On Sunday mornings (in the Bible belt) when I switch on our TV, to do a channel check for the local and national news, I find channel after channel has Christian programming on. Now some would think this would be a good thing, but I am not so sure about that. There is great danger with becoming too familiar with God. We often learn after the fact familiarity does breed contempt. We lose respect for God and His word out from handling the things of God wrong, whereby they become common place and routine. Slowly this thinking replaces holiness, godliness, and truth and we are left with a hodgepodge of religion.

We take for granted His Holy Scriptures and manipulate them to our liking and twist them to our plans and intentions, even in seeing the good news of the Gospel being spread around the world. The more Churches we have the more denominations and denominational differences there will be. Sadly I see this played out around the world. Each denomination carves out their own piece of the world pie for God and spreads their interpretation and slant to the Scriptures. The more we have of the things of God the more we seem to play fast and loose with Him. But to my greater surprise, on channel after channel was: women Bishops, women Evangelists, women Pastors, and women Teachers, not men as the Bible commands. And I asked myself, where are the men of God?

I probably will lose some wonderful friends (I hope not) by writing this article, but God has been after me for some time to write it and I must do that which God wants me to do. We can try to justify our beliefs by twisting Scripture and rationalizing our actions all we want, but the Bible plainly does not support women in the Church collectively in ministry over men. From the beginning God's first command to a woman was to place her under man's authority, “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” (Genesis 3:16) And God has not changed His mind. God's spiritual order is clear and has not changed, “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Corinthians 11:3) and “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.” (Ephesians 5:23) This verse is why the feminist movement of the 60s and today are in direct rebellion to God and His word. It is no wonder why the home has been and is under attack. Many Christian women have believed a lie and have walked away from the truth of the word of God. Now Paul in the New Testament is crystal clear on the spiritual authority of women in the Church, “But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. 11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.” (1 Timothy 2:10-15) God will not go against His own word, thus God has not called women into ministry over men. When a woman is put in a position of authority, in a Church or ministry over a man, they do at the loss of God's plan and design for their life and in their own strength. Paul was not talking just to the women in one church, do not believe that lie, but he was talking to all Christian women for the ages. We can choose to ignore these verses and continue in the presumption and confusion of today or walk in the truth so that Christian homes and Churches can be set in correct spiritual order and so much more. W omen in the Bible never got involved in their own ministry to people as God commanded men. (1 Timothy 3:1-7, 8-13, and other listed above) Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned five times in the Bible, but Priscilla is never mentioned alone. She is always with her husband. Mary the Mother of Jesus never had her own ministry she was always in a supportive role. The widow and Prophetess Anna was never involved in ministering to people only in “prayers and fastings” of which we all should be doing. “And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.” (Luke 2:37) I shared my thoughts about this article with my Mother who has been a Believer for over 70 years and who led me to Christ. Of all of the women I have known I can safely say my Mother represents the Virtuous Woman of Proverbs 31 (Karen “my sweetheart” is next) the most. A woman who is confident, hardworking, creative, and resourceful. Her first virtue is that the heart of her husband is safe with her. That her husband can trust her with his thoughts, feelings, never fearing that she might use the private knowledge she has of him to hurt him in any way. She quickly replied, oh yes a woman has no place in ministry her role is in the home supporting her husband and the work God is doing in the family and Church. One thing that has always impressed me was her willingness to stay home and not run off like many of her close friends and start a Church or ministry. She knew her place and the highest calling of God for a woman. Oh how the Christian women of today need to read the Bible and allow the Holy Spirit to capture their hearts to this central truth. When I think about the many aggressive women and their overly submissive husbands who have started a Church or a ministry I see a very dangerous pattern among them.

