I hope you can understand the title of this post, as I will be referring to my book review as WMitLC as the book title, Women's Ministry in the Local Church.
Chapter 2: The Need
"The church is a bride being prepared for the approach of her lover and husband."
Wow, what a profound quote! Do we really believe this? Sometimes I wonder if we do. We, the church, are Christ's bride, and we should be eagerly awaiting His return. What does this look like? I think that this chapter shows us a glimpse of what this looks like in the need of a women's ministry.
I. Covenantal and Complementarian
a. The covenant of grace defines our relationship with God and one another.
b. We are to be a complementarian- acknowledge that God created men and women equal in being but assigned them different, but equally valuable, functions in His kingdom order.
WE ARE EQUALS BEFORE THE CROSS, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, IN OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, BUT HE HAS GIVEN US CERTAIN FUNCTIONS AND ROLES THAT ARE DIFFERENT FOR A MAN AND A WOMAN.
5 reasons a church needs a women's ministry:
1. We need to cultivate godly, feminine, Christian women. The word feminine here was difficult for me at first because I am not what someone would call a "girlie, girl." I think that many times especially for myself, I have a clouded view of what a word means because of how our society views the word. God has called us as women to be proud of our femininity, but to understand our place in His higher kingdom calling.
2. We need to promote healthy, Christian marriages. In other words, marriages should reflect our joyful submission to our husbands. It is not a burden or hindrance to submit to our husbands, it is a command of God. This command is to be done with joy because when we do not submit joyfully to our husbands, we are disobeying God.
3. We need, more specifically, to promote godly, monogamous, heterosexual marriages.
4. We need to cultivate among our Christian women a joyous embrace of godly, healthy, Christian, male spiritual leadership in the church. This goes back to number 2.
5. We need to help Christian women appreciate the many areas of service that are open to them in the church and equip them distinctively as women to fulfill their ministry.
There are also five reasons why women's ministry is important, but I think the five above sum up the chapter well.
Two really good quotes from the end of the chapter. Tell me what you think.
"The church has been called to shape culture, not ape it."
"He, God, did not give His benediction of "It is very good" until man and woman stood side by side, equal but different."
2 comments:
ok, ok... I have GOT to read this book! I see such a lack of this kind of discipleship in local churches as a whole, as well as in my own church. As a mommy to two beautiful girls I am DAILY realizing that it is VITAL that I show them that submission is a wonderful protection- not something that is ugly or unpleasant. I find myself telling Beth that "God is in charge. God put Daddy in charge of our family, and mommy is in charge when Daddy's not around, but I have to obey what Daddy says,and Daddy has to obey what God says-I cannot make my own rules." That said, even today i was convicted that there are many times i don't "joyfully" submit to Russ- I submit, but without the "happy heart" that i insist that Beth have when she responds to myself or Russ. But what blessing when we follow God's order!!
thanks, laura for being so honest. i know that i don't always submit to justin's joyfully either. i love you girl! thank goodness that sanctification is an ongoing process and that God grants us His grace daily!
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