Deal Breakers: Part 2
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March 8, 2021 International Women’s Day (Mothers, sisters, teacher, principal, nurse, doctor, engineer, entrepreneur, community leader, boss)
Recap: Deal Breakers
Recap: Deal Breakers
God is Sovereign
God is Sovereign
(Tongues in Church)
1 Co 14:26-33
1 Co 14:26-33
26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.
29 Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30 And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31 For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. 32 The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.
3 Questions to ask ourselves:
3 Questions to ask ourselves:
Why do I feel the way I feel about this topic?
Why do I feel the way I feel about this topic?
What does the Bible say about it?
What does the Bible say about it?
Is this a deal breaker for me?
Is this a deal breaker for me?
This is embarrassing!
This is embarrassing!
34 Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.
What Law?
What Law?
The Book of the Covenant (Exo 20-23)
The book of the Law (De 5-26 & 28)
No O.T. Laws prohibited women from speaking in public gatherings!
No O.T. Laws prohibited women from speaking in public gatherings!
What law was Paul referring to in
34 Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.
A few things to consider:
Church = ekklēsia = assembly
Corinth = Greek = Athenian Law
"Women could not represent themselves in court, most of them did not have sufficient skills to earn a comfortable living independently, and many would be unprepared from their upbringing for the trappings and difficulties of the outside world...” www.stoag.org
...”This is why the state with firm and clear legislation made certain that no free-born female would be abandoned to fend for herself in a harsh world...” www.stoag.org
...”The institution of the epikleros, far from demonstrating disregard for the woman, was established to protect her, and the state trusted that her father’s closest male relative should be the most suitable man to do just that.” www.stoag.org
34 Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. 35 If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.
Descriptive Vs. Prescriptive
Descriptive Vs. Prescriptive
Nu 12
1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this.
3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)
4 At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward, 6 he said, “Listen to my words:
“When there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions,
I speak to them in dreams.
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.
8 With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the Lord.
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?”
9 The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them.
10 When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous—it became as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease, 11 and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”
13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “Please, God, heal her!”
14 The Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.” 15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.
16 After that, the people left Hazeroth and encamped in the Desert of Paran.
Exceptions don’t make the Rule
Exceptions don’t make the Rule
Several women in the OT are credited as prophets to include Miriam, Deborah — who was also a judge, and Hulda. Each of them spoke in the assembly of God’s people.
In the NT:
Ac 2:17-18
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. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
Lu 2:36-38
36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Ac 21:7-9
7 We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day. 8 Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
1 Tim 2:8-14
8 Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. 9 I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. 11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.
What would Priscilla think?
What would Priscilla think?
Priscilla was a wealthy tentmaker who, along with her husband Aquila supported and lead churches in at least 3 cities, Rome, Corinth, and Ephesus. Paul’s letters that mention her prove Paul held her in high regard and except for one letter, he mentions her name before her husband.
But as it relates to her teaching or even moreso, correcting a man, Luke’s account would leave us wondering why Paul did not intervene or address what happened when a man named Apollos.
Ac 18:24-28
24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.
So I conclude with five options to consider
Were the prohibitions Paul’s words or a scribe’s edit?
Were the prohibitions Paul’s words or a scribe’s edit?
Was this about a grudge?
Was this about a grudge?
Did Paul change his mind/preference?
Did Paul change his mind/preference?
Was Paul accomidating local laws?
Was Paul accomidating local laws?
Was there something specific that happened in a specific church that required specific, drastic measures?
Was there something specific that happened in a specific church that required specific, drastic measures?
The bottom line is this?
We don’t know!
We don’t know!
So here is my rule of thumb as it relates to uncovering truth with limited information.
1 jo 3:19-24
19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence:
20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God
22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.
23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
And finally, as the apostle Paul would remind us in
Ga 3:28
28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
So again, and in closing I ask, why do you feel the way you do about this topic? What does the Bible say about this topic? Is this a deal breaker for you? Can you follow Jesus after what you now know?