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Table of Contents
What Does the
...the Bible
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Marriage Separation:
Women Ministers:
Hello
I am concerned with a problem that is arising within my church . The question of whether or not woman can be ministers called by God . I have a strong belief that this cannot happen and that God would not do that . I also have the belief that nothing in God's word is hidden so why, with knowing that God is not the author of confusion and that this brings confusion that if God was in it this should not be. Can you help me on this matter to enlighten so that I can be prepared to stand where I need to. Thank you
Thank you for viewing the web site. This is a difficult topic and when ever someone says that women aren't to be pastors of a church, tempers seem to get heated up. So, I'm not going to give you my opinion, I'm just going to tell you what the Word of God says. The Lord has gone to a lot of trouble to provide us with his Word and preserve it down through the centuries. If God says that women aren't to be the pastor of a church, that's good enough for me.
Since I get so many comments on this topic, I've put them all in one place so that you can go back and read all the discussions. ( Comments: Women Ministers ). Also, for additional scriptures on the subject, you can click to ...Women Ministers .
Separation:
What should I do with an influential, affluent elder who interprets the "shake the dust" instruction of our SAVIOR to his disciples as a justification to forget about Christian brothers and sisters who have left in a split?
Bill
Dear Bill:
I don't think we should ever just forget those that have left in a split. At the very least, we ought to pray for them, that they find a good church to worship in. Paul had a good bit to say about it. Here is one verse that comes to mind:
Whether or not you still associate with them I guess would depend on the reason there was a split. If the church split was over a secondary issue (one not dealing with the basic tenants of Christianity) then I don't see any reason you still can't have fellowship with those folks outside the church. So many times, there are church splits over things that are not primary issues, such as proper church attire (dresses too long or too short, etc.), or who holds what office in the church. You get the idea.
But if the church split was over a major doctrine, that would be a different issue. When I say major doctrines, I'm talking about;
Those are some of the "biggies" that I would consider to be major doctrinal areas. If your church split was over something like that, then I would have to lean more to agreement with the elder that says "shake the dust off." Here are some verses that you might want to consider:
Rom 16:17-18 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
1 Cor 5:10-11 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
1 Tim 6:3-5 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
2 John 1:10-11 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
I hope these verses clear things up for you some.
Women Ministers:
Was there a Female Apostle named Junia?
It was because of Paul's praise of Junia's teaching and work in the ministry that drew attention to her. Junia was a woman Apostle in biblical times, who was often, referred to as a man, not a woman. It was not discovered until 1298 under the reign of Pope Boniface VIII that Junia name had been changed to Junias to hide any traces that there may have been a woman Apostle.
But as I soon discovered, as with any position there are always two sides, a pro side and con side. Pastor David shares her viewpoint on why women had to be silent in church. She states that in that time period, women sat on the opposite side from the men of that church. Since the women were "unschooled and ignorant," they probably did not understand what the minister was saying and would possibly try to get their husband's attention; thus causing a disturbance. It was also the culture of that time to look down at women because of the fact that they were not educated, they were deemed as second-class citizens. To allow an uneducated woman to have a voice was considered detrimental.
Today women are allowed to teach, but churches still hesitate to "ordain" them as ministers or pastors. Pastor David states, "To say that a woman cannot be ordained for the ministry is to deny their calling and to assert that God cannot, in His sovereign will, choose to call a woman to a certain ministry. We should always be careful about putting God in a box and determining exactly how He should and should not go about His business of spreading the Gospel. God bestows His gifts as He chooses, and it is not always in accordance with what we expect."
Many men and women take Paul's encounters with the women of Corinth to mean that women are not supposed to be in ministerial positions. But as the history dictates, it looks as if Paul was just having problems with that one particular church and was fearful of the women's behavior and their up-bringing causing him to prevent them from speaking publicly. "women aided" Jesus in His work (Luke 8:1-3). On the subject of Phebe who many say was a deaconess: " I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer [helper]of many, and of myself also…to God only wise, [be] glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen(Rom.16:1-2 & 27).
how a woman was the first to bear witness of Christ resurrection, when she went to tell the disciples, they doubted her. The Samaritan woman at the well preached of Jesus after He told her to drink His water and she would never thirst again. Even though she was an outcast in her village, she ran and told all she encountered of her meeting with Jesus. God said that women would prophesize in the last days: "17 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy." (NIV)* Matthew 28:19-20 states: "19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." God did not make a distinction in the scripture as to the gender of those who went out to save souls; He just wanted His children to go out and win those over who were lost.
I'll let God handle the controversy over who can and cannot preach His word. I'll focus my attention more on my salvation and trying to bring others to Christ through my daily walk, witnessing and teaching.
All I know is God is not bondage and this yoke is what is being use to keep woman in bondage the good new is Jesus came to set us free from bondage and give us liberty through His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit I believe will reveal God purpose for us all male and female. Jesus I the High Priest and Head of all Men and Women.
Joel 2:28 he is pour his Spirit out on His son and daughter and I sure it not for silents if the will prophesy.
What does Paul mean,by these "women who laboured with me in the gospel"? He is beseeching others to respect these women, for they have worked just as hard as he had. Acts 10:34-35: 'Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.'
Joe
Joe;
Thank you for your email. This is one of the topics that I get the most mail about. If you go back through the "Comments" pages, you will find lots of emails and I'd ask that you read them. I'll try not to repeat what has already been written on the subject.
I found no "Junias" in the Bible, but "Junia" is mentioned in Rom 16:7:
Notice that Paul calls Andronicus and Junia kinsmen. This tells me that they were men. I see no reason to doubt that Paul's words were recorded accurately.
