👸 Women In The Church - Derek Prince

so we're going to make our Proclamation this afternoon from Colossians chapter 1 peace absolutely Philippians chapter 1 verses 9 through 11 I was checking the other day in books of the Bible for which we've made proclamations and I think we've made more proclamations from Philippians than any other book in the Bible so here we are how does it start in this we pray alright are you there and this we pray that our may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment then we may approve the things that are excellent that we may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God ah many now this afternoon I'm teaching the first session and my wife Ruth will be speaking the second session you notice I carefully didn't say she will be teaching the second session so don't accuse me of that later you understand why I say that when we finished our theme is women in the church and I have to say having moved around and met thousands of people from different backgrounds and different cultures but especially in the Western world I have discovered that many women feel bitter and resentful towards men they feel that they've been cheated oppressed and wrongly dealt with now I don't believe I've ever been guilty of that myself so far as I know and my own cultural background years ago didn't include attitudes like that I didn't know anything about them till years later but on behalf of all males I want to ask forgiveness of all females who feel injured and hurt and oppressed and undoubtedly through the centuries many many many women have been oppressed there's no doubt about that however women need to know that they're not the only ones who have been oppressed unfortunately the history of the human race and since the fall has basically been a history of oppression and unfairness the strong have usually oppressed the weak the rich have usually oppressed the poor and the educated have usually oppressed the anarchy uneducated there are exceptions but they are exceptions so when you consider as a woman that you've been wrongly treated or your sex has been wrongly treated that's probably true but bear in mind it's only one dark corner of a dark picture and the reason for it all is the fall of man somebody said recently something that just gripped a very simple statement we live in a fallen world and the roots cause of all our problems is that we are fallen from God's grace we have fallen into sin we are at war with our Creator and yet we have somehow in us a picture of how things ought to be and then we feel frustrated time and time again when things don't work out the way we feel they ought to be but remember that it's because we live in a fallen world there are more unrighteous people and righteous far more in most of our lives there are more sad days than glad days if we face the fact there are many many things continually going wrong in the old stories they used to tell about the romantic couple that they married and lived happily ever afterwards that's a lie no one ever lives ever afterwards and many don't live happily and even the happiest marriage and I had one for 30 years ends in a funeral these are just solemn intractable intractable facts that we have to face so when you consider that you have been fairly treated bear in mind the same applies to many others I'm sorry for my any part I may have had I certainly am NOT a woman hater that's one problem that never troubled me now my aim in this teaching is to be objective how far I achieve that aim I leave it to you to judge but before I enter the details of this subject I think it's very important that I give you what I would call a prophetic backdrop in 2nd Peter 1 verse 19 Peter says we also have the prophetic word which made more sure which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts that's addressed to all Christians we have the prophetic word we do well to give it heed it is a light that shines in a dark place if we do not give heed to the prophetic word we will find ourselves in the dark without light at least one third of the whole Bible is Protestant if you ignore prophecy and leave it out take no account of it you are ignoring at least one third of God's Word and how can you expect to prosper if you don't avail yourself of the light that's given to us through the prophetic word you will find yourself walking in darkness and it will have two effects first of all you won't know where you're going secondly you will not understand what's going on around you only those who have the light of the prophetic scripture have a clearer idea of where we're headed and can understand some of the tremendously confusing things that are going on around us so I want to turn to one particular passage of prophecy which has a lot to do with our theme here this afternoon and that is in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 3 now 2nd Thessalonians is dealing with the coming of the Antichrist and it warns us or Paul warns us that the Antichrist will not come until something else has happened first so if the something else has not happened first we know that the Antichrist is not coming immediately and in verse 3 of second Thessalonians chapter 2 talking about that day the day of the coming of the Antichrist Paul says that no one deceive you by any means for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed the son of perdition the man of lawlessness is one of the titles of the Antichrist but Paul says don't imagine that the Antichrist will come until there has first been what this version calls the falling away the NIV Truong Slate's it the rebellion and the new American Standard translates it the apostasy so there is going to be an apostasy before the final revelation Antichrist the best translation if you're familiar with the word is apostasy because that's exactly the Greek word which is translated apostasia it's only used in one other place in the New Testament in Acts chapter 21 verse 21 where Paul is accused of apostasy by his fellow Jews because he taught disobedience to the law of Moses so the meaning of the word is turning away from revealed divine truth in rebellion and disobedience and until that happens Paul says the Antichrist will not come in fact the apostasy in the church is what will open the way for the Antichrist because God has ordained that to a great extent he will through his church which is his governmental body on earth he will restrain the lawlessness of man but when the church throws off restraint