Women in ministry . . .

Question:  What gives? Some denominations ordain women, to others, it is an anathema. I’m confused. Does the Bible contradict itself, or is one of the camps misinformed? Further, why are Southern Baptist, the Churches of Christ, and the Catholic Church so nasty about this?

Answer: Male chauvinism is nothing new, it is as old as the Bible itself. Some think that perhaps Adam was the first since he tried to claim the high ground by blaming Eve for misleading and tempting him. Be that as it may be, however, let us look at one of the most quoted scriptures that are used in favor of denying women equal status in the ministry.

First Corinthians 14:33–35 states, 

“As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church” (ESV). 

Some take this verse as a hard and fast rule that all women should absolutely remain silent in the church; thereby, excluding them from any pastoral or priestly role. However, we notice that earlier in the same epistle (1 Corinthians 11:5), Paul allows women to pray and prophesy in the church. So, what gives is that the prohibition must be taken in context. Apparently, not all women in Corinth 14:33–35 were to remain silent at all times in the church services. So, the prohibition must be limited in some way by the context. The context is simply this: in Corinth, there were two groups of women, those that were chatterboxes, perhaps even gossips; and there were those anointed women who were called and capable of leadership. We also know that elsewhere scripture states that:

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

Further, the New Testament is resplendent with women in ministry. And, surely no one would argue that women are excluded from the ministry gifts of the Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11, if so, then why did Paul say in verse one: “Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers, and sisters …” if women were excluded?

Now for those that are interested to follow this discussion further, I refer you to an excellent “Position Paper” on The Role of Women in the Ministry by clicking onto the underlined portion of this sentence.

Finally, I wouldn’t say any of the groups mentioned are “nasty” by opposing the ordination of women; I would rather give them the benefit of the doubt and say that they sincerely believe these things. I will say, however, in my opinion. by are bucking the tide of culture and times as well as the clear teaching of scripture. Perhaps, I will not see the change against that in my lifetime but most certainly I feel that in the lifetime of my grandchildren change will come, including in the Catholic Church. 

Trust this helps,

Take care, and remember He cares for you!

 JimR_/

Holiness: a way of life or a goal?

---

" There is no key to happiness; the door is always open.”— Mother Teresa of Calcutta

---

It’s a fact, we learn more through pain than we do pleasure. “God,” said C. S. Lewis, “whispers to us in our pleasure, and shouts at us in our pain.” This I have found to be true, I would say, without exception. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a spiritual masochist. I certainly don’t get pleasure out of pain, but when it inevitably comes I have found it is best to embrace it until I find a remedy. Sometimes there is none, but as with Paul, I find that God’s grace is really all that I need to get through the tough times (2 Cor. 12:9).

You see, God is more interested in our character than our comfort. Or to put it another way, God is more interested in our holiness than our happiness (James 1:4) “for without holiness no man shall see the Lord (Heb. 12:14).”

This brings us to the vital question: “What is holiness?”

Well, back in the day, as they say, holiness was “I don’t drink, I don’t cuss, I don’t chew, and I don’t run around with them that do.” Of course, right alongside that, if you were raised in old-timey Pentecostal circles, were prohibitions against movies, television, make-up, and short hair for the women, plus a whole host of “worldly” recreational activities. Made it a pretty sterile life for a young fellow like me in those days who could not throw a ball or read the comics on Sunday, either.

However, as I grew older, I found out that God is generally more interested in what we do than what we don’t do. Love at all times, though, must permeate any and all attempts at holiness. Motivation is key. Love should motivate all. Godly love, however, not a misguided love to be perceived as holy or saintly, but rather for God to judge us as loving people. “By this shall all know that you are my disciples, said Christ, in that you love one another (John 13:35).”

There is, however, a kernel of righteousness in our feeble attempts for holiness by abstaining from all appearances of evil (1 Thess. 5:22). So, we mustn’t just throw caution to the wind. We must avoid evil and that goes for evil as a form of dramatic pleasure. A filthy book produces a filthy mind, and the same goes for television and movies as well. Nor would I suggest that we start a Bible study at some strip joint. We are to be faithful with all godly propriety. The gateway to the soul is through the conscience; and an ill-informed conscience is certainly no pathway for holiness. By all means, we must not grow weary in well-doing, for at the proper time we will reap a plentiful spiritual harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 5:16-26; Galatians 6:9).

