also did not believe the women who told them the words God's angels had spoken to them from the empty sepulchre: Luke 24 1 "Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. 8 And they remembered his words, 9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. 11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not." But, Mary Magdalene, and the other women, believed. They had great faith, and "they remembered his words" verse 8. Jesus used Mary Magdalene to preach His Resurrection to His disciples, and they did not believe her, and Jesus admonished them for their unbelief and hardness of heart. Mark 16:14 above. God always uses sinners, men and women, to fulfill His Will, because we are all sinners. God does not see us as sinners, or as male and female, because to God, we are all One in Christ: "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." Galatians 3:28 Recently, I heard someone describe it like this: When believers call out to God, he turns toward us to see who is calling him, and instead he sees Jesus, who is standing between us and God. This way, God does not see our sin; he sees Jesus' sacrifice and righteousness. But, for the unbelievers, or those who say they believe but have not been transformed by a renewing of their mind Romans 12:2, when they call out to God, Jesus is not standing in the Way, and God sees them and their sin, and rejects them. This is what Matthew 7:21-23 means: Matthew 7 21 "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Who will God see when you call to him and he turns to see you? He will not turn to us to see if we are male or female, but only to see our righteousness through Christ Jesus, in whom we are all One. So, getting back to the scripture Holy Spirit put on my heart this morning, Mark 16:15, one of Jesus' final instructions to his disciples was, "...Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Every creature who believes in Jesus Christ, male and female, receives the same Spirit: "But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." 1 Corinthians 12:11 Is Apostle Paul speaking only to men in that verse, when he says, every man? Of course not. He is speaking to every creature at the church of Corinth, men and women, who were all listening to his words, and also every creature who will ever hear. We know that the Bible is written in an overall "masculine" form, often referring to "brethren" (brothers and sisters), "man," and "men," when referring to all of mankind, male and female. This is consistent throughout the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments. We understand to whom each scripture is referring by the context of adjacent scriptures. For example, to whom is Jesus referring, when He says, "he" in Mark 16:15-16? "...Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." "He" in verse 16, when taken in context with "every creature" in verse 15, makes it clear that Jesus is referring to all of mankind, male and female. Every creature, all of mankind, male and female, who believe ...shall be saved. Verse 16 Salvation does not know if we are male or female. Salvation is for all who believe, and with Salvation comes the endowment of the Holy Spirit: John 14 16 "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." With the endowment of the Holy Spirit comes the gifts of the Spirit, as described by Apostle Paul to the entire congregation at Corinth, male and female, 1 Corinthians 12 below. Was Paul speaking only to the men when he says in 1 Corinthians 12:1 "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant." Of course not. Men and women can be saved, can receive the Holy Spirit, and can and do receive gifts of the Spirit, different gifts, same Spirit: 1 Corinthians 12 4 "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many." Next, let's look at some of the Noteworthy Women of the Bible, and then, finally, Apostle Paul's controversial words, when he said that women should not teach in the church, but should remain silent. NOTEWORTHY WOMEN OF THE BIBLE Deborah, a Prophetess, and Judge of Israel Judges 4:4 "And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time." See also, Judges 4, 5. Huldah, a Prophetess 2 Kings 22 14 "So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her. 15 And she said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me, 16 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read: 17 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched. 18 But to the king of Judah [Josiah] which sent you to enquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard; 19 Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. 20 Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again." See also, 2 Chronicles 34:14-33. Anna, a Prophetess, who was at the Temple day and night, and preached the Salvation of Christ Luke 2 36 "And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; 37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." The Woman At The Well: A Samaritan woman [Gentile] was the first person to whom Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah, and many were saved through her preaching and testimony: John 4 1 "When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, 2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) 3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. 4 And he must needs go through Samaria. 5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. 7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) 9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? 13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. 15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. 17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: 18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. 19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. 27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? 28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? 30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. 31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. 36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. 39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. 40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his own word; 42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." Sister Phebe, Servant of the Church at Cenchrea; and, Priscilla, Helpers in Christ, whom Apostle Paul praised. Romans 16 1 "I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: 2 That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also. 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. 5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well-beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ." OTHER NOTEWORTHY WOMEN OF THE BIBLE
