Written By: Pastor Keith A. Smith
1. There is not one Scripture in the Bible that forbids women
from preaching, but on the contrary, there are many verses that encourage both
men and women to preach the Gospel.
2. The Bible teaches that God is not a respecter of persons, and
He will use any and all who will yield to Him, regardless of race, age, or
sex.
Galatians 3:28 - "...neither male nor female...for
ye are all one
in Christ Jesus."
Acts 10:34 - "...God is no respecter of persons...."
Moses said in Numbers 11:29, "Would God that all the Lord's
people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His spirit upon them!"
The crying need of the hour is for more laborers. It is a trick
of the enemy to try to down rate thousands of our faithful laborers just
because they were born females.
3. The Great Commission, Mark 16:15, "Preach the
Gospel," is to
ALL believers, and to all the church of Jesus Christ. The command to
"preach the Gospel" is to both male and female.
4. It is an undeniable fact that God has called and anointed
thousands of women to preach the Gospel. The Full Gospel organizations have
hundreds of licensed and ordained women who are preaching, teaching,
evangelizing, pastoring, and doing mission work with the signs following their
ministry.
God is using them for the
salvation of the lost, deliverance from sin,
gifts of the Spirit, and infilling of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible says, "Touch not mine anointed and do my prophets no harm."
And may we be reminded of the Scripture in Acts 5:39,
"If it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight
against
God."
When someone says, "God does not call women to preach," it is
like saying that God does not baptize with the Holy Spirit today. We know
better, because we have witnessed and experienced it with our own ears and
eyes.
I would be afraid to condemn women preachers, lest I would be
found to be fighting against God, and to be committing the vile sin of
attributing the works of the Holy Spirit to the devil.
5. Women preachers are a fulfillment of Bible Prophecy and
another sign of Christ's soon return to earth.
Joel 2:28
28 "And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions. -
Acts 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.
18Even
on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
6. The Bible declares that women will
prophesy: 1 Cor. 11:5, "For every woman that prayed or
prophesied...."
Both the Hebrew (Nebrah), and Greek (Prophet) used for prophetess
means (female preacher). (See Young's Concordance, Pg. 780.)
The word "Prophet" means a public expounder.
The word "Prophesy" means to speak forth, or flow forth. The
Bible says in 1 Cor. 14:3, "But he that prophesied
speaketh unto MEN to edification, and exhortation and comfort."
The dictionary says, prophesy is "to speak under divine
inspiration...to preach."
Therefore we learn from the original translation, from the Bible
interpretation, and from the dictionary, that to prophesy means more than to
tell the future, but it is to speak publicly about the past, present, or
future. It is to preach under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
The Old and New Testament prophets and prophetesses were
preachers of God's Word.
Even if the words prophet and preacher could be separated, how could
anyone prophesy to bring exhortation, comfort and edification to the church,
if she were forbidden to speak in church and was to keep silent?
Would God inspire and anoint someone to do something that was
wrong and sinful???
* (There is a difference between a prophet, and the gift of
prophecy.)
7. God called and used women preachers in the Old Testament.
a. DEBORAH - Judges 4:4-5. Deborah was a
Judge for both civil and criminal cases. The children of Israel came to her
for judgment. She was the chief ruler of Israel for 40 years, giving orders
to the Generals and all the army. She did the work of an evangelist,
prophetess, Judge, and a preacher. God gave her authority over the mighty (Judges
5:13).
Judges 4: 4 - 5
4 Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was
leading Israel at that time. 5 She
held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill
country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes
decided.
b. MIRIAM -
Exodus 15:20; Numbers 12:1; Micah 6:4. She was a
Prophetess and a Song Leader in Israel.
c. HULDAH - 2 Kings 22:14. Five men went to
Sister Huldah and
communed with her. She spoke to a congregation of men concerning the book of
the
Law. A female preached to a man's congregation, and her message was taken to
the nation and
produced a revival.
d. MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ'S MOTHER - Isaiah 8:3.
She was a
prophetess.
8. God called and used women preachers in the New Testament.
a. The first message of the Resurrection of Christ was spoken by
women to a group of men.
b. Anna - Luke 2:36-38. She must have
prophesied in church,
because she did not depart from the temple.
c. Phillip had 4 daughters who prophesied. Acts
21:9.
d. Priscilla assisted Paul in his revival meeting and even taught
Apollos in the way of the Lord more perfectly.
e. Phebe - Romans 16:1-2. Paul commended
Phebe to the Church at Rome and requested that they assist her in her
business. She was one ofPaul's assistants in the work of the Lord and
delivered the Book of Romans to the people from the hand of Paul.
