God needs
women today who will faithfully portray through their lives, the glory
that He originally intended to manifest through a woman, when He created
Eve.
Her Glory
As Man's Helper
When God
made Eve, it was in order that she might be a helper suitable for man
(Gen. 2:18). The glory of this ministry is seen, when we notice that the
title of 'Helper' is what Jesus used to refer to the Holy Spirit as well
(Jn. 14:16)!
As the Holy
Spirit invisibly and silently, yet powerfully helps the believer, even
so the woman was created to help the man. The ministry of the Holy
Spirit is 'behind the scenes'. So is the woman's to be.
The life of
Jesus also is an example to woman; for God's Word states that man is the
woman's head in exactly the same way as God (the Father) is the head of
Christ (1 Cor. 11:3). Jesus always acted in submission to His Father. A
God-fearing sister will act likewise in relation to her husband. Eve's
mistake in the garden of Eden was that she failed to consult her husband
before she took a decision. Thus Satan deceived her (1 Tim. 2:14). Where
Eve failed, God calls Christian wives today to manifest the glory of
submission to their husbands, exactly as Jesus was to the Father and as
the church is to Christ (Eph. 5:24).
Sin entered
the universe through the rebellion of Lucifer. Salvation came through
the submission of Christ. The spirit of humble submission to God's
authority is the greatest power that there is in the universe - for it
is the Spirit of Christ. That Spirit conquered all the spirits of
rebellion on the cross. When a wife submits to her husband, she is
actually submitting to the authority of God's Word which commands her to
do so; and she is then being influenced by the greatest power in the
universe. Even unconverted husbands can be won over by that power (1
Pet. 3:1,2). If she lives in that submissive spirit during her earthly
life, she will be an overcomer, and will qualify to reign with Jesus for
eternal ages (Rev. 3:21).
Here is
where Satan deceives the woman again. As he led the angels astray, he
leads the woman astray - through the spirit of rebellion. A rebellious
wife converts her home into a barren wasteland, worse than any desert
(that is the implication of Prov. 21:19). On the other hand, a virtuous,
submissive wife, crowns her husband as a king and thus converts her home
into a palace (Prov. 12:4). Your home can either be a palace or a
desert, spiritually speaking. It all depends on the type of wife that
you are. No wonder that what God values most highly is a meek (gentle)
and a quiet spirit (1 Pet. 3:4).
Prov.
31:10-31 describes some of the characteristics of this virtuous wife.
Her heart, hands and tongue are described as excellent.
Nothing is
mentioned about her physical beauty or her feminine charms, for these
are declared to be worthless and deceptive (v. 30). It would be an
excellent thing if all women and young girls, and especially young men
considering marriage, realised this fact.
The virtuous
woman described here, has a heart that fears God (v. 30). This is the
foundation for her whole life. She works with her hands, stitching
clothes, cooking meals, planting trees and helping the poor (v. 13-22).
She uses her tongue at all times with kindness and wisdom (v. 26). She
is God-fearing, hard-working and kind - even if she is not beautiful.
The glory of God is manifested through her pure heart, rough hands and
soft tongue. (Worldly women, in contrast, have an impure heart, soft
hands and a rough tongue!). It is in these areas that God looks for
women today to manifest His glory.
As a wife,
this virtuous woman is a true helper to her husband. She does him good
consistently till the end of her life - not in fits and starts (v. 12).
In other words, she never loses her first love for him. She also adjusts
herself to his profession and calling in life, supplementing his income
with her own quiet labours at home, being thrifty and careful in
expenditure, so that no money is wasted. She relieves her husband of
home responsibilities, so that he can have a ministry in the land for
the Lord (v. 23-27). No wonder her husband praises her saying that of
all the women in the world (including women prime ministers and women
preachers), she is the best of the lot (v. 29). Such a woman certainly
deserves to be praised publicly too (v. 31), for she has understood the
glory of her calling as a woman.
The New
Testament places great emphasis on 'serving the saints' in our homes.
"Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to
stay in the night. ... and get into the habit of inviting guests home
for dinner" (1 Pet. 4:9; Rom. 12:23 - LB). Hospitality is primarily the
responsibility of the wife in the home. She can receive a prophet's
reward, without ever being a prophet herself, merely by welcoming a
prophet into her home (Matt. 10:41). She will be rewarded for
hospitality shown to the least of Jesus' disciples as well (Matt.
