naomi3

Anyways.....thats another subject.

whats new about that? God left Adam alone with Eve and satan in the Garden of Eden to be tested didn't he?

Can I say in how you worded that it sounds like you are putting Eve and satan in the same catagory. Wouldn't it be God left Adam and Eve? Not just Adam.

What do you lose to comply? Yet if you follow these mocking remarks, you will not do yourself a good service.

I'm sorry but I am going to have to disagree with you here. Why ask him to comply when that isn't even what the pastor was doing himself? He wasn't asking someone to change he was degrading and making jokes at men who have tatoos and earings. That is a big diference! It is one thing if a pastor comes to you personally out of concern. But you will never get the response desired when you make fun of people freely and openly. I don't do this to my children. If I have a concern I go to them personally. Have you heard of passive aggresive? I have seen pastors use the pulpit as a a billy club, not saying this pastor has but I believe if you have something to say to someone then you go to them.

I do agree with you in going to the pastor and sharing your heart though. Share your heart and learn his heart.

JMO.

Not a problem. :hug:

Don't ever doubt your faith. Like I said before, it sounds to me that you have a very powerful testimony and that the Lord has a plan for you in his kingdom. Keep your eyes on Him. The enemy will try to get your focus on man. Once we do that, we for sure will want to quit.

God receives you the way you are! That is all that matters. Man sometimes try to add to Gods word and it is not right. Does God not receive you because you have tatoos or earings? NOT AT ALL!

I must say the girly man phrase would bother me too. But we are taught to walk in forgiveness. I don't think I have ever met a pastor that I agree with 100%, actually I haven't met anyone whom I agree with 100%. But they are still my brothers and sisters in the Lord. Forgive him.

What is most important is that you are in a church that teaches the Word. Many pastors throw in their opinions and many of their opinions can be right, but not always. So study the fruit in this church. Are they producing good fruit? And make sure it is fruit and not good works. Study the fruit of the Spirit. Does he preach his opinion more then the word? If so then you may want to find a church thats focus is on the word.

And you are right, it is whats on the inside counts! When God looks at you, all He can see is His sons blood. Don't let any mans words disgourage you in your walk with the Lord. Keep pressing forward! The Lord has given you a powerful testimony and he desires you to share with many people.

I don't know if this is true for Job but have thought about it. Back then many marriages were arranged by their parents. It could be this was an arranged marraige. Just like now, there are many people who profess to be christians but are not. This could of been the case with Job's wife. Or he could of developed his faith after the marriage. That the children were inside drinking wine and feasting and he was not with them almost shows a division within the family. That his name also meant hated, you can almost see that within his own family. Job was hated for his faith and for being known as an upright man. Many people took pleasure in watching these tragedies happen to him. It made them feel like he was as perfect as he seemed to be.

Let's look at the first couple of chapters of Job. Look deeper at Job's life and family. See if you can read between the lines a little? What is your impression of him? Try to look at him according to what is written about him. What do you glean? What is going on in his life/family/personally?

In His Love,

Suzanne

It is odd that you bring Job up because the Lord directed me to study Job again just a few days ago.

If we are reading in between the lines this is what I have seen so far. Job was continually making sacrifices for his family in case they have sinned against God. And it says that Job was in good standing with God, but it didn't say that about his family. I think there was a reason Job had this fear for his family. It does not ever say they made sacrifices themselves which could mean they did not have a personal realationship with God. I also think they didn't have a relationship of their own because of what happens to them later in the scriptures.

Job had a covenant/relationship with God. Satan was permitted to torment him but God said you can not take his life. The same was not said of his family. Even early in scriptures Job's wife told him to curse God, that says something about her own relationship with God.

I will continue this study and look forward to learning more with you.

Have you ever thought it could be a timing issue. The Lord has told my husband and I many things we will do and we got so excited and started persuing the "things" that He said we would do. Just because He says it will happen does not mean it will now. Joseph had a dream while he was young and it took many years for it to happen. The Lord speaks things to our heart and we have to trust Him to bring it to pass. Too many times we try to bring it to pass in our own time. Then when it didn't happen I would in my heart accuse God of being a liar. Now I never really said it out loud but I choose to walk in doubt instead of faith. I would begin to think maybe it won't happen. I never realized I was letting my life be ruled in doubt. I now have a deep confidence that God will do what He said He will do and I am no longer trying to make it happen. I take all the opportunities He brings in my path and know that they will lead to my destiny.

Just to touch on the story of Joseph. He was in prison for many years and the only thing that got him out was when there was a need for his gift. Too many times we try to make a place for our gifts. When our gifts are what will open the door. Someone once told me this, "You don't have to make a way for your gift, your gift will make a way for you." I say the same to you today. Joseph told the other prisoners don't forget about me when they did. If Joseph would of gotten out of prison sooner then his gift would not of taken him straight to the king. When the king was in need for his gift is when he then was released. We often think to small and think it needs to happen now, but the Lord may have us in a holding season because He disires to take us before a king. All His promises are yes and amen. He will complete His work but in His timing only because it is perfect.

I have to agree with others here. The Word says resist the devil and he will flee from you. Keep resisting! Make sure you go out of your way to not even walk by him. As you continue to resist these thougths they will flee. Some sooner than others though, but the Word is always true!