To help us understand this point let us look at two women in the Bible. The first is the Virtuous Woman of Proverbs 31, whom we have already discussed and Jezebel. When we think of Jezebel we think of a painted face of seduction, but the Bible portrays Jezebel in a different light. “ Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess , to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.” (Revelation 2:20) Men received her as a teacher, showing she was apart of the structured Church ministry to the members. Any woman who defies the Scripture's prohibition against women teachers in the Church collectively is following in the grave tradition of Jezebel. If you go back and read 1 Kings to see what the Bible says about Jezebel you will see she was more spiritual and religiously devoted than her husband. We see this today when the wife becomes the Senior Pastor of a Church and takes the spiritual lead over her husband. The next thing you notice Ahab was emotionally unstable. When a woman takes the lead in marriage by assuming of the masculine role it makes a weak man weaker, even to the point of sending him to bed as did Jezebel to Ahab. In every case I know of where the wife (became a Pastor) or a woman took the spiritual lead in a Church or ministry it miserably failed. It could not stand in God for it was not birthed by the Sprit, but by the flesh. God takes a strong view at this relationship. And third we notice that she used his emotional stress to endear herself to him, a strange way of lording over her husband. If you read the story you will see how Jezebel manipulated and accused an innocent man then had him murdered so that Ahab could obtain his vineyard. Today if women are willing to play their husband's role in directing the family, their husband will lose his natural drive to bear responsibility. He like Ahab will turn his face to the wall. Lastly we notice Ahab was easily manipulated by Jezebel to suit her purpose. She stirred his passive spirit, provoking him to react in anger. When a woman steps outside her divinely ordained nature and assumes the dominant role, in a home or Church ministry, she will soon become emotionally and physically exhausted, and very dangerous to her self and the local body of Believers. Her foundation and authority is not the word of God, but a self-exalting projection to possess something in God that has not been ordained for her by God. It is a projection of the flesh and a self-seeking desire to possess things God strictly forbids. We see this same spirit in Eve in the garden. And times have not changed. Here is a good side-by-side picture of the two women:

Another woman we must look at is Deborah. Now Deborah was a judge and used by God, but if you actually read the story in Judges you will know the text makes much of the fact that the men were ashamed by allowing a woman to take the place of prominence. There is no question Deborah performed well, that she saved Israel , and that God used her, but that is just the point. When men allow a woman to take their role and assume their responsibility it results in shame to the nation and to God. Even Deborah knew this to be true. Women can do as good a job as men, maybe even better, but God's direction for women not to take the lead in spiritual matters is not an indictment about women being inferior or not capable as men, but it is a command by God whereby a woman's authority and nature must never take the leadership over a man; to teach them or to gain a place of prominence among them. Women are capable and more than qualified to teach and teach well, but it is not a question of qualification, it is a question of authorization and yes obedience. Women may be qualified, but they are not authorized by God. And if they do move in authority over men they will be in direct rebellion and disobedience to God and His word.

It seems I have spent most of my words in this article beating up women this was not my intent. My intent was to share the critical need for the women of God to fulfill their God-given role as designed by Him and to challenge the Christian men of today to step up the plate and be the Godly man before your wife, the Church, and the world. Please let me say I do believe there is a place of ministry in the Church for women; sharing and teaching children and other ladies, but the most important place of ministry for women is in a supportive role to their husbands in their home.

But where are the men of God? Sadly, the men of God today have allowed women to take their place in ministry as they did with Deborah. The truth is women are not authorized to be Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers in the Church and too many men have willfully given up their spiritual place in the home and Church before God. It is no wonder the Church in America has lost its power and effectiveness. Our Christian brothers and sisters around the world know this truth and hold fast to it, but more and more they ask me about women in ministry. Sadly they are beginning to adopt this western style Christianity of allowing woman into ministry, over men, which is contrary to the word of God. Men, forfeiting our spiritual authority before God does not warrant, excuse, or make it right when a woman steps outside their place of spiritual authority, it is wrong and will always be wrong, but when this happens it reflects our lack of understanding of the word of God and our willingness to serve God as He has directed. We must stand and be counted for God and never ever allow a woman to take a place of spiritual authority over us. I know this does not sound politically correct, but that is okay neither is the message of the Bible. Charles Haun once told me the sharing of truth is to offend us. Brethren, this is our solemn responsibility and duty before God. We do not need to join a men's group like Promise Keepers or latest Christian club, but we need to come into partnership with God and His word for our lives. When we align with God's plan for our lives the women will fall into their spiritual place and be free to express them selves as God has designed and created them. Men let us begin to move with God correctly. Let us allow God's Holy Spirit to grip our hearts to the need of fulfilling our spiritual place in Him is my prayer.