10 things

Church men or mice?

If you expect me to be quiet as a ___ think again!

 

Gentle Reader,

What I find within Christianity is the desire after becoming Christian is to sit back and watch the life around them (the Christians) to go by with out so much as a "by your leave"

It is not only a shame but to my way of thinking to accept a "gift" and then put away and never even look at it.

The "Gift I am speaking about is not merely Salvation, or grace (important as they are) but the opportunity to "really, really" (2 reallys -Really important stuff to follow) get to know our heavenly Father. Paul prayed in Philippians Chapter 3 and verse 10...

"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death"

written almost 30 years after Paul meet the risen Christ on the Damascus road! You see Gentle Reader even after all that time Paul’s supreme desire was "To know Him"

The story goes that a little girl was sick in bed and at the foot of the bed was a mirror at the head of the bed was a picture of Jesus. When she felt so ill that all she could do was lift her little head to look in the mirror, she called out to her mother "I can see Jesus!" But when she felt better and could crawl down to the foot of her bed to look at Jesus reflected in the mirror, she exclaimed "I can’t see Jesus any more" Some times Gentle Reader, we see ourselves so big that we don’t see Jesus any more or for that matter what he is trying to do in us and for us.

Now to those verses that some (many) use to deny the Lord His place and what He wants for the body of Christ. "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body." (Ephesians 5:21-23)

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. (1 Timothy 2:11-12)

How can you understand these verses with the verses in Corinthians? Verses where Paul makes provisions for women to prophesy (i.e. preach) in the church . In the book of Romans Paul sends greetings to his friend Phoebe, a deacon. And throughout his ministry he works with women who he mentions by name (Euodia and Priscilla). The respect didn’t start with Paul but Jesus! {For those who really want to "know Him" read Romans the 16^th Chapter where Paul speaks of a woman apostle (overlooked by so many in the church today)

"Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me." Verse 7 Chapter 16 of Romans.

No, Gentle Reader, Paul was not giving the "church" license to dominate women. Nor was he telling women in the 21^st century that they are second-class citizens who must bow and scrape to the whim of their husbands. Paul’s ultimate hope was for both men and women was that as he put it "We have the mind of Christ" that as God see each of us there is no distinction! He said this in no uncertain terms in the book of Galatians, Chapter 3 and verse 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." Now that Gentle Reader, is radical stuff! That is the way God sees you and me.

The fact is that the "Church which is the body of Christ" was years ahead of the time in its treatment of women. While society was keeping women enslaved, the church was appointing them to positions of responsibility and leadership. Female deacons and apostles were prominent in the early church, their qualifications for office being set down in 1 Timothy 3:11. (Note: the Greek word often translated as "wives" would be better translated as "women").

Female preachers were also commonplace . Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary some Christians still maintain that woman cannot adequately serve as ministers. The problem is that God cannot be locked into the culture of the 1^st century whether we like it or not. If God exist (I use the Greek prepositional "if" if and it is true) He is alive today and revealing Himself and continuing to reveal Himself to those who truly want to "know Him".

Next time we look at evidence how men (good? Perhaps! Misinformed? Definitely! Not well taught, unlearned? Certainly!!!!) Have veered from what God wanted and For those of you who intend to preach this message in your Assemblies I’ll give you facts that are irrefutable that you can check me out! How’s that?

Well it’s dog feeding time for me. See you next time.

Love,

Denis