|The following post was just as tough for me to write as the previous one. This division in the Church is something that has, for my generation, been a battle between Christians. Apparently, we don’t have enough battles waging against us, so we’ve come up with one against ourselves….yay us...
——The war against God in society continues and will only get worse. We, The Church, need to know that the enemy is laughing and kicking back(idiom for sitting in a comfortable plush chair, drinking demon juice and watching us do all their dark work).
Notice I did not say the war on men; because the war that is being waged on the Church and its morals, history, and standards; is ultimately against God, with men being the scapegoats.
|…but hold off on excusing the men, because we are part of the problem, and have been for a long time. I’ll get to this next post.
——I am not here to add to the division. I am here to give scriptural reference to the insanity that this issue has become. I am not one to insult a woman and tell her to, “Go home,” like a famous pastor recently said… I believe that is insulting and unbecoming of someone who has so many ears listening to him, but that is for another post.
…But I am also not one that will give somebody a Free Pass if they are scripturally in error, no matter if it’s a famous pastor, or a fellow Christian friend… That is not who I am, and people that know me, know that I only stand for these things spiritually:
Only Christ, Only Scripture, Only Faith, and Only Grace.
So when the popular culture comes knocking at my door, I ask myself:
——Is this scriptural?
—— Will this glorify God?
—— Will this unite the Church?
——Is this issue showing love or hate?
—— Is this based on our faith in Christ?
—— Does this follow the original Spirit filled Acts Church?
—— When I am counseling someone, the above questions are always on my mind. Now getting back to the subject…
——In the previous post, I asked a straightforward question—To show me anywhere in the Bible where women had roles of Priest or High Priest, in either the Hebrew (OT) or Greek (NT) scriptures. I gave examples of women being used by God as Prophetesses and Deacons but never as Tabernacle/Temple Priests or Teachers.
What I am about to say is not meant to be sexist, arrogant or proud. I would not be here if were not for my mom, wife, daughters, & other women who have given me valuable life lessons through our interactions and relationships…
——Now, if, after you answer these next questions, and still can dispute the word of God, then go ahead and call me whatever you like. But, I hope that at the end of the questions, you see that God has an order for the family. This order extends out into society. And society without men and women in unity, can’t exist. There are many things that men can’t do.On the other hand, there are things you women can’t do that a man can.
|Here are a few more points to look at and ponder:
—Before I get to them, I would like to mention Deborah, the Prophetess, and Judge of Israel. Again, she was neither a Levite or High Priest(ess). Deborah never worked inside the Tabernacle. It is never recorded that Deborah was able to go in to sacrifice at the Altar or go into the Holy of Holies. This is a huge deal, since God had qualifications for serving in the Tabernacle/Temple:
One, was that you were a son of Aaron. Yes, a male, I want to be clear about this. It is not me saying this, it is coming straight from the LORD. Two, a priest had to come fromt the line of Aaron.
Yes Oscar, but that was then and now, we are all free in Christ…
Let’s take a look at the qualifications of an elder (Pastor— senior or on staff):
—The list of qualifications of an elder is given in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. You can read these yourself. I’ve underlined the main point above…So an elder or overseer or pastor has to be a man, having only one wife, kind and respected, able to lead, etc. This man must oversee his family well, in order to oversee the church family second. Most pastors flip the roles of overseeing, making the church a priority over their families… I will get to this in my next post.
—Now, here is the interesting part, a deacon’s (or waiters’, helpers’, administrators’) qualifications are given with an extra addition:
—Notice that God inspired Paul to add verse 11, and give women the right to be deaconesses; adding requirements for them.
—My question to you is this: Why would God insert qualifications for women Deaconesses, but not insert one for women elders or pastors?
—Well wait a minute Oscar, you’re just seeing things, it means that Paul was inspired by God to add this for both elders and deacons!
No, that would be reading into God’s word and instructions…
—You see, God’s order is always perfect. God is intentional in everything He has ever done or will do. He placed the qualifications in perfect order, so there would be no— he said we said, shenanigans!
—God is telling All readers of this letter the requirements to be elders, deacons, and deaconesses. That’s it: no additions or subtractions. He does not add requirements for women elders, but only for deaconesses.
Had God wanted female elders (meaning pastors), He would have added a verse 11 qualification right after verse 7! You can also check out Titus chapter 1 to confirm these requirements for men.
So my questions to the female readers are:
—Based on the Bible’s authority and the qualifications of being a pastor-overseer-teacher:
— Can women be senior and/or staff pastors just because culture and society say it’s time?
— Or is it because the enemy has said— Did God really say you couldn’t be a senior pastor?
This last polemic question will be addressed next post…
If you are reading this and don’t know doctrine, or were just visiting this website, and you want to get to know God, here are a few links to having a Personal Relationship with Him:
