Erroneous, Man-Made Doctrines

There has been a great deception in the Body of Christ as to the role and position of its leaders. The focus of this deception is on the leadership and the body of people as well. The deception is the people are looking for and desiring a “leader” rather than “spiritual leadership.” What is the difference? A leader stands in a position of the authority and government of a people. Spiritual leadership, on the other hand, knows the Holy Ghost is the authority and will direct all men to Christ. Please note that where the Holy Ghost abides, the authority and leadership have no gender.

“SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP” WILL ALWAYS POINT YOU TO GOD, AND NOT TO ITSELF.

It is through the ill-translated position of the leader that cults and other movements have been birthed. People search for someone to set on a pedestal and idolize. These people are then manipulated and used for the selfish motives of the leader. The greatest motives are fame, money and power! Pastors have fallen captive to a spirit of ‘pride of the leader.’ Many have coveted this erroneous position over the lives of God's heritage. Pastors are shepherds, meant to guide, direct and protect God's people. Irrespective of the misinterpretation of leadership on the part of the people, God's leaders are to steer all to God as they perfect the ministry of Christ in the Body. Thank God the truth has been loosed in the Body of Christ. Praise God for the vessels who convey the truth.

DESTROYING ERRONEOUS DOCTRINES

I. FALSE DOCTRINE SAYS GOD WILL NEVER USE A WOMAN TO INSTRUCT A MAN

This is a very popular doctrine which must be addressed. However, I submit that the Lord can, and will use the wife to govern His people separate and apart from (but in harmony with) her marital status. As most theologians would agree, the Lord directed His people under the old covenant almost exclusively through the office of the prophet. He was God's first messenger to His people. However, a closer look at these times will reveal that the Lord did include the female as a vessel of spiritual authority. I submit He has done this in the Old Testament and is certainly doing it today. Let me also emphasize that I strongly believe in a wife being in total submission to her husband, as long as he does not insist upon defiling her conscience toward God. Furthermore, I believe the Word of God places the man as the domestic head of his household. His wife and his children are to be in total submission to his authority as husband and father.

Micah 6:4; For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

II. FALSE DOCTRINE SAYS A WOMAN COULD NEVER PASTOR A CHURCH, BECAUSE THE MAN IS THE HEAD OF THE WOMAN

This false doctrine is apparently taken from I Corinthians 11:3, which states; But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. Paul never implied the pastor of a church was the head of every woman in that assembly. There is no way the pastor of the church can place himself as the head of another man's wife. To be the ‘head of’ implies possession or ownership, one's own property or lordship. Further more, the gifts and callings of God are not with respect to gender. Consider. Galatians 3:27-28; For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Now when we dissect this passage we find the word used there for man is ‘Aner’ (index #435 in your Strong’s, Vines or Thayer’s). It is the same word for husband. There is no other word in the Greek for husband. Likewise, the word woman is ‘Gune’ which is the only word in the Greek for woman or wife.(Index #1135 in Strong’s, Vines and Thayer’s). Paul was addressing social and domestic issues as they focused on marital relationships in the church. His implication is: Christ is the head of the Church and the husband is the head of the wife. Because there are some who will not receive this explanation, Paul makes it very plain in his letter to the church at Ephesus.

Ephesians 5:22-23

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husband, as unto the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church.

Beloved this is the only logical explanation of these verses. When a man or woman takes the position of Lord over God's Church he or she is in error and in danger of divine judgment. Peter makes this point quite clear in his writings to the elders.

I Peter 5:2-3

2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.

No, Beloved, the church is not the private domain, territory, dominionship or empire for any man or woman. The pastor is to only:

1.Take the spiritual oversight, thus he is a channel of the message, power and developmental

work of the Holy Ghost in that assembly. His or her authority is purely spiritual and given only in

the Holy Ghost.

2. Direct the congregation to the Father.

3. Develop its weaknesses into strengths.

4. Assist in the perfecting work of the 5-fold ministry.

III. FALSE DOCTRINE SAYS GOD NEVER ORDAINED A WOMAN TO TEACH OR HAVE AUTHORITY OVER THE MAN.

This is taken out of context from Paul's instructions to Timothy. In I Timothy 2:11-12,15 which states; Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.

12 But I suffer (allow) not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence; Paul is dealing with the domestic relationship between a husband and his wife. He declares he does not allow a wife to instruct her husband by the usurping of authority. He implies, in the perfect order of a marital relationship, that the husband is the head of his wife and children. It is the 15th verse that confirms that Paul was referencing a marital relationship and not every woman in the church.1 Timothy 2:15 confirms the fact that Paul is addressing a marital relationship; (Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.) Only married women are supposed to be found childbearing. This scripture has nothing to do with spiritual authority in the church.

We must be living examples of the Word of God. The Word will never contradict itself, nor would Paul preach a message to one church and then totally contradict himself in his delivery to another. If we look closer at these passages, we just might discern what was in the mind of the apostle.

Usurp: 1. One who does a thing of himself. One who acts on his own authority to govern or exercise dominion over another (Strong's index #831, Thayer's & Vines)

2. To seize and hold, as the power, position, or rights of another by force and without right or authority.

By using the terminology 'usurp authority,' Paul warns that the wife is not to take it upon herself to instruct her husband, but is to learn the things of God with a quiet spirit and in subjection to her husband. He goes on to declare his reason for such an attitude. He notes Adam was not deceived but his wife, Eve was. Being deceived she was found in the transgression.

