If It Wasn't For The Women, Part 3: Thank God For Ministering Women

Liberating Environment- encourages people to embody a holistic gospel, helping people experience liberation from personal and social sins by forming Spirit-transforming communities. A liberating environment encourages people to overcome addictions, grown in personal holiness and live in the power of the Spirit

Yesterday at the United Baptist Convention Congress of Christian Education, I taught a course on The Missionary Ministry of the Local Church:

Allen, Hancock, and Singleton. Together On Mission: Building Gospel-Centered Missional Communities.

Allen, Dana, Hancock, David, and Singleton, Jim. Together On Mission: Building Gospel-Centered Missional Communities.

It was a learning church?- teaching

It was a relational church?- discipleship

t was a relational church?

It was a worshipping church?- worship, praise, & prayer

It was a Winsome (attractive)?- attracts people

It was a generous church? - help others

Transition To Body

Our generous savior Jesus Christ

recap:

- A Gentile Soldier’s Exemplary Faith- a certain centurion

- A Widow’s Exemplary Faith

- John the Baptist’s Wavering/Shaky Faith

- A Female Sinner’s Exemplary Faith

Body

the disciples, the twelve are with him, so they are learning

Luke 8:1 ESV

Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him,

Acts 2:42–47 ESV

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

proclaiming= publicly announce religious truths and principles while urging acceptance and compliance- to preach

bringing= to communicate good news concerning something

What happens when the good news is proclaimed?

What is the good news?

Along with Jesus, has come some exhibits of Jesus has done:

healed= to serve, to be serviceable, to cause someone to recover health, often with the implication of having taken care of such a person.

to heal, to cure, to take care of

evil= demon, supernatural evil being

John 1:4–5 ESV

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:405

1 Peter 2:9–10 ESV

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

infirmities= state of debilitating illness, sickness, disease the state of being ill and thus incapacitated in some manner

Exhibit A: Mary Magdalene

Thank the LORD for the healed women

a woman from Magdala

Luke: An Introduction and Commentary N. Women Who Helped Jesus (8:1–3)

a place-name, meaning ‘of Magdala’, i.e. ‘The Tower’

Luke: An Introduction and Commentary N. Women Who Helped Jesus (8:1–3)

Luke says that seven demons had gone out from her, which shows that Jesus had rescued her from a very distressing existence.

demons are usually connected with mental or physical disorder

Exhibit B: Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager (servant)

Thank the LORD for the committed women

Luke: An Introduction and Commentary N. Women Who Helped Jesus (8:1–3)

Joanna is mentioned again in 24:10, but otherwise nothing is known of her.

Luke: An Introduction and Commentary N. Women Who Helped Jesus (8:1–3)

Her husband Chuza is mentioned here only. That he was Herod’s steward shows that he was a man of substance, though the precise nature of his office is not clear. The word translated steward may mean the manager of Herod’s estates, or it may point to a political office. Godet conjectures that this man may have been the officer whose son Jesus healed (John 4:46ff.). If so, it would explain why Joanna was numbered among Jesus’ followers and allowed to go with him on this tour.

Luke 24:10 ESV

Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles,

Luke 24:6–10 ESV

He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles,

Exhibit C: Susanna

Thank the LORD for the just willing to serve women

humble servants

Exhibit D: Many others

Thank the LORD for the anonymous women

those you do not even know are helping you

Luke: An Introduction and Commentary N. Women Who Helped Jesus (8:1–3)

Here we learn that these women responded in love and gratitude for what Jesus had done for them (cf. Mark 15:40f.). It seems to have been not uncommon for godly women to help religious teachers, and Jesus speaks of some Pharisees who were evidently quite rapacious (20:47). It is heart-warming to read of this group of women who supported Jesus. And it is worth reflecting that the Gospels record no woman as ever taking action against him: his enemies were all men.

Transition To Conclusion

Luke 4:

Closing Illustration: Yesterday teaching the The Missionary Ministry of the local church and there being mostly women in attendance:

Luke 4:18–19 ESV

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Missionary Board of most historically black churches are lead by women

Women’s missionary Union:

During the meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Richmond, Virginia, in May 1888, a group of women delegates from 12 states gathered at the Broad Street United Methodist Church and organized the Executive Committee of the Woman's Mission Societies, Auxiliary to Southern Baptist Convention.

In previous years, women had been meeting during the convention to discuss the possibilities of creating a missions organization. During the 1888 meeting, a constitution was adopted and the first officers were elected. Baltimore, Maryland, was chosen as headquarters.

The Christian Woman's Board of Missions (CWBM) was a missionary organization associated with the Restoration Movement.[1] It was the first such group managed entirely by women.[1] It hired both men and women, and supported both domestic and foreign missions.

Luke: An Introduction and Commentary N. Women Who Helped Jesus (8:1–3)

The rabbis refused to teach women and generally assigned them a very inferior place. But Jesus freely admitted them into fellowship, as on this occasion, and accepted their service.

Luke 4:18–19 ESV

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

2 Corinthians 5:14–21 ESV

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

John 8:34–36 ESV

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Conclusion- But

the greatest sacrifice of all time was

John 1:29 ESV

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

And the women were committed to the very end

Luke 24:6–10 ESV

Luke 24:6-1

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