and becomes lawless then there is nothing else left to restrain lawlessness on earth and that's why we have an ever-increasing scenario of lawlessness in the world today because the church by and large has a pasta sized it has turned away from the clearly revealed truth of God's Word and it has led the way into rebellion there's some dramatic historical examples of this when the church fails God's restraint is withdrawn I guess give you one example at the end of the last century in Germany Christian theologians came out with what was called the new Theology it's no newer than the Garden of Eden but that's what they called it and in this new theology the old testament is not to be taken literally or seriously it's a compilation of hit myths and history and pro hymns and fragments but it's not the Word of God exactly now that had a cataclysmic effect on Europe and furthermore on much of the rest of the world when the church our pasta sized in Germany it opened the way for a flood of evil and lawlessness from which we are still suffering the effects today second thing happened in 1910 the church leaders the Christian Church leaders in Germany published an official statement in which they refused the Pentecostal movement they said it was from Satan now thank God a few years ago leaders of the church in Germany met together and publicly repented of that statement but in the meanwhile these two things the apostasy of their theologians and the rejection of the holy spirit by the leaders of the church opened the way for a flood of lawlessness and let me give you just two products by name Karl Marx and AD of Hitler and the emergence of those two men both from Germany can be directly attributed to the apostasy of the church in Germany and so Paul says there's going to be an apostasy a falling away a deliberate rejection of revealed divine truth the apostasy is called today humanism and you know the feminine form of humanism feminism it's just the male and the female version of apostasy and it goes back to the first temptation of of Adam and Eve when you said you will be like God or God's knowing good and evil and he tempted r24 parents to take upon themselves the responsibility of judging what is good and what is evil and that is precisely what humanism is it takes away from God the right to set absolute standards of morality and righteousness and truth and says we'll set our own standards we'll decide what is good what is evil what is true what is false what is right and what is wrong and I personally believe this is my own opinion that the most powerful satanic force released in the world today is humanism and if we had time we could trace the consequences of humanism in situation after situation but the subtlety of it is that it does not appear immediately to be as evil as it is and as I've said and I make no apology for this feminism is the female version of humanism you might say well why doesn't Satan ever think up a new temptation I'll tell you why because the old one always works generation by generation by generation he's always succeeded in persuading man to take upon himself the responsibility that belongs alone to God and the the character flaw which he exploits is always the same it is pride I want to tell you all pride is the most dangerous thing that can ever come into your life no as a result of this apostasy and the lawlessness in the church lawlessness has invaded the human race and Jesus predicted it would be so in Matthew chapter 24 Matthew 24 verse 12 Jesus gives a little list of things that will mark the close of the age he speaks about persecution of Christians many Christians falling away many false prophets and then in verse 12 he says lawlessness will abound and the love of many will grow cold the Greek word used for love there is a gap a which is normally restricted to Christian love Jesus is warning that there will be such an atmosphere of lawlessness on earth that even Christians will be affected by it and their love will win the dwindle and wither so this situation of lawlessness is what we are confronted with today I read I don't know how many of you ever read a little daily devotional hold every day with Jesus by cell menus who is a Welshman living in Britain he's not English he's Welsh why we read it Ruth and I read it regularly for years and in this particular passage he's commenting on Romans chapter 12 and verse 2 do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind and his comment is this and it's exactly appropriate to what I'm saying the Christian Church has always stood in danger of being brainwashed by the world but perhaps never so much as in this present decade secularism which is another way of calling humanism secularism has spread its tentacles far and wide so that almost without realizing it we find ourselves thinking about the important issues of life with much the same mindset as the world I am referring of course to those issues where there is a clear and distinctive Christian viewpoint JB Phillips translates the text for today in this way don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold but let gone remould your minds from within that's a very serious and solemn warning and I see everywhere I go but especially in the West the church being squeezed into the world's mold of thinking and when we think wrong ultimately we will live wrong we've read we've all heard about translations of the Bible in modern English which is all right I'm not in the least bit opposed but I used to say the Ruth can you get modern language without modern thinking I believe you can but it takes great discernment to do it and some modern versions go beyond modern English to modern thinking no this universal rebellion is going to calm down the most fearful judgement of God that you can imagine in fact quite probably you can't imagine it I wonder how many of you believe that God is going to judge the world you do because there are a lot of people just act as though that was irrelevant it's not going to happen in Isaiah chapter 24 verses 4 through 6 we have this picture of an impending judgment on the earth if you start in verse 1 it's the most amazing statement behold the Lord makes the earth empty and makes it waste distorts its surface and scatters abroad its inhabitants that's the opening verse then we go down to three verses 4 5 & 6 the earth mourns and fades away the world languages and fades away the haughty people of the earth language the earth is also defiled under its inhabitants