Threads - a study on Women's Role in the church - Amy Lawrence
Threads
Women In the Church
As in any organization, every person involved has their part to do in order for the machine to run properly. Every part matters. The church is made up of many individual threads in a tapestry - a picture that should show Christ to the world. No thread is above another in worth or merit.
None of us are worthy of salvation, but salvation is still given without partiality, Rom. 3. Women are often seen as less in the church by those that do not understand the church because we are commanded to submit to men. We are to have no leading role in the services of assembly worship, 1 Tim. 2:8-15, and are expected to have a “gentle and quiet spirit”, 1 Pet. 3:1-6. To outsiders, this is seen as demeaning and unfair. I’d like to show anyone that is interested in truth why being a woman in the church is neither of those things. The women that make up their respective threads in the tapestry of the church are as important as any other thread.
I’d like to encourage anyone reading this to consider the background of the church. The general population misses what is found in the background of any image because they focus only on what stands out. Women are a vital part of the church, but our roles are primarily found beyond the obvious. We are the daughters, mothers, sisters, and wives that make up the female portion of each congregation, and we each have specific responsibilities that are attuned to our given talents. Many would label these responsibilities as unimportant, but they couldn’t be more incorrect. What makes our responsibilities within the church so important? I’m so glad you asked.
First and foremost, we can be a Christian influence. The most life-changing and significant decision any person can make in this life is becoming a child of God. Yes, that is more profound than ANY decision we will make as human beings. Such a choice allows one to be adopted into the family of God Almighty. That in itself is worthy of our gratitude, 2 Cor. 9:15. Being a part of the family of the Father of all Creation should not only be a priority, it should carry with it a desire to be pleasing to God with an attitude of service. The adoption is only the beginning of this abundant life, but I do not want anyone to be ignorant of what this physical life is, exactly; it is a life of service, Luke 9:23. If service is beneath you, then Heaven is beyond you. We’ve been given the example of service and humility to follow, John 13:1-17, but more than that…we’ve been given the recipe for happiness, vs. 17. Serving is always a fulfilling endeavor - not just for the one being served, but for the one serving also. I say this because every Christian, whether male or female, must understand that we are all here to glorify God, not ourselves, Is. 43:7. A part of serving God is serving one another in love, 1 Pet. 4:8-10.
One must also understand that organizations cannot function without structure and order. We have been given the details of the structure and order God requires of His people, the church. This is a concept that has always existed among God’s people. Rules and regulations are a necessity to maintain that ordered structure. If you do not like to be ruled and regulated and feel that you never will, then being a child of God is going to be difficult for you. Humility is a necessary element of being a servant, 1 Pet. 5:5.
Women are as much the living stones that make up the building of God as men are, 1 Pet. 2:4-10. All stones, however, are told what our place is in that building. Proud women tend to feel that they can tell God what their place should be instead of the other way around. They feel that they are too strong, capable, and intelligent to be submissive to rules of gender as found in scripture. What they don’t realize is that, without God, they are none of those things, 1 Chr. 29:12, John 19:10-11. Everything we are or hope to be we owe to God - the Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent Creator - and every human being that has ever existed was fashioned by Him for one reason and only one reason: to glorify HIM, Is. 43:7, 1 Cor. 10:31. “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and HE will lift you up.” (James 4:10)
We have several examples of women in scripture that were humble and obedient servants to God. Before I reference these, I want to point out one simple detail. These women are not lauded in secular history. Only in scripture are they even mentioned.
Hannah
We meet Hannah in the first chapter of 1 Samuel. Society has changed drastically since then, but in Hannah’s time, barrenness was seen as a blemish for women. Hannah was taunted by Peninnah for being barren, but Hannah, instead of choosing to retaliate or find means outside of God’s will to have a child, chose to pray, 1 Sam. 1:10. God blessed Hannah with a son, 1 Sam. 1:20. She dedicated her son to God, both in name (Samuel = “name of God”) and in living sacrifice, 1 Sam. 1:20-22.