10:41). To receive an apostle into our homes is equivalent to receiving
Jesus Himself (Matt. 10:40). Likewise, to receive a child in Jesus' name
is also equivalent to receiving Jesus (Matt. 18:5). What fantastic
possibilities are opened up for sisters in the area of hospitality! The
early Christians (to whom Paul and Peter wrote concerning hospitality),
were by and large, very poor. Simple food and a place to sleep on the
floor however, were all that they were asked to offer the saints. It is
when believers seek the honour of men that they feel that they cannot be
hospitable, until they are capable of offering rich food and grand
accommodation. 1 Tim. 5:10 indicates that even poor widows in the first
century, served the saints in their homes!
The glory of
God is seen in a woman who has seen her calling as a home-maker.
Her
Calling As A Mother
Adam called
his wife 'Eve', because she was a mother. In the pure light of God's
presence, in Eden, he knew clearly what his wife's ministry was. Eve
knew it as well. Sin and human traditions (influenced by Satan) have
now, however, clouded women's understanding, so that she no longer sees
her glory as a mother. Children are now called by the Satanic name of
'accidents', when God calls them 'gifts' (Psa. 127:3). They are also
considered to be a 'nuisance', when God considers them to be a
'blessing' (Psa. 127:5; 128:4). This is but another indication of how
far, even so-called Christians have drifted away from God and become
Satanic in their thinking!
Timothy's
mother, Eunice, however, was quite different. She had seen her calling
clearly. Even though her husband was an unbeliever (Acts 16:1), it did
not dampen her faith. She was a woman with a 'sincere faith' (2 Tim.
1:5) who knew the word of God. She taught God's Word to Timothy (2 Tim.
3:14,15); and more than that - she imparted her sincere faith to him as
well. Timothy's home was one where his mother enabled him to breathe the
pure air of 'faith' in the midst of a world full of the poisonous fumes
of unbelief. He probably saw his mother frequently in prayer, frequently
praising God, trusting God in difficult situations and never nagging or
complaining - for these are but some of the characteristics of a
'sincere faith'. It is not surprising then that Timothy grew up to be an
apostle and a close co-worker of the apostle Paul. His mother's labours
finally bore fruit.
That should
be a challenge to all 20th century mothers. Eunice, Timothy's mother,
did more for the Lord and the church, by being a first class mother at
home for 16 to 20 years, than she could ever have done if she had
travelled the world as a preacher for 100 years! In more recent times,
we have heard of Susannah Wesley, who was the mother of 15 children.
Poverty stalked her home and some of her children died in childhood. But
she brought up the others in the fear of God, personally instructing
each one of them. One of her sons, John Wesley, grew up to be a mighty
instrument in God's hands. Millions throughout the world have been
blessed during the last two centuries, through his labours and his
writings. Susannah Wesley could never have done even a small fraction of
what her son did, if she had neglected her home and gone to work to make
more money, or even travelled the world as a Bible teacher or
evangelist.
In talking
about the ministries of men and women, Paul tells Timothy, that although
women cannot have either the ministry of teaching or eldership, they can
have the ministry of motherhood (1 Tim. 2:12,15). In the context of the
letter, it is obvious that Paul considers motherhood to be a ministry in
the church. This is the second ministry that God calls women to - to be
a God-fearing mother to her children. Timothy had seen the glory of this
in his own childhood home. He was now to teach that to others in
Ephesus.
Men excel
women in all professions in life. In one area alone do women stand out
as unique - as 'mothers'. This, by itself, indicates what God created
woman to be. Mothers who have neglected their children either to go to
work to earn more money (to live in greater luxury) or even to be
preachers, have invariably had the sad experience, later on in life, of
seeing their children suffer in one way or another, due to their being
neglected in their early years. They can do nothing but regret now. This
should be a warning to the younger generation of mothers. If a mother
goes to work, for the sake of her family's financial survival, God will
certainly give such a family extra grace. But where the motive is luxury
and a higher standard of living, she can only expect to reap corruption,
for God cannot be fooled (Gal. 6:7,8).
May the eyes
of all mothers be opened to see the glory of their calling.
