from Pleasant Grove Baptist Church https://ift.tt/32kfqEw
via IFTTT The beauty of God's system, called family. Some might be tempted to look at this scripture on a negative light. "Women can't speak in church? That's discrimination!" But hold on... Before we accuse God of wrongdoing, let seek to understand what God is saying through Paul here. First, context. Paul is writing to a church that he had birthed who had fallen into chaotic meetings of disrespectful yelling, each one trying to overpower the other in prophesy, speaking in tongues, singing, etc. Much of this letter to the church is Paul explaining how God puts everything into order as a Holy Spirit choreographed event with everyone participating but one at a time and respectfully. Today we have fallen into the opposite trap. Most churches seek so much order, even control, that no one speaks during the "service". All, men and women alike, sit silently listening. How can we begin to complain about "women be silent" when today ALL are silent? First we should seek to operate as the early church did, before we complain about instruction to that church. But more importantly, this is not an indictment against the women, but a strong show of support for families. All through time, history, and scripture, God has ordained the family as the structure He builds society on. In fact, the family was created long before "the church". The church was ordained as a vehicle to help the families to serve God, not the other way around. The church serves the families within it. The church is, in essence, our extended family. A family of families. Therefore, at church, the family is represented to the larger group. We are not to each be independent individuals in church, but each part of our family. Each family learns and grows and contributes. This is how God brings order, each family is a recognized group. To do this, each family must have a spokesman to represent it. That spokesman is the father/husband. It is vital that the father /husband be recognized as the priest of the family to preserve God's order. This is what Paul is referring to. The wives and children fall under the husband's authority just as the husbands fall under the local priest's authority. It is a heiriechy ordained by God. The family goes to church, the father represents the family, and guides the application of all learned in light of his own family's needs. It is the husband/father who is responsible for being in tune with the family so that he can guide each individual in their growth, just as the pastor guides each family put under his care, father's guide the members of the family. Families learn and grow together. This system of "church" is perhaps so foreign to our understanding today that we struggle to understand scriptures such as "women be silent in church". In our church, EVERYONE is silent unless called upon with a scripted contribution. We split families up by age and gender, destroying the basic structure God ordained, and put the poor pastor in charge of guiding everyone. When that doesn't work (as it simply can't) we bring in Sunday School teachers and youth leaders in and attempt to meet the needs of the individuals within the family, but without a family structure. Now, don't get me wrong, all these servants do their best and are committed loving individuals, but the model is simply broken and can not work! The family can not be split apart and then expected to thrive. Statistics show us that this man made model is not working. How much simpler and more effective to just use the God ordained heiriechy and structure of family within the church. Dad is the representative of the family, he acts as youth leader and counselor to his own family, and the church assists dad in his journey as family priest. Everyone now has their own priest! Dad, mom, children, all are served individually through a very close relationship. And then, when we all come together, dad represents the family to the church. He presents the work of his hands and seeks help. He applies truths presented by others to his little "church" called family. It's absolutely beautiful and brilliant as a social fabric! But, if individuals see themselves as individuals and demand to speak of their own accord, representing themselves, demanding attention to themselves, the whole structure breaks down. How can God bless when we reject his structure? This is what Paul refers to... Respecting God's creation and order while everyone participates in their own is chaos. This is not a mandate against women speaking in church, no! This is a mandate to support families as God created them with each family contributing as a active participant in church, in a model where every individual has a personal pastor to guide them. To anyone who rejects this heirechy Paul asks "are you so important, has truth come to you only, are you more then everyone else?". That is pride talking. "I want to be recognized, I don't want to be part of my family, I want to stand alone". Pride. Rebellion. God will not bless. We dare not reject God's design for the spiritual body (church) any more than His design for our physical bodies. We live by certain rules of health for our bodies. The church body is the same. rejecting how God designed our bodies brings sickness and weakness. Embracing God's design brings health and blessing and power. Can women speak in church? Of course, so long as they are accepting the heirichy God ordained and doing so in order with respect, just like everyone else. This is not a mandate to never utter a word, this is a mandate to respect families as God's designed and central vehicle of life. What of single ladies in the church? Simple. If a single woman, mother or not, is a member, she represents her family in place of the father / husband. She becomes the family spokesman until such time as God brings the or a father/husband into obedience and they can operate as a full family. If she remains single, she remains as the family priest. This all may seem counter cultural, mostly because the church today has little resemblance to the new testament church Paul was speaking to. We have drifted far off course, following the wisdom of men in how we structure the church. Only when we go back to the new testament God ordained design can we fully understand the beauty of structure and order where each member is free to express themselves in each and every church service as a active working member of God's family of families. It's beautiful when we get this right! God can finally bless.
