Category: Newsletter

Introduction

When it comes to the question of creation of women, some believe that it was not God´s original idea, but His secondary thought. They base such belief on Gen 2:18. Is it not a hermeneutical injustice? God had already created all animals; male and female and had put the seed in them to be fruitful and multiply. Adam was created a man but not an angel, so God did not expect Him to reproduce without a woman. A thought like this makes it seem as though God did not know what He was doing, but was only experimenting. Today´s edition of our series on “God´s position on gender inequality” is focused on some prominent women in the New Testament scriptures.

The Birth of Christ

When it comes to the birth of Christ Jesus, God needed only the intervention of a woman, Mary, to bring the savior, Jesus Christ, into the world (Luk 1:31). The Sperm of a man or man´s DNA was not a requirement to give birth to the Savior. This was why Mary asked “… How shall this be, since I do not know a man?” (Luke 1:34). For this,  “the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit shall come on you, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you. Therefore, also that Holy One which will be born of you shall be called Son of God” (Luk 1:35). God decided to use only a woman to fulfill His divine purpose.

The above claim does not erode the importance of a man because there could be no woman without the man neither could there be a man without the woman (1Cor 11:11). The next paragraph discusses co-workers Anna and Simeon.

Anna and Simeon

Anna, a widow of eighty-four (84) year old, was the lover of God´s house. At her age, she kept fasting and praying regularly as she desired to abide in the temple of God. This woman was a Prophetess who, like Simeon, had received by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, how Jesus Christ was to bring redemption to Jerusalem (Luk 2:22-38). This was a vision not revealed even to many devout Jews at her time. The same revelation that Simon received about Christ was also given to a woman. “ And she coming in at that instant gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of Him to all those in Jerusalem eagerly expecting redemption” (Luk 2:38). This is an indicative that she was preaching Christ Jesus to all seeking deliverance from the captivity or dominion of their enemies.

The above scripture is an indicative that, the Prophetess was preaching Christ Jesus to all seeking deliverance from the captivity or dominion from their enemies in Jerusalem. It is, therefore, neither sin nor inappropriate for a woman of our time to preach the Gospel of Christ in church, since Anna did not keep silent in the temple.

Martha´s and Peter´s Confessions of Christ

According to the following quote;

“He said to them, But who do you say I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered and said to him, You are blessed, Simon, son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but My Father in Heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mat 16:15-18).

Jesus Christ affirmed that Peter´s confession was not revealed to him by human beings, but by His father in heaven. Jesus went on to promise Peter of the keys of the Kingdom, and to build His church upon that revelation he received or upon him as a pillar of His church (Gal 2:9). IVP Bible Background Commentary argues that this promise is made to Peter because he was the one who confessed Jesus – the point is that Peter is the rock in his role as a confessor and that others build on the foundation by their proclamation of the same confession.

Martha, the sister of Lazarus made a similar confession when “She said to Him, Yes, Lord, I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who has come into the world” (Jon 11:27). It should be accepted that the same Father in heaven, who revealed Jesus Christ to Peter, also revealed Him to Martha. If Peter was to receive the keys of the Kingdom from Christ Jesus (Mat 16:19) because of his confession of such a revelation, then, it is also possible for Christ to give such a key to Martha by virtue of her confession of Him. The truth remains that God sees both men and women as His image and does not hesitate to use or reveal Himself to either of them.

Conclusion

It must be made known to all believers of Christ, that, no one advises Holy Spirit of God on who He should use or send. He has His own authority to lay hand on whoever He chooses. Let no man put a stumbling block before whom God has called. We should not call that which God has sanctified an unclean thing (Acts 10:15).

Prayer: Father Lord, we pray that you enlighten us with the full understanding of your Word so that we do not resist your glory through the women you call into your ministry. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!

Introduction

In this Newsletter,  the place of women in God´s divine plan is discussed. It presents discussions on the need to see both men and women as vessels God uses without discrimination. He speaks and listens to all without regards to whether one is a male or female. The cases of Manoah and his wife and the daughters of Zelophehad are presented.

