My Response to Male Leadership in the Church

When I came to the Lord at age twenty-four, I understood for the first time in my life that everything God does and everything He commands is perfectly loving and 100% true (Hebrews 4:12-13). 

I tell you this because even though I'm analytical and always questioning things, I didn't challenge God's commands about women's roles—I accepted them. I'm not saying I fully understood them, nor have I been a perfectly submissive wife. But I trusted that God's commands were good for me.

In my fifty years as a believer, I've never changed my mind about the fulfillment, purpose, and protection of those commands. In fact, it offends me when someone calls them "chauvinist" (Psalm 119:53).

Satan is always seeking to keep us from the blessings of God's design (John 10:10). And when biblical truths contradict popular opinion, we can expect people to criticize, misunderstand, redefine, or disregard them.

Before we get into specifics about biblical male and female roles in the church, I encourage you to ask yourself these two things:

1. Do you think God would allow His people to misunderstand such an important principle as male leadership roles for thousands of years and wait until the 21st century to set us straight? 

2. Do you believe that God's commands bring joy and blessings even when we don't fully understand their purpose? 

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As you've probably already figured out, we're going to handle this issue of male and female roles slowly and carefully. 

I encourage you to take some time and read We Need It: A Submissive Heart. For more insight, see 3 Questions Every Christian Must Answer and Without the Bible, We're Lost. 

 

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How a Loving God Keeps Our Fingers from the Flames

One winter evening years ago, my husband and I were visiting our daughter's family. While sitting in the living room talking, my daughter noticed that our two-year-old granddaughter Gracie was standing in front of the fireplace, extending her little hand toward the flames.

Leaping to her feet, our daughter screamed loudly at Gracie, lifting the startled toddler into her arms and bringing her away from the flames. Even though this was the most loving thing our daughter could do, from Gracie's perspective, her mom had spoiled her fun, and she let us know with loud, angry cries. The flames looked so beautiful and inviting, and Gracie obviously thought they'd be wonderful to touch.

Gracie's attitude isn't limited to two-year-olds. People of all ages can be attracted to sin and think God's commands are meant to spoil their fun. To make things worse, our culture often encourages us to “play with fire.”  

Let's never forget that God's commands keep us safely in his arms (John 15:10). 

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1

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To read about some other things I've learned from my granddaughter Gracie, see: 

Have You Folded Any Socks Today?

It Doesn't Get Better than This

💙 Please check out The Bible Love Notes devotional Wisdom for Life. It features one-minute devotions from Psalms and Proverbs and is on sale at reduced prices on Lifeway, Amazon, and CBD.  

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Do You Yearn for More than God's Word ?!?

 

In her first edition of Jesus Calling, Sarah Young explained, “I knew that God communicated with me through the Bible, but I yearned for more.”(1)

The amazing popularity of Young's books confirms that many professing Christians also yearn for more. They'd rather be mentored by Young's words disguised in Christ's voice than by Christ's actual words in Scripture.

Sitting in a restaurant, I heard a man loudly excusing his sinful behavior saying, “After all, Jesus’ disciples were adulterers and bad people when Christ chose them.” 

He obviously yearned for more than God's Word in dealing with his sins because he was excusing them based on fictional aspects of The Chosen. Millions are shaping their faith from The Chosen's mixture of truth, fiction, and error.

For years, professing Christians have yearned for “Boundaries” instead of biblical reconciliation, trusting an author who says, “I have tried the ‘standard’ Christian answers for others, and myself and have come to Job’s conclusion: they are worthless medicine” (source).  

 

A little bit of error mixed with truth is the most effective method of deception.

When the Pharisees taught people to set “aside the commands of God” for man-made traditions, Jesus said, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (see Mark 7). 

If you're yearning for more than the Scripture, please ask God to show you the beautiful life-changing power of His Word. Once you've experienced its perfection, wisdom, and guidance, you could never yearn for more, especially from sources that misrepresent it.

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See God Wrote Us a Book...Incredible to learn my response to Scripture as a new believer. See also Dallas Jenkins Explains the Story Behind The Chosen and the collection of articles in Are Boundaries Biblical?

(1) This was removed from later copies of the book because it doesn't reflect a Christian attitude toward God's Word, but that doesn't change the fact that it's Young's testimony. The publisher also removed Young's explanation of the method that inspired her to write Jesus Calling because the method is New Age, not biblical. See Please Examine the Claim of the Jesus Calling Author. And I highly recommend this video by Doreen Virtue who used to be involved in the New Age before she became a Christian: Proof Jesus Calling Is New Age, not Christian.