because they have transgressed the laws changed the ordinance broken the everlasting covenant therefore the curse has devoured the earth and those who dwell in it are desolate therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned and few men are left I don't know how you feel about that I feel it would happen exactly the way it is described so we need to find out why what is it that's going to provoke such terrible judgment from God on the whole earth and the answer is threefold verse time the earth is also defiled under its inhabitants because they have transgressed the laws change the ordinance broken the everlasting covenant there are three charges brought against the earth or the people of the earth number one we have transgressed the laws and as a specimen of that we could simply take the Ten Commandments we have broken the Ten Commandments we have changed the ordinance the ordinance ugly means the way God ordained that life should be lived the pattern of life especially in home and family and thirdly we have broken the everlasting covenant that is the everlasting covenant made in Jesus Christ and I would say probably numerically the majority of professing Christians today have broken that covenant we are a covenant breaking people probably I thank God does not apply to those here but if you consider that leaders of most of the major denominations have publicly denied such things as the virgin birth the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ and made provision for such things as between homosexuals you have to say we have broken the everlasting covenant and that's the reason for the judgments of God which are set forth here now I want to speak and it's and we're coming now to the theme of this talk about the ordinance though God's pattern for life and there are two basic human relationships on which all others depend the relationship between husbands and wives and parents and children that's really the basic ordinance of gone the way that husbands and wives should relate the way that parents and children should relate and when that is broken we release a cataclysm of disorder lawlessness and wickedness upon us and anybody in any way responsible for producing that result will have a terrible time answering God so if what we're dealing with is the ordinance the relationship between husbands and wives parents and children bear in mind it's an extremely important serious topic in fact our welfare depends on finding God's will now we hear today a lot about cultural things are alright because they're cultural culture has changed I would have to say it certainly has but I want to point out to you that when Jesus spoke about these relationships he went back to God's original purpose in creation if you look in Matthew 19 verses 3 through 5 the Pharisees came to him testing him and saying to him is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason and he answered and said to them have you not read that he who made them in the beginning made them male and female and said for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife and they two shall become one flesh jesus said have you not read in the beginning now mostly we may not be aware but the Hebrew title of the book of Genesis is exactly that dear a sheet in the beginning so Jesus was deliberately referring them to the record of creation in Genesis and he said this is the starting point this is the standing and then again when Paul spoke about family relationships and especially husbands and wives he based it on the eternal relationships within the Godhead in first Corinthians chapter 11 just one verse first Corinthians 11 verse 3 but I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ the head of woman or the wife is man and the head of Christ is gone so Paul went even further back than Jesus for his pattern he went to relationships in the eternal God and he traced a headship that descends from God the Father through Christ the Son to the husband to the wife there is no possibility of any of those factors being changed by culture they are eternal unchanging facts let me point out that it's ridiculous to advance culture as a reason for changing anything people say well it's a cultural the truth of the matter is if you analyze the cultures of the world all over most of them are rooted in demonic practices and superstitions so how can we turn to something demonic for a pattern for our lives as Christians now I want to go to the original pattern I believe we have to start here if we're going to make sense and get something solid and better and reliable for our bases so I'm going to turn to the account of the creation of man or woman in Genesis chapter 1 verse 26 and 27 then God said let us make man in our image you notice it was a decision of the Godhead Father Son and Holy Spirit together decided let us let us make man in our image according to our likeness let them have dominion over the fish of the sea over the birds of the air and over the cattle over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth so God created man in his own image in the image of God he created him male and female he created them that's the account of the original creation of the human race man and woman and they were created to exercise rule we don't know I think anything specific about the relationship between them but the original pattern was a man and woman together to rule gone Seth then we discover a specific reason for which woman was created and I being a male I recognized that women are a mystery I think most males will come to that conclusion and the creation of woman is one of the fascinating mysteries of the Bible if you tend to Genesis chapter 2 and verse 18 and the Lord God said it is not good that man should be alone I will make him a helper comparable to him or to complete him I think that's the best translation a helper took bleeding that's the first time in creation that anything was not good up to that time everything had been very good but now the fact that Adam didn't have a mate was not good he needed a helper to complete him and how did the Lord produce the help of this is this is just wonderful verse 21 the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam that's the first anaesthetic in history and as he slept he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its place and the rib which the Lord God had taken from man he made into a woman the Hebrew says he built it into a woman so how did it go and do that we have no idea it