A Woman's Place

I love to read, so there are days when I log onto blogger and just press the "next blog" button to see what people are writing about. There are some blogs that I immediately pass by, and there are others that I like enough to actually add to my blogger reading list and visit again.

A blog that I recently found was written by a female preacher. As I read a few posts, looking for the place where she explained where it was okay to be a female preacher, I was amazed at how much this person seemed to whine and complain about her chosen profession. Many of her posts were complaints about being a woman in a man's world.

I have seen other posts like this before - from bloggers that claim to be Christian writers and teachers, but support gay rights, abortion, and tons of other issues that are blatantly against the teachings of Christ.

The thing that upsets me the most about this is that there are people out there in cyberspace that are unknowingly being taught false doctrine through these kind of blogs and websites. It's something that we all know will happen. Throughout the Bible, we are warned that people will try to twist the Gospel and teach false doctrine. In 2 Peter 2:1, Peter said, "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."

I am especially upset by what I call "Christian feminism." Apparently, there are a lot of Christian people (women and men) that get hung up on this issue. There are people that cringe at the sound of the word "submission" when it comes to a wife submitting to her husband. Others believe that the only reason women were not included in church leadership in the Bible is because of the rules of society at the time.

First of all, let's examine the example that Jesus set for us. When it was time for Him to choose His disciples - the top twelve people that would carry on His ministry when He was gone - He chose twelve men. Jesus was not about conforming to the society He lived in. During His ministry, He upset all the religious leaders because He did things that were socially unacceptable. He ate with publicans and sinners. He healed people on the Sabbath Day. He talked to a promiscuous woman at a well in Samaria. None of those things were "politically correct," so I don't think that Jesus did anything to conform to the world. After all, He is the one that told us NOT to conform to the world in His sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:13-16.

There is a reason that He placed men in these leadership roles. From creation, God ordained men to have dominion over all things (Genesis 1:28). Then, when He created women, He created them to be a "help meet" for man (Genesis 2:18). Men were created to be leaders. Women were created to be helpers.

God has filled His Word with instructions to both men and women. Before we examine the roles of men and women in church positions, let's look at the roles God assigned to men and women in the family.

Ephesians 5:22-25 says, "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. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it."

God created man to be the head of the household. Women, no matter how much it makes you cringe to hear it, we are supposed to submit to our husbands.

I think the reason that so many women have problems with these verses is because they misinterpret the word "submit." These verses do not mean that your husband can be a dictator. They don't mean that when he yells "jump" you have to ask "how high?". These verses actually give men a huge responsibility. They mean that men have to strong leaders. Men have to be able to make important decisions. Men should be rooted in the Word of God so they can spiritually lead a family. And men have to be willing to be the protectors and providers for their wives and children.

In reality, those verses should be encouraging for women. In those verses, I read that my husband should love me like Christ loved the church. Do you realize that God is commanding your husband to love you with a love that is so pure and deep and strong that it can't even be fathomed? Basically, these verses are telling us to trust in our husbands and look to them for leadership. In return, our husbands are supposed to romance us and cherish us and love us! I think that sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

So in our families, God expects the man to be the head of the household. Does that mean that He wants all women to stay home and be the picture perfect housewife like June Cleaver? Absolutely not. Read Proverbs 31:10-31. The Proverbs 31 woman worked outside her home and helped provide for her family. She purchased real estate, worked a vineyard, managed maidens, raised children, helped the poor... AND she honored her husband. She submitted to him and trusted him, and he could trust in her (vs. 11).

God created women to be creative. He gave us organizational skills and leadership skills that we can use in many different ways. Women can be doctors, lawyers, teachers, authors...ANYTHING they want to be. And He wants women to work in the church. He didn't give us talents so that we can hide them and let them go to waste (check out the Parable of Talents in Matthew 24). He wants us to use our talents for Him!

In 1 Timothy, Paul talks about the roles of men and women in the church. He makes it clear in Chapter 3 that men are to have the leadership roles within the church. In 1 Timothy 2:9-15, he talks about women being modest and godly and says, "I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." This is especially a touchy verse. Some people like to think that Paul only said this because of the cultural rules of the time, but we've already learned that the customs of the world don't have any influence on the ways of God. Others like to take this verse to extremes and say that women have no place in the church, but that's not the case either.

