Biblical Response
It seems in the social media/internet driven world we currently live in it’s easy to get caught up in all of the online debates and opinion sharing…lord help us. Maybe some of that is a good thing if done respectfully but it can also turn into a friend blocking, character bashing, 3-ring circus. Wowzers….
As many have seen over the last couple of weeks so many are chiming in to voice their opinions and stances when it comes to certain comments made by a male Pastor toward a woman Preacher. Apparently nepotism is alive and well in the Church. I get it. There are Denominations and Theologians on both sides of this long-standing debate who fully believe they are correct. It’s a wonderful thing to have done our homework searching out scripture to be sure of what we believe. Luke actually commended the Bereans for hearing a message and then searching the scriptures to make sure it was correct. Acts 17:11.
It is not my goal to voice my opinion on this topic. I am after all a woman who teaches so I do have an opinion. But as I have read the many posts and comments on this subject, what I found to be so disturbing was the fact that a minister attacked, belittled and degraded another minister publically. #NotOk
I fully believe that as Christians and ministers we can believe differently when it comes to doctrine. The reason we have so many different denominations is because different groups of people disagreed on something they were unwilling to stay in fellowship over. My own belief is that there are only a couple of things that are essential beliefs that every believer should agree on:
1. The fact that Jesus is God come in the flesh and that through his shed blood is the only way to the Father.
2. That the Bible is the inspired and infallible word of God.
On everything else I choose to disagree agreeably with people who think differently. We can disagree on how to take communion, how to baptize, speaking in tongues, should women wear makeup and a hundred other things. However we stand on any of those topics doesn’t matter because those beliefs are not essential to salvation. We do not have to get all of that correct to be saved. Therefore they are not essential beliefs.
So while this Pastor disagrees on women ministers, which is his right, what I feel is the more important issue is that he violated other scriptures in handling this situation. Scripture tells us that love is the greatest commandment. Jesus stated in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
1 Corinthians 13 is known as the love chapter. Verses 4-8 tell us a few things that love is; kind, not puffed up in pride, isn’t rude, is not provoked, bears and believes all things. It never fails. Whenever we disagree we must do so without violating love.
Why is it so hard to let other people have their own opinions and not be dogmatic about ours? Galatians 5:19-21 speaks of the works of the flesh being contentions, rivalries and dissentions, which are defined as “a disagreement that leads to discord.” I believe when we begin to disagree with someone about the non-essentials we can easily start to operate in the flesh.
In verses 22-25 of the same chapter it speaks about some of the fruit or outcome of operating in the spirit, which is love, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. We must choose to not act in the flesh but in the spirit. Romans 13:14 says “But put on the Lord Jesus and make no provision for the flesh…”
Some of the rebuttals from other ministers and believers about this situation have in my opinion been just as unscriptural and ugly as his comments were. Two wrongs do not make a right. Our responses should also be in love, being careful to not react in our flesh. Scripture tells us that a house divided against itself will fall. It is our enemies plan to divide the Body of Christ through disagreements like this. If he can divide us he can keep us from being effective.
Religion loves the system of legalism while God loves people. When we are legalistic we are more worried about being right than how we treat people and that is not the heart of God at all. Choose love. Choose to lay down pride and the need to be right. Decide to walk in unity and the bond of peace to make Jesus famous though our lives and show the world who HE is not what WE think. #Selah