is a mystery we just know we see the product it it happened and I have been married altogether forty-eight years thirty years my first wife and eighteen years missing I have learned that woman is a mystery songs of a lot of gets me out of a lot of problems I'm in a wonderful mystery as I said I've never been a woman here but I just recognize I'm dealing with something I don't fully understand now what was the role of woman now we're coming to the basics what was she created to do and to be in one word a helper that is the key to understanding fulfilment in a woman's life a woman's nature is to be a helper now in our contemporary thinking that's prejudice there you are they're putting us down we are to be helpless let me find out something to you which will encourage you in John 16 verse 7 Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit and he called in the helper so you women have got the same title as the Holy Spirit do you think the Holy Spirit feels inferior to the father and the son because he's the helper do you think that Jesus feels inferior to the father because it's the son God spoke about Jesus in his earthly ministry and said behold my servant in whom I delight do you think that Jesus is inferior to the father because he's the servant you see we've got this totally wrong mindset which is the root of many of our problems that it's inferior to be a servant that's not true it's not Jesus is the servant of the Father the Holy Spirit is the servant of the father and the son what matters is to find your particular place and fill it don't argue with God he made you that way whether male or female whether black or white or any other color in between and that's the way you're going to be so you might as well learn to make the best of it not fight it not argue about it I have a dear friend a brother in the Lord who was born a Muslim in Algeria had a romantic personal encounter with Jesus and has become a committed believer in Jesus because of his Muslim background he began to argue with God about the way God had chosen the Jews and the privileges that appeared to be granted to the Jewish people and why should they and why should they and why should they and eventually God spoke to him and said Ali that doesn't his name but honey your problem is not with the Jews it's with me and I say to you ladies your problem is not with me it's with God and he's not going to change he's sovereign you can argue with him plead with him get angry with him but he is not going to change thank God because he's perfect alright now what we're saying now is the result of the fall bear in mind we don't know exactly what would life would be like if we if man had never fallen but we as I said live in a fallen world now it's a wonderful thing that Christ has redeemed us from the curse that came upon us through the breaking of the law of Moses just want to read that it's one of my favorite scriptures I preached on it countless times Galatians chapter 3 and verse 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us etc so Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law that is the breaking of the law of Moses and if you want to know what that curse is like you can look at the last 54 verses of Deuteronomy 28 which less countless curses of every kind that come through breaking the law thank God on the cross Jesus has made a curse that we might be delivered from every one of those curses but we are not yet delivered from the curse that came to the fore that is still enforced let's look at the room for a moment what the curse of the fall was and you'll see it's very much in force Galatians I'm sorry Genesis chapter 3 beginning at verse 16 this is God speaking to the woman he said I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception in pain you shall bring forth children well I know there are a lot of theories about painless childbirth but mostly you ladies here know they just don't work and they won't work because the Lord said it will be painful it will be painful until that curse is lifted it is not yet lifted then he went on to say to Adam curses the ground for your sake in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your not both thorns and thistles it should bring forth to you as long as you see thorns and thistles around you know that that curse has not yet been remove it will be but not yet so we are talking now about God's order in a creation that is under a curse as I say we don't know exactly what the relationship would be in between man and woman before the fall I mean there's no as far as I know there's no way of finding out what we do know is what the relationship is to be after the fall and it's stated in gal a in Genesis 3:16 quoted again I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception in pain you shall bring forth children your desire shall be to your husband and he shall rule over you we've already commented on the fact that childbirth is painful it then says your desire shall be to your for your husband now my personal thinking is that's not so much a sexual desire as the expression of a desire in every woman not always fulfilled to bear children and people can switch sexes to homosexuality but no one has yet devised a way by which a woman can have a baby without a man being involved so that basic desire of woman causes her always to be dependent man now I don't believe it's ever going to change and then he says and this is the crucial verse which makes some people so angry he the husband shall rule over you the wife now I want to say a little bit from my knowledge of Hebrew which is not perfect but is helpful the preposition over doesn't correspond to what's in the Hebrew over suggests in a way suppression domination at least some people's minds but the Hebrew preposition is just a one syllable bit is translated in or with or by or many different things it's one of the most fluid prepositions in Hebrew and it does not really express what is understood in English by the word / it's interesting that the word that's translated rule the verb gives us the Hebrew noun for government and interestingly in modern Hebrew the word for the Prime Minister is the head of the government Rosh Hashanah so this idea of rule is directly connected with the idea of headship and you could translate he shall be your governor he shall be your ruler he shall be your head he shall be your protector see it's got a very different suggestion from the way it sounds - most years in English and actually I let