Exposing A Lie

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Wherever two or three are gathered together in My name, Jesus said, there am I in the midst of them. To those of you who love Him in truth: mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. (Jude 1:2)

Today we are going to expose a lie. I want you to turn to 1 Tim 2:11,  Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. Ok, let’s turn to 1 Cor 14:26, How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 

If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. Let your women keep silent in the churches… So, you see the context of this verse: it’s talking about speaking in church: teaching, prophecy, tongues, interpretation; these kinds of things. It says, Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in the church. Or did the Word of God come originally from you? Or was it you only that it reached? If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant. 

I recently heard a famous preacher teach from these verses, that the author of these words, the Apostle Paul, who was writing by the Holy Spirit, was talking to Jewish believers meeting in synagogues, and that in the synagogue they had a curtain going down the middle aisle separating the men from the women. The women used to holler across the aisle to their husbands, asking them concerning the message being spoken, “What did he say?” And so Paul was instructing that the women should keep silent and go home and ask their husbands at home. He then said that that was the custom and culture of Paul’s day, and for anyone to say that, in the 21st century, a woman should not be allowed to speak in the church, they are ignorant. By saying this, he was completely justifying women speaking and teaching in church. 

First of all, the Apostle Paul was not speaking to Jewish believers meeting in synagogues. He was speaking to Timothy, his son in the Lord, and his fellow minister to the Gentile churches. Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles. In 1 Corinthians he was speaking to Gentile believers along with some Jewish believers meeting in churches established and built by the Lord Jesus Christ through him.

Second, and more importantly, the matter being addressed by the Holy Spirit in both scriptures, is women speaking and teaching and usurping the authority given to men in the church: men called of God and sent by Him, as were Paul and Barnabas, Silas and Timothy, the planters of these churches in the book of Acts. God has given authority to men in the church, according to His calling in their lives, as apostles, teachers, evangelists, prophets and pastors. There are no women pastors or teachers in the New Testament Church. The only woman teacher that I know of in the New Testament, Jesus referred to in Rev 2:18. Let’s read it,  And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works. Do you think we ought to fear the Lord a little more than we do?

So what is it? It is rebellion, first of all in the men who allow women to speak and give them place to teach. They are in rebellion against the Word of the Lord, as the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Cor 14:37, I’ll read it again, If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. Secondly, the women are themselves in rebellion, but it is the responsibility of the men, the elders and husbands, to teach them the truth, and not allow them to rebel against the command of the Lord. That is love for a woman. To allow them, and even encourage them in their rebellion is not love at all. What many of these men love is their money. They don’t want to offend the women, or they may lose half of their cash flow. They don’t even care if they offend the Lord; they don’t fear Him. But they will stand before Him some day and give account of their rejection and lies concerning His commandments, and the many people that they have justified in their rebellion. If any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.

Thirdly, it is a matter of ruling. When you allow a woman to teach and to usurp the authority over the man, she is ruling the church. She is in rebellion and it will produce rebellion in the people. The Father is the head of Christ; Christ is the head of the man, and the man is the head of the woman, both in the family and in the church. That is God’s order established forever, and any perversion of that is rebellion, and His blessing is not with it. God loves women! God loves men! And He has an order that He has established that works for us, and we must humble ourselves before Him and walk in that order, and we will be blessed. 

Let’s turn to 1 Cor 14:26 again, How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church. Or did the Word of God come originally from you? Or was it you only that it reached? If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant. Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order. 

In these verses, the men are commanded to keep silent, and not speak in tongues if there is no interpreter; the men who are prophets are commanded to keep silent if another prophet receives a revelation. Verse 33,  For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. In that whole context of verse 26; the whole purpose of these gifts, given by the Holy Spirit, when we come together, is the edification of one another: edification, or building up, exhortation, and comfort; all things being done decently and in order. In this whole context, the women are commanded to keep silent, when we come together; when the Holy Spirit is moving with gifts of psalms, or songs, teaching; prophesying, tongues and interpretation, and revelation, it is a shame for women to speak in the church, but to be under obedience. If you are a spiritual person, you will acknowledge that these things which Paul wrote are the commandments of the Lord, and if you love Him, you will obey them. If you will not acknowledge so; if you disobey them, you are not loving Him, and you are in rebellion. Jesus said, If you love Me, keep My commandments. And, If you keep My commandments you will abide in My love, even as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 

This same rebellion is all through the church, both men and women, and it is a major cause of the lack of the love of God and the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in the churches. This is the Apostles’ doctrine, and the early church continued steadfastly in it, and in fellowship, breaking of bread and in prayers. True fellowship is in love; in keeping the commandments of the Lord. The Apostle John wrote, For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not grievous. He that says I know Him and does not keep His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whosoever keeps His Word, in him truly is the love of God perfected. Hereby do we know that we are in Him.

Thank you for reading this message from 15 Minutes With Jesus at roberthaymes.com . May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you who love Him in truth, Amen. (2 Cor 13:14)