Titus 2:2-5 says, "The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

God chose men to be leaders in the church (according to 1 Timothy 3:1-13), but He has a place for women there, too. He needs us to work teaching children and ministering to other women and supporting the men that He placed in leadership roles over us.

I like the fact that God created women to be the softer more gentle sex. I like that He created men to be our protectors and providers. I like the fact that He has a place for me, even though it's not in the spotlight. After all, working for God is not about gaining glory or recognition. It's about submitting to God's will, trusting His plan and respecting His authority.

In fact, that is exactly why I think God set men in dominion over women. There are many times in the Bible where our relationship with Christ is compared to marriage. We, as the church, are called the Bride of Christ. Christ is often compared to a groom, while God is our Heavenly Father.

Husbands are supposed to love their wives like Christ loved the church. We are to submit to our husbands' authority like we would submit to Christ. According to 2 Corinthians 3:17, "...where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." We find freedom when we commit our lives to Christ and submit to His will.

Think about how "free" you would feel if you stopped struggling against the role you were created to fulfill. When we surrender to the fact that we are the weaker sex and let the men in our lives fulfill the leadership roles they were created for, when we submit to our husbands, it takes stress off our shoulders. It makes our lives more harmonious and makes us free to find and fulfill our God-designed roles in our home, church, community and world.

Books of Summer

I've always loved to read, but it seems like I haven't gotten to do much pleasure reading in the last few years. This summer, I had a lot of free time while I was babysitting and traveling, so I actually got to read a good bit. These are just a few of my summer reads. Check them out (all of these are available at any bookstore or at www.Christianbook.com).

Predator by Terri Blackstock

When I first started reading this one, I wasn't sure that I was going to like it. It's about an online predator that uses Internet communities like Facebook and MySpace to find and track his victims. Since it seems like everyone is on sites like this now (including me), the plot was really close to home. Once I got into the story, it was great. There's a killer on the loose, lots of suspects and mystery, and a budding romance for the main characters, Krista and Ryan. I would especially recommend this one for teen girls that are on sites like Facebook and MySpace. It gives lots Internet safety advice in a way that would keep their interest, and it just might make them think twice about Tweeting every move they make. It also deals with big issues like grief, doubt and trusting God through hard times.

Intervention by Terri Blackstock

This is one of the best Terri Blackstock books I have ever read! The story pulls you in from the very beginning and keeps you glued to the page until the end. The main character, Barbara, tries to send her addict daughter to rehab (again), but her daughter disappears on the way to the rehab center and the woman that was escorting her is found murdered. Barbara has to drop everything to find her daughter, who is wanted for her escort's murder, and clear her name. It's a story about God's protection, patience and healing. READ THIS ONE!

The second book in this series will be out in February 2011, and I can hardly wait!

The Me I Want To Be by John Ortberg

Okay, so this one isn't in the "just for fun" fiction stack, but so far, it has been a really great book. This is the first John Ortberg book I have read, and I was pleasantly surprised by how funny and easy to read it is. I'm about half-way through this one and I have already learned a lot. This book is great if you don't have a lot of time to read through an entire book at once. The chapters and short and are set up in sections so you can easily use this to help with your daily quiet time or Bible study, and you can pick it right back up pretty easily.

The idea is that we all have different versions of "me" - the person we pretend to be, the person we really are, the person we have the potential to be, the person God created us to be...and how to live in the freedom of being yourself - the person God created you to be. Great thoughts so far... I am hoping to do the Bible study that goes with this with some friends later this year as well.

"The Commitment We Must Make"

Sermon by Bro. Stan Bunch
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
National Association of Free Will Baptists Convention

Isaiah 6:8

1. Isaiah's commitment came after brokenness and cleansing

• Before God can do a work through a person, He has to do a work in a person.
• Isaiah's brokenness and cleansing led to a commitment to serve God.

2. Isaiah's commitment didn't come with conditions

• Isaiah committed without conditions - he committed to God before he knew all the details. His response to God shows obedience and a desire to please God.
• Isaiah understood the task would be hard, but he relied on God for guidance and understanding one day at a time.
• How far can God trust you with a call? Are you faithful to carry through, even through hard times and trials?