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The Results of Promoting Self-Control Instead of Self-Esteem

For forty to fifty years secular psychology has taught that having high self-esteem is important for our well-being. However, some secular psychologists are now changing their minds.

“Florida State University Professor Roy Baumeister (Ph.D. psychology, Princeton University) has revealed that in a lifetime of study of violent criminals, the one characteristic nearly all these criminals share is high self-esteem” (source).

Baumeister believes self-control is more important than self-esteem. He explains that children with good self-control do better in school and are more popular with peers. When they grow up, they tend to be more law-abiding, have better relationships, and have fewer emotional problems (source).

This is no surprise to Christians who've studied God's Word:

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2

“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” Psalm 25:9

“What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6

“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” James 4:6

“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” Romans 12:3

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” Philippians 2:3, see Philippians 2:3-11 for a more thorough understanding of this passage.

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See The Low Self-Esteem Excuse and 6 Ways the Self-Esteem Movement Contradicts Scripture. 

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Don't Trust Teachings that Use These Methods

Dear Christians, beware of any teacher who: 

🠞 1. Claims Christians have been wrong about some of God's commands for thousands of years.

See False Teachings about Sodom and Gomorrah. 

🠞 2. Claims a New Testament command is only cultural. 

See Comparing Apples and Rocks.

🠞 3. Claims a Bible author was only sharing his opinion.

See Paul's Letters Are Scripture.

🠞 4. Uses complex arguments to explain away obvious truths in Scripture.

See A Letter Defending Male and Female. 

I encourage you to read the verses below that urge us to be wise in judging the things we hear. In fact, you might want to memorize some of these verses. 

Colossians 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”

Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

1 Corinthians 3:18-20: “Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become ‘fools’ so that you may become wise.  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness’; and again, ‘The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.’”

1 Corinthians 1:20: “Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”

1 Corinthians 2:14: “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

2 Timothy 4:3: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

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See 6 Steps to Expose False Teachings and  4 Things Promoted in False Teachings.

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When Male Leadership in the Church Is Misused

Before we start our careful study of male and female roles in the church, we must understand that every biblical command has been misused. But when people abuse God’s commands, that doesn’t mean the command is wrong. It means the person is wrong. 

Some people are unfaithful to their spouses, and some parents mistreat their children. But that doesn’t mean we should give up on God’s design for marriage or parenting. Some church leaders are abusive, manipulative, predatory, or selfish. But that doesn’t mean we should give up on God’s design for church leadership.

God sets high standards for leaders. Ungodly leaders should be removed, and anyone who remains silent about an abusive leader is a partner in his crime. 

Furthermore, no one (man or woman) should obey an ungodly request. Never!

Scripture explains that a leader must be “above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 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.” (1 Timothy 3).

Detailed qualifications are also found in Titus 1:6-9, and God judges teachers more strictly than others (James 3:1).  

So let’s continue our Friday discussions with this foundation: God’s commands are not the cause of abuse. Sinful men are the cause of abuse. 

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For more insights, see When to Disobey Authority and Sexual Abuse in the Church - Placing the Blame Where It Belongs. And check out Limits to Submission: Abuse and Limits to Submission: Immoral or Illegal Requests.  I wrote these last two devotions specifically regarding abuse in marriage, but the principles apply to church leadership as well. However, as we'll discuss in future posts, submission in marriage is very different from submission to church leadership.

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How David Slew Goliath

The story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 offers some wonderful principles for slaying our “giants,” those things that challenge our faith and sometimes seem insurmountable.

Five tips for dealing with “giants”:

1. David trusted God in his everyday life as a shepherd, being faithful in smaller things. This prepared him to be faithful in greater things (vv. 34-37).

See When Little Things Are Big Things.

2. David didn't trust himself. He trusted God. He responded to Goliath's taunts by speaking truth, and he wasn't deterred by the size of his enemy (vv. 45-47).

See The Shepherd Knew. The Giant Didn't,  Trash Talk versus Truth Talk, and Some Trust in Chariots and Some in Horses.

3. David ignored jealous critics and doubters (Eliab vv. 28-31 and King Saul vv. 33-40). 

See Don't Listen to Doubters and Sometimes We Miss Seeing the Heart.