9. There is no sound reason why a woman or man should not preach the
Gospel. There is a desperate need in the church for more workers.
Laborers are few, and God will use any and all who will go for Him. Some say
God will not use a woman to preach, because "The woman was deceived," but
remember Romans 5:12: "Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world." It
seems to indicate that Adam was just as guilty as Eve in the fall of man. If
anyone should be kept from preaching because of sin, it would be Adam.
But God does not forbid anyone from preaching, because of Adam's or Eve's sin.
10. 1 Cor. 14: 34-35
34women
should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but
must be in submission, as the Law says.
35If 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.
This Scripture does not say anything about women preachers.
If Paul intended this verse as a general rule to bar all
women from
speaking in church, then they cannot teach Sunday School, testify, pray,
prophesy, sing, or even get saved, and this would contradict the rest of the
Bible
(Acts 2:4; Acts 2:16-18).
Paul was rather dealing with a particular problem in the church.
Women were not educated as were the men in that day; therefore the women
would talk back and forth to their husbands in church and ask questions
concerning the sermon. Paul said, "If they will learn anything, let them ask
their husbands at home; for it is a shame for women to speak in the church."
If
they want to talk things over let them wait until they get home. This rule
is still good for the church today, where people are talking and causing
confusion in the church service. They should not speak in church. (Note:
the back of the church either before or after services.)
If a woman cannot speak in church, then she cannot speak in
prayer meeting, young people's service, etc., for who can deny that Sunday
School and Prayer meeting, and Youth work are parts of church? Christ's
Church is not a building, but rather it is found where two or three are
gathered together in His name, whether at a street meeting, in a tent, a
home, church, classroom or anywhere else.
11. 1 Timothy 2:12 is not a blanket rule
for all women of all
churches. If it were, then the women could not speak at all, for the
same verse that tells them not to teach also tells them to be silent.
If all women had to keep silent in church, then that would be
promoting disobedience to God, for they could not prophesy, pray,
testify, sing, exhort, do personal work, or even get saved.
Whenever an interpretation to a verse contradicts the rest of the
teaching of the Bible, we know this interpretation is incorrect, for
the Holy Spirit will never contradict His own Word.
This is the chief verse that is used to oppose women preaching
and yet it says nothing about preaching, nor does it say anything about a
public worship or church service. But, on the contrary, this verse is giving
instructions to wives as to how they were to conduct themselves in regard to
their husband. Paul says in 1 Cor. 14:35, "And if they
will LEARN anything, let them ask their husbands at home." Now he states in
1 Tim. 2:12 that the woman should learn in silence, and should not usurp
authority over the man.
Paul is dealing with more of a home problem than a church problem.
This verse still applies to us today. It is wrong for a woman to
usurp authority over her husband (in church, home, or any place else) as was
the case in Paul's day. She should not try to teach him or speak words that
would cause discord and confusion, but should rather be silent and in
subjection to her husband.
It is also to be understood that if anyone, whether man or woman, is
usurping authority over the God-given leadership of the church, she or he is
to be silent, and not to teach, or act in such a way that would create
discord in the assembly.
12. Some have used Titus 1:6-7, "If any be
blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children...", but there
is a difference between a preacher and a bishop. For I was an
Evangelist and now am a Pastor, but I am not a Bishop (Overseer), and most
Pastors are not.
If God called a single man with no children to be a Bishop, as
Paul was, surely this verse is not opposed to it, nor would this scripture
oppose a woman Bishop if she was called of God for the work, as was Deborah.
What this verse does teach is that a person who is to be a Bishop
must not have two living companions, either husbands or wives.
The Bible often speaks of "man" when it refers to both men and
and women inclusively. The word "mankind" also includes both men and women.
For an example of this word usage see 1
Cor. 13:1 - "Though I speak with the tongues of MEN and angels...."
This word "MEN" includes women as well, for we do not have one language for
men and another for women.
13. To condemn women preachers and women church workers is a serious
offense, because God has stamped His approval on them by His Spirit over and
over again, and who is man to fight against the Spirit of God?
To condemn women preachers and women church workers is in a sense to
claim they are doing wrong and committing sin...and all those who support
them and listen to them are having a part in that sin.
For anyone to do this, he must condemn approximately 99% of all the
Spirit-filled believers and the vast majority of all of Christianity.
"Of a truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons..."
(Acts 10:34)
34. Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism).
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