Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established. Proverbs 15:22 KJ
Since the recent election of Donald Trump to the presidency, the airwaves have been filled with announcements as well as speculations as to who will fill which role in the new administration. But the most important cabinet position has yet to be discussed. Who will fill the role of spiritual advisor to our incoming commander in chief? Everyone knows that George Washington was our first president, but few have read that it was Pastor John Gano who baptized him and Mason Locke Weems who pastored the little church near Mount Vernon where Washington attended. Some presidential spiritual advisors were well known such as Peter Marshall, with Truman or Billy Graham with Eisenhower, but most remain obscure. But what matters is not the star power of these advisors, but their spiritual integrity. Let us remember to pray for God to send good and wise counsellors, not only for our president but for all our leaders. Let us also pray that they will not only seek wise spiritual counsel but even more that they will seek the wisest counselor of all: the Word of God!
These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
Hebrews 11:13 ESV
Years ago, book lovers often subscribed to book-of-the-month clubs and one of the most popular was the Reader’s Digest. Their angle was to condense books down from their original length, and then bundle 4-5 novels into a single volume. (Think War and Peace down to 120 pages!). Though this was usually a big hit, one of their flops was an ill-conceived attempt to condense the Bible. Turns out folks didn’t want the Good Book being slimmed down! Yet, in Hebrews chapter eleven, God does, what those editors couldn’t, and gives in just forty verses a condensed version of all the heroes of the Old Testament. Today’s passage tells us that these people hadn’t received all of God’s promises, but they got a glimpse of them from far away.
That long distance perspective reminded me of putting together a jig-saw puzzle. God’s promise is the beautiful picture on the front of the box, but what I see is more like a heap of pieces dumped on a table. Some of them I put aside for edges, while others I group by color, but few fit easily together. But just as the Bible heroes stepped back and greeted their promises from afar, sometimes the best puzzle strategy is to step away. After too much time up close, we need to rest our eyes. Then, almost miraculously, on when we return, we see patterns that just leap out at us, and we make progress. The worst thing is to keep trying to force pieces together without perspective. In the Bible, that approach has led to some terrible decisions. Abraham took a second wife when Sarah didn’t get pregnant, Moses killed an Egyptian, and David got tangled up with Bathsheba, just to name a few. If our own lives were condensed into forty verses, I am sure there would be enough to scandalize all our friends and family! But if we just step back, God will help us see His promises from afar. That viewpoint is a reminder that we aren’t on a predetermined schedule and only God can see the whole picture on the front of the box. So, take a breath, step away from the puzzle for a moment and God will give you the wisdom to fit together that puzzle, one piece at a time!
But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 1 Peter 3:4 ESV
This has been the most difficult series I have ever written, but I have done my best because, this is an issue we are facing in our churches today. My earnest hope is that in some small way, these simple studies may stimulate you to think through how to respond and consider carefully what the Bible has to say. So, here on day three, let’s forge ahead into the topic of women holding church office and in what way God would have them serve. Yes, that may be thin ice, but it is ice that we are being forced out onto, so let’s test its thickness!
First, let’s begin with today’s verse. God loves women! God cares about your hearts, your families, and your callings! You are precious to Him and uniquely crafted to fulfill His plan, but in a way that is wonderfully different from men. A small but important part of the battle we have is about the titles we are using. Maybe it is because today, virtually any place people serve in the church (men or women) they end up being called pastors. I’m not saying these folks are not validly serving a need, but consider the fact that we now have worship pastors, children’s pastors, youth pastors, and even executive pastors, just to name a few! I challenge anyone to find any of these kinds of “pastors’ in the New Testament church. Our modern church administrative structure is vastly more complicated than even a generation ago, not to mention two thousand years back. Everyone may be serving a genuine need, but maybe there are different titles that come closer to the Bible’s view of what they should be called.
Secondly, I wholeheartedly agree that there are special occasions and unique experiences from which women can and should have the opportunity to teach. Now I know some of you whom I respect may hold a different opinion, but I believe that biblically speaking, the senior pastor position is to be held by msn. Are we guys weak, fallible, and sometimes thoughtless leaders? Yes, but please pray for us! That having been said, on the other hand, I am against some who are proposing to completely keep women out of any role in leadership. For example, who questions the ministry of Fanny Crosby? Born in 1820 (certainly a day with few women leaders in the church). In spite of her blindness, her gift for song writing brought Fanny to national prominence through hymns like Blessed Assurance and Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior. Sometimes she spoke to large crowds of eager listeners, and not only did she have the opportunity to teach publicly, but the words to her songs still instruct both men and women in sound biblical doctrine as we sing them today. It would have been far easier for Fanny Crosby to simply stay home, especially considering that she never was paid more than ten dollars per hymn! But by God’s grace she found her voice and every woman’s voice, even the gentle and quiet ones, should have a part for it in God’s chorus. If women are to be completely silent, who will sing the harmonies? What of Mother Teresa, Joni Eareckson Tada, Priscilla Shirer or Kristyn Getty? What of the women in the Bible like Queen Esther, Ruth, Martha or Deborah. These have all, in their own way, written, spoken or simply bravely lived out the gospel message in a way that their faith is still an example for us all today. So, I end with a sincere hope that these ramblings of an old man, may have stirred up some thoughts in you. Some of you may agree, and some respectfully disagree, (maybe a few less respectfully!) But whatever your position, I urge you to know why you believe it, keep open to God’s voice and trust His Word. The power of the next generation’s ever changing socially acceptable ideas, cannot change God’s eternal plan. As Jesus taught us, His words are truth, they are our daily bread, and they are our life. Let’s not hide from the cultural war that is raging all around but courageously trust God’s promise, that Jesus will never leave or forsake us no matter what lies ahead!
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