You quoted someone named Pastor David in your email. I don't know who she is and would not question her knowledge of Biblical times. But one thing jumped out at me when reading her quote. Please notice the use of the following terms: probably and possibly. The fact is that she is speculating about why Paul wrote what he did to the church in Corinth and she can't say for certain that those were the motives behind what he wrote.
But let's assume for a moment that this Pastor David is correct (and she may well be, I don't know). Her theory would explain why Paul told the church in Corinth to have the women be silent:
But it would not explain why Paul told Timothy (who was in Ephesus) that women are not to have authority nor teach men:
Please notice that Paul did NOT say that women aren't to spread the gospel, or that they are somehow lesser in value to God. Paul also did NOT say that God doesn't use women to further His kingdom. He said that they are not to "teach, nor to usurp authority over the man." How can a woman pastor a church without teaching men or having authority over them?
I don't think that puts "women in bondage" or puts "God in a box." If you take the scripture to be the infallible, inspired Word of God (which I do), then the only conclusion I can draw is that God does not intent for women to pastor a church.
Sometimes it seems that we question God and rebell against what he teaches in His Word. Maybe it would be better if we just accept what he says and trust that His will is perfect.
Soul:
Where does scripture say your soul go when you die?
Thank you
Thank you for viewing the web site and taking the time to write.
There are two views among Christians on this subject. The first is that we "sleep" in the grave until the time of the Resurrection. Indeed the Bible does talk of sleeping in the grave. The second and most widely accepted view (and the one that seems to fit scripture more closely) is that our bodies "sleep" in the grave until the Resurrection, but our souls go to be with the Lord.
This second view is the one that I believe because it can be supported throughout scripture. Here are some of the verses that tell me that our souls go to be with the Lord (if we have accepted salvation through the finished work of Christ on the Cross):
2 Cor 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
1 Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (notice that those that "sleep" God will bring with Him, bodies are sleeping, soul is with God.)
Jesus said the following concerning those that have died:
Jesus said to the thief on the cross:
I hope this helps answer your question.
Rapture:
Book of Revelation; Christ's Letters to the Churches, John Taken to Heaven, No Further Mention of the Church on Earth;
The above statement isn't true--the great crowd of Revelation 7 are the foolish of the Church coming out of great tribulation. If you disagree, please tell me who else goes to Heaven aside from the Church? Surely, not the later Great tribulation converts--for these are to be faithful unto death as the Scripture says.
Regards,
Dear Robert;
The statement that you disagree with (underlined above) is from the section of the web site titled ...Rapture. As you can see, the statement says there is no further mention of the Church on Earth .
In Revelation 7 we see a great crowd before the Throne in Heaven. When John asks who these are, he is told that they are:
The verse says that they have come out of great tribulation, it doesn't necessarily say they have gone through The Great Tribulation that Jesus refers to in Matthew 24. There are millions of people that have undergone persecution and tribulation in the 2,000 years since Jesus was here on earth.
As a matter of fact there have been more peopled martyred for the cause of Christ in the twentieth century than in all the previous years. Representative Frank R. Wolf states the following in a 1997 letter to Pastor Richard Wurmbrand; "
In the last decades, an average of 400 Christians are martyred for their faith in Christ each day! In the Sudan, millions of Christians have been crucified by radical Muslims.
You should read The New Foxe's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe. This book chronicles the persecution of true believers from the first days of the early church down through the centuries.
So, it would not be fair to think that the multitude "without number" mentioned as going through great tribulation, are those that came out of the Great Tribulation. Nor does it seem fair to call them the "foolish of the Church". The Church should have more such "foolish" people!
It's seems to me that these are the brothers and sisters that have died for their faith in Christ down through the centuries and are now before the Throne in the presence of God.
I don't want to give the impression that I'm saying that once the rapture occurs, no one else will be saved. I don't believe that at all. In fact, in Rev. 7, we are told that 144,000 Jews will be saved. These Jews are mentioned specifically, but I believe there will be others. The Bible refers to those that withstand to the end. This tells me that there will be those that are persecuted and stand firm. But, I have to wonder just how many people that will be. If people will not stand for Christ now (when it is relatively easy), will they stand for Christ when it will cost them everything including their life? I doubt it, and I certainly don't think there will be a great multitude without number as mentioned in Rev. 7.
Suicide:
What does the bible say about suicide and whether or not
those who commit suicide go to heaven or hell?
Dear Angela;
Thanks for your question. It's not an easy one to answer, and I'm sure there will be folks that disagree with what I have to say.
Your question was whether nor not suicides go to heaven or hell. To answer that, first you have to answer the question: "How do you get to heaven?" Is it those that don't commit sin, go to heaven? No, that can't be correct because the Bible says that we have all sinned.
If we continue reading in that passage, we get the answer to the question "How do you get to heaven?"
Notice that the Bible says freely by his grace. Freely; salvation is a free gift from God, not something you can gain or loose based on your own good works or lack there of:
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Rom 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Once we accept the free gift of salvation, that was purchased with the blood of Jesus on the cross, we are then "new creatures" in Christ:
As new creatures we are called to live our lives in a manner pleasing to God and to avoid sin at all costs. However, that doesn't mean that we will never sin again. All of us will struggle with sin until the day we die. Even Paul says that he struggles with sin (Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.)
Even after salvation we are going to commit sin at some point. So, the question then becomes "if we sin after salvation, and don't have a chance to repent, will we still go to heaven?" Is it our repentance that earns our passage to heaven? Or, is it the gift that Jesus gives us? I think the verses above already answered that.
So, if a person is saved (has accepted the free gift of salvation), and commits the sin of murder in a moment of despondency (suicide is murder), the payment for that sin was already paid 2,000 years ago by Jesus.
The question of who goes to heaven and who goes to hell is not answered by what sin they committed, it's answered by whether or not they have accepted Jesus' free gift of salvation.
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