fellowship among some circles. I believe that makes Jesus weep.
It is obvious that if we take Deborah out of the Bible, Israel remains in bondage, if we take out Ester, Israel is killed, if we take out Huldah, Israel remains without someone to interpret the scroll. If we take out Mary we remain without a Savior, if we take out the women at the tomb no one knows He has risen. So at many key times God in his wisdom chooses to use women. Why? I just really don’t know. Maybe it is because of his sense of humor. Does not his own word say his ways are past finding out? On so many occasions when man has thought they have figured God out He shows up and does exactly opposite to our human thinking.
We read about women who served at the door of the tent that had to be of the priestly tribe of Aaron or the servant tribe of Levi.. Women served at the door of the tent from very early in the history of Israel. Women who served at the door of the tent had to be trained in all points of religious and civil law in order not to infringe the laws and to enforce them. Women who served at the door of the tent had to be valid witnesses for services said to be performed there. So women played some part however we look at the pages of God’s word.
To understand more about the earliest years of Christianity we must understand that there was no monarchical episcopate thus the first Christians were quite different in their thinking and practices from the church world today.
So many things changed in the early church, by the time of Gregory the Great (604 AD), the laity were mere 'children of the Church'.
The ekklesia of Christ describes the most beautiful relationship known to man. The Savior chose the word and we certainly cannot express it better. When Jesus said "I will build my ekklesia", he was not talking about an institution or institutions neither was he talking about some man made organization. What He promised to build was His assembly, His group, His gathering, or His called out people. I guess we could sum it up by saying His body. As long as the church remained with that in mind there were no problems of “women preachers” but each person fulfilled what he/she was called to do. Only after “the church” adopted Rome’s methods do we encounter the dilemma we face today.
1 Corinthians 14 describes what a service was like among the first Christians.
“Everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation." (NIV,
1 Cor 14:26)
“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit. But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 5I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.” (NIV,
1 Cor 14:1-5)
Meetings in the early church must have been so exciting as each shared what God had given them.
Hybrid Mode
