Are women allowed to be Pastors/preachers? 1 Tim. 3 & Titus 1

 

Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full[.respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)  He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.[1 Tim. 3:1-7]

An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.  Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.  He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.[Titus 1:6-9]

I am quoting from the NIV. Now, this version is one version which uses gender specific language and places where the other versions say ‘brother’, they routinely state it as ‘brothers and sisters’. Even this version uses ‘men’ when it talks about those who are elders and overseers. The requirements for overseers, elders, and deacons are they are to be the husband of one wife(not wife of one husband). Women are automatically excluded from this service in the local churches. Women are not to teach or usurp authority over men.[1 Tim. 2:12] This is another requirement women can’t meet. If they are pastoring a church, they are teaching men, usurping their authority. Also, men are the head of the house, biblically speaking. The wife is to submit to her husband. Another requirement for a pastor is one who rules his(not her) house well. This is another requirement that women can not meet in regards to being an overseer.

Now, it says  women are to remain silent and if she needs to ask her husband a question, she is to do so at home. However, this does not mean they are to remain mum, but churches at that time had the husbands sitting on one side of the church and women on the other side. For her to ask her husband a question, she would either have to yell at him across the room or get up and go and ask him that question. Either way, it could hamper the worship service. So, this verse should not be used as a primary reason why women can not pastor a local church. I am trying to be fair here.

I get it, however. Women want to be men’s equals, so they mitigate these passages by using Galatians 3:28 where it says there is no male nor female in Christ. Yet, Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus the requirements of who could be overseer of the loacal churches, writing this under the Spirit’s inspiration.

Now, let’s look at this through biblical history. We have 66 books contained in our bibles. None of them were penned by a female. The 12 Apostles chosen by Christ were males. The 70 disciples Jesus sent out in pairs were all men. The closest thing to a ‘leg to stand on’ by those who approve of women pastors is when Deborah was a judge of Israel. However, during that time, no men would step up to the plate, but Deborah was willing. But to take a stance on one instance of a woman being a leader is poor hermeneutics. By the same application, seeing God spoke through Baalam’s donkey, ppl can use a donkey, too.

There are many women in the bible who did a great service for God. Ruth, Rahab, Esther, Deborah, Lydia, Priscilla(Prisca), just to name a few, have been spoken of very favorably. But none of them were pastors of a church, and only Deborah was a leader of God’s ppl.

So, I know the overwhelming evidence is that any church with a woman pastor, is not a biblical church, and not even close.

Did God really hate Esau? Romans 9:13

Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”[Romans 9:13]

 

Now, we know that God hated Esau, as the above verse plainly states. However, where the confusion begins is with how we define the word ‘hate’, as to what does that word mean. Many will use Luke 14:26 as to parlay the meaning of God’s hate towards Esau was He loved him less than He did Jacob. The Greek word used for ‘hate’ in Luke 14:26 is ‘miseo’ which means to ‘hate, pursue with hatred, detest, to be detested, detested.’ Now, the way Jesus was using it was that we are to cast all aside and follow Christ, and if our families stand in the way, we are to leave them behind. He even said in Luke 14:26 that we are to hate our own lives. The same Greek word, miseo, is used in Romans 9:13.

There’s another question that looms large, and that is why did God love Jacob? What difference was there between Jacob and Esau while they were still even in the womb, and had did nothing good or bad? Because we can read in Romans 9:11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: so what was in Jacob that got God’s love and not His righteous wrath? Seeing that when Adam fell, all of his posterity fell. All of us, including Jacob and Esau, were born dead in sins, and were all deserving of His wrath. So again, dear reader, what was it that caused God to have a love for Jacob and a hate for Esau, when they had neither done anything good or bad? Or, to put it the way of those who use ‘hate’ to mean ‘to love less’, what caused God to love Jacob more than Esau? I mean, was there a special something in Jacob that was devoid in Esau? Did God know Esau would reject his birthright, so He rejected Esau’s rightful place as the elder to whom the inheritance would fall to? Sadly, many, I think, hold to the latter. But that causes the scriptures to be at odds with each other. God does not choose people based upon their character, as Peter preached at Cornelius’ house, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism.”[Acts 10:34] And also the bible says in Paul’s letter to the Romans, “For God does not show favoritism.”[Romans 2:11] Now, what I mean that God does not show favoritism is in regards to choosing people based upon who they are. The only reason why any of us are saved is because God, from before the creation of the world, chose us, gave our sins to the Lamb, who bore them upon the cross, satisfying God’s wrath concerning our sins. He saw us in Christ even before He created us, as He knows the end from the beginning, seeing He is outside of time. He can see all the way back to the Garden, He can even see us now rejoicing with Him in heaven. He has said “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’”[Isaiah 46:10] So, He knows all because He was the one who fixed the plan of man’s salvation from before the creation of the world.

We can read in Ephesians , “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love  he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” [verses 4-6] And also we can read in the very same chapter, “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,  in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.”[verses 11,12] I am not trying to send you down a rabbit trail here, but to show you that all that will ever be saved was chosen by God from before the creation of the world. The OT saints were chosen at the same time, and they were saved the same way as we are, by grace through faith.

