Women In The Church Meeting
The Lord has a Divine order in the Church, and it is important that we obey Him in everything, and that means even in the things we do not understand! I believe that one of the most often abused commands of God is this.
1 Corinthians 14:34 - 37 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but [they are commanded] to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
What? Came the word of God out from you? Or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. Take notice that this is not anything less than a command of the Lord. I have probably heard all of the arguments, they try with different reasoning to annul this command of the Lord.
Fifty years ago I would not have received much of an argument about what I have said regarding a woman's place in the Church. Two hundred years ago no argument at all, but today, well that's another thing. Watch, approximately 1900 years have passed, and no problem with this subject; just about everyone was in agreement. But in the last fifty years the subject has completely changed! Now follow me here please; God doesn't change! We have changed in our thinking. We have embraced the will of man and forsaken the will of God! For shame.
I remember some time back; I was at a home meeting. As I quoted this scripture one of the women interrupted me and said, "That's your interpretation, and I don't believe it" . . . I returned, "That was not my interpretation, it was a direct quote from God's word", (she didn't know that I was quoting the Bible, she thought that I was giving my own opinion) So I asked her to follow along with me in 1 Corinthians 14:34. After having her read this scripture aloud, I asked if she still thought that this was my interpretation. Her response was not new to me; I had heard it before. She said, "the apostle Paul was a male chauvinist, and that is why he tried to lower the place of women in the church!" I asked her how she had arrived at a conclusion like that? She said that she had read it somewhere. I know where she read it, "1Satan 3:14".
You see Satan also has his word, and you can tell it quickly. It will always contradict the Word and will of God. He doesn't sign his name as author, he allows his people to sign their name on his work. Just like God used many people to write down His commandments and instructions in the book we call the Bible. Now watch this, with one simple explanation "The apostle Paul was a male chauvinist" she tore out of her Bible this important command of God! She allowed the Word of God to be interpreted by the word of man (really the word of Satan). How convenient! Anything we don't like in the Bible, we simply look to man's writings, until we find someone else with our dislike of that particular command. Then we take his or her explanation to disavow the Word of God! My friends, that is how we ended up with so many different denominations. Don't do this!
But instead, allow yourselves, your books, and all that your friends have to say, to be judged by God's Word, never the other way around. This is very important, please allow me to repeat it, "Allow yourselves, your books, and all that your friends have to say, to be judged by God's Word, never the other way around". If you would like an explanation of why God doesn't allow women to speak during a church meeting, read again 1Timothy 2:11 - 14 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. God doesn't permit women to teach or usurp authority over a man, (And please don't forget this is God's commandment, not Paul's).
Here we have God's reason for this command. Someone might say, "Is God being fair to subject all women this way, for something that Eve had done?" When we ask a question like this, just exactly what are we doing? First off, we are not trusting God. And we are thinking that our powers of reason are as great as God's! What foolishness, what Gaul! That is exactly what the children of Israel did to the Lord during the forty years of wandering in the desert! I might be accused of being a "male chauvinist", that's O.K., what I am, is a man that believes and obeys all of God's word, not just the parts I like! I am not afraid or intimidated to preach all the Word of God!
The homosexual, the drunkard, the adulterer, all take exception with God's Word, the very instrument that God has sent to us to bring conviction of sin! To bring us to salvation! I have preached for many years now, that every one agrees with God's commandments! I wish to repeat this. Every one agrees with God's commandments! Now you might say, Mr. Wright, you are crazy, I know that EVERYONE doesn't agree with God's commandments!
Please allow me to explain. I knew a man out west, who was, a thief. He stole radios out of airplanes. A lot of people knew about him. One day I was alone with him and said to him "It is wrong to steal". He exploded, "The insurance companies are rich, they deserve what happens, they cheat people, and they can afford it". All that I said landed on deaf ears. He had justified his sin! Then it happened; early in the morning a few months later, I had a student, and we had just landed our plane, after having a practice flight. Looking down the ramp I saw a large man jumping up and down obviously very angry. I went to him to see what had happened. It was this very man, (the one who hated insurance companies) someone had stolen the radios out of HIS plane! Now he perfectly agreed with what God had said about stealing!
You see, it is all in your point of view. Does the adulterer want someone to commit adultery with his wife? No! Does the thief want someone to steal his radio equipment out of his airplane, NO! Do the backbiters want someone to talk bad about them behind their backs? NO! You see everyone agrees with God's commandments, it all depends on the point of view!
What about the Prophetess? I believe that all doctrines must pass the test of "All
Scripture". If our doctrines fight
any scripture we have a doctrine that is wrong! We must look further into God's word for understanding. The Bible speaks of prophetesses in Acts
21:9 - 11 And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy. And
as we tarried [there] many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet,
named Agabus. And when he was come unto
us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus
saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth
this girdle, and shall deliver [him] into the hands of the Gentiles. God will use the Prophetess, but not
against his own rules! Prophetesses can
prophesy but according to 1Timothy 2:11 - 14 not during a meeting of the
church!
To Sum Up The Lord wants men and women everywhere to
be in His service, but it is His service, and we should serve Him as He has
directed. If after reading the
Scriptures listed above you still think it right for women to speak during a
meeting of the Church, or teach and exercise authority over men; then you will
be able to understand how the adulterer, the thief, the backbiter, and the
murderer justify their defiance of Almighty God!