Tabitha (Dorcas)
In the latter portion of Acts 9, we meet a disciple of Christ named Tabitha. She had a significant reputation in her community - so much, that the widows of the city of Joppa were in tears when Tabitha had gotten sick and died, Acts 9:36-39. Tabitha had given these widows articles of clothing she had made with her own hands.
Priscilla
Along with Aquila, this couple worked with the apostle Paul in Corinth. They were of the same occupation as Paul (tentmakers), and so they had that in common, Acts 18:3. When Paul left Corinth, they travelled with Paul to Cenchrea, Acts 18:18-19 (where something happened for which both Aquila and Priscilla protected Paul at the risk of their own lives) and then to Ephesus. This couple also allowed the church to use their home for worship, Rom. 16:3-5, 1 Cor. 16:19, which was common in the first-century church.
Mary and Martha
These were the sisters of Lazarus, and Jesus loved them all, John 11. They frequently had Jesus in their home, and we are shown that Jesus taught while He was there, Lk. 10:39. He was both fed and heard, Lk. 10:38-42.
When we address the roles of women as found in scripture, we can see that they do not measure up to the world’s standard of greatness. God’s standard, however, is the one that matters, and God’s standard has never changed, James 4:4-10.
What are the roles of women in the church? What can (and can’t) we do? Every Christian in the church is to, first and foremost, submit to one another, 1 Pet. 5:5. We are all members of the same body, and we must all be able to work together in order to accomplish the purposes of that body, 1 Cor 12. Does this mean we can rule over the men? No. The structure of the church is shown plainly in 1 Cor. 11:3. We must know our place. Anyone that has ever cooperated in carrying an extremely heavy load knows what it feels like when someone abandons their place. It doesn’t just affect the apostate. It affects every person underneath that load.
We must also understand that every little bit helps. Too many get offended because they don’t want the “little bit” jobs. They want the big jobs that put them on the tall pedestal. What they miss is the importance of the little jobs. I am reminded of the Japanese moral story of a horse losing its shoe simply because it was missing a nail. “For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For want of a horse, the message could not be carried. For want of a message, the battle was lost.” There is no role in the church that is unimportant. Even when we don’t feel seen, El Roi sees, Gen. 16:13. He sees when we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit those in need. He sees when we teach our children and fellow women about Him, influence others through our conduct, and exhibit a modest, gentle, and quiet spirit through how we dress and carry ourselves. Every little bit helps. You never know who has been brought to God simply through your influence - because they were able to see God through you, Mt. 5:16.
Allow me to list some of the things we as women can do in the church and in our homes to promote care for the church and sharing of the gospel. We can:
-visit/call/send cards to the sick/shut in, Mt. 25:36
-feed anyone that wants to eat, Prov. 31:14-15
-clean the meetingplaces of the church, Prov. 31:27, Acts 16:11-15, 40
-organize fellowship events, prepare communion, Eph. 2:19, Gal. 6:10
-teach children/other women or aid other teachers, Deut. 6:7, Titus 2:4
-keep teaching material up to date and stocked, 1 Pet. 4:10
-participate in ladies’ days, Titus 2:4
-volunteer to help in any task for worship, gospel meetings, VBS, missionaries, etc., Col. 3:17
-be a good influence in the community in both service and conduct, Mt. 5:16
-maintain your home, making sure your husband and children are well cared for, Prov. 31
-be a godly daughter, wife, mother, sister, 1 Tim. 2:9-10
I could go on, but I believe the gist is understood. There are a plethora of selections when it comes to what women can do. Just because we cannot be ahead of men in worship does not mean that we cannot do our part in spreading the Word. We are still the salt of the earth and the light set upon a hill.
Our goal as Christians should be to draw all attention toward Christ. We should want Him to be seen. The only way to accomplish that is to look like Him, 1 Cor. 11:1. When we’re spiritually minded and focused, Christ is able to shine through us, 2 Cor. 4:3-7, and God is glorified, 1 Cor. 10:31. I hope that this study helps us to see that we are all threads in the beautiful tapestry of Christ, and we, as daughters of the King, have been given a place and responsibility that is profound. Godly women. May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.