I too had this happen to me and you have to realize the devil is ALWAYS offering opportunities for us to fall. You have to recognize this is an opportunity from him. I would actually speak to my thoughts and correct them. These thoughts are against Gods Word which makes them a lie. Whe Word says the truth will set you free. Speak the truth ( being the Word ) to your thought life right now. As you continue to do this you will notice it will start to become less and less till one day you will realize it is no longer an issue. Remember to bring ever thought captive! The word wouldn't say this unless our thought life would be an area of attack. An old saying says you can't stop a bird from flying over you but you can keep him from building a nest in your hair. This is so true.

This song every time I hear it helps me get my focus back in place.

Heart of Worship

By: Matt Redman

When the music fades, and all is stripped away, and I simply come

Longing just to bring, something thats of woth, that will bless Your heart

Bridge

I'll bring you more than a song, for a song in itself, is not what you have required

You search much deeper within, through the way things appear

Your looking into my heart

Chorus

I'm coming back to the heart of worship

And it's all about You

It's all about You, Jesus

I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it

When it's all about You

It's all about You Jesus

King of endless worth, no one could express, how much you deserve

Though I'm weak and poor, all I have is Yours, every sing breath

Even typing it helps me once again get my focus off of me. :il:

Anyway, I think I have gotten my point across.

By the way, I found out today that SJ and I are in agreement, and it took many posts to find that out. I think I have typed enough on this subject today.

God Bless you all.

Its says to be a decon, or elder you must be a man.

Yes, there are qualifications for those guys as well. *duh*

I will agree with that all day long.

Why use the word *duh*

Just discussing here.

How can you say this if she is submitted to her senior pastor and husband?  How is that going against Gods Word.

The Word of God says that the ministers of Christian churches should be men.

That is also the pattern of the examples in the NT.

Seems to me that the authority divine writ should trump the "authority" of the pastor or her husband.

Its says to be a decon, or elder you must be a man.

Lets say there is a womens minister at a church. The senior pastor asks her to supply preach for a weekend. He has asked her to this and her husband is also in agreement. This isn't her in authority, the senior pastor is still in authority and he is giving a place for her teacher, and dare I say pastor gifting. :x: If you can be a womens pastor then that means women can have a pastor gifting as well.

It should not be wrong to utilize a gifted person, especially one who is under authority.

When does a boy become a man?

I don't know. I wouldn't be so dogmatic as to stipulate a certain fixed age.

But most churches have a point when the kids "graduate" from the youth ministry to the (for lack of a better term) "adult" ministry, don't they?

How can you say this if she is submitted to her senior pastor and husband? How is that going against Gods Word.

However, i do think it's okay for women to speak from the pulpit as long as their husband (if they have one) and pastor agree with it.

At my church, we sometimes have women speak from the pulpit. But it's for announcements, or sharing personal testimony, etc. Not as a preacher.

I think there is nothing wrong with a woman speaking from the pulpit in a preaching format...God has given some of them a great gift. As long as they aren't in authority, there is no problem.

HOLY SMOKES! We agree!

Why has it taken so long to get to this. We are now only 17 pages in to this thing.

In Acts 1 it clearly says women were in the upper room as well. !20 people are known for changing this world. I believe that these woman also went out like the 12 discilples. We all recognize that 120 people changed the world as it once was, and it clearly shows that women were involved in it.

They explained more accurately, that sound like a bit of correction to me.

And like I said, why would it be wrong if she is with and or under her husbands authority. This has never been addressed.

And still you are using culture to determine this. It clearly says they and the fact that she was even mentioned speaks very highly of her considering culture. I never said she was the authority, she is clearly covered by her husband. But she is an authority within the church. This man Apollos was teaching in the synagague, I think to explain ( correct ) someone who is teaching in a synagogue shows some sort of authority.

And how is it clear this is a mentoring relationship? It just simply gives their names. To me it sounds like two doing ministry together. And if he is mentoring, what would he be mentoring her to do when he is taking her to correct teachers in the synagogue?

Gee......I wonder what we will be doing in heaven. Will we just 'be still and know He is God'? Or will it be so much more than that. It cracks me up to hear the people who argue this because most of the time they get excited and yell and jump for their favorite football team or when they get a whole in one at golf. But then they think they should be less excited about God who saved us from the pit of hell. I get a bit excited when I think about it and the response I give here on earth con't compare what we will do is heaven.

Her leadership is never mentioned unless it is with her assumed husband Aquila. Likewise, she took on more of a servant role than she did a leadership role.

So you say she played a servant role when in fact the Word says they explained this to Apollos. So either you are adding to the Word or you are assuming based on your culture understanding of the time. Which you have already determined can not be used to interpret the Word.

So can we apply culture? Because if so we can apply it to Corinthains but if not then we can see here that Priscilla was in leadership with her husband to other men.

Acts 18:24-28

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptuers, came to Ephesus.

This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.

So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

Here you see both husband and wife corrected this man. Would that not be a place of authority?

How can we say it is not okay for a woman to preach under a man or her husbands authority?

I have a question for everyone here. Jesus chose his apostles (12) all men. Wouldn't you think that that would set a precedent here? The apostles were to teach (preach). Why didn't Jesus chose a woman too if He wanted women to preach. Maybe because our role is different, although no less important? Please keep comments kind because this is a real question in my mind.

Tess-

I was addressing this questiona nd nnot your.

Acts 9:36

At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas.

1 Cor. 14:22

Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers.

I guess we must live in a time where everyone believes now because there is no need for this gift?

1 Cor. 14:39

Therefore, brethren, desrire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues.

I think it is funny on other threads every one types the word out and says God's Word is perfect and does not ever contradict itself. So either you are saying it contradicts itself here or the Lord changed it later on in the Bible and just made it confusing for everyone to understand. Is this it?