Her Glory
As A Witness For Christ
A woman's
primary witness for Christ, as we have seen, is by being a man's helper
and a mother to her children. But God also calls her to be a witness by
her mouth. God has never called a woman in the New Testament age, to be
an apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd or teacher. There were
prophetesses under the old covenant - the last being Anna. But the only
prophetess in the New Testament (after the day of Pentecost) is Jezebel,
the false prophetess (Rev. 2:20). Every woman who claims to be a
prophetess or preacher today, is therefore a follower of Jezebel. Let no
one be mistaken about that fact. All 'Elijahs' of God must resist and
expose such 'Jezebels' (1 Ki. 21:20-23). In the New Testament, women
could prophesy occasionally as Philip's daughters did. (But it is clear
that these sisters were not prophetesses; for when God wanted to give a
message to the apostle Paul, while he was in Philip's house, He did not
use any of Philip's four daughters, but brought a prophet, Agabus, from
50 miles away (Acts 21:8-11)). Jesus never called a woman to be one of
His apostles, for He never intended a woman to have authority over man
(1 Tim. 2:12). But although none of these ministries are open to women,
yet they can be witnesses for the Lord in many other ways.
Mary
Magdalene was the first witness of the risen Christ. She was not an
evangelist, but a faithful witness who testified about what she had seen
and experienced. Every woman should be baptised in the Holy Spirit and
fire (like Mary and the other women were, on the day of Pentecost) in
order to be such a witness for Christ (Acts 1:8,14). The restrictions of
Indian culture prevent many of the Indian women from ever hearing the
gospel through the mouths of men. Only Spirit filled women can reach
them. Every God-fearing sister in Christ, should therefore take this
responsibility of giving the gospel to those with whom she is in contact
- relatives, friends, neighbours, women-servants, etc.
The New
Testament teaches that a woman can pray and prophesy in the church too,
provided she has her head covered (1 Cor. 11:5). Prayer is one of the
primary ministries that all sisters can engage in, for the building of
the church. God is certainly looking today for women who will engage in
secret prayer for the fulfilment of His purposes. Women can prophesy
too. Acts 2:17,18 clearly states that when the Spirit is outpoured, both
men and women will prophesy. This is part of a woman's privilege under
the new covenant. She can share God's word in a spirit of submission in
the meetings of the church, provided she does not try to teach (1 Tim.
2:12). Older women are however exhorted to teach the younger sisters
practical matters related to their conduct at home (Tit. 2:4,5). 'Helps'
is one of the gifts that God has appointed in the church (1 Cor. 12:28).
All sisters - young and old - should seek for this gift so that they can
help in the church in various practical ways. There were many such godly
sisters in the early church ("Phoebe has been a helper of many" - Rom.
16:1,2. See also v. 3,6,12). God desires that there be many in the
church today as well.
The covering
of a woman's head (taught in 1 Cor. 11:1-16) is meant to symbolise:
(a) That the
glory of man is to be covered in the church (v. 7).
(b) That the
glory of woman should also be covered in the church (v. 15) - for a
woman's long hair is her glory. (Women are conscious of this, and that
is why even many who do cover their heads cover them only partially!)
(c) That she
is submissive to the authority of the man (v. 10) - whether husband,
father or elder.
According to
v. 16, every church, which is a church of God, will insist on this head
covering for women.
A woman is
also to be a faithful witness for Christ through her clothing. The Holy
Spirit totally forbids three things for all Christian women - fancy
hairdos, expensive clothes and jewellery (mentioned twice, in 1 Tim. 2:9
and 1 Pet. 3:3). Every God-fearing sister who trembles at God's word
will obey even the least of these three commandments exactly (Matt.
5:19). Women are also to be modest and discreet in their dressing (1
Tim. 2:9). Clothes are meant to cover a woman's body, not to expose it.
No God-fearing sister will ever permit a tailor to cut and 'shape' her
clothes according to the fashions of the women of the world. The
low-worn sari, the low-cut blouse and the painted lips and nails are
marks of the followers of Jezebel (2 Ki. 9:30), not of the disciples of
Jesus Christ. (Read Isa. 3:16-24 carefully, to see how God denounces the
dress fashions and the jewellery of the worldly daughters of Zion).
Since Satan
is eager to destroy the God-appointed distinction between the sexes as
well, it is not surprising that he has got 20th century women to cut
their hair short like men and to wear men's clothes (which God said was
an abomination to Him - Deut. 22:5). Domineering wives and women
preachers are all part of the drift of Christendom's women further and
further away from God and His Word.
In the midst
of all this, God needs women who will stay within the boundaries that He
has laid down in His Word, and who will manifest the true glory of
womanhood throughout their lives. Determine with all your heart then,
that you will be a woman after God's own heart, in these last days, in
the midst of a sinful and adulterous generation and a compromising
Christendom.
God will
give you grace for this, if you earnestly desire it yourself.