 It does not make sense for God to prohibit half of his children from taking down the devil and being vessels of him and making the kingdom of God to go forth. When we deal with the issue about women being pastors, a lot of times people throw in their emotions, how they see things, how they feel, maybe their experience, sometimes they're wants or desires. The problem is we ought to do what Paul says and that is not to exceed, as he says in 1 Corinthians 4-6, not to exceed what is written. Don't come up with things that aren't actually there or read into things and then draw out even more. For example, you will hear people saying that certain people were actually pastors or had more prominent roles, certain women had more prominent roles, certain offices in the Bible, but that's not ever what the text says. People will say things such as Mary being the first evangelist because Jesus chose to show himself to her and sent her out to preach the Gospels to the disciples. That's not correct. That's not true. She was simply instructed to tell them that he is risen and to meet them. We see the same with Phoebe who was a servant, but someone to ascribe to her a level of more than what she really is. She was simply delivering letters, delivering letters, but she was not preaching or teaching. Clearly, the Scripture doesn't say this and so if to make that to be what she is, when it doesn't say so, you are violating what Paul says, which is exceeding what the text says. In Colossians, Paul speaks about Nympha and the church meeting in her house, but they're trying to say, someone will say that she is a founder of the church. She's leading the church. That's not what it says. It just says the church that is meeting in her house. Famously, you'll hear about Junia. We don't even know if Junia is a woman or a man, but then to call her an apostle, the Bible is clear. She or he is not an apostle. But what about Philip and his daughters? Well, the Bible says in Acts 21A, it says, on the next day, left and came to Caesarea and entering the house of Philip, the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we stay with him. That's what it says. Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses. Now this word, prophetesses, is not prophetesses as a noun. The actual word that's used here is a verb, who prophesied. Now, is a prophet the same as a pastor? No, it's not. Anyone can give a revelation. We don't disagree with that part. And so there can be a woman or male who could give a revelation, but we're talking about the office of a pastor. Now, one of the more laughable, I think, silly arguments that you're going to hear is that certain passages are taken out of context. We need to keep them in context because they only apply to certain cultures to that particular church. We're going to find some very big flaws as we listen to this reasoning. So now we're going to enter in context. What was happening in the times in the Corinthian church, for example, when Paul was speaking to this is there was a lot of sin going on in that culture. Women were acting rebellious. And so in the church, it was translating. That culture was translating into the church and women were getting overly zealous and not in a good way. Now a couple of things before we let her continue. One, she's clearly not a very good Bible teacher, but when she makes these statements that there are a lot of things that were happening in the Corinthian church, I want you to just ask yourself that whatever we think that's happening in the church of Corinth, are these things also happening now? For example, when she says that women are getting overly zealous and not in a good way, saying things they shouldn't say, doing things, acting certain ways. You mean like this? I'm 100% on this, like 100%. If you're one of those people that believes that women aren't supposed to preach or that women can't be pastors, yeah, I'm 100% that you're going to hell. Like I'm 100% you're going to hell. Let's be clear. This young lady says a lot of ignorant things. Why? Because she says things I don't know eat, obviously from a lack of understanding, a lack of knowledge. She's exactly what Paul would be speaking of about women at Corinth, but also today, because the question is, is what was happening in Corinth also happening today? Well, exhibit A. Clearly what was happening then is also happening now. And notice Paul only calls out one gender. When Paul is saying women should remain silent in the churches, we need to look at the context before it. So he's actually talking about order in the church. If you look before it, he's speaking, this is how prophecy should go forth. It shouldn't be everybody prophesying at one time. This is how speaking in tongues should be. And so he's speaking on this order. He's saying how there should not be disorder in the church. And so now he's addressing women and women at that time were being disorderly because of the culture that was going on in that days that was influencing them. Also women were not educated very well at that time. They had a lot of questions, more questions than the men would. What she's doing here, she's also adding to the text. We don't know who was educated or not. How do you come to the conclusion that women were not as educated as men? Find that passage. Find that, we don't know that. Matter of fact, what we don't know is the education level of the women, nor do we know the education level of the men. And again, the Bible doesn't bring that up as an issue. So what's happening is you're finding that people are saying that that argument is only for that culture, for that context, really for that church. So let's go to 1 Corinthians. Let's go to chapter 14 and let's start in verse 34 says that Paul says that the women are to keep silent in the churches for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves just as the law also says if they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. Now here's the question. One, what is the context? What is the purpose of writing this letter? Paul is writing to address divisions, a lack of unity in the church