Women’s Right In the Body of Christ
The following series of messages I am going to send is specially dedicated to all women in our church and community. I request you all to go through it and give your opinions on basis of what you read. It is my naive attempt to clarify the complains regarding gender-inequality in the church. Enjoy it and please reply…
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There are some women in the church today who think that their position in the body of Christ is very marginalized. They feel as if the congregation neglects their presence and don’t show them the respect they ought to deserve as the women of God. They want equal rights with men in the areas of preaching from the pulpit, taking in charge of the treasury, involving in the administration work, leading the worship services and getting elected into the core board committee.
They demand that they must be given the same opportunities as their opposite sex in all the activities carried out by the church.
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These things are not bad at the first glimpse. Jesus himself honored women more than anyone else. Many of his followers were women
of both elite and despised sections of Jewish society. He took it very personal and important to give quality time i.e. First of all he loved his mother and obeyed him perfectly
in all matters as a son, next he talked with the Samaritan woman at the well and revealed himself as the promised Messiah, he commended the faith of the woman who touched
his garments having been healed from the problem of bleeding for 12 years, he extended compassion to the woman caught in the act of adultery, he sent a word and delivered
the daughter of the syro-phoenician woman
Most importantly it was Mary Magdalene who was the first witness of his resurrection. These are just evidences from the Bible that shows
how much women meant to the Lord and their value in his sight. What else they could be asking for?? Now, the question arises, What about the church?? Why does
Apostle Paul give some restrictions to the authority of women leaders in the church. This is one among a few reasons which provokes women to adopt the concept of
“feminism” in Christianity today. The Holy Bible does not advocate discrimination of the sexes but it does give some criteria and boundaries within which women are to
operate in the church.
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You see when God created Eve he took one of the ribs of Adam and covered it with flesh..He did not take any other part of the body to
give her the necessary design required. It is from the middle part of the body. Neither much above nor much below..He wanted to indicate that the companion which
was made for Man should be treated equally. So, no doubt that the Lord views them in perfect balance. He is neither lob-sided nor biased upon a particular gender.
He loves them the same. He considers them as his very own creation. Infact he joined them as a couple saying, “Two are better than one.”
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But when the question comes about a woman preaching or speaking in a mainstream organized church service Apostle Paul straightforwardly
says, ” I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over men; she must be quiet. ” (1 Timothy 2:12)
In the following verses he goes on to explain that there was an order and sequence in which humans were created. First Adam and then Eve. It was Eve who was deceived
by the serpent and not Adam. Adam also sinned but the temptation came through Eve. What is even more noteworthy is that it was Eve who added her own words to the
commandment given by God regarding the forbidden fruit.
That’s why Apostle Paul under authority of God’s spirit gives this distinction between men and women. A woman can teach or preach
elsewhere but not in a church service. They are encouraged to bring up their children in the Lord and support their husbands in spiritual matters while at the same time
they are to remain submissive to others. Some women think being submissive is a display of weakness or timidity. They think men have been given a greater privilege
over them in the church or family. But how easily they forget that Christ Jesus who is himself God Almighty in the flesh remained subordinate to the Father.
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He did not think his equality with God a thing to be grasped and emptied himself. He was submissive throughout his earthly ministry.
Actually, the ability to submit to higher authority is a sign of strength and maturity rather than weakness and disgust. Men having authority over women does not make
them superior but instead it is God’s order of hierarchy in ruling over his people. The Son is submissive to the Father, The church is submissive to the Son likewise
women must be submissive to men in all aspects. They should not consider it a disgrace but rather a pride in Christ as they will be rewarded according to the service
they render to the Lord according to his structure of stewardship. ?
My motive behind writing this message is neither to promote the supremacy of men nor to stir up a feeling of insecurity among women.
Men and women are two sides of the same coin. The Lord has given them respective places in the church, family and society. They should gladly accept their roles and
responsibilities keeping in line with the scriptures and without questioning God’s ways. What the bible says is always flawless and what Jesus has planned is always perfect.
He never does anything to undermine us. As we know his ways are not our ways. If women of God stick to their Lord’s commandments with pure love and devotion then
they won’t find it difficult to obey him in any ways at all. Amen!