October 22, 2019 – Click here to listen
Should women preach/teach men? Not according to God. The Bible is quite clear on the subject that they should not. This is not just Old Testament teaching, but the New Testament strongly makes this case in several passages. The church I attended in south Florida began allowing the pastor’s wife to preach on a rotating basis and I could no longer attend. That was very unfortunate because I have many friends who still attend that mega church and I would like to be a part of it. However, I want to be obedient to God first and so we go to a different church now.
So, am I some old fashioned fuddy-duddy sexist fundamentalist who wants to discriminate against women and subjugate them to a lower position? Not at all. In the first place it is not a low position to assume any role that almighty God has assigned to women or men. Secondly there are plenty of these women who can preach to other women and assume other leadership roles.
The reason I’ve read and studied the Bible so much for nearly a half century now is to read it for myself. By doing so I can hear straight from God what to believe, rather than listening to a constantly changing contemporary society and those who want to deliver messages to appease, God never changes; (Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.) I listen to the Holy Spirit via His Holy Bible. I can read, I can comprehend, I can take the entirety of the message in context, and I can research. I do all of the above to determine what to believe and strongly urge you to do likewise.
I believe that the closer we can come to living the life Christ wants us to live, the more blessed we will be. As evidence I have been enormously blessed with a terrific family and marriage that has weathered almost 50 years, business and financial success, and many achievements including 20 years of Words for the Day, decades of prison ministry, founding a church and the worldwide ministry The Jesus Alliance. The harder I work to follow Christ as His word instructs, the more blessings I enjoy. It is when I deviate from them that I have suffered.
So, with that said, I ran across an article by Spirit filled pastor John MacArthur in Charisma magazine this morning on this very subject. Here it is in its entirety:
Let me begin by saying that I know and appreciate many women who have been recognized as pastors. They are diligent, steadfast and hard-working. Our country has done a great disservice to women over the years by not elevating and supporting women in roles of leadership. Alexander Strauch echoes this same concern: “In the minds of contemporary people, excluding women from church eldership is sexist, discriminatory and one more example of male dominance. But this need not be the case. No one who truly loves people, who is sensitive to God’s Word, and who is aware of the painful dehumanization that women have suffered (and still suffer) worldwide would want to discriminate against women.”
Women are one of the greatest gifts that God has given the world. But in our passion to promote women (something I wholeheartedly agree with), have we overstepped the Scriptures? It’s not uncommon for the church, as a whole, to over-correct itself when abuse occurs.
First, we must understand that the loving, nurturing role of a woman is vital to the health of the church in the same way that it is vital to the health of a child. God has designed the male-female relationship to complement one another; one gender is not better than the other, but we do have different roles. To reject these God-given differences can lead to an unbalanced view.
Second, many misunderstand male leadership as God designed it; it’s not a glorified position — it’s the position of a servant. A servant is called to protect, lead and guard the church. We are to serve those God has entrusted to us. If there is a loud noise at home in the dead of night, do we encourage our wives to investigate? I hope not. God has called men to the position of servant leadership and protector.
Third, we see from Genesis 3:16 that God ordained a leadership role for the man. However, when men cower back from their leadership responsibilities, women will step in. Men must rise to the call of servant leadership. This type of leadership is not domineering or abusive; it’s kind, gracious and humble. Pastors are to serve those in church, not lord over them. God’s design is not focused on “better than” or “superior,” even though abuse has tarnished it.
Yes, the Bible is subject to various interpretations and I would be the first to agree with that statement especially deciphering complex visions such as found in Revelation and Daniel, however, to deny the command for women not to preach and teach men simply cannot be spun or twisted. It is plainly written and reinforced. Remember that God is the One who setup the rules and designed us to fulfill the roles in which He wants us to serve… No role is more important than another to God. Men are assigned a role in which we are to love our wives as God loves the church and He died to save the church. I will protect my wife even to the point of taking a bullet but would never expect her to do likewise for me.
Now comes the wrath . . .
1 Corinthians 14:34
The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.