PART 2

WOMAN PREACHER AND THE BIBLE .

Soon after that he was led to the Ethiopian Eunuch, who heard the word, believed on Christ, repented and was baptized by immersion.

After that he was supernaturally transport to AZOTUS, where he preached in all the cities.

[ACTS 8:39-40]

“39   And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

40   But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.”

Though Philip had 4 daughters gifted as Prophetesses, nowhere is it recorded that they went out as Evangelists, Teachers, Pastors or Apostles, (i.e. missionaries). They must have stayed yielded to Christ enabling them to be used to prophesy, to edify, according to the measure of the gift they received. And who soever came to their home must have been blessed by the gifts in those girls.

What about you woman preacher of today, where in the Bible is your calling and commission located?

DO NOT USURP A PREACHER’S AUTHORITY NOT SANCTIONED ANYWHERE IN GOD’S WORD.

If there be anything said, this is what the Bible says about you: [I TIMOTHY 2:12-14]

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.

IT IS GOD’S COMMANDMENT FOR A WOMAN NOT TO PREACH/TEACH IN THE CHURCH

“34   Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.

35   And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

36   What? Came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?

37   If any man thinks himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

38   But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.”

(D). TEACHERS:

Are you aware about the warning given to those who want to be teachers of God’s word? Here it is:

[JAMES 3:1-2]

“1   My brethren, be not many masters, (teachers), knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

2   For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

EXAMPLES OF RECORDED NEW TESTAMENT TEACHERS IN THE BIBLE: [Acts13:1]

“Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophetsand teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

Notice, all of them are men. Women are not permitted to teach in the churches of God, according to the reasons given in the scriptures above.

(E). PASTOR [ELDER] OR [BISHOP]: This office is also referred to as SHEPHERD.

THE OLD TESTAMENT RECORDS:

(a). The 70 Elders God chose to help Moses in the wilderness Journey:

[Num. 11:11-16]

11   And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?

12   Have I conceived all this people? Have Ibegotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?

13   Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? For they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

14   I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.

15   And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.

16   And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy menof the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.

17   And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which [is] upon thee, and will put [it] upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.

All of those Elders were Men.

(b).THE 12 MEN TO SURVEY CANAAN LAND:

[Num. 13:2-15]

1   And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2   Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel:       of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, everyone a ruler among them.

3   And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those       men [were] heads of the children of Israel.

 4   And these [were] their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.

5   Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.

6   Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

7    Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.

8   Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun.

9   Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.

10   Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.

11   Of the tribe of Joseph, [namely], of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.

12   Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.

13   Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.

14   Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.

15   Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

Again, all of them were SONS. Not one daughter was chosen to among them, though they also had daughters.

Only TWO (2) came back with a positive report, but Ten (10) of them came with a negative report. and overthrew the faith of the entire camp. God never allowed the 10 leaders and the entire generation that came out from Egypt to enter Canaan Land. ONLY JOSHUA and CALEB went in with those born in the wilderness during the journey.

Can you see the parallel with what EVE in EDEN did to the entire Human Race? Because of how she handled God’s Word in Eden, the woman lost that equal status with man in handling God’s Word at the pulpit.

[Gen. 3:16]

“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.”

[I Cor. 14:34-35]

“34   Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.

35   And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

You who claim to be a Christian and is a woman preacher, if you are a true believer of God’s Word, then take heed and do what the Word says. But if you are just a gambler with God’s Word, of course, the choice is still yours. But also remember, KNOWLEDGE IS RESPONSIBILTY. YOU HAVE HEARD, YOU HAVE READ, AND YOU NOW KNOW WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS.

All Pastors [ELDERS] of the Churches recorded in the Bible were men until modern day disobedience set in. I am sure if you trace them IN ALL THE WORD BELIEVING CHURCHES, beginning from Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, Thessalonica, Lystra, Iconium, etc; etc; it would be so. No woman ever rose up to take the office of the PASTOR, THE DEACON, THE APOSTLE, THE EVANGELIST, and THE PROPHET, except, in the backslidden and compromising churches.

Paul had warned in many places in his epistles concerning people departing from the truth. This is the manifestation of that.

[II Tim 4:1-4]

“1   I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

2   Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhortwith all longsuffering and doctrine.

3   For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lustsshall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4   And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

WAS THERE A BIBLICAL ACCEPTED SERVICE THAT WOMEN HAD DONE BEFORE AND CAN STILL DO TODAY, IF THEY DESIRED DO IT?

The answer obviously is YES! Here are a SOME EXAMPLES:

[A]. IN JESUS 3½ YEARS MINISTRY IN ISRAEL: [LUKE 8:1-3]

“1     And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve [were] with him,

2   And certain women, who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,

3   And Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.”

Here is a case where women ministered to The Lord Jesus Christ of their substance directly, as the 12 Apostles did in the Ministry of The Word.

[Matt 27:55-56]

55   And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:

56   Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children.

Every Women preacher of today can still do this same ministry which Jesus approved, accepted and received.

Just remember, those women may turn around to be witness against you women preachers on that day when rewards are given.

[Matt 25:31-38]

31   When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

32   And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his] sheep from the goats:

33   And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34   Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35   For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36   Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37   Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink?

38   When saw we theea stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]?

39   Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40   And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me.

