The Blog
Of First Importance
The fact that there are different interpretations on all kinds of matters in the Bible begs the question: what is the main thing, then? The Apostle Paul tells us what the main thing is: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and Him crucified, resurrected, and returning. Faith in Christ draws us into the law of Christ: loving God and loving others, as ourselves.
The First Vote
The bottom line is that Paul is not restricting women from talking in church services, nor is he restricting women from teaching men. Paul is concerned about fostering peace between husbands and wives for the sake of their marriage and for the sake of Christian witness.
Bored Faith
We formulate and develop experiences to help us draw closer to God, but the great irony is that great experiences may actually draw us further away from God, because God is not in the experience. God is God. And God is Spirit. And we encounter God spirit to Spirit in loving fellowship and relationship, regardless of the “sphere” that we devise for the “experience.”
Way of Love
The way of love edifies the church. There is nothing wrong with edifying oneself to draw close to God. But edifying others is better, more mature, more spiritual.
As Myself
The command to love does not really apply to those we easily connect with. That would be like a command to breathe. No. The command to love applies when we are faced with people we do not easily connect with. … Why? Because it is on the basis of such love that we build up the church of Jesus Christ according to the word of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Body Parts
The Bible tells us that every local church is critically important in the kingdom of God. And if that is true, then every house church is critically important in the kingdom of God. … No one should blindly take my word for it. We can all read the Bible ourselves from a position of faith (like our passage here) and listen to what the Word of God Himself has to say on such matters. And people can disagree with me all they want. But let no one disagree with Jesus Christ, the Living Word.
BASICly
BASICly, what all believers need more of (including myself!) is a passion to serve the Lord and to build up His church. Along with that, what we all need more of is love for others and humility in regard to ourselves. … And in particular, we ought to think of our Lord’s desires above all things. What does Jesus want of me? What does His word tell me that He wants of me?
Discerning the Body
I might never preach a sermon on these verses. However, it is the word of God, and so we must reflect on what the Lord may want to communicate to us.
Christ the Head Again
To be clear with regard to my own opinion, I believe that the senior pastor, that is, the senior teaching and preaching pastor, of a church should be male.
Christ the Head
As the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting approaches, the controversy over whether women can hold the office of “pastor” in a church is coming to a head once again.