Getting back to Esau..the reason why God hated Esau was because he was not chosen of God for salvation. God left him to his own self and you can see that the Edomite nation was born through him. They even would not allow Moses and the Israelites to pass through after God had delivered them from the clutches of Pharaoh and Egypt.[Numbers 20:14-21] Remember, it was He who first loved us, and not us who first loved Him.[1 John 4:19] And those He loves, He chastens. We can read “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.”[Hebrews 12:5-8] Now, if God loves everyone, then He is disciplining everyone, even those who hate Him. Yet, the context of the Hebrews’ passage is as a father chastens his children. You whip them, put them in timeout, ground them, &c., so that they will not do that anymore. By disciplining them, you are showing them they are doing what you don’t approve of. God does that with His children. God continually disciplined Jacob, but it seemed that Esau prospered in everything he did. He never once chastened Esau, even after he sold his birthright for a morsel of food. Yet, God seemed to throttle Jacob all the time. Why? “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”  

The Slot Machine god

 

 

In today’s circles, if you don’t live the affluent lifestyle, the world looks down upon you as if you are some sort of second class citizen. Sadly, this mentality has crept into our churches and is known as the ‘prosperity gospel.’ You’ve heard about it I am sure. Imagine this, God wants you to live your best life now. He wants you to prosper more than others. Yet, if you look at the lives lived by the OT saints and the NT Apostles and others who followed them, they lived anything but the affluent lifestyle. Even Apostle Paul explained his life when he wrote, “Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I.  Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,  I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.  I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.  Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? [2 Cor. 11:22-29] Apostle Paul was beaten three times with rods, had suffered 195 stripes in 5 separate beatings, was a prisoner because he preached Christ and Him crucified, and yet he was an unprofitable servant because he was doing what God commanded him to do.[Luke 17:10]

We can see that their desires are not focused solely on God and His saving grace, but what they can get from Him. The bible says God loves a cheerful giver[2 Cor. 9:7], yet when they give, or what they call ‘sowing seed into the kingdom of God’, they expect a tenfold harvest. So, was their giving of their money from a cheerful heart, or was that heart greedy, expecting a recompense of a reward from God by ‘sowing seed’? This goes against the crystal clear teaching of the bible that when you give, expect nothing in return. Jesus even said when you had a feast, to invite those who could not repay you. For if you give to those you know will pay you back, you have, in essence, not really given anything.[Luke 14] To give something means there are no strings attached to that gift. Yet, the ‘prosperity gospel’ is anything but. There is a huge string attached to their gift(s) and that string is attached to their bank account.

They have a mentality that there is always more and they are never satisfied with status quo. As Jesus so correctly noted that they have but never have enough. They always want more in life. Look at those who preach this ‘gospel’ . They live the affluent lifestyle. They have their own private jet(s), flashy cars, huge mansions, $5,000 suits, limos, &c.

 

 

Creflo Dollar(an apt name for this charlatan) once stated he wanted ppl to raise $65 MILLION to purchase a private jet for him. After a lot of backlash, he recanted that statement. Mike Murdoch(I call him ‘Money Mike’) once said nothing looked better to him than a one-hundred dollar bill. If that is not ‘Clifford the big red Flag’, then I don’t know anything. 

Here is link where Mr. $ was seeking 200,000 suckers…err partners to ‘sow’ $300 or more to purchase this Gulfstream G650 jet. They are so coveted, it is easier to buy a used one than a new one, and a used one costs even more. He said this jet would help him and his wife, Taffi, go and spread the gospel all over the world. Now, he’s not talking about the gospel of Christ, because he knows nothing about that, but is talking about spreading the ‘prosperity gospel’.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/13/living/creflo-dollar-jet-feat/

 

(I love this pic…one{Copeland} looks demon possessed and the other {Duplantis} looks clueless)

Then Jesse Duplantis(a stand up comedian…err stand up ‘preacher’) and Kenneth Copeland said that God wanted them to have private jets so they would not be flying with demons. Mr. Duplantis said that having only one private jet would let his faith stagnate. Yes, the faith he has, innate, is already stagnate. To have saving faith, he needs to have the faith God gives in the gift of regeneration. He even said God spoke to him. If ppl want to hear from God, they will hear Him speak as they read His word, the bible. This mystical ‘God said this to me’ bunk is just that, mystical. Yet, ppl continually throw their $ at these hucksters. Here’s the link…

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/12/preachers-insist-god-wants-us-to-have-luxurious-private-jets-to-avoid-dope-filled-airline-passenger-demons/

TBN, TheWordNetwork, TCT(htough I do like their ‘Ask the Pastor’ program…except I feel real uncomfortable when I see a woman setting on a panel, but I digress), et al, have bilked billions of dollars from unsuspecting suckers. Jim Bakker’s dogs had air conditioned doghouses for crying out loud! Yet, those who ‘sow seed’ into this mythical kingdom (there is a kingdom of God, but their kingdom is far from that kingdom) and they have nothing to show for it. A Brother in Christ once told me his neighbor gave TBN $10,000 and later was in the process of losing his house. At that time, he contacted TBN, explained the situation, and TBN said they would see what they could do. I never heard the outcome, but I have a feeling he never got any of that money back. You give Satan something, he will not give it back to you.

 

I will close with these passage of scripture…“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”[Matt. 6:19-21]

And “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”[Matt. 8:20] Yep, Jesus came and lived a homeless lifestyle so ppl could live the affluent life. Sad, but this is exactly what these ppl want.