3. Isaiah's commitment was based on the holiness of God and a desire to please Him

• Our success is not determined by the world. It is determined by our willingness to serve God and please Him.
• Isaiah committed fully to God. He continued in faith, even when things didn't go like he wanted.

Are you as committed as Isaiah?

"The Call We Must Consider"

Sermon by Bro. Karl Sexton

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

National Association of Free Will Baptists Convention

Isaiah 6:8

There is a specific call for every life, but no one escapes the general call to missions. We are all called to be witnesses for God.

1. The Question of the Sovereign

• The Questioner - He is the Holy Lord God
• Verse 8, "who will go for us?" - shows us the Trinity
• We are called by the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost
• The Questions - Who will go?
• The question is still going out today, but are we listening for the call?
• The question demands a decision from us - will we go?
• The question denotes a duty to us - it is our job to go. We have to be witnesses for our generation (Judges 2:10).

2. The Qualifications of the Servant

• God must qualify us before He can send us.
• What motivates your service to God? Are you motivated by the call of God upon your life? Isaiah had been busy about religious activities in the temple, but his life was changed when he felt the call of God upon his life.
• Isaiah was confronted by God's preeminence - Matthew 6:33-34.
• Your witness comes from your worship. Is your worship about pleasing God, or is it about making yourself feel better?
• Jesus doesn't want to be your #1, He wants to be your ONLY One.
• Isaiah was convicted and cleansed - only a cleansed man can serve the Master faithfully. Once we are convicted and cleansed, we are ready to commit to the Lord's call.

3. The Quest of the Saints

• We are to share our message - of redemption and grace.
• We are to fulfill our mission - to go and make disciples.
• "I do not fear that the church will not succeed, but that the church will succeed at things that don't matter." - Unknown
• Our quest is personal - evangelism is not an option (Acts 1:8). We are all called to be witnesses for Christ.
• Our quest is pertinent - we must go and make disciples.
• Our quest is pressing - is the call of God burning in your heart?

"The Condition We Must Correct"

Sermon by Bro. Charles Murphy

Monday, July 19, 2010

National Association of Free Will Baptists Convention

Isaiah 6:5-7

Do you desire to serve God? Our desire to serve God is evidence of our salvation. The strength of that desire is a measure of our spiritual maturity. But before we can be used by God, we have to be cleansed from our sins by God. We must correct the condition of sin...

1. Because of sin's hindering effect on our lives.

• Our sin separates us from God. (Isaiah 59:1-2)
• Without God, we can do nothing.
• You can't serve God if you are separated from Him and His will.

2. Because of sin's hardening effect on our hearts.

• Our sin hardens our hearts and makes us less sensitive to the calling of God. (Isaiah 6:9-10)
• "But exhort one another daily, while it is called to day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:13 - We should challenge and encourage one another to turn from sin daily.
• Our sin is an urgent matter. If we don't turn from our sin, it will hinder our lives and harden our hearts so that we cannot be used by God.

HOW DO WE CORRECT THE CONDITION OF SIN IN OUR LIVES?

1. We must see God as He really is:

• If we don't see the holiness of God, then we don't see our own sinfulness.
• When we see how holy God is, we can then see how unholy and sinful we are.
• Isaiah feared God (verse 5). The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom leads to repentance from sin.
• To know God as He really is, we must spend time with Him - in prayer, in His word, and in service for Him.

2. We must be broken before God:

• When Isaiah saw God, he saw his own spiritual bankruptcy. "Woe is me!" (verse 5)
• He recognized that he was a man of unclean lips - do you take the sins of the mouth seriously? "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." (Matthew 12:35, Luke 6:35, James 3:6-10)
• We must confess our conformity to the world (1 John 2:15-17, 1 Peter 1:14-16)

3. We must receive cleansing from God:

• Isaiah 6:6-7 - The coal came from the altar, which points us to the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, Jesus.
• Jesus's death on the cross and His blood cleanses us from our sins. (Isaiah 53:5-12)
• "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:6
• Romans 5:20-21

4. We must consecrate ourselves to God:

• We must lay ourselves on the altar (Romans 12:1 - "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.")
• We must consecrate ourselves to God in our daily lives by being holy. (Ephesians 5:26-27)
• We must take personal responsibility for our actions. We live in grace, but that doesn't take away our free will or our responsibility for the choices we make.

