10.04.2009 Women in Ministry

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10.04.2009 Grace Summit Sermon - Women in Ministry from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

10.04.2009 Grace Summit Worship from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

Thank you, everyone, for wishing me a happy birthday last week – on video –
Thanks to the band.
Two weeks ago, I shared about church leadership and appointing Dick and Jeff as elders and to come to me with any concerns or comments. I didn’t get any concerns about Jeff and Dick, but I did get some comments about something I said… a little something that slipped into the message and today I will address those comments and concerns – about women in ministry.

In order to do that, we’ll need to pray…

Lord, You are our hope – our only hope. We look to You for that hope. We trust in You and know that You reign sovereign in this world and in our lives. Nothing has entered that you have not been aware of. You are a God of compassion and mercy who longs to be gracious to us. In these times, we need to know it all the more. We ask you to take this simple message and make it meaningful for each of us – to encourage, confront, exhort, challenge – and to teach us how to better follow You and to respect and love each other.

2 definitions
Complementarian
Egalitarian.
I will not go into the theology of this – but would like to focus on the positive side of this. These are the names of the two views that someone gave.
Complementarian – only men can hold the office of elder/overseer in the church. Teaching/Governing role in the church – Pastor. Within the Complementarian view, there is a wide variety of beliefs. There are some strict views – limiting women to children’s and maybe women’s ministries.
Soft Complementarianism – only the Sr. Pastor role can be held by men.
Egalitarianism – opposite of that view – that women can be in all forms of ministry including Sr. Pastor/overseer/elder. There is wide latitude in each of these views. There is a lot written about this. If you are interested – there is a book called Two Views of Women in Ministry. These books take good Christian scholars who write and respond to each side of the issue. For our purposes – historically – for the most part – the church has held to the Complementarian view. There have always been small streams that have held to the Egalitarian view. But in the past 200 years, that stream has become a river – from a small minority to a majority. Many denominations hold to an Egalitarian view.
It is really important to understand that there are godly conservative evangelicals who hold to either side of this issue. That is important to understand.
For our church – I mentioned that our association has held to a soft to moderate Complementarian view. That has been our perspective over the years and that is our view today.
Personally – I have studied this issue significantly – not as much as some of these guys who have written these tomes…but I did write a paper on it and have gained a tremendous respect for those who hold the other view. We look at
1 Tim. 2: 11 Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. 12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet

That seems simple.
But depending on your perspective – there are different reasons it seems quite simple. But I will say that it is not. It is a difficult passage and a difficult doctrine – and I want us to have a respect for either side of this doctrine. It is so important – you want to hold your own convictions – but it is so important to respect the other side of that conviction. There are people who hold to the authority of scripture who are on both sides.

The Complementarian side would say – because of the reference to Adam and Eve – this is a permanent injunction.
The Egalitarian side would say that this is very specific to Timothy – and his churches – and that culture.
Both sides make good arguments for their position – and what I would say – neither of them answer my questions. So I stay where I have been – I will not be moved because no one has persuaded me to move - -yet I have a deep respect for both sides. So I will stop there and focus on the positive for the rest of the service. There has been a disservice throughout history for what women can do in ministry – and it needs to stop.
I would like to look at what women can do and what the Bible says – even if you hold to a Complementarian view.
First principle – the gifts given to the church are not gender specific. Nowhere does it say that men have certain gifts and women have others. Of course we know that –
1 Cor. 12-14
Romans 12
1 Peter 4:9-10
Ephesians 4
But look at Romans 12: 6 And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, [let each exercise them accordingly]: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
When this says he and his – it does not mean MEN! – it means people.
So, teaching – women have gifts of teaching.
Women have leadership gifts
Women have prophetic gifts
No matter where you stand on Complementarian or Egalitarian – what is important – is that the church give opportunity for EVERYONE to fully use his or her gifts in the church. That is where the church has let down.
We think of things so much in our own context and culture – business – CEOs – but the church is a body – not an organization – but an organism. There is this flow of gifts – and the leader of the church is Jesus and He leads through the Holy Spirit. Yes there is a leadership structure to lead and guard all of that – it is a work of the Holy Spirit of God using the gifts that are not gender specific.
Second – the one another verses are for everyone. There are probably 78 of them –
John 13: 34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
We don’t say – we should love one another – just for the guys.
Bear one another’s burdens…
All these one another verses – Col. 3:16 – Teaching and admonishing one another.
Rom. 15:14 – I am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness and able to admonish/counsel one another.
This is for ALL in the church to do.
Third – I believe there is a special role for women as it relates to children and women’s ministry.
Titus 2: 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children
This does indicate a special role that women have – but it doesn’t LIMIT women to that role. Where it talks in Timothy 2 about women not speaking – in v. 7 of that passage – Paul tells the men to be lifting up holy hands without dissension – is that all that men can do? No. That is what we tend to do. We do it in THIS passage but don’t do it in THAT passage. We make choices about what something says based on the history we have. We need to step back and say – what does it really say? Not, what do I think it says? We need to remove what we think it says so we can see what it really says.
Here in the church – we have MEN who have taught Sunday School for eons – My son Adam still talks about that class! But we don’t balk because MEN are teaching children!