at Corinth, but obviously since we have this letter to our canon, the question is is this letter only for the church of Corinth or is this letter for all of us? Because someone like a Catherine Crick will go to 1 Corinthians 14, that very same book, the very same letter, that very same chapter to speak about the validity of tongues. So if this only applies to the church at Corinth for that context, for that culture, for that time, well then would she make the same argument for tongues? She wouldn't do so now. Her tongue's interpretation is off obviously wrong, but if you're going to say that this only applies for them, well then the rest of it does. You can't take out what you think only applies and so the point that he's making here says women are to keep silent. Now here's the question. As Paul is writing this letter, is it just the women who are disorderly or do we have a lot of men who are disorderly? As a matter of fact, Paul addresses men earlier who are disorderly. So we have that happening a lot. It's not just women, it is also men, but Paul makes a distinction. Why didn't he just say since men are also being disorderly, why didn't he say men keep silent? Since he's speaking about a certain type of wranglings, arguments and so forth, he could have addressed that. There's Paul is not a person who doesn't know how to handle the pen, as though he didn't know how to speak or to write. So he could have addressed that very easily, but he makes a distinction. You see that oftentimes, distinctions being made between men and women. Why would you make these distinctions? And so the question is, and I think it's a silly and unbounded question that they pose or a statement, that is that this is only for the church at Corinth for that culture, that time. But the problem is everything that's happening in that church, in that culture, in that time is literally happening now. As a matter of fact, has been happening. So why would it not apply if we're going to say if the same culture is similar, but Paul is not writing a letter for just that culture. Are there some things that are written in the Bible that are relating to a specific culture? Sure, but the letters are written not for the culture, but for the community writ large for the entirety of the body. But I want to show you something else. This is where their argument goes off because they're going to say this letter to the church of Corinth is to be taken for that church in that context, in that culture. But they also do this for another of Paul's statements to say that this is for that culture, for that context. He never goes, and these can only be men. He just does it in like this one 1st Timothy thing. So then I started delving into that and I started realizing what was happening in that church in Ephesus was there was a woman called and she was a fertility goddess and they were basically part of a false religion and it was the false ideas were coming into the church through the women. Okay, a couple of things again, keeping in mind what Paul stated earlier that we should not or we should learn not to exceed what is written. So he's bringing in, now maybe some of this part is true, but truth be told, isn't that true now? Also, that's not all of Ephesus. That's not all of Ephesus. There were different Ephesus was like of any other city. There were different groups of people who are who have placed their faith in Christ not all believing in the same fertility goddess if that's what he wants us to believe. That's not the case. And so you might be looking to add more into the text just so you can take away your own feeling or your own interpretation to allow women to preach. So what Paul does is he goes, I don't want a woman to teach, but he didn't mean I think in no church ever. He was saying, Timothy, stop the ladies from talking because they're spreading a whole bunch of terrible ideas around your church at this moment in 54 AD. Now his point is you're gonna hear this spoken of by a lot of different people, a lot of proponents of women being able to preach. You're going to hear them say that, well, what's been written to Timothy, we have to look at what's happening because Timothy at the time that Paul is making is writing this, Paul, well, obviously Paul is not there, but Timothy is in Ephesus. And so we need to address what's happening in Ephesus. Why would Paul have this? But Paul's letter to Timothy is not a letter to deal with what's just happening in Ephesus. Paul's letter to Timothy, first and second Timothy, deal with how a person ought to be laying the foundation of the church, how you should be building a church, selecting people, how the elders, how the pastors ought to be. And so the question is when we deal with, when Paul is talking to Timothy about what's happening in Ephesus, if this is only for Ephesus, we have a problem. If this is only for the culture and the context and the problems of Ephesus, that's a problem. Here's why. One, Paul literally writes a letter to the church in Ephesus. Does Paul address any of this in Ephesus? No, does he say that here are the problems that we're having in Ephesus with these women going crea- he didn't say that. Does Paul say that it's okay everywhere else in any other letter? Does Paul address any other letter in terms of male headship or women headshipping in the letters? Well, he does. We'll look at that in a second. But Paul is not speaking about what he thinks is happening in Ephesus, because if so, why doesn't Paul address this in his letter to the church in Ephesus? Oh, by the way, in this same chapter, I mean, the same book, matter of fact, let's go to, before we go to that, let's, let's read what Paul says. Paul says, but I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain silent, for it was Adam who was created first and then even. Now notice what he says, for it was Adam. He didn't say for it's these women or this fertility goddess there that's creeping in. That's not what he says. He gives his reason for it. He says for it was Adam who was created and then even. Notice, remember what God said in Genesis? He says that