Then what should a woman be?
A Pastor MUST meet these basic criteria:
- 1. Be a man.
- 2. Be the husband of one wife.
A woman doesn’t meet these criteria.
Why is this important?
Why would we adhere to these arbitrary rules?
He sets the parameters in which He KNOWS we need in order that we would be able to live a life in alignment with Heaven. He KNOWS what we need, we don’t!
Here is the List of rules an OVERSEER & Deacon must meet, written by Paul:
“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task: AN OVERSEER MUST BE ABOVE REPROACH, HE MUST BE the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.HE must manage His household well, with all dignity KEEPING HIS CHILDREN SUBMISSIVE, IF SOMEONE DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO MANAGE HIS OWN HOUSEHOLD, HOW WILL HE CARE FOR GOD’S CHURCH?
He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.
DEACONS likewise must be: dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, and not greedy for dishonest gain. They must HOLD THE MYSTERY OF THE FAITH WITH A CLEAR CONSCIENCE. And let them also be tested first; Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. LET DEACONS EACH BE THE HUSBAND OF ONE WIFE, MANAGING THEIR CHILDREN AND THEIR OWN HOUSEHOLDS WELL. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. …”
1 Timothy 3:1-16
Since we believers are His actual Kingdom, His Temple, (HE IS THE KING) having His Spirit dwelling in our flesh, guiding us in our desire to pursue, know & maintain His Order, as well as understanding Him. We need His order to function at all.
Women have directions as well, offering us guidance in order to achieve optimal function & reach our full abilities as women.
WOMEN SHOULD:
- Enrich themselves in honorable, respectable & sincere garments
- Remain hidden in righteousness
- Have modesty & self-control
- Should NOT be known for her braided hair, gold, pearls or costly attire (flashy)
- Should NOT display shallow vanity, (which is a fruit, born from a bitter root in the heart, and is the opposite of modest)
- Shall adorn herself with what is proper for a woman who proclaims Godliness
- Wear what is sufficient, decent & adequate (being frugal)
- Most Importantly: WITH GOOD WORKS as fruit (evidence) , showing through all her actions and interactions…
The following is more of what a woman should be in Christ, but this part of Paul’s list we can clearly SEE is the man’s job to ALLOW her to become. A man’s masculine strength allows her strengths to glisten through.
A weak man makes a weak woman.
- LET a woman learn quietly
- Providing stability for her, composure, & a steady haven to soften into
- With all submissiveness
- (LETTING & ALLOWING us women to get into the posture to even choose Submission is only by the strength of man’s dependability and stability in Christ..
- Submission, as defined, can NEVER be coerced or faked, if it is forced then it’s coercion or intimidation, not submission but an act..
- Paul says: ‘I do not permit (authorize) a woman to teach (guide)
- Nor exercise (govern) authority (control, power) over a man
- She is to remain quiet (still, relaxed, released from anxiety, free from distractions & at ease in her femininity…)
True submission of a woman is the fruit (evidence) of the trust and confidence she has been given in her husband, a trust that is earned, with substance. How a man tends to his woman and cares for her is the fruit of how much that man has faith in Jesus, making the two truly able to become joined as ONE, having different roles, talents & positions yet perfectly complementary to one another, one flesh, in a perfect Holy union.
A house divided against itself cannot stand, WILL NOT STAND.
Rejecting His guidance is way of the enemy, to plant seeds of rebellion in our hearts.
A quiet, peaceful, and softened woman has a gentle Spirit & is delightful to be around & valuable to all. Women are much more proficient when we are allowed to be free from having to put on the unnatural male attributes (characteristics) which are not natural, in fact these characteristics directly oppose the true nature of our creation, which yearns to be released.
In God’s Design (Order), women have the masculine strength of our husband, who is meant & designed to be our material strength, being durable & dependable enough to allow us to flourish & blossom in our feminine spirituality, knowing that it is safe to not be masculinely guarded, as our husband is our guardian.
Adam was formed first (flesh), then Eve.
God authorized the man & women to function harmoniously. Women are man’s help meat (assistant flesh essence).
Woman was made for man. Man needs woman, women are inwardly strong, we profit man when we behave as we were created to.
Adam was guilty of eating the forbidden fruit because he knew better, BUT Eve wasn’t the offender because she was determined to be able to count on Adam to steer and lead her into safety and keep her away from any threat…
As Paul says:
“Adam was not deceived (mislead), but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. (Man knew that what He was doing was rebellion and continued to partake, even allowing his woman to partake. He had a full understanding of His actions and consequence )
1 Timothy 2:8-15
Adam knew better, the woman went on impulse, intuition on a whim. It’s a feminine strength to be qualified to sense and analyze through our emotions, understanding our environment deeper than men, women have a superior instinctual intuition. Hence why Scriptures tell us to practice modesty and self-control.
- Christ is the Head of man.
- Man is the Head of the woman.
- The woman is the head of the children…
Under this hierarchy, we will flourish and function as we were meant to. A woman is not a man, a woman doesn’t have the same skill sets as women, just as men surely don’t have the same abilities as us women.
Women can teach in public, share the Gospel, and evangelize, just as Pheobe did but when there’s a physical Church that relies on Administrators and Pastors, the leaders should not be a woman, it’s not our nature to lead men as Shepherd because we are biologically more emotional, we make decisions established on feelings & senses, we are incredible creatures when we are safe to be in our God given feminine…
Of course, we can and do lead but it’s not where we flourish and thrive…
Women fit comfortably in the perfect masculine leader, we are the voice of discretion, depth, and encourage our spouse to discover the deeper elements of circumstances, while men are to keep the rock, the foundation grounded, in truth & in Christ, remaining accountable, men were designed perfectly.
Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, and sound in faith, love, and steadfastness.
Titus 2:2-8
Older women are to be reverent (respectful & humble) in behavior, not slanderers (defaming someone with lies, making false accusations) or slaves (addicted) to much wine.
Older Women are to teach (instruct) what is good so train (equip) the young women to love their husbands & children, to be self-controlled, pure (true), working at home, kind, and submissive to their husbands…
★Why?★
So that the Word of God may not be reviled (denounced).
Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.
Show yourself, in all respects (consistent despite the situation) to be a model (example) of good works, & in your teaching show integrity, dignity, & understandable dialogue that cannot be condemned or criticized, so that an adversary may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
(We represent God’s Kingdom, we are ambassadors for Christ)
Wives, be subject (accountable) to your husbands, so that even if some do not obey the Word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives when they see your respectful and pure conduct.
1 Peter 3:1-5, 7
Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—
but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
WHICH IN GOD’S SIGHT IS VERY PRECIOUS. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves; BY SUBMITTING TO THEIR HUSBANDS. Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an UNDERSTANDING way, SHOWING HONOR TO THE WOMAN AS THE WEAKER VESSEL, since they are HEIRS with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.
James 3:1-2
