Women in Ministry : Paul's Letter to Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus -1
One of the most controversial aspects of the bible is the interpretation of two Pauline exhortations concerning women and public ministry. We are commanded to compare scripture with scripture to understand the full counsel of God on any subject matter. This course then takes a holistic view of all the provisions of scripture to es tablish the mind of God that women are called to minister just as their male counterparts. To properly understand the mind of God, it will do us well to examine the principle in Isaiah 28: 10, 13.
Isaiah 28:10-13
King James Version (KJV)
10For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
13But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
By this approach, we can lay out each precept upon a preceding one to comprehend the whole mind of God concerning this sensitive subject.
To do justice to the subject matter, let us start with the scriptures which many use to hold the position that women should not preach the gospel or exercise authority of any significant degree.
* What was the context in which Paul charged women to be silent in church?
This was the instruction Paul gave to Timothy concerning how to run the fledgling Church at Ephesus:
1 Timothy 2:11-12
King James Version (KJV)
11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
Of all the Mission fields in which Paul laboured, Ephesus ranks among the most challenging. Here, the apostle to the gentiles encountered the worship of one of the ancient wonders of the world, the giant statute of Diana, the goddess of the land. The worship of this idol was rocked by the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom to the extent that one of its devotees, Demetrius stirred up a riot against Paul Acts 19:1- 41.
...This sub topic will trend today. Please stay tuned for the full exposition as many saints base their opposition to females in authority on this and one other scripture. Share these postings freely for the Word of the King cannot be bound by restrictive Babylonian copyright rules. Abba is taking us through an exhaustive presentation of His Holy Scriptures to ensure that manpower for the End Time Harvest are not limited!
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