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What does the Bible say about Women Pastors?

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Can women pastor? Feed this question into Google, and you’ll be led to a bunch of websites that say no, women cannot pastor or lead churches. Which goes to show you that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet. (Yes, I appreciate the irony.) Under the old covenant, only men could be priests, but gender distinctions have no place in the new creation. This is why so many prominent women are named in the New Testament. And this is why Saul locked them up along with the men. Christian women in the first-century led from the front, and they got arrested for doing so. In the Old Testament, women were largely non-speaking extras on the stage of history. But when Jesus showed up, he listened to women and he made sure their voices were heard. Consequently, the early church had female apostles, pastors, prophets, evangelists and teachers. Since the Bible offers an emphatic and positive answer to the question above, why do so many people think women cannot lead or pastor churches? There are a dozen reasons, all of them wrong: 1. “Women can’t lead because Paul said women must be silent in church.” Except he didn’t say [...]

What a Difference a Word Can Make

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We Christians are very good at drawing bad conclusions from good scriptures.

This happens when we read a verse out of context. Sometimes it can happen because we miss one single word.

Misread the Bible and you’ll end up with all sorts of screwy ideas. You’ll think we cleanse ourselves by confessing sins or that God gives Satan permission to thrash us or sift us. You’ll believe that we can incur God’s divine wrath by doing communion wrong and that he occasionally kills some of us to keep the rest of us in line.

Even a tiny error can lead to a lot of trouble, and there may be no better example than the one I’m about to give you.

The missing “what?”

It is possible to read the Bible without getting confused, but it helps to have a good Bible. No translation is perfect, but sometimes Bible translations are flat out wrong. Allow me to demonstrate.

Got a Bible handy? Open it to 1 Corinthians 14:36 and look at the first word in that verse. It should be “What?” Here’s a pic from the KJV:

The word “What?” is absolutely essential to this passage for it captures Paul’s reaction to the Corinthians’ suggestion that women should stay silent in church.

A little context: The first letter to Corinthians consists of Paul’s answers to their questions. Since women were forbidden by law from speaking in both Greek cities and Jewish synagogues, the Corinthians wondered if women should be allowed to speak in church. In 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 Paul repeats their question before giving his reply in verse 36:

What? Came the word of God out from you? Or came it unto you only?

Paul’s reaction is one of shock and utter incredulity. He can’t believe what the Corinthians are suggesting. When he read their letter, he probably looked something like this:

With thanks to Rembrandt

Paul’s response to the sexist Corinthians is perfectly captured in the Source New Testament:

Utter rubbish! Did the Word of God come originally from you! Utter rubbish! Were you the only ones that it reached! (1 Cor 14:36)

The cockamamie suggestion that half the church should stay silent riled Paul. You can almost hear him shouting his reply. Or you would if English Bibles quoted him properly.

Many Bibles, such as the ESV, ISV, NASB, NIV, NKJV, and the NLT, dilute Paul’s reaction by omitting his exclamatory “what?” Paul wrote it, but they didn’t translate it. They left it out.

Other translations, such as the AKJV, AMP, ASV, BBE, and the KJV, do have the “what?” (Check it out for yourself.)

To be fair, the original Greek word is hard to translate. It is a disjunctive particle, easily overlooked. But the same word is found at the start of 1 Cor. 11:22 (“What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink?”), and there it is often translated by Bibles that omit it in 1 Cor. 14:36.

I find this puzzling. If Paul’s exclamatory “What?” is recorded in 1 Cor 11:22, why is it left out of 1 Cor. 14:36? It’s the same word in both cases.

Learning from sexist Greeks

The apostle Paul was a man of passion and conviction. If you said something he disagreed with or if you did something stupid like got drunk at communion, he’d let you know what he thought.

The Corinthians are infamous for being less-than-perfect Christians. They said stupid things about women and they got drunk at communion. We should be glad they did because we got some brilliant wisdom from Paul in response to their stupidity.

But we’re the stupid ones if we talk and act like the Corinthians instead of heeding what Paul said to the Corinthians.

For nearly 2000 years, women have been told they can’t speak in church. They can’t teach or testify, and God help them if they want to preach. If a woman really must speak, let her do it with her husband or a male elder standing by, but watch out for lightning bolts. God won’t be pleased!

It’s ridiculous, yet you’d be surprised how many people teach this sexist swill. Why do they do it? Most say women must be silent because it’s in the Bible. (It isn’t.) Others say women must be silent because they don’t have a Biblical view of women. Like the Corinthians, they’ve bought into a Greek worldview wrapped up in religious tradition. They’ve taken a piece of verse out of context and fashioned a great big muzzle for women. It’s disgraceful; the shame of the church.

Let’s be clear: Paul never said women should be silent in church. Not once. In fact, he repeatedly told the Corinthians that women should be encouraged to speak up and participate in church (see 1 Cor. 12:7, 14:5, 26, 31, 39).

So the next time some misguided soul tells you that women should be silent in church, do what Paul did and hit them with a disjunctive particle.

“What?!”

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Equality is not the Goal

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Rebekah at the Well, by Michael Deas

You probably know that I have written a book about women. You may be wondering about my agenda.

“What are Paul’s views on gender roles? Is he a complementarian or an egalitarian? Does he support traditional arrangements where the man is in charge or does he promote equality?”

