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Women in Church Leadership

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Women in Church Leadership


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Summary

In a male dominant culture, having women in leadership has been looked down upon, and even to this day is either not allowed, or is done so with unspoken repression. In the past few decades many strides have been made to change the improper attitude and treatment upon women. But in the process, the pendulum of balance has been swung (almost) just as far the other way.

We've allowed the license for a woman to act like men in leadership, which defiles the form in which God made her. AND at the same time we've feminized men, which defiles the form in which God made him. The devil has us caught playing foolish gender games, while achieving his objective of getting our focus away from God and on our genitals! We have not yet truly circumcised our hearts away from our fleshly covering which is our pride. If you're trapped in a box, does it matter what side you're on?

This issue is not about equality or some sort of Christian democracy. It's about God's design, and how we have either misunderstood it or ignored it entirely. Furthermore, we could not even begin to properly address this without having first taken care of, or rather, casting down the spirit of Jezebel (see Previous: Confronting Jezebel AND Ahab).

Either through strong prejudices and pride (spirit of Jezebel), or through complacency and liberalism (spirit of Ahab), many have fallen prey to the devil's schemes and either have fallen away from God or caused disharmony in the local Body of Believers. As a result, the devil has done a fairly good job of either trying to separate us or neutralize the body of Christ.

But that time is now coming to an end.


TRUE HUMILITY IS REQUIRED

Whether you are a man or a woman: If you have strong feelings about this (Pro or against), there is a danger on both sides of the issue ... Please STOP and take a moment to seek the PEACE of the Holy Spirit.

Check your heart. If you can't talk directly to Him right now, click out now - and find a way to bow your knees before the Living God and seek His Kingdom - not your own.

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Child Leadership

Imagine: if you had grown up in a distant land and in a village where the gospel had not yet reached. Every village around you speaks in a different language. Then in a village not to far from yours, some missionary evangelists come and visit and stay long enough to learn their language and preach the Gospel. As a result, that entire village is converted and believes in Christ and receives the Holy Spirit. God blesses them with powerful miracles, healings, and many of the supernatural gifts.

The missionaries stay a bit longer to disciple the village in how to continue and grow in Christ Jesus. Then the missionaries are called to go back to their home.


Suppose now, a the mother of a family in your village has an illness and visits the evangelized village to buy medicine. Even though there is a language barrier, the Lord gives a word of knowledge to a young woman about the mother's illness. The young woman and others in that village lay hands on the mother and pray for her healing. Within half an hour, the mother is healed from her long term illness. The family is greatly impressed at joy they see in the faces of everyone in that whole village, and when they return to your village they give testimony of everything they witnessed, and of the mother's healing.

Everyone in your village is excited and wants to have this same great change take place with them. So, they send the leader from your village to the other village to find out what the secret is. But there is a difficulty because of the language barrier. Fortunately, there is one person in that village who could speak the language from your village. He was an adopted child from your village, and had learned to speak the language of your village before his parents had died and he had wondered to the other village.

The boy is now 9 years old, filled with the Holy Spirit, and was constantly with the missionaries while they were in his village.

So with the permission of the other village, your leader brought the boy back with him to lead your village to learn and bring about the same changes from the One Great God...
_ _ _

Regardless of whether you are a man or a woman,
would you allow this child from the other village to lead you?

And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
And said, "Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children,
ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."
(Matthew 18:2-3).


This was the response that Jesus gave his disciples when they asked Him who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matt 18:1).
If we can lay aside our cultural biases, we might begin to see and enter God's Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven.

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Submitted Not Subdued

Let's make the point clear, that what we're NOT trying to do, is prove that it's OK to let anyone be a leader without checking their right standing in Jesus Christ and without regards to governing guidelines that God has given us in the scriptures. No-one has THE RIGHT to be the leader. If you think you do, you need to step down before you take a big fall. True leadership is a place of serving. The key is NOT in who is greater, but in FOLLOWING JESUS.


The most powerful woman is the most submitted woman - to Christ.

She is first submitted to the Lord, then to her husband (Ephesians 5:22-33) then to her family, then to her work, job, church, friends etc. But her submission is not the same as her spiritual authority. A woman's spiritual authority is the same as a man (or child). We are all equally under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Nowhere is a woman OR ANYONE meant to be subdued except for our enemies and iniquities! Unfortunately, when we believe the devils' lies, we become subdued by him. And that's where all the trouble comes from.

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The Unrestrained Bride of Christ

 

The Beauty of God's Grace should be embodied in the women of God, and it's effect drawing out the reflection of the Messiah in the men of God. God made us in HIS IMAGE - male AND female ... NOT male OR female. His design is that we work TOGETHER - NOT individually.


Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
that He might present her to Himself a glorious church,
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
but that she should be holy and without blemish.
So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies;
he who loves his wife loves himself.
For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it,
just as the Lord does the church.
For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."
This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Ephesians 5:25-32


No one person can fully exhibit the Love of God. But His Love is more easily seen when it witnessed in HOW we love each other -- or whether we are hypocrites... ("he that hath an ear, let him hear").

There's a time to lead and a time to follow. Here's the test: Are you willing, at any time, to step out of your leadership position, and go where God is directing you? Are you willing you take the position of janitor? The best leader is the best follower - of Christ. But we're only going in circles in the desert until we get our mindsets out of the box of our culture and allow God's Kingdom to be the way (HIS Way) for our lives.

Yes, women should lead. But not at the sacrifice of how God made us. In other words, women should not lead as a man leads and vice-a-versa. Both men and women need to be leading together, submitted to one another in Love. There is a great treasure of leadership and direction that we have missed from many women whom God intended to use, but we would not allow them.

Let's NOT neglect the power of God's grace by trying to take it under our control. If we are not truly seeking the Kingdom of God by following the Holy Spirit, then our light is no brighter than the religions of the world (Matthew 6:23).

The gates of Hell are holding captive not only those whom we love, but many others in the World whom WE COULD REACH ... IF we would overcome these issues that have been holding us back. It's time to move in unison towards fullness, that can only be accomplished when we honor and work WITH each other.

Hopefully, the Holy Spirit has already been giving you ideas on how to implement a new strategy for growing stronger at your church. If you would like more help putting this into practice in your group or church, checkout our Workshops...
click here



This is 9th in the series of 10 articles entitled: "Leadership Issues" found in StepStay Freein the website: GetTrulyFree.com

For better understanding of this article, it is best to view all the articles in this series in context, with the Holy Bible at your reference and the Holy Spirit in your heart.

Next Article: True Leaders

Previous Article: Confronting Jezebel AND Ahab

Return To: Leadership Issues


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