Women, this is a most noteworthy point Paul makes here. Eve was in the transgression; meaning she was contained and affected by the power and influence of the transgression itself. She enjoyed the effects of the sin, and chose not to repent but instead, enticed her husband to partake also. Because of this, Paul declares she is to maintain a quiet spirit and not one of forwardness. He is really demanding that she not live out of her emotions, desires or appetites. While she learns of the things of God, she is to maintain a posture of “quietness,” doing her own work and not officiously meddling in the affairs of the husband.

Some maintain Paul was a male chauvinist because of this passage. They claim he never recognized a woman's ministry, which is a totally ludicrous statement, since he used so many women in his own ministry, as well as acknowledged those who were not a part of his reformation. No, quite the contrary, Paul sites the work of the Holy Ghost in the domestic setting.

I Peter 3:1-4

1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.

3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;

4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

Chaste conversation means your lifestyle. Women, we have to adorn ourselves with our hidden man of the heart. If you are a female, you are female in body only. The real you is the hidden man of the heart. He did not call him the hidden woman, He said the hidden man, that is in all of us. That is why he said in the Holy Ghost there is neither male nor female, Jew nor Greek, bond nor free. We are all of one gender: it is the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God. We are all sons of God, as many of us that have received Him. You know why He made all of us Sons? Because He came under the law . . . and under the law, the sons were the ones who received the inheritance, women did not receive the inheritance, they were just under obedience. But in the new covenant God freed the woman. He freed her and gave her the same thing He gave the man.

He did not give women a different spirit from the one He gave the man. He resurrected our hidden man of the heart in the same manner as He did in the male. So now He says if you operate in this, you are operating in God. This is where we, as women, have failed.

We have operated in the flesh and our female ways have stood in the way of how we should think and respond. We allow ourselves to be influenced by our emotions. If women would bypass their flesh and operate in the Spirit, they would act like God.

IV. FALSE DOCTRINE SAYS IT IS A SHAME FOR A WOMAN TO SPEAK IN THE CHURCH

I Corinthians 14:34-35

34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.

35 And if they will learn any thing, let them as their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. No, Beloved, the 34th and 35th verses are only a re-writing of the position that some of the elders wanted to take in their dealings with the women in the assembly. They were, as we learn in his second letter, often troubled by Judaizers who were endeavoring to keep the law and live in the household of faith. Note the terminology, ‘as also saith the law.’ Well, Paul was the wrong one to mention placing anyone under the bondage of the law. Thus, he answers the implication with a sharp rebuke in I Corinthians 14:36;“WHAT?” Came the word of God out from you? Or came it unto you only? Listen to the apostle defend the administration of the Holy Ghost. He actually asks, Did the Word of God originate with you, man? Are you the one who sent forth the Word, therefore you are the one to decide who shall deliver it to God's people? So now you elders have become the administrators of the callings of God. You have taken that responsibility away from the Holy Ghost.”To add insult to injury, he declares: ‘Did the Word come to you only? Maybe this dispensing of the grace of God by-passed the woman and was only received by you (man). In I Corinthians 14:37, Paul goes on to say, If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

In this dispensation, the legalistic restraints of the law do not exist. The Father is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh and your sons and daughters will prophesy (teach, refute, reprove, admonish and comfort). Grace is not subject to gender. Furthermore, it is the administration of the Father who calls, anoints and appoints the vessels to the office through which this grace will be dispensed. This is not and never will be the decision of any man or woman. The Lord is the Author and Finisher of our faith. These are the things Paul wrote to the churches under His guidance. He warns every brother who thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, to acknowledge that spiritual gifts come from the Lord.

Below is a recap as to how we arrive at the verses 34 and 35. To do so, we would have to back to preceding chapters in order to establish the right context of this passage.

Paul in the 7th chapter makes it clear he was writing this epistle in response to some of the questions they had concerning church order.

I Corinthians 7:1

Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me . . .

He continues that chapter with instructions concerning marriage and divorce. This continues to the 10th chapter. Then in the 11th chapter he begins to deal with social customs in the church which no doubt caused much confusion.

I Corinthians 12:1

Now concerning spiritual gifts brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

This continues through to the 14th chapter, where we find our topic for the moment. Notice this verse is contained in the chapter that continues to set in order the operation of the spiritual gifts and manifestations of the Holy Ghost in the church assembly. Note also (and this is most important) the style with which the apostle writes. Usually, he re-writes their questions or dilemmas and then gives them his command as he received it from the Lord. I Corinthians 11:10 is an example of this method.

Chapter 14, verses 34 and 35 are likewise examples of this method of answering their questions.

In the 11th chapter Paul talks about and advocates a woman not only praying but prophesying (teaching, reproving, refuting, edifying and comforting) in the general assembly. Therefore, it is unthinkable that he would in the same breath condemn her speaking in the service of the Lord.

I Corinthians 14:38

But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.

Paul used many women in his own ministry as we see throughout the Epistles, and acknowledged those who were noted in other works. In Romans 16, we see a listing of some of the women in the gospel which he referred to as servants of the Lord or fellow prisoners. Among these are Junia, a temple apostle who had gained much respect among the other apostles.

Beloved, allow the Holy Ghost to complete His work in you and the Father will most certainly endow you with the anointing to do the work of the ministry for the perfecting of the saints. God’s grace is not subject to gender. God is the one who decides who will work for Him inside the Body of Christ.