give you my opinion women need protectors and the ones think they don't are the ones that need it most I tell you I have such a picture today out of my own experience of the terrible frailty of human life I want all the protection I can get and I want all the protection that I can get my wife I don't always do just as well as I should but I'm trying and dear ladies you need protection the truth of the matter is it may not flatter you but you need protection we all need protection I need protection protection in the bible comes through being under authority I am a man under Authority when I'm here in Fort Loudoun I'm answerable to the eldership of this church when we live in Jerusalem we are part of a Christian congregation under the authority of the rector and in addition to that in the United States we have a board of directors to whom we're ansible we also have an International Council drawn from different nations to whom were answerable so I am a man under authority and I am so grateful for it I don't fight against it I don't feel that it makes me inferior feel it makes me safe and I tremble when I see Christians who resist divine authority be sure my dear brother or sister you're headed for a disaster somewhere so that's the basic picture of the relationship between men and WOM when the Bible introduced introduces a particularly significant concept usually the seed thoughts are in the first use of it and I believe that's true here he shall rule over you he shall be your head he shall be your governor now I'm going to now I'm going to move into interpretation I believe what I've been saying up to now is just clearly established Chris scriptural facts at this point I'm going to give you my interpretation of various relevant passages of Scripture I am sincere I have studied it and meditated on it and prayed over it a lot but I offer it to you as my interpretation you can turn it down and still get to heaven provided you go unplugging me all right no I'm offering you one aspect of the difference between male and female and we know there are many differences and we're talking now about what I call governmental authority rule I want to introduce the word government because I think it it's clear and as I understand it in the Ministry of the Word of God and as a matter of fact in all areas but let's confine ourselves to the word upon governmental authority requires a comprehensive grasp of God's redemptive plan rightly relating the main elements it's interesting that in James 3 verse 1 a passage very little quoted today in the charismatic movement but it's still in the Bible James 3 verse 1 it says my brethren do not many of you become teachers knowing that we should receive a stricter judgment that's a significant thought I don't I find a lot of people are somewhat ambitious to be teachers they've missed out that verse why are we get told not to become teachers because the responsibility is so great and you will have to answer to God for what you teach now you say brother principal are you a teacher the answer is yes I am you know why because God called me specifically in words to be a teacher a long time ago so before some of you were even born in 1944 near Haifa in what is now Israel God spoke to me and he said I've called thee to be a teacher of the scriptures in truth and faith and love which are in Christ Jesus for many and if I had ever tried to comprehend how many of them any would be I wouldn't have been able to begin because modern communication hadn't reached the stage which it has now and I don't want to be boastful but I said to say basically I'm teaching millions of people almost every day through the different medium print radio television video personal ministry now I am a teacher whether I'm a good teacher or not that's for God to discern and I know that I don't have to answer for God but do not claim to be a teacher if God hasn't called you to be a teacher now I think there's a difference between the way men and women think and this is why there's a division between those who are eligible to be teachers and those were not now you can you can question this but minds of men and women operate differently men excel at comprehensive assessment women at details I couldn't handle all the details that my wife handles every day I mean I would be I would be a wreck but she does it she's a wonderful woman but I have seen that's when women a good Act I'm not saying it's the only thing that we're going to go down please understand that but they do excel and in details I mean they can change the baby and heat the bottle and do all these other things almost simultaneously I couldn't I wouldn't I would be a wreck if I tried to do this now as an historical illustration of what I'm telling you as far as I know historically women have not achieved success in composing an opera or a symphony or in formulating a mathematical or philosophical system I don't think there's a record in history because it's not the area of woman's gifting when you have to put all those parts together and make a comprehensive whole and see the one thing as a whole it's not the way a woman's mind works but when she walks into a room and sees something out of place she sees it 10 times faster than her husband because her mind is created to deal with details and we need both I need a woman and a woman needs me it's not a competition it's not that one is inferior and the other superior the truth of the matter is we are different you know why we're different because God created us different and nothing that ever happens can change that difference we can fight it we can argue about it but it still remains gone has the last word I'm going to say something and I wonder if you would agree with me God is always right he never makes mistakes can you say that with a whole heart God is always right he never makes mistakes on him you can get over that you've come a long way now I'm going to enter into what is somewhat controversial subject I'm going to speak about the women's ministries that are open to women and the ministries that are not open doing it whether single or marry one of the questions that's very much to the fore in the church at the moment is should women be ordained my answer is that's much too vague a question my answer is ordained to do what personally I don't attach too much importance to a religious ceremony of ordination jesus said I have chosen you and ordained you I have set you apart your mind that's what really man is I'm not saying there