Is it a sin for women to preach?

[ThereIsFreedom]

Hello everyone :-)

So I've had this question for awhile & always asked but I still don't feel comfortable with what other people have told me for some reason. I am a woman so of course I would prefer if the answer was no but I want to know the truth, i don't want to be deceived.

The bible says:

1 Corinthians 14:34

The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.

1 Corinthians 14:35

If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

1 Timothy 2:12

I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.

Among other passages.

Is Paul & Timothy only talking to specific people in their time, or to specific churches that where going through trouble or is this for everybody today also? I always feel the urge to speak about God & tell the whole world about Him but now i'm not even sure if I should do that, also at church I love to participate during the bible studies, i'm even the kid's Sunday school teacher, & my pastor is a woman (we have other pastors in the church but she's the main pastor).so can somebody help me? Thank you so much.

[other one]

that's been a controversy for over 2,000 years...

[Willa]

I really don't think a woman should be the main pastor and administrator. She may be the pastor over Christian early education and womans ministries. We need women pastors for counseling women in the scriptures. As pastors they have the added responsibility to not gossip but to be professionally confidential. (Even though everyone should not gossip) Older women should teach younger women to be effective wives and mothers, to honor their husbands. According to Prov. 31, we can also be good businesswomen and manage homes. But in church we are not to be in authority over men or to disrupt a service by chattering. We are allowed to speak when moved by the Holy Spirit to encourage the congregation in an orderly manner and under the authority of her husband.. That may be to share scripture, to sing a solo, share a testamony or to otherwise be a blessing. I don't see anything wrong with participating in Bible studies unless you dominate them. As for telling the world about Jesus, have you tried street ministry? We have teams that go to the parks during events and to the county fairs to share Jesus. They pass out tracts, try to engage people in conversation, and testafy as to what Jesus is doing in their lives , what He means to them and how He has changed them.

Occasionally God has called a woman when no man was available. Judith served as a judge in Israel. I knew a woman who served as an interim pastor after her husband died. She resigned when they found a man to fill the pulpit. But I don't think it should be the normal practice for women to be in authority over men. Churches that are dominated by women rarely have a lot of men in attendance. We have women who are administrative secretaries that virtually run the church, but they serve under the authority of the pastors. About 45% of the people in attendance at our church are men. Even the lady who was the church janitor could answer the phone and lead people to the Lord.

Lastly, you can always share Christ here. Only part of our forum is just for Christians. A large part is also for unbelievers. You are welcome to start conversations and share about Christ as long as you ask other people to weigh in their opinions.

[other one]

I really haven't looked into Church history to see where women fit into the first century church....

 

Do we know of how the women worked back then....   I know Lydia was important and Paul mentions several others but I didn't/don't understand what they were doing.      I know the original churches were home churches.

[other one]

Women in Church History

WOMEN EVANGELISTS IN THE EARLY CHURCH

By Kathryn Riss

Although the epistles do not specifically name women evangelists, many New Testament women did this work.  The prophetess Anna (Luke 2:36-38) was the very first person to proclaim Jesus as Israel's promised Redeemer.    Luke tells us that she lived in perpetual widowhood in the Jerusalem Temple, and that after she saw the infant Jesus at His dedication, she "gave thanks likewise to the Lord and spoke of him to all those who looked for redemption  in Israel." (Lk 2:38) The woman of Samaria brought her entire city to Christ by her testimony (John 4:28-42).  She told the people, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.  Isn't this the Messiah?"  (v. 29) Verse 39 tells us, "Many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the woman's word, who testified, 'He told me everything I ever did.'" This woman not only testified of her own experience, she also urged the townspeople to meet Jesus for themselves.  They did so; and as a result, "Many more believed because of His own word, and said to the woman, 'Now we believe, not because of your word, because we have heard Him ourselves and know that this is indeed the Messiah, the Saviour of the world.'" (v. 42) This is evangelism at its most successful--bringing about the conversion of a city as people come to a first-hand experience of personal faith in Jesus Christ.

After His resurrection triumph, Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary Salome and other women with them and personally directed them to proclaim His resurrection to the rest of the disciples.  Significantly, all four of the gospels record this.  The women's commission was a double one, as angels also appeared to them with the same message and directive.  Every person who has ever heard the Good News that Jesus was risen from the dead early on Easter Sunday morning heard it from the testimony of women! Yet, sadly, the testimony of the women was not believed at first.  Jesus had to appear personally to the men, whom He "upbraided for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen him after he was risen." (Mk. 16:14) Jesus regarded the women's message to the men as His own message to them according to Matthew 28:7c, where He says, "Lo, I have told you," and so they later regarded it, according to verse 16.  Jesus rebuked the men, "O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and enter into His glory?"  (Lk.24:25-26)

Note that Peter and John were both at the tomb of Jesus early that Resurrection morning, but He did not appear to them then.  Rather, the Lord waited for Mary Magdalene to reveal Himself alive to one who would believe.   He could have appeared to these men and sent them to preach first, had He chosen.  But their hearts were not right, so on this occasion, He preferred to show Himself to Mary and the other women.  "The eyes of the Lord search to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself mighty on behalf of the one whose heart is perfect toward Him." (II Chron. 16:9) God does not judge by outward appearance but looks on the heart.

Jesus' Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20, Mk. 16:15) to preach the Gospel and make disciples throughout the world was given to the entire church, both male and female.  Luke 24:33-53 shows that the Commission and opening of their minds to understand the Scriptures were given to the whole company of believers, not only the Eleven.  It was for the purpose of evangelism that Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to empower the whole company of believers who were waiting as directed in the upper room at Jerusalem.  The book of Acts testifies that at Pentecost, God's power was given both to men and to women for the purpose of bringing unbelievers to salvation (Acts 1:14-15, 2:1-4 and 14-21).  At a later time, Acts 4:31 tells us that "the Holy Spirit fell on them all, and they all spoke the Word of God with boldness." This was not limited to just men.  After Pentecost, the saints gathered, preached and healed publicly in Solomon's Portico, an area behind the eastern side of the Jerusalem Temple that was open to Gentiles and women (Acts 5:12-14).

