Jesus is not your ordinary prophet. He descended from outside earth and operated outside the conventional world system. The message Jesus brought cuts like a sword. Join us as we look at some controversial topics through the lens of the life and ministry of Jesus.
A New Testament Reality For Women
Speakers
Josh Blount
Lead Pastor
Notes
John 4:27 Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman,
Shocked = Thrunderstruck
When Jesus showed up on the scene in the 1st century, the world he was born into was at the apex of female oppression.
“It is foolishness to teach the Torah to your daughter”
“I’d rather burn the Torah than teach it to a woman
Elzar
“They are swathed like a mourner, isolated from people and shut up in prison”
Talmud
In first-century Israel, being born a woman meant you would be facing some of the most severe oppression in all of society.
Jesus Taught Women
John 11:28 “The Teacher has come and is calling for you.”
Jesus had women disciples…
Luke 10:38 A certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.
Jesus Made A Place For Women
In a culture that did not value Women, the ministry of Jesus did.
Jesus submitted His life and ministry to the care of women.
Luke 2:51 He went down with [his parents] and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them.
Matthew 28:5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead,
Lego = Preach
Mark 16:7 But go, tell (Lego) his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you
Matthew 28:10 Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid; go and tell (Lego) my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.
John 20:17 Jesus said to her, 'Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say (Lego) to them, "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.
The first people to preach the full gospel were women!
Jesus protected women, empowered women, honored women publicly, released the voice of women, Affirmed women, was funded by women, celebrated women by name, learned from women, Respected women, and spoke of women as examples to follow.
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 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.
The context is order
speak = laleō - to speak, to chat, chit-chat, to gossip
Paul is not silencing women, He’s silencing disruptions.
1 Timothy 2:11-12 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.
Artemis was the great Mother Goddess, the Godess of fertilty and the protector of women.
authority = authenteō - to dominate, to usurp authority
Paul is not saying women cannot teach or have authority, but rather that they should not exercise authority in a domineering, overbearing, dysfunctional way.
Romans 16:3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,
fellow workers = synergos - a partnership of equals in the work of ministry
Priscilla's being named first means she held a more prominent role in their ministry, especially in teaching and leadership. Her being listed first indicates that she was leading in that particular ministry setting.
Romans 16:1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae.
Romans 16:27 To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen. (Written to the Romans from Corinthus, and sent by Phebe servant of the church at Cenchrea.)
Phoebe brought and taught the book of Romans to the Romans.
1 Timothy 3:1 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
In the original Greek text, all the male pronouns in our English translations are absent.
Faithful to his wife = mias gunaikos andra - A person devoted to their spouse.
The qualifications for leadership Paul outlines are about faithfulness, character, and a heart after God, not marital status or gender.
Ephesians 5:21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
Headship is not hierarchy.
Hierarchy suggests a chain of command with levels of superiority and inferiority.
The essence of headship is love and service.
The husband's role is to lead with sacrificial love, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, not enforcing authority over her to exercise power but to serve in love and humility.
The wife's role is to stand with, support, and respect her husband, reflecting the church's submission to Christ.
Together, when operating in our roles, they create a complete picture of God’s image and Christ’s relationship with the church.
Paul consistently upheld this radical inclusivity of Jesus!
We do not require that all who call New Song Church "home" agree entirely with our belief.
Instead, we maintain that all New Song Church staff and elders subscribe to this belief, sharing our conviction on the biblical teaching related to women in leadership.
For all other lay leadership positions, we ask that you affirm this belief by (1) shared conviction regarding the authority of Scripture on which this belief is built and (2) honor for the leaders in this church tasked with defining and maintaining our belief.
Finally, for all who call New Song Church “home,” we ask that you respect this belief by humbly submitting to the beliefs of this church body in which you are voluntarily attending and serving, making it your ambition to maintain the unity of the body by (1) honoring all those serving as leaders at New Song, both men and women, (2) never actively teaching a contrary position within a formal church context, and (3) resisting gossip, bitterness, and the temptation to sow distrust.
For the sake of clarity, we are not asking that all New Song attendees subscribe or even affirm our belief, only that all respect this clearly articulated and practiced belief.
Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
“God I thank you that you have not made me a Gentile, God I thank you that you have not made me a slave, and I thank you that you have not made me a woman.”
The Prayer Of Segregation
No longer do we view anyone through the lens of the curse but now through the lens of the cross.
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I AM PROTECTIVE - Exodus 2:7 (Miriam, Moses' Sister)
Who was the baby in the basket? Moses
Why was Moses in a basket floating in the river? Because Pharaoh ordered Hebrew baby boys be thrown into the Nile
Who was Moses' big sister? Miriam
What did Miriam do? She watched Moses in the river floating to keep him safe
Who protects you? God, parents, etc.
Who do you protect?
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I AM PROTECTIVE - Exodus 2:7 (Miriam, Moses' Sister)
Who was the baby in the basket? Moses
Why was Moses in a basket floating in the river? Because Pharaoh ordered Hebrew baby boys be thrown into the Nile
Who was Moses' big sister? Miriam
What did Miriam do? She watched Moses in the river floating to keep him safe
Who protects you? God, parents, etc.
Who do you protect?
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"Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right." Ephesians 6:1
Who did Abraham obey? God
What did God ask Abraham to do? Take Isaac up the mountain as an offering.
Who did Isaac obey? His dad, Abraham.
What did people put on the altar to have relationship with God? Animals
How do we have relationship with God now? Through Jesus
What did God provide to take Isaac’s place on the altar? A ram
Just like Isaac obeyed his dad, who do we obey? Our parents
When we we obey our parents?
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"Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right." Ephesians 6:1
Who did Noah obey? God
What did God tell Noah to do? Build an ark
What did God tell Noah to put on the ark? His family & 2 of every animal
What came down from the sky? Rain
How long did it rain? 40 days and 40 nights
Who was safe? Noah & everyone on the boat
What did God promise? That He would never flood the earth again
What was in the sky? A rainbow