Confident Woman 103

The Confident Woman by Joyce Meyer
Chapter 3

Hi friends! Don't forget to view Suzette's post at http://godlyrose.blogspot.com
You can also view Chapter 1 and Chapter 2's notes.

This chapter was all about answering the question, Do women have a place in ministry? And Joyce Meyer answered the question with a resounding, Yes, they do!!! Out of all of her biblical research she feels many men (with a lot of ego) have used and misinterpreted Paul's saying in 1 Timothy 2: 11, 12 "Let a woman learn in quietness, in entire submissiveness. I allow no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to remain in quietness and keep silence {In religious assemblies}. I have to admit that if you take that verse out of context, well then, it seems very clear that women shouldn't have church ministries. But Joyce believes Paul was addressing a specific woman in a specific church who was out of control. She says, about 1 Cor 14: 28, 32, 34 that "all of these instructions were intended to bring order to the service-not to silence the people forever or prevent them from teaching and preaching the gospel of Christ."

Joyce was also bringing up how women do much of the Sunday school teaching at most churches, and that if women are to be silent in church, then we shouldn't be teaching at all. The men should be doing all the teaching. But look at how many women serve in your own church. Joyce states, "Pastors often tell me that if the women quit showing up at church and doing so much of the work, most churches could not survive." I know this is true for our church. We do have lots of awesome men willing to teach the kids and nursery, and youth group age, but the majority of the teachers are female.

Why should women be prevented from fulfilling their God ordained destiny by men who have an oversized ego and refuse to look at everything God has to say about women? Joyce points out all the women that God used to speak on behalf of their people, like Esther, Miriam, Deborah and Ruth. And look at the women who helped Jesus in his ministry on earth, Mary, Mary Magdalene or Priscilla. If women were to keep quiet, then why did God use these women?

In Joel 2:28,29 Joel prophesied about how the Holy Spirit would pour out His Spirit upon all people, not just men. And they would prophesy which means teaching and preaching! All I know is that God has always used and still does use women as leaders and teachers, preachers, ministers, missionaries, authors, evangelists, prophets and so on.


Sorry ladies, it is short this week, we've all been sick and I am so out of it. I pray the book continues to be a blessing to all of you!