your desire will be for him, will be after him. There's this constant tension, this friction, but he shall rule over you. And what does Paul bring up? What does Paul introduce? He brings up what God stated in Genesis three. He says, and it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived fell to transgression, but women will be preserved through the bearing of the children if they continue in faith and love and sanctify with self constraint. And so he's even dealing with the whole order of male and women and females. So Paul is not saying the reason why I'm saying this is only for you guys, because of what's happening. No, he gives the reason why. But then if we go, because Paul makes a statement later in 1st Timothy about choosing pastors, about choosing the overseas elders. And people are going to say, well, the word pastor is not in the Bible. Yes, it is. The word pastor is in the Bible. It's the word, which is the word for shepherd. And we see this term over and over again. Peter is told to by Jesus to shepherd the flock. Acts tells us to shepherd the flock of God. Peter says also about shepherding the flock and to love the shepherd that the flock, the guy gave you shepherd over them. These shepherds, these Episcopus, these overseers, they have authority over the people in terms of how they're governing that can make someone do anything. No, but clearly in the Bible, this term pastor or as it says in Ephesians, shepherd teacher. We see Paul also use this as he describes what their role is, pastor or shepherd, overseer. And so whatever the terminology you want to use, there is what Paul says or points out to us. There are qualifications. He says to Timothy in the same letter, chapter 3, giving the qualifications. He says, an overseer must then be above reproach the husband. Here's the word, Andra of one wife. Meas. Good night. That's one wife, one woman. And so therefore, this could not be a position that's open for a female. And then Paul goes on to say that he must manage his own household. Well, women don't do that. Not according to God's authority. It is the man that has the headship. Now, does that make the woman less? No, it does not. But it's still, this is what God has determined. And so Paul says this to Timothy. But people will say, well, because Timothy is in Ephesus, well, wait a second, he still gives the same Timothy who's in Ephesus. He still gives him instructions. And so that's a problem there. But then also just as great of a problem is we see these same qualifications given to Titus. Well, where is Titus? Well, first of all, Titus is not in the church of Corinth, where we have the first letter or one of the letters that are written, where people say that we have to keep this in context is for that context of that culture, that time for the women. So Corinth, that's just for Corinth. But then we also have the same thing for the church of Ephesus, though the letter of Ephesians doesn't speak so. But we've got Corinth, we can apply to us. We can apply what's written for Ephesus for us. But what about what's written to Titus? Where's Titus? Titus is in Crete. And so is Paul saying there's something happening in Crete? No. What does Paul say to Titus? He says, the same thing that I want you to appoint elders in every city. And look, he says above reproach, we see the exact same wording that we see in 1 Timothy, the husband of one wife. And it's Mias Guneicus Anir. So Mias, one Guneicus woman, Anir, man, husband. And so what's the point? Paul is clearly stating, whether he's writing to someone who happens to be in Corinth, whether he's writing to someone who happens to be in Ephesus, whether he's writing to someone who happens to be in Crete, the point is still the same. And notice what happens even as they are selecting men in the Bible or selecting leaders. So in Acts 6, they begin to select men to help with some of the low, some of the responsibilities to help out the apostles. And notice what he says. Therefore, chapter 20, I'm sorry, chapter 6, verse 3, therefore, brethren, select from among yourselves seven, look what the word is, men. And the word that's used here is not men in terms of Anthropos, all of mankind, but the word here is Andros, meaning a male. But it's not just here. But one time, since we've got this new dispensation, we've got the Holy Spirit is poured out and apparently people think that women and men are now equal in the eyes of God and everything, even in terms of function and office. Well, when they get the opportunity to choose someone, notice what the qualification is. In chapter one of Acts, verse 21, Peter says, therefore, it is necessary that the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us. So they're choosing a man and it's a man because the word here is Andra or a male. So you could not get past this. So every time that the Bible is picking someone in a certain role, Apostle, pastor, shepherd, elder, overseer, it is a male. And so it would be silly to say that this only applies in this context. This only applies in this culture. But you take everything else out of those books and apply it to your life. Why? You could not make those apply to your life if the other parts regarding women don't apply. So either you take the whole or you take none of it. We keep it in context, obviously. And the context is he's writing these letters for the benefit of the church. And all of these letters, as Peter says, these letters that are written are all scripture. They are they come with the weight and the authority of God because they are God breathed, breathed out by the Holy Spirit. And so can a woman be a pastor? No, not in any shape or fashion. If your church is adopting that, if you happen to be somewhere where they are, that's a church that is exceeding the text. And if you're going to exceed the text in that, just to satisfy the feelings of others, where else is that church also exceeding the text? Where else are they also compromising? So ladies and gentlemen, be aware if this is going on in your church, you might seriously consider, matter of fact, I think you should leave. Amen.