May God give us all the strength to persevere,

   JimR_/

Divorce: Moses, Jesus, and Paul . . .

Question: Dear Dr. Roane, I'm confused. Did Christ ever condone divorce? If not, why then do we see all the divorce in our churches today? I am not talking about the world, I mean the churches.

Answer: Dear friend, wow ... you have packed about 15 questions into this one. But to answer your question: Yes, Jesus did reluctantly (I suppose you can say) condone divorce on the condition that one of the married partners is promiscuous—to use an old fashioned word, a fornicator (Matthew 5:32; see also Matthew 19:9). 

Paul, in some cases, does discourage remarriage for the sake of ministering to the Lord. “Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned” (1 Corinthians 7:27,28). All divorced persons considering remarriage should remember Paul’s instructions to the Christians at Corinth, “but he [in this case, the new spouse] must belong to the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:39).

This is a quick answer. However, let me say this: if you are being severely abused verbally, or abused physically beyond all means find a safe place and beyond all means get a least a Stalking Protection Order (SPO) which in most cases will give you time to mitigate the situation until you can reach a final settlement. Also, according to Assemblies of God denominational policy, it is stated that, 

"Jesus clearly assumed that those who were divorced by sinful spouses, or those who divorced sinful spouses for “marital uncleanness” or abandonment, were free to remarry without any tinge of adultery. However, believers are to remarry one who “belong[s] to the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:39) and the new marriage covenant is to be permanent.

For further help, read 1 Corinthians 7, and seek the advice of your pastor when possible.

  

I hope this helps,

JimR_/

A religion-less Christianity

---

"For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God. ― Saint Teresa of Avila

---

Dear Friends,

Count me in on a religion-less Christianity. To reduce God to a set of creeds and/or half-baked definitions misses the point of true Christianity altogether, in my opinion. As St. Thomas ‘a Kempis once asked,

“What good does it do to speak learnedly about the Trinity if, lacking humility, you displease the Trinity? Indeed, it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God. I would rather feel contrition than know how to define it. For what would it profit us to know the whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosophers if we live without grace and the love of God?” (Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ)

Christ is first and foremost found in an encounter, an experience. Indescribable, yet vividly true. Surely in all cases, the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.

The central question for every man is, ‘Do you know Christ? Not about Him, but know Him as a friend and a brother?  We must concern ourselves with the "who" in the incarnation, not the how." We must not concern ourselves with “How is Christ in the Church but rather who is Christ in the Church.” We must never reduce Christ to a “how?” but rather on all occasions relate to Him as a “who?”

As with Peter, the Apostle, the perennial question Christ asks all is, “Who do you say that I am.” Peter answered, and rightly so, “You are the Son  of the Living God!”

Surely the letter of a dead creed kills unless it introduces us to the Son of a Living God. Christ said, and not without cause, “Behold, I am alive forevermore! (Revelation 1:18)”

May God burn this reality on the hearts of us all,

JimR_/

Cockroaches and sanctification

---

" It's hard to imagine repenting fully of something that one does not understand fully.”— Brett Salkeld

---

Dear Friends,

God has not called us to be incremental Christians, nudging ahead one step at a time forever struggling in a mire of doubt, despair, and defeat. No, we are called to be conquers, in fact more than conquerors. We are called to be holy, Christlike—that is our destiny! His gifts and callings are without repentance, too (Romans 11:29). That’s good news.

Now, for the bad news. Far too few Christians get beyond the swamp. Their lives are a never-ending swirl of self-doubt, guilt feelings, and just a whole lot of “Oh, if only I had done it differently.” The truth of the matter is that fretting is the worst tool in our mental arsenal to defeat the enemy of our souls.

In earlier days we used to hear a lot about sanctification. Now, it seems to be all about justification. Justification declares us forgiven— sanctification keeps us that way, and since it is the purpose of both to transform us into the image of Christ ( Romans 12:2 ;Romans 8:28-29) both are of equal importance.

Mark declares that Jesus said we all shall be salted with fire—that is the imperfect is burned away with only that which is pure is preserved (1 Peter 1:7). Fire burns, destroys, salt preserves. Spiritually, this necessary process is for us all. It is something none of us can or should wish to escape (Job 23:10).