shouldn't be an ordination service but I think it is secondary to God's ordained E and so if people say to me should women be ordained I say ordained to do what to do some things and not to do others excuse me I think I've been a blower knows when I'm about it Ruth with attention to detail tells me that I should blow my nose rather than wipe it now I'm going to go through a list for lists of ministries in the New Testament and discuss briefly which of them are open to women and which are not bearing in mind that women are not eligible for governmental authority there's a Bible teacher in Britain named David Paulson may be known to some of you he and I are not close but we're friends he has published a book which says leadership is male and basically I think that's true he's not very popular in some quarters but I think he spoke the truth I want to suggest you that when it comes to governmental authority normally it is not open to women now let's look at Romans 12 6 through 8 here's a list of different ministries having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us let us use them let us use them if prophecy let us prophesy in proportion to our faith or serving or teaching or exhorting or giving or leading or showing mercy I think there are altogether 7 ministries mentioned I would say of those 5 are open to women prophecy serving which is translated ministry in this translation exhorting giving showing mercy to that are not normally open are teaching or leading and when I speak about teaching I mean teaching that is the administration of governmental authority if you don't get that concept you really can't get clarity then in 1st Corinthians chapter 11 verse five ball says but every woman who prays or prophesies with a head uncovered dishonours her hey let's leave out the question about the head covering for a moment and just find out that it's alright for a woman to pray or professor provided she fulfills the requirements so those two ministries are open to win pray and prophesy and then in first Corinthians twelve verses 28 through 30 Paul gives a whole list of ministries and God has appointed these in the church first apostles second prophets third teachers after that miracles then gifts of healings helps administration's varieties of tongues are all apostles are all prophets are all teachers are all workers of miracles you all have gifts of healings do all speak with tongues do all interpret if you analyze that list here on the ministries what I believe are open to women prophets miracles healings helps administration's tongues and interpretation that is six the two which would not normally be open are apostles and teachers and then in Ephesians 4:11 the fourth list it says he himself Christ gave some to be apostles some prophets some evangelists some pastors and some teachers there are five ministries there of them I would say prophets and evangelists are open to women apostles pastors and teachers are not normally open to women because they all involve governmental authority and then this is one of the messages that many people find hard to swallow in first Corinthians 14 and verse 34 1st Corinthians 14 verse 34 Paul says let women keep silent in the churches for they are not permitted to speak but they are to be submissive as the law also says now I've already found out in the same chapter just a few verses higher up Paul says a woman may pray or prophesy so he's not saying that women have to sit with their mouths closed all the time I think the key to understanding this is understanding the word church which in heat Greek is ecclesia from which we get the english word ecclesiastic and so on now in Greek culture ecclesia was the the word to describe the governmental body of a Greek city-state it is essentially a governmental word this brings out the fact as I've already said that God governs Humanity in a large measure through his church but when it comes to what I would call governmental assemblies women are to keep son they are not to use the function of governing that's my understanding now we've gone just a little further because all these passages I believe are consistent first Timothy chapter 2 and verse 12 Paul says I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man but to be in silence notice teaching is directly connected with authority so Paul says we're teaching implies the exercise authority government I don't permit it now that's Paul's personal statement but that's I think we need to give attention to what Paul says after all if we compare his results with the results of the feminists he's a long way ahead then in first Timothy chapter 3 verse 2 a bishop which is an overseer and without going into it there are three different names for the same office overseer pastor and elder so we're talking about somebody who's a pastor an overseer must be blameless the husband of one wife but never says the wife of one husband and then it says in verse 4 one who rules his own house well notice again the word rule my personal conviction is that in every family the man should be the ruler that's not popular everywhere but God hasn't changed and ruling it's a tremendous responsibility don't compete for it if you're not qualified for let me suggest you the three functions of a man who rules his family he represents Christ to his family in three main ministry prophet priest and King as prophet he speaks on behalf of God to his family as priest he speaks to God on behalf of his family and as king he rules his family on behalf of God and remember the first man that God chose are all humanity for himself was called Abraham and why did God choose Abraham because he could trust him to rule his family and his children that was the first requirement of Abraham there's a strange silence now I've heard some very strange theories advanced about Fiji probably you haven't heard them but I had some questions from somebody about them so let me turn to Phoebe just for a moment Phoebe in Romans 16 1 & 2 Paul says I commend to you Phoebe our sister who is a servant of the church in pink Rhea that would be a Deaconess she's a servant that you may receive it in the Lord and I many were they are the Saints and assist in whatever business she has neither for indeed she has been a helper of many and a myself also now somebody I read this most mixed up argument said that Phoebe took charge a pole and taught him what he ought to preach so let me just point out it doesn't say I checked the best Greek Mexicans the best translation