As we have seen from our study of prophets, Biblical prophecy is not limited to foretelling future events, but consists mainly of proclaiming the praises of God and calling people to repentance and faith in Him.  This is what the Spirit-filled men and women did together that first Pentecost, and that is what Spirit-filled Christians, both men and women, should be doing still.

St. Paul names several women as his "fellow-workers" in the Gospel (Romans 16:3,9,12).  The Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich Greek Lexicon defines this word (sunergos) as "those who helped (Paul) in spreading the Gospel." (p. 795)  Paul used this term not only for Timothy (Romans 16:21), Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:25), Clement (Phil. 4:3), Philemon (1), Mark and Luke (Philemon 24), but also for Priscilla (Romans 16:3), Euodia and Synthyche (Phil. 4:2-3).  Other women Paul commends for their "labor in the Lord" are Mary, Persis, Tryphena and Tryphosa (Romans 16:6 and 12).

What happened to the Spirit-filled evangelists, both men and women, after the New Testament witness ends?  The last verse of Mark's gospel says, "and they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following." (Mk. 16:20)

Prisca and Aquilla accompanied St. Luke, according to the Teaching of the Apostles, an ancient Syriac document which is "part of a volume of fragments, of which the age is certainly not later than the beginning of the fifth century," according to its translator and editor, A. Cleveland Coxe.   This manuscript states, "Luke, moreover, the evangelist had such diligence that he wrote the exploits of the Acts of the Apostles and the ordinances and laws of the ministry of their priesthood [probably the Apostolic Constitutions], and whither each one of them went.  By his diligence, I say, did Luke write these things, and more than these, and he placed them in the hand of Priscilla and Aquilus, his disciples; and they accompanied him up to the day of his death, just as Timothy and Erastus of Lystra and Menaus, the first disciples of the apostles, accompanied Paul. . . " (The Teaching of the Apostles, A. Cleveland Coxe, ed., Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries, New York: The Christian Literature Company, p. 672) This would, according to the same document, have included "Byzantium and all the country of Thrace and of the parts about it as far as the Great River (Danube) the boundary which separates from the barbarians." (p. 671) The text also states, "The other remaining companions of the apostles, moreover, went to the distant countries of the barbarians; and they made disciples from place to place and passed on; and there they ministered by their preaching and there occurred their departure out of this world, their disciples after them going on down to the present day." (p. 672)

 

http://www.godswordtowomen.org/evangelists.htm

 

[OneLight]

I believe that if you study the culture of the time, you will have more of an understanding. Learn how the synagogue was arranged, where women and children stayed and the men sat.  How communication between the wife and husband would had to be done.  It is nothing like church today.

[He giveth more grace]

Titus 2:5

To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

My mother didn't believe in it, and it just doesn't naturally sit with me.

[terraricca]

Hello everyone :-)

So I've had this question for awhile & always asked but I still don't feel comfortable with what other people have told me for some reason. I am a woman so of course I would prefer if the answer was no but I want to know the truth, i don't want to be deceived.

The bible says:

1 Corinthians 14:34

The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.

1 Corinthians 14:35

If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

1 Timothy 2:12

I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.

Among other passages.

Is Paul & Timothy only talking to specific people in their time, or to specific churches that where going through trouble or is this for everybody today also? I always feel the urge to speak about God & tell the whole world about Him but now i'm not even sure if I should do that, also at church I love to participate during the bible studies, i'm even the kid's Sunday school teacher, & my pastor is a woman (we have other pastors in the church but she's the main pastor).so can somebody help me? Thank you so much. GOD bless you guys!!!

hi

 

i think it all depend of what you call teaching ? is it like Paul explaining scriptures ,and stand against other elders in the church ? or is just reading scriptures and existing scriptures ?

 

the first would be my choice 

[ThereIsFreedom]

Thanks all of you for your answers! So I guess I agree with what most of you said, women shouldn't be completely in control over everybody in a church bc that includes men also but of course we could help in the work of the Lord since we're all called to give testimony of Him. There are quite a lot of men in my church but they all love our pastor, but I feel bad now bc i don't think it's pleasing to God that we have a woman in control in our church. We do have board members but I still think our pastor is the one that makes most decisions. What should I do? I love my church & I would never want to leave but I also want to be where God's will is.

[ThereIsFreedom]

Hello everyone :-)

So I've had this question for awhile & always asked but I still don't feel comfortable with what other people have told me for some reason. I am a woman so of course I would prefer if the answer was no but I want to know the truth, i don't want to be deceived.

The bible says:

1 Corinthians 14:34

The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.

1 Corinthians 14:35

If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

1 Timothy 2:12

I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.

Among other passages.

Is Paul & Timothy only talking to specific people in their time, or to specific churches that where going through trouble or is this for everybody today also? I always feel the urge to speak about God & tell the whole world about Him but now i'm not even sure if I should do that, also at church I love to participate during the bible studies, i'm even the kid's Sunday school teacher, & my pastor is a woman (we have other pastors in the church but she's the main pastor).so can somebody help me? Thank you so much. GOD bless you guys!!!

hi

i think it all depend of what you call teaching ? is it like Paul explaining scriptures ,and stand against other elders in the church ? or is just reading scriptures and existing scriptures ?

the first would be my choice

Hi:-) I meant like teaching as a pastor, like be in front of a church & preach, & make decisions, explain scriptures, etc.