Let me first start by saying this isn’t a post to start controversy, no, not at all. However, it is a post to point some things out. Today there is a push for women to sit by silently and let the men do the work. Men can care for, disciple, train, lead and even admonish women, yet women are not allowed to reciprocate that type of work. Women are to sit silently by, waiting tables, keeping the kids quiet, taking care of the home, while the men go out and do the “real work of ministry. Many men have rewritten ecclesiological history basing their theological conclusions off of a handful of verses. Well what does Paul think?

Romans 16 provides us with a totally different perspective of womanhood and manhood in the church, at least at Rome. Here is what Paul says:

16:1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, 2 that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well. 3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. 5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11 Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12 Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

Jon Zens whose latest book “What is With Paul and Women” says this:

Paul designated Priscilla and Aquila as his “coworkers”(cf. Rom. 16:3). The same word, sunergos, issued with reference to people like Timothy and Titus. Junia and Andronicus [wife/husband or sister/brother] were greeted by Paul as “outstanding among the apostles” (cf. Rom. 16:7). They were his relatives and had been in prison with him. Clearly, there were many identified as “apostles,” like Barnabas, who were not among the original Twelve. Junia was also among such apostolic workers. There is no reason to think that she was the only such female apostle or that female apostles were regarded as rare or unusual. This illustrates that apostolic labor was not male-specific. Among all the people Paul greeted in Romans 16, ten were sisters among whom were “Tryphena and Tryphosa [who may have been twins], women who work hard for the Lord” (cf. Rom. 16:12).

In other words, women were not just passive, standbyers waiting to be told what to do by men. They were filled with God’s Spirit, which means they were gifted just like men and these gifts were used to build the Church along side of their fellow Spirit filled male contemporaries.

If the Church is to be all that it can be, then we have to allow all who are gifted to operate in their gifts. This is not exclusive to women but also children who are filled with the Spirit. As the Body we dont’ want to mute anyone who can speak on the behalf of God, rather that is gender, age, or tenure in the faith. All of God’s people can speak, can be used and can “bear burdens”, “admonish”, “teach”, “encourage” and “edify”. As Paul says “when Jesus ascended He gave gifts unto men” these gifts are to be used for His body and these gifts are not exclusive to any specific demographic as all are “one in Christ”.

spiritual gifts, women

We all know and believe that there is a lot we can learn from our brother, the apostle Paul. For he has written many of the New Testament books that we study and learn from. I was having a discussion this week with friends and fellow believers and it was pointed out, how much Paul was looking forward to seeing the believers of the Roman fellowship so that he can be encouraged by them. Paul says in chapter 1 ” that I may be encouraged together with you while among you each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine” Rom. 1:12. He then says in our reading today: “that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company Rom. 15:32.  I can only imagine how encouraged the believers of Rome were when they read   how encouraged he (Paul) would be by being in their midst. What we can learn from this is that we all should continuously  encourage each other. There isn’t anyone within the body of Christ who isn’t significant enough to encourage fellow believers. When this letter was written it was  addressed to those who had been saved for a while as well as those who had just gotten saved the day before. They were all encouraged by Paul and he said he would be just as encouraged by them. We should look forward to the encouragement we receive from our fellow brothers and sisters as well as the enouragement we will give to them.  Paul tells us in in 1 Tess. 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another. So let us begin to think of each other and how we can encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ as well as look forward to the encouragement we would recieve from the Body, so that we may feel the refreshing rest Paul speaks of in Rom. 15:32. Be encouraged…

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Paul says: Now we who are strong have and obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up (Rom. 15:1-2) .  Those are some pretty powerful words to consider. In today’s times so many of us (not all) are totally consumed in ourselves and our personal obligations (work, kids, spouses, house work, etc…) that we don’t have or don’t make time to even consider our weaker brothers and sisters in the faith. Lots of times we have a “sink or swim” attitude towards each other. We attend gatherings every week and don’t know anything about each other. So how would we know which of us are weaker or stronger? We have got to become more caring, and more loving, and compassionate.  How much better would life be if those of us that are strong would actually see it as an obligationor a duty to not only consider the failings of the weak but to bear or carry them as we are called to do? How much love would those who are weaker see and experience? How much growth and strength would they receive? But most important, how much Christ would they see in those of us who have been made strong in the faith? Paul says ” For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached YOU fell on Me Rom.15:3. What better example could be given? I know this post consists of a lot of questions but I think these are the types of questions we should all ask ourselves so that we can begin to experience living in  the harmony with one another that Paul speaks of in Rom.15:5-7.

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