Two weeks ago – Scot McKnight – a favorite author of mine – was here to address the Chapel Association pastors – and many of us will be teaching Galatians – this winter. It was great going through it. He is a conservative evangelic scholar – I love his website – Jesus Creed – he is an Egalitarian – and is known as that. Someone asked him about women in ministry – I liked what he had to say – for the most part, the guys there were from the Complementarian perspective – I know where you are coming from – but I would hope that your churches are allowing your women to do AT LEAST what women were doing in the New Testament. You can’t say no to that!
I’d like to look at what women did in the New Testament.
There were women deacons – several mentioned. The word Deaconess does not exist. We have women deacons in our church – and it has women on it. When we meet – they are involved as much as the men – and it is not just for the Children’s Programs. Angie is in charge of the greeters!
Second – Missionaries. It was clear there were women missionaries in the New Testament. The writer of this book was forced to admit that there were women in the Apostolic role – being sent out.
Some women had a prophetic role – as Peter spoke – your young men and WOMEN will prophesy…
There are several prophetesses in the book of Acts. 1 Cor. 11 gives some specifics for prophecy in the church – prophecy is not Nostradamus – but speaking the word of God.
There were church planters and evangelists in the New Testament.
Some believe there are passages that indicate there are women Pastor/Elder/Overseers – others don’t agree with that.
Back in chapter 2 – it talks about authority over a man – and I think a mistake has been made. In the Complementarian view – that verse is speaking of the official teaching and governing role in the church. It has been miscategorized to think that whenever a woman stands up in front of the church that it is exercising authority over the men in the church – that is just not true.
I went to a church once – and it was okay that they did this – but I think it is from a misunderstanding of authority – they had an incredible female vocalist in the church – and because of their perspective – one of the elders stood up in front – sort of leading the worship – while she stood behind him leading people into a deep intimate worship of God. I think that is a misapplication of this verse.

Phil. 4: 2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. 3 Indeed, true comrade, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in [the cause of] the gospel, together with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

These are two women in the church at Philippi.
I bring this up – this little phrase – women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel – that is the crux of the thing – what we need to see happening – as God gives these gifts/skills/talents – he wants that to be unleashed – for the purpose of spreading the gospel to the world – together.
Phil. 1: 27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
He told the church – I want you shoulder to shoulder – working – laboring for the gospel. These two women were his fellow strugglers – shoulder to shoulder as equals in the spreading of the gospel – partners/comrades in arms – to accomplish the purpose of the church. For each of us – to be engaged in the building of the kingdom of God is the most important thing. It is about the faith of the gospel. Yes, the church has stances and holds those based on our best understanding of Scripture. But we can’t hinder people from using the gifts that the Kingdom can expand.
When you look at it like that – it clears it up.
What we do believe – those who don’t know Christ will spend eternity separated from God in hell- and we have the job – to present the message that they can be forgiven of their sins and brought into God’s family in relationship with Him.
Let’s pray – We will end the service – and if you would like to leave, go ahead – but I will stay here for questions.
Lord, we ask You to help us – as we seek to be faithful in everything – listen to Your word to understand what you would have to say to us – that we would strive together for the sake of the Gospel – in Your Name we pray – amen.