Salt however that has lost it properties is useless, and must be thrown out—along, presumably with the putrid food it was to preserve. This is to say that there are a lot of good men and women in the world, but goodness alone is not good enough for Heaven. That goodness must be salted and strengthened and made stronger with fire that purifies.

It is comforting to know that we are not left on our own to bring about this transformation for our God is a consuming fire—a consuming fire that purifies and burns away the doss gets rid of the imperfections and preserves us for all eternity (c.f. Ezekiel 43:22-24).

The tongues of Pentecost may be exhilarating, but it is when we are salted with fire that we are preserved for service. Tongues don’t make us proper witnesses, but the fire does. Oh, that the cloven tongues of Pentecost would fall on us all!

I won't get into all of the ins-and-outs of the doctrine of salt and fire, only to ask this. ‘What good is it to forgive a thief, release him from jail, only to allow him to go out a steal some more?’ He or she must be rehabilitated, remediated for past sin and declared fit for society again.

Far too many are  "talking the walk, but not walking the talk" these days, in my opinion. Declaring that sins have been forgiven is one thing, but it is quite another to stay that way. Imagine a woman walking into her kitchen late at night and watching the cockroaches scurry for cover. Now, imagine that same woman walking about the next morning with the bright sunlight flooding her kitchen floor and then announcing that her kitchen is free from those filthy critters. Why that's silly you say. Sure, it is. Yet this is precisely what just a whole lot of “born again” Christians do. The truth is; however, God wants to get rid of the cockroaches that loiter hidden in the dark places of our soul. Yes, we are justified, but the justified must be sanctified.

Quite frankly I see a lot of false security in teaching that once someone declares faith in Christ as their personal savior everything will be fine and dandy. That’s not what my Bible teaches me.

So, we must ask ourselves, is becoming a Christian a zap or a process? Now, do you need an answer? The answer is it is both. Standing alone neither is sufficient. We must declare outright war on the cockroaches, as it were. But, generally speaking, that takes time. 

Let me put it this way, if you don't feel you are making any spiritual progress in your life, you most probably are not. You see, God is not so interested in what you did, but who you are. That’s why He keeps nudging us along to do better, to become more Christlike, to get rid of the cockroaches that pollute our lives.

What you did has been forgiven, who you are is an entirely different matter. God is most interested in who you are, and nothing less than Christlikeness is enough.We can't scam God. He's 'unscramble.' So, we mustn’t play around with God like some child playing hide and seek, He knows precisely where we are when we visit the dark places in our lives where the cockroaches hide. There are no places hidden from God.

May God give us all the strength to persevere,

 JimR_/

Second Coming, when, where, and how?

Question: Dear Dr. Roane, what do you think about the Second Coming of Jesus? I am so confused when I listen to some preachers on television and radio. What about Matthew 24:29?

Answer: Well, once again to give you a quick answer again, not much when I hear the rants and pontifications of some of the doomsayers. In principle some of what they say is correct. Times will increasingly grow worst; men shall be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. That we can be sure of; as someone has said, you judge the future by the past, and, personally, I don’t see human behavior changing all that much, especially without Jesus. One thing I am sure of is that no born-again Christian will suffer the wrath of God 

I find it interesting that In Josephus Wars (vi. 5, § 2) that we have the records of false prophecy in connection with Judæa and Jerusalem. Up to the last moment of the capture of the city by Titus (70 AD) that men were buoyed up with false hopes of deliverance, based on the predictions of fanatics and impostors, so I am not so sure that we shall be delivered from all of the so-called Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21) that shall transpire during the end times.

Benson Commentary has this to say concerning Matthew 24:29.

Immediately after, &c. — We now come to the last act of this dismal tragedy, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the final dissolution of the Jewish polity in church and state, which our Lord, for several reasons, might not think fit to declare nakedly and plainly, and therefore chose to clothe his discourse in figurative language. Commentators, indeed, have generally understood this, and what follows, of the end of the world, and of Christ’s coming to judgment: but the words, immediately after the tribulation of those days, show evidence that he is not speaking of any distant event, but of something immediately consequent upon the tribulation, before mentioned, and that must be the destruction of the Temple and city of Jerusalem, and the abolition of the Jewish polity, civil and religious. It is true, his figures are very strong, but not stronger than those used by the ancient prophets upon similar occasions. The Prophet Isaiah speaks in the same manner of the destruction of Babylon, Isaiah 13:10, The stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. The Prophet Ezekiel describes in similar terms the destruction coming on Egypt, Ezekiel 32:7-8. When I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. The Prophet Daniel also uses similar language, when speaking of the slaughter of the Jews by the little horn, meaning probably Antiochus Epiphanes: And it waxed great even unto the host of heaven, and cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. And lastly, God, by Joel, foretelling this very same destruction of Jerusalem, Joel 2:30-31, says, I will show wonders in heaven and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood. So that great commotions and revolutions upon earth are often represented by commotions and changes in the heavens.