for helper is protectress so Phoebe was a protectress after all you remember Paul was beaten five times with 39 stripes it's almost credible to think you received 195 stripes in his arm and I think sometimes he needed someone to look after him a woman to take him into her home care for him nurse him feeding maybe Phoebe was one that did that but she didn't tell him what to preach I've had some of the strangest arguments that you could ever imagine in favor of women doing things that they're not supposed to do and the arguments are put forward by men but usually the woman behind the man now I do hope we're doing all right as if even if we aren't I can't do much about it now let's come to requirements for married women there are certain special requirements if he's in style 22 whines submit to your own husband's as to the Lord that's very clear there's no mistaking the meaning of that you may not like it but it's obvious what it said you'll say well Paul was unmarried he didn't really understand but I have to point out to you that Peter said even more as a married man if you turn to first Peter chapter 3 verses 1 & 2 likewise you wives be submissive to your own husbands that even if some do not obey the word they without a word may be won by the conduct of their wives when they observe your chaste conduct company by fear now Peter begins that chapter with the word likewise you need to find out what that refers to if you go back to chapter 2 verse 21 it says for this to this you all believers were called because Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that you should follow his steps who committed no sin nor was guile found in his month who when he was reviled did not revile in return when he suffered he did not threaten but committed himself to him who judges righteously then the next chapter says likewise you want like who tell me like Jesus that's right that's a pretty high calling isn't it but there's a lot of responsibility goes with it submit to your husbands whether they are believers or not I don't years ago with our dear woman she was a very committed fiery Christian but she and she was out ministering and her husband was at home and unbeliever and she told me this person she said I used to think that because my husband wasn't a believer he wasn't my head I was answerable to him and she said one day God showed me out of the Bible that he was still my head whether he was a believer and unbeliever and he said I was so shocked that I actually fell out of bed I think of another couple and this I had been ministering deliverance and at the end a woman came up to me and said I need deliverance and I God gave me wisdom I said where's your husband she pointed backwards he's at the back though it really wasn't he wasn't a significant figure I said call your husband very reluctantly she did then I said no the Bible says that your husband is your head in your priest I'm not the one who should pray deliverance for you your husband should pray determined well then did not suit her the least bit but I pressed the point and I said are you willing to ask your husband to pray for deliverance so very reluctantly she said will you pray for me for the rooms and when she said that she instantly delivered she had made God's condition see so anyhow let me tell you a delightful incident it happened in a family that we know well were friends of ours I will not name them but the the woman was a Baptist she knew the Lord and she married an unsaved man because she said I knew he would let me have as many children as I wanted and actually they ended up by having 10 but he was not saved and he was pretty riotous character he drank and all sorts of things and she would bring evangelists and preachers to the house and he just didn't want to listen to them then she read first Peter chapter 3 let them observe the chaste conduct of the wife and so she decided to change so she spun herself up she and I had done nicely put on attractive clothes and a husband was a fireman so he would come back at all hours and I'm normally should just say there's something in them in the oven for you but now she was there ready with a nicely cooked warm meal and her husband thought something said to my wife and he thought she must have a boyfriend so he got one of his friends who was a farmer not on duty at the same time as to watch the house and see who was the boyfriend well no boyfriend came now at times he was actually violent at one time you push their head through a partition wall told about the neck I said aren't you afraid she said nope well it worked today they are both believed it's raising a family of believers but she took the Lord seriously see how many people would take that risk today and this is a true story I mean they have a lovely family so when you obey the Bible it works now we have a lot of trouble about this word submission I have a background in a movement which is well known to many of you aware submission with what the key words we heard it so often we nearly threw up when we had it but don't mind you there was a lot of good in that movement I want you to tell you actually they ain't were good there means were not right and I want to point out to you there's two words submission and submissiveness now I do not believe that a wife is obligated to obey a husband if he demands something that's contrary to Scripture and contrary to her conscience I think she has a right to say I only use my husband but I cannot do what you ask because this this this but she can still maintain a submissive attitude so let me suggest that even when submission may seem impossible submissiveness is your own no let me ask you dear married sisters first of all are you really ready to submit to your husband because if you want him to be your head you have to submit every place where this is discussed submission of the wife comes first then edge of the mountain why a husband cannot be header over a non submitted wife dany is a dictator so if you want headship you must practice an issue if you it's something choice is yours then I want to ask you one other important question you dear ones those who are maybe more spiritual than your husband's do a lot of praying for you are will you be satisfied to see the good you do manifested in another person's life and this is the example there is a very spiritual wife and a rama unspiritual husband but the spiritual wife spends hours in prayer from her husband and eventually praise him through into a ministry in which