4. While both armies stood waiting, David was proactive and aggressive in taking on Goliath (vv. 48-49).

See 4 Ways to Be Aggressive In Fighting Satan.

5. So let's follow David's example—building our faith in our daily life, speaking truth when others speak lies, ignoring jealous critics and doubters, and being proactive in fighting our battles.

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This devotion offers us an example of a “giant” that Christians are currently facing: A Present Goliath We Must Address & Defeat.

And I encourage you to do the Bite Size Bible study based on this devotion: Slaying Our Goliaths.

💙 Please check out The Bible Love Notes devotional Wisdom for Life. It features one-minute devotions from Psalms and Proverbs and is on sale at reduced prices on Lifeway, Amazon, and CBD.  

And please sign up for a free email subscription to Bible Love Notes online devotions HERE. 

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Are You Swimming Upstream?

When we seek to follow Christ and represent His values in our fallen culture, it's like “swimming upstream.” We must be deliberate and persistent, refusing to be swept downstream with the majority (Matthew 7:13-14).

Swimming upstream means swimming against the current of sin and the flood of popular teachings that redefine God. It means identifying half-truths presented in Christian materials and letting God give us strength to resist pressures to conform inside and outside of the church.  

Our culture is happy “going with the flow,” swimming downstream, denying God's loving commands, and celebrating things that break God's heart (Psalm 12:7-8). 

They think they're headed for a holiday at the beach when they're actually heading for the retention pond of filth, conformity, and death.

Let's not join them. Let's swim with all of the strength God gives us as we head toward the pure mountain brook of Living Water.

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For more insights on the subject see: Blessed Are the Pure in Heart and 6 Attitudes of the World that Salty Christians Avoid.

 

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He Is No Fool Who Gives What He Cannot Keep

April Fool’s Day isn’t a church holiday, but God has lots to say about fools.

We celebrate foolishness:

1. When we neglect God’s Word.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7

2. When we refuse correction.

Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.
Proverbs 23:9; 17:10

3. When we trust ourselves.

Those who trust in themselves are fools.
Proverbs 28:26

4. When we think we know it all.

Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.
Proverbs 18:2

5. When we lose control.

A fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure.
Proverbs 14:16

But the most grievous celebration of foolishness is this:
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
Psalm 14:1

Martyred missionary Jim Elliot said it well: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." 

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See 3 Ways to Identify a Fool and 3 More Aspects of Foolishness.

 

I encourage you to check out the Wisdom for Life Devotional. It contains 100 one-minute devotions to challenge, encourage, instruct, and inspire your love for God's Word: Wisdom for Life. Read the story behind Wisdom for Life HERE. Find out about the two free Bible studies with purchase HERE. You can read the first four devotions in the book by clicking "look inside" on Lifeway or Amazon.

 

I also encourage you to sign up for a free subscription to Bible Love Notes and get a free e-booklet. Find out more HERE.

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Is Romans 16:17-18 Hyperbolic?

What do you think when a good teacher “shares the stage” with a false teacher? I recently heard someone describe this concern as “hyperbolic.” Hyperbolic is a sophisticated way to say this concern is “exaggerated…blown out of proportion.” 

I disagree. When solid Christians participate in seminars and conferences with people teaching biblical errors, they appear to be giving their approval to such speakers. 

Is it hyperbolic to be concerned that Christians might follow a false teacher based on this outward approval?

I personally know people raised in Christian homes who rejected their faith due to the half-truths promoted by false teachers. (See How Can We Bear Watching Loved Ones Reject the Lord?)

Is it hyperbolic to think good teachers should not align themselves with such people? 

God answers our questions in Romans 16:17-18:

“I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.” 

Some might call this passage hyperbolic. But it actually shows God's strong desire to protect us from errors that damage our faith.

For more on partnering with those who teach error, see Paul's warning in Acts 20:20-32 and also check out the strong warning in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 about partnering with unbelievers. 

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Some people might think it's hyperbolic to write my post Beware of the IF Gathering for Women because some of the teachers participating in the seminar are good teachers. If you haven't read it, I encourage you to do so. I've been adding research to it on a regular basis, so even if you read it before, you might want to check it out again. It now contains information on IF Gathering speakers David Platt and Brandon Cromer as well as info on a controversial video where Jennie Allen (IF Gathering founder) interviewed Mike Kelsey.

 

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