Do we want the had of the Lord to be withdrawn from us because of our sin? Or do we want God to be with us and guide us? We must deal with the condition of sin in our lives if we are going to live in God's will.

"But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:6-7

"The Concept We Must Grasp"

Sermon by Bro. Jeff Blair

Sunday, July 18, 2010

National Association of Free Will Baptists Convention

"Caller ID"
Isaiah 6:1-4

When you read through the text, the main thing is not the mission or the missionary. The most important thing is the identity of the One who is calling...

1. THE REVELATION OF GOD'S CHARACTER

• He is HOLY - With the song of the seraphim, we see that God is holy.
• There are two types of holiness that God displays - majestic holiness and moral holiness.
• God is so holy that even the seraphims cannot look at Him (verse 2 - with two wings he covered his face).
• The earth is filled with God's GLORY.
• If you can't open your eyes to His holiness, then you can't close your eyes to His glory.
• "God is both farther from us and nearer to us than any other being." - C.S. Lewis

2. THE REALITY OF ISAIAH'S ENCOUNTER

• Isaiah encountered the Holy One and it changed his life forever.
• One glimpse of God fueled Isaiah's ministry for a lifetime.
• God has to be the One that calls.
• He calls WHO He wants, WHEN He wants, for WHAT He wants.
• Isaiah's call is unique. We are each called in a unique way, but we all experience the presence of God with our call.

"The where, when and how are not important. What matters is the Identity of the Caller!"

"The Crisis We Must Face"

Sermon by Bro. Bert Tippett

Sunday, July 18, 2010

National Association of Free Will Baptists Convention

Before we can look at who will go, we have to examine the crisis that Isaiah faced in his life. Isaiah was a prophet under king Uzziah. We will examine the life of king Uzziah and the crisis that Isaiah faced with the king's decline and death:

1. THE PIETY THAT GUIDED HIM - 2 Chronicles 26:1-5 King Uzziah was only 16 when he became king, but he followed the example of his father and did what was right in the sight of God. He also had a godly mentor - Zechariah.
2. THE POWER THAT BLESSED HIM - 2 Chronicles 26:5-15 Because king Uzziah was faithful to God and followed Him, God blessed him and his kingdom. God gave Uzziah and his kingdom success, growth and blessings.
3. THE PRIDE THAT DESTROYED HIM - 2 Chronicles 26:15-23 Everything was going great for king Uzziah. He was a successful leader of a great nation and was being blessed by God. But in verses 15 and 16, we see that he became prideful. His pride led to his destruction when he went into the temple to burn incense in offering to God. Only the priests were allowed to burn incense, but in his pride, Uzziah wanted to do it himself. He ignored the warnings of the priests and defied God's law and insulted God's plan - the position of Priest AND King was reserved for Jesus. No other man was to have both of those positions. When Uzziah crossed that boundary set by God, he was punished with leprosy.

Isaiah watched his once godly and successful king die of a horrible disease. As he did, he faced a crisis much like the one we now face in America - He was faced with uncertainty and leadership changes that he could not control.

When we are faced with crisis, we must follow Isaiah's example and turn to God.

When you are faced with crisis, remember that:

1. YOU ARE THERE BY GOD'S APPOINTMENT. God has a reason for letting us go through hard times. Whether it's to show us something that we need to purge from our lives or to prepare us to do the work God has for us, He has His reasons.
2. YOU ARE THERE BY GOD'S KEEPING. God never lets us go through hard times alone. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is there, holding your hand and is ready to carry you when you can't walk another step.
3. THERE IS A PURPOSE FOR YOU BEING THERE. God uses the storms of our lives to teach and mold us.
4. WHEN IT IS TIME, GOD WILL BRING YOU OUT OF THE STORM. He will probably not change our circumstances until we let our circumstances start to change us. When we surrender to Him and trust Him, He will bring us to the other side.