WASHING JESUS FEET WITH HER TEARS AND WIPING THEM WITH HER HAIR

[LUKE 7:37-48]

37   And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that [Jesus] sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

38   And stood at his feet behind [him] weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe [them] with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed [them] with the ointment.

39   Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw [it], he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman [this is] that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

40   And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.

41   There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.

42   And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?

43   Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.

44   And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped [them] with the hairs of her head.

45   Thou gavest me no kiss: but this womansince the time I came inhath not ceased to kiss my feet.

46   My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

47   Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, [the same] loveth little.

48   And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

The substance for her services to him was her tears, her hair and her kisses. Her reward was pardon for her sins which are many and eternal life.

Friends these accepted services by women to God started all the way back in the days of The old testament PROPHETS of God:

THE WOMAN OF SHUNEM AND ELISHA THE PROPHET

[II KINGS 4:8-17]

8     And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where[was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as often as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.

9   And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.

10   Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.

11   And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there.

12   And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.

13   And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.

14   And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered,verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.

15   And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.

16   And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, [thou] man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.

17   And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.

Do you see the pattern? For ministering to the man of God of her substance, she was rewarded in a special way. Her barren womb was reopened; she conceived and bore a son. This is one of the things which the Apostle Paul refers to as reasonable and acceptable service to the Lord.

THIS PATTERN CONTINUES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT TODAY. AND ANY WOMEN WHO FEELS LIKE SERVING THE LORD CAN DO SO AS SHOWN BY THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLE:

PHOEBE, PRISCILLA and MARY

[ROMANS 16:6]

1   I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:

2   That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many and of myself also.

3   Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus:

4   Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.

5   Likewise [greet] the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.

6   Greet Mary, who bestowed much labour on us.

Phoebe, Priscilla and Mary did to The Apostle Paul what the Shunammite woman did to The Prophet Elisha.

Paul describes Phoebe as a SUCCOURER OF MANY; (care giver, helper or provider of relief). Rom. 16:2. None of them was a Preacher or Deacon.

What Mary the Mother of James and Jose; Mary Magdalene, and the mother of Zebedee’s children did to Jesus in His 3½ years of preaching is what the widow at Zarephath did to ELISHA the Tishbite.

So was it with Simon Peter’s Mother-in-law: [LUKE 4:38-39]

“38   And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.

39   And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.”

I hope you now understand what role a woman still has in the ministry of Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Lay aside the error which has been taught to you over the years and has now been accepted as truth. It is still wrong today as it was then. God’s truth which still lays in the Bible has never, and will never change. You better turn away fromthat error or that ignorance. Be assured of this, that one day you are going to meet him who commanded you not to preach in the church of God.

Some translations have interpreted Phoebe as DEACONESS. Let us see, if the qualifications of a DEACON fit this person. [I TIMOTHY 3:8-12]

“8     Likewise must the deacons be grave, not double tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

9   Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

10   And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.

11   Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.

12   Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

This is also true with a PASTORwho is the same as: [Elder, Bishop or Shepherd]

I TIMOTHY 3:1-7]

1   This is a true saying, if a man desires the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

2   A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

3   Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

4   One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

5   (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

6   Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

7   Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

The qualifications to this office clearly apply and relate to a man who must also be a married man. Therefore, they clearly rule out the woman from holding that office.

The Bible definition of a wife was what Eve was to Adam. [Gen 2:24-25]

24   Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25   And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

So unless we want to open the Pandora’s Box by changing God’s definition of a wife, it is only the man, who God defines as the husband, who qualifies to be a DEACON and /or a PASTOR.

So those TRANSLATORS are not right. Phoebe was not and could not have been a deacon. She could not fit into the qualifications of a deacon. THE WORD DEACONESS does not even exist anywhere in the Bible. BUT PROHETESSES does exit in God’s unadulterated record: We have on record Miriam, [Ex. 15:20-21], Deborah, [Jud 4:4]; Huldah [2 Kings 22:14]; Noadiah; [Neh. 6:14]; and Anna, [Lk. 2:36]. The Bible clearly refers to everyone of them as PROPHETESS. This is true and cannot be disputed.

UNFAITHFUL LNESS TO A HUSBAND; TO A WIFE AND TO GOD IS ONE OF THESE:

Married Males and Married Females who are unfaithful to one another are defined as ADULTERERS and ADULTERESSES

[LEV. 20:10]

“And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.”

[Prov.6:2]

“For by means of a whorish woman [a man is brought] to a piece of bread: and theadulteress will hunt for the precious life.”

[ROMANS 7:3]

“So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall  be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no  adulteress, though she be married to another man.”

[JAMES 4:4]

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

You precious sisters, do not allow yourselves to be misled by these compromisers of God’s WORD and TRUTH. Some of these compromisers will go as far as manufacturing new terminologies such as: DEACONESS, PASTORESS, APOSTLELESS, TEACHERESS, EVANGELESSto justify women who have invaded those offices to their own disfavour with God. This article has enough information for any truth seeker on this subject.

If you can take correction, then believe these scriptures because Paul said: [II TIMOTHY 3:16-17]

“16   All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

17   That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

GOD BLESS YOU AS YOU READ, PONDER AND MEDITATE OVER WHAT THE WORD OF GOD SAYS ABOUT THIS SUBJECT.

PASTOR MARTIN TOMBE: [RESTORED BIBLE TRUTH ASSEMBLY INC.]