Now, in reference to Luke 20:34, I feel that we Pentecostals are stretching the allegory a bit too far when we try and separate Joel’s prophecy from Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost. I for one find it most difficult to get it past 70 AD when Titus razed the walls and city proper of Jerusalem. And I am not alone in this. Here is what Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible has to say:

In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop... Either for diversion or devotion, when he shall hear that the Roman armies are approaching Jerusalem, to besiege it: and his stuff in the house; or "his vessels", his goods and furniture; or his utensils, and instruments of trade and business: let him not come down; the inner way of the house, from the top: to take it away; with him in his flight, but let him descend by the steps, or ladder, on the outside of the house, and make his escape directly to Pella, or the mountains: and he that is in the field; at work, and has laid down his clothes in some certain part of the field, or at home: let him likewise not return back; to fetch them, but make the best of his way as he is; See Gill on Matthew 24:17 and See Gill on Matthew 24:18.

So, in my opinion, we need to take a second look at some of the text proofing that we use to describe our days.

Now, the simple fact is that no one knows when Jesus is coming again, but rest assured He will. During the meantime, we preachers must be careful to properly and scripturally context anything we say about that awesome day when the Son of Man will return.

So, I would be careful and not put too much stock in the so-called blood moons or as with the 99 Reasons as with the false prophecy that Christ was going to return in 1999. Both of which, in my opinion, were just imaginations conjured up in an over-eager mind. "A magisterium of one," I call it cocksure that they and they alone had the key to interpreting Scripture as to when Christ was going to return. One thing for sure, tribulations come and go, but God's final wrath is permanent and something we born-again Christians must not fear (1 Thessalonians 5:9). 

Trust this helps,

Take care, and remember He cares for you!

 JimR_/

P.S. For an interesting analysis of this subject see "Got Questions?"

Take time out to be holy . . .

---

If you own something you cannot give away, then you don't own it, it owns you." ~ Albert Schweitzer

---

Dear Friends and faithful supporters,

Addiction comes in many forms. Some are addicted to drugs, others to food or sex. Workaholics can’t seem to shake the urge to keep their nose to the grindstone day in and day out. The opposite, of course, are those that run from one high to another seeking pleasure—they can’t seem to get enough thrills or new adventures. Such is the nature of addiction. It owns us. In essence, this is what addiction is all about. That is, we have lost control.

Greed, although, not often thought of as such, is simply another form of addiction. It eats away at the soul. Enough is never enough, there must always be more. Envy is the same—that is, it is just unfulfilled greed that is never satisfied.

Sadly, some don’t even realize that they are addicted. Their lifestyle seems perfectly normal. Suggest a change or that they should reconsider their behavior and most will look at you as if you have stepped off some weird planet that just happened to be whooshing by. 

Now, the truth is that taken in moderation there is absolutely nothing intrinsically wrong with drugs, or food or sex, or just plain fun or recreation. God, however, makes it clear that piggishness, whether in thought or deed, is not pleasing to Him. For, you see, a selfish self-centered attitude not only affects us, but it also sends a message loud and clear to others that contrary to what many Christians preach, they practice otherwise. Therefore, we in the words of Scripture must—

Let [our] moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. – Philippians 4:5 NKJV

[For] every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. – 1 Corinthians 9:25 NKJV

[For] whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls. – Proverbs 25:28 NKJV

Now, on a practical level what does this mean for us? Primarily, it means that we are responsible people—that is, we are not just responsible for who we are but for how our conduct speaks to others. There is no sense in preaching against greed if we practice otherwise, or have an envious heart, or overindulge in pleasure or frivolous activities. How can we be a witness for Christ if we live in the lap of luxury while others around us are deprived of the most basic of needs? (James 1:27; 2:6; 2:14-18) Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers (Galatians 6:19) for this is the word of God.

Take care, stay safe,

 JimR_/