See a more comprehensive list of Noteworthy Women of the Bible at the bottom of this blog. In Romans 16:2 above, Apostle Paul refers to Sister Phebe as a "saint," a true believer in Christ. In verse 5, we learn that the "church" was in Priscilla and Aquila's house: "Likewise greet the church that is in their house. . ." It was a custom at the time for churches to be in the homes of believers. We learn from Acts 18 that this same Priscilla (and Aquila), preached unto a man in the synagogue "the way of God more perfectly": Acts 18 24 "And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. 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." Apostle Paul does not reprove, or correct, Priscilla by telling her she should remain silent. Apostle Paul praises Priscilla's service in Romans 16:3-5 above. Paul also says at 1 Corinthians 11:5 "But every woman that prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head. . ." Paul is saying that women prophesy, and we know that no one prophesies in silence! So, we can see that, scripturally, women have played a fairly significant role in the history of mankind. Why are there so many noteworthy women, even women praised by Apostle Paul, and yet Paul seems to say in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 below that women should be silent? Is Paul contradicting himself? Of course not. 1 Corinthians 14 34 "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. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church." First, let's look at how the word "silent" is used here. The Greek word used, sigaō (to be silent), doesn’t necessarily mean absolute muteness. Earlier in the same chapter 14:28, 30, Paul uses it to tell tongue-speakers and prophets to be quiet if their speech would disrupt order. To understand why Paul says these things to the people of Corinth, and what it means to us today, it is important to understand the Gentile city of Corinth, to whom Paul was speaking in his letters in Corinthians. Excerpts from biblestudytools.com "Corinth was a thriving city; it was at the time the chief city of Greece both commercially and politically, and was "one of the dominant commercial centers of the Mediterranean world as early as the eighth century b.c." "Although Corinth was not a university town like Athens, it was characterized nevertheless by typical Greek culture. Its people were interested in Greek philosophy and placed a high premium on wisdom." "Corinth contained at least 12 temples. Whether they were all in use during Paul's time is not known for certain. One of the most infamous was the temple dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of love, whose worshipers practiced religious prostitution." "Like any large commercial city, Corinth was a center for open and unbridled immorality. The worship of Aphrodite fostered prostitution in the name of religion. At one time 1,000 sacred (priestess) prostitutes served her temple. So widely known did the immorality of Corinth become that the Greek verb "to Corinthianize" came to mean "to practice sexual immorality." In a setting like this it is no wonder that the Corinthian church was plagued with numerous problems." "The letter [Paul's letter, 1 Corinthians] revolves around the theme of problems in Christian conduct in the church. It thus has to do with progressive sanctification, the continuing development of a holy character. Obviously Paul was personally concerned with the Corinthians' problems, revealing a true pastor's (shepherd's) heart." So, the people of Corinth followed the misguided doctrine of men (mankind), still based in the practice of religious prostitution, and all manner of sexual immorality, worshipping pagan gods and goddesses like Aphrodite. Not only did they follow these doctrine, but they believed they were acceptable to God and worthy of Salvation. They were an unruly lot, prone to every manner of abomination, believing themselves to be righteous. In addition, the church of Corinth was divided, in that women sat on one side of the room, and men sat on the other side of the room. While the word was being given, unruly women would often yell out to their husbands on the other side of the room. Thus, Paul's admonition for women to remain silent. Also, because they followed the misguided doctrine of the men of Corinth, they were unable to teach sound doctrine, and, therefore, were instructed by Paul not to teach. We know that Apostle Paul wrote 13 letters, or epistles, that were specific instructions to the Gentile congregations (male and female members) throughout Asia at the time. See a timeline of these epistles at the bottom of this blog. He begins the letters to Corinth by pointing out that he had received bad reports on them from "the house of Chloe," another woman. Paul clearly valued the role of women in the church: 1 Corinthians 1 10 "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you." Paul encountered the same division, and unruly, immoral behavior, being practiced in churches from Rome to Philemon. Yet, his admonition for women to remain silent is only written to Corinth and Ephesus. He reiterates his letter to Corinth at 1 Timothy 2: Women should learn in silence, and should not be allowed to teach in the church. Let's look at 1 Timothy 2:12 "But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." When we read this scripture in context with verses 9-10, Paul is saying that, just as clothing should reflect a controlled demeanor, so too should behavior in a church service reflect godliness, and women should not be loud and unruly in church. "Let all things be done decently and in order." 1 Corinthians 14: 40 When taken in context with Paul's praise of women in the church, shown herein, we understand that Paul is saying in these two instances that women should remain silent until they can speak in Truth, like Priscilla, Phebe, and other noteworthy women of the Bible. The confusion from Apostle Paul's words about women is not unlike other instances of doctrinal debate. We must study the Bible as a whole, rightly dividing the word of God. 2 Timothy 2:15. Paul's words about women remaining silent must be tempered with his other words that praise women who preach, teach and prophesy, and also tempered with Jesus' works through women, as well as the remainder of God's Word, which says, among many other things: There is only One God. We are all One in Him. There are varying gifts, but one Spirit that works in us all. In the remainder of the scripture from Holy Spirit this morning, Mark 16:17-20, God is saying, Who are you to judge your brothers (sisters) in Christ, when you do not have the faith to bring forth God's Will for believers through Christ Jesus? Mark 16 17 "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen." How many Christians lay hands on the sick, or speak with new tongues? Many Christians mock and/or crucify their brothers and sisters in Christ for performing these signs that Jesus said would follow true believers. “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.” Matthew 7:5 Remember what Apostle Paul said in Romans 15:20 "Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man's foundation:" Preach the gospel. "Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 Paul's 13 Epistles: Cities, Sexual Immorality, and Women’s Silence Paul’s letters were written to Christian communities or individuals leading them, not to Jewish synagogues as institutions. He encountered sexual immorality across the 13 cities (epistles), but writes that women should remain silent in only 2: Corinth and Ephesus.
Noteworthy Women of the Bible: Role, Scripture, Significance.
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Melanie GarciaFaithful and humble servant to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Archives
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