is successful so everybody sees the husbands and very few people are aware of them but the wife would that satisfy you or do you man demand to have your good recognized but let me tell you there's a PS to that in eternity it will be recognized special I picture this husband and wife arriving before the throne they received their awards and he gets a crown but her crown is twice as bright as his and one angel sets another why does she get a brother crown and he well the other angel advised if she hadn't got a crown he wouldn't have won at all so postpone your crown till eternity and then now I'm coming near the end I want to say this I've said it already but saving him women are different but not inferior okay some of the areas in which women excel as I've seen it they are quick to recognize and respond to the Holy Spirit much quicker often than men they often excel as evangelists much of the progress of the church in China today is due to teenage girls who work as evangelists and bring them to get the gospel to whole villages I believe in angel ISM can be a primary call for a woman they are compassionate they are brave and they are loyal let me just give you four examples of women's loyal in John chapter 19 verse 25 these are the last moments of Jesus and the cross John 1925 now they stood by the cross of Jesus his mother and his mother's sister Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene there were the three Mary's closer to the Cross than anybody else but John and then you read in Matthew 27 verses five through seven I'm a 55 through 56 I'm sorry 55 through 36 again this is the crucifixion and many women who follow Jesus from Galilee ministering to him where they're looking on from afar among whom were Mary Magdalene Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of Zebedee's sons many women most of the men had left the women was still there and then mark 16 this is one of my most exciting passages in the Bible I want to find it so I can read it when it mark 16 verse 9 I suppose one of the greatest privileges ever granted to a human being was to be the first witness of the resurrection of Jesus to whom was it granted let me read and when he rose early on the first day of the week he appeared first to Mary Magdalene out of whom he had cast seven demons know our human being has had that privilege that excels that being the first witness of the resurrection who was it not an apostle but Mary Magdalene and it stated specifically in that context that Jesus had cast seven demons under them I tell people who've been deliver the demons you never need to be ashamed you never need to hang your head that was her proud testimony Jesus cast seven demons out of me and when he rose from the dead it was the earth that he arrived first that he appeared first and one more passage in Matthew 28 this is five through seven again it's the resurrection but the angel answered and said to the women do not be afraid for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified he is not here for He is risen as he said come see the place where the Lord lay and go quickly and tell his disciples so the women were the messengers to the apostles to understand it's not a question of rank it's a question of your function your calling and how faithful you are and many many women are more faithful than many many men as I say if there's one characteristic that I have noticed in women it is a loyalty they'll hang in there and all the men have disappeared but their sisters men believe me I am NOT interested in putting women down I'm interested in helping women to take their god-appointed place and function in it now everybody comes up with the exception so one of the favorite exceptions is that for women is leadership is Debra well that's true she was a leader because there was no man to do it shame on the men not on Deborah but bear in mind she was an exception there are 13 persons mentioned as judges in the book of Judges and 1st Samuel only one of them was a women the problem is when we make the exception the rule then we are outside God's blessing and then we close now by a statement about America America has two critical problems one of them I have spoken about for at least 30 years it is delinquent males that's problem number one males who reneged on their responsibility problem number two is rebellious females and the problem is they each make the other words every time a man is delinquent it tends to make a woman rebellious and every time a woman is rebellious it gives a man an excuse for being delinquent and this is the critical basic problem of this country that is not contribute to it let us be part of the solution not part of the problem I'll turn closing to Malachi chapter 4 verses 5 & 6 the last two verses of the Old Testament chronologically these are the last verses written in the Old Testament and notice the last verse is a curse thank God for the New Testament because if the Old Testament was the end burns last word to us would be a curse this is what it says God is speaking behold I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the Great and dreadful day of the Lord and he will turn the hearts of the father's to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers lest I come and strike the earth with a curse and that word translated curse means something that is totally a Natomas something that's totally rejected by God there is nothing more to do about it it's gone and if we do not solve our family problems we do not have reconciliation between husbands and wives and parents and children the result will be a curse it's a serious topic we each need to take us seriously you may not agree with everything I was saying but seek God for yourself and ask him to show you what is your role and ask him to make you faithful in fulfilling that role may God bless you

Channel: Derek Prince

Views: 437,554

Rating: 4.7579713 out of 5

Keywords: women in the church, sermon on womens role in the church, womens role in the church according to paul, womens ministry in the local church, bible study for women, joseph prince church, marriage is a covenant relationship, god is a matchmaker, gods standard of marriage, the importance of marriage, the responsibility of parents, marriage is a covenant with god, the importance of marriage in the bible, hillsong church uk, women in the bible sermon, Women in the bible bible study

Id: dr3Wcf_U2Bk

Length: 76min 30sec (4590 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 29 2013