Manoah and his Wife

  “And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to the woman and said to her, Behold now, you are barren and do not bear. But you shall conceive and bear a son. And now, please take heed, and do not drink wine nor strong drink, and do not eat any unclean thing. For lo, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head. For the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb. And he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. And the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came to me, and His face was like the face of an Angel of God, very terrifying. But I did not ask Him where He came from, neither did He tell me His name” (Jdg 13:3-6).

 As indicated in the above quote, Manoah and his wife prayed together but the Lord God sent angels to bring response to the woman. It is read that Manoah prayed to God to see the angel himself so that he would instruct them about how to care for the child the Lord had promised them. The Lord answered his prayer but the angel came again to his wife (Jdg 13:8-9). When Manoah´s wife got his husband to see the angel, Manoah demanded of the angel to tell them what to do, but the angel told him that of all that he had said to the woman she should observe to do that (Jdg 13:13).

It is believed that the appearances of the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament are pre-incarnation appearances of our Lord Jesus Christ himself, because the identity of the angel seems to be that of Yahweh Himself. On the other hand, it may be that the angel’s visit is considered to be as if Yahweh were Himself present, since He conveys Yahweh’s words directly (The Preachers’ Commentary ). Why should God choose to communicate with the woman directly but not with her husband? This presupposes that God chooses whoever He chooses to speak with irrespective of their gender. Manoah´s wife was blessed to have an encounter with God. The role of this woman here is similar to that of a spiritual leader over her husband. This represents a perfect example of women empowerment.

If a wife does not understand something in the Bible or has a question to ask, she should ask from her husband (1Co 14:35) but in the case of Manoah and his wife the reverse was true. It might be said that this has nothing to do with the work of the ministry or the five-fold ministry of the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers (Eph 4:11). God using women as His faithful prophetesses have already been detailed in our previous Newsletter.

Daughters of Zelophehad: Mothers of Women´s Rights

It is worth nothing that discrimination of all forms against women is not the will of God. The verdict on the plight of these daughters, as detailed below, is a clear example. As the daughters of Zelophehad stood before the tabernacle of the congregation, they petitioned Moses and Eleazar, the Priest and said:

“Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of those who gathered themselves against Jehovah in the company of Korah, but died in his own sin, and had no sons. Why should the name of our father be taken away from among his family, because he has no son? Therefore give us a possession among the brothers of our father” (Num 27:3).

The daughters of Zelophehad broke a tradition because they had a just petition to present to their leaders. Moses, recognizing that the women´s case was laudable but because the law does not allow that, decided to approach God for His instruction. Many of the people of God today may only insist or make a decision based on what they feel about the situation. When Moses consulted with God, he was told that the women speak right, so he should give them a possession of an inheritance among their brethren and that the portion of their father must pass to them (Num 27:7). Hitherto, women in those times, in Israel, did not have any inheritance. Moses was further instructed by God to make it a law, that if a man dies and have no son, his inheritance should pass to his daughters (Num 27:8).

It is believed that if some of the Israelite women had petitioned Moses and the leadership of Israel again, that, it is unfair for their brothers to inherit land or property from their fathers while they inherit nothing, God might have asked Moses to distribute a person´s wealth, in the event of his/her death, equally among all his children regardless of their sex or gender. God hates unjust scale (Pro 11:1, Pro 20:23), but people must supplicate to Him for Him to act in their favor.

Conclusion

It could be said that, the fight for women´s right by women, is an old-age phenomenon. Our interpretations of scriptures make it appear that the world leaders are wiser and justice seekers than God. God forbid! Women´s rights or gender equality is God´s own original idea so no one should take credit for it.

Prayer: May God give us the wisdom we need, to live together as equals, while respecting and valuing each other as the image of God. Dear Lord, may your word impact our cultures to see your will for all mankind. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!