God is not prejudice...

Can a Christian woman be in the ministry? This question has caused much sorrow in the hearts of many women who are hungry for more of God's presence and anointing in their lives. I pray that after reading this you will not allow your voice to be silenced by gender-prejudice in the Church. We must know what the scriptures say about women in ministry. God has given you specific gifts and talents and wants to release them so His Body can be uplifted and encouraged in these last days. The fields are white and ready to harvest. There is more than enough work to keep both males and females busy. Ministry is not about having dominance over one another, but in the example of our Lord Jesus, to serve one another.

Right off the bat I encourage you to read Romans chapter 16 and take note of all the women in the ministry with the Apostle Paul. So was Paul confused about women teaching men? Not at all! Women, God put order in the family and in the Church. Our place, as the weaker gender, is to fall in under the covering of our husbands. We do not teach our husbands - which is another way to say, "Nag." We were created to be helpers. It doesn't mean we don't have a brain, but what it does mean is that proper order will eventually call for someone to make the hard decisions. When there is a disagreement in the home, someone has to make the call... that would be the husband. That's God's design.

But in the Kingdom of God there are "neither male nor female... for you are all one in Christ Jesus," Galatians 3:28. And we see in Acts 10:34, "God is no respecter of persons." Moses said in Numbers 11:29, "Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!" Jesus gave the Great Commission to "Preach the Gospel," in Mark 16:15. This command is made to all believers and is not gender-specific. Women preachers are a fulfillment of Bible Prophecy in both Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17-18. 1 Corinthians 11:5 says that "For every woman that prays or prophesies..." meaning that they do. 

Both the Old and New Testaments tell stories of women prophets, pastors, deacons, and apostles. Deborah (Judges 4:4-5) was a judge for both civil and criminal cases for the Israelites. She was the chief ruler over Israel for 40 years. She gave orders to the generals and all of the army. She also was not afraid to go to battle along side the high ranking officials.

Miriam was a prophet and worship leader (Exodus 15:20; Numbers 12:1; Micha 6:4). Huldah spoke publicly to a congregation of men concerning the book of the Law. Her message was taken to the nation and revival broke out (2 Kings 22:14).

The first evangelists were women who were told to go speak of the resurrection of Christ. Anna was a prophet and did not leave the temple (Luke 2:36-38). Phillip had 4 daughters that prophesied (Acts 21:9). Priscilla assisted Paul in his ministry and even taught Apollos in the way of the Lord more perfectly.

There are many more examples which I could give, but more important that you search the scriptures for yourself. Don't believe a word I say. Devour them and discover the truth for yourself. The truth will make you free.

I'll post later about some of the confusing verses of the Bible - the ones gender-prejudice gets its foothold. But study. Show yourself approved. Be a worker. Rightly divide the word of truth. Be released. Be a voice of one crying in the wilderness. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Hear the sound... BE THE SOUND!

so u want 2b a preacher's wife?

So you are talking about getting married and so excited to share your dreams with one another? He is preparing for a lifetime of service to the Church by either attending school, the blind faith of his calling, or maybe both. Or maybe you've been married for a while and through time have discovered a calling on your life or your husband's life, or both. You've discussed the joys and blessings of bringing souls into the Kingdom of God; of discipling new converts as they grow and mature spiritually. You are anticipating the overwhelming presence of God to kiss your union, the ministry, and your family; and He certainly will. Yet there is this nagging in the pit of your stomach that causes you to understand the weightiness of the thing in which you are about to step into. And for the love Jesus has poured out on you, you are willing to become a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto the Lord, for such a time as this. This is serious business and you have your heart wide open to whatever the Lord is asking of you; for the sake of the call.

I urge you to go ahead with your plans - unless you feel a "chicken claw" check in your belly. Listen and watch for those gentle signs from the Holy Spirit, who wants to be your Helper all along your journey. If you get a check (knot in your stomach) you need to at least slow down and seek God's will for your life. The timing may be wrong. The partner may be wrong. The city may be wrong. Just listen and if you don't get a green light, sit still until you do.

I married in 1974 and struggled to survive the relationship until the Lord changed our lives in 1979. Even then it was a long road to actually being a pastor. You see, when my husband decided to accept the call on his life, he announced, "No way is it going to be Pastor and his wife. It's going to be Pastor and Pastor." That scared me a lot, but with prayer I understood my position as a help meet and what my husband needed. So now I am both a pastor's wife and a pastor. Some accept me as a pastor but most still call me the pastor's wife. Prejudice lives on in Christianity. Catch my blog, "Can a woman be a pastor?" in the future.

What kinds of struggles are you going to have to face? Are people going to be nice or mean to you? Will they gossip about you, your husband, and your children (if you have any). And, how do you prepare for this? Stay tuned and we will try to break it down together. Your opinions and questions are appreciated.