Full disclosure: I believe in the equality of the new creation.

It is my conviction that if we are to return to God’s ways, and follow the example set by Jesus, equality and mutual respect are essential. Black or white, male or female – all are precious in God’s eyes. All are equal in grace.

But I am not a rabid egalitarian. Let me explain.

On the one hand, I am convinced that equality protects us from the abuses of hierarchy and the misuse of authority. But on the other, I fear the dogged pursuit of equality can hinder authentic relationships.

The name of the game is love

Like a referee, equality is essential, but it’s not the game. Jesus never said his disciples would be known for their equality and sense of fair play. We are to be known for the way we serve, respect, and prefer one another. If we settle for equality, there’s a danger we will fall short of all that God has in store for us, particularly in our marriages.

So even though I believe in treating everyone equally, let me say that equality is not the goal; love is. And true love is so other-focused, that equality doesn’t come into it.

In an essay entitled “Equality,” C.S. Lewis compared equality to medicine, which is good when we are ill, but is otherwise no good at all. As medicine is no substitute for nourishing food, equality is not the substance of love and life.

Have as much equality as you please—the more the better—in our marriage laws, but at some level consent to inequality, nay, delight in inequality, (as) an erotic necessity…. Let us wear equality; but let us undress every night.

A good marriage is a partnership between equals who ironically don’t see themselves as equal. The husband loves his wife more than his own life, and the wife submits to her husband as to the Lord. Each prefers the other to themselves.

In such a marriage, there is no score-keeping to ensure both partners are pulling their weight. Rather, each aspires to love at all times and excel in the gentle grace of giving.

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2)

Equality in the new creation

To see how well you’re getting this, let me ask one of the most provocative questions around: Should wives submit to their husbands? There are three ways to answer this question.

The traditional answer is that wives should always submit because “it’s commanded in scripture.”

However, this approach leads to imbalanced and unhappy marriages that are burdened with the heavy yoke of law. Even if the husband is a good leader and the wife a good follower, the pursuit of intimacy will be frustrated by the partitioning of the partnership.

How can they be truly together while he’s up there and she’s down here? The horns of hierarchy can only add discord to the marriage melody.

The egalitarian answer is that wives should never submit because doing so leads to abuse and the perpetuation of patriarchy.

However, the egalitarian response, like the traditional one, undermines a marriage for it replaces one law (submission) with another (equality), and any law will minister death.

This may come as a shock to those in the egalitarian camp, but the pursuit of equality can shipwreck your marriage. A woman who is mindful of boundaries and maintaining her position may never experience abuse, but nor will she experience authentic love. How can she when her heart is constantly guarded?

The third and biblical answer to this question is that husbands and wives who freely submit to each other—who are tolerant, tender-hearted, kind and caring, always seeking to edify and serve the other—infuse their marriage with the sweet fragrance of Jesus. In their union, they experience heaven on earth.

Traditional and egalitarian marriages may get a taste, but they never enjoy the full riches of heavenly submission. How can they, when love is demanded rather than given?

A wife who demands respect from her husband denies him the joy of giving it, and in denying him that freedom, she undermines her marriage.

But a wife who dares to surrender, who gives respect and trusts her husband, will inspire him to joyfully go all in. Her vulnerability will empower him to love far more than he might have accomplished on his own because we this is what we were made for.

Equality is not the end game in the war on gender discrimination; it’s the starting point for the new creation. Equality is a good thing, but what we do with it is far more important.

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Just released – a free study guide for The Silent Queen! Grab copies for your small group today.

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It’s E2R’s 11th Birthday – Here’s Your Gift!

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To celebrate Escape to Reality’s 11th anniversary and Chinese New Year and the invention of a vaccine and whatever else is worth celebrating in this wonderful days of hope, we’re repeating last year’s huge giveaway.

For the next three days you can get one, two, or seven of my books for a special pandemic pay-whatever-you-want price.

Which means you can get all these books for nothing!

Click on a book below to get this deal. You’ll get the book in 3 ebook formats to suit any and every device…

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As always, thanks for sharing the journey,

Paul

PS: Giveaways like these are possible thanks to generous supporters on Patreon or Donorbox. Thank you!

What is the Baptism that Saves?

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If you wish to start an argument among a group of Christians, all you need to do is ask this question: “Is water baptism essential for salvation?”

Baptism has historically been one of the more controversial issues debated in the church. Is baptism essential? The scriptures are clear: You are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). You are not made right with God by water. Only the blood of Jesus makes us clean.

So why does Peter refer to the baptism that saves you?

Baptism now saves you… (1 Pet. 3:21)

Apparently baptism saves us, but which baptism? There are several types of baptism including:

– John’s baptism of repentance (Act 19:3–4)
– water baptism done in Jesus’ name (Act 10:48, 19:5)
– Holy Spirit baptism (Act 11:16)
– Jesus’ baptism of suffering (Matt. 20:22)
– baptism for the dead (1 Cor. 15:29)

So many baptisms! It’s no wonder people argue. But in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul said there is only one baptism:

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Eph. 4:3–6)

What is the one baptism?

Theologians will tell you that Paul is referring to some rite undertaken by new believers, but which one?

“It’s repeating the apostle’s creed.”

“It’s water baptism.”

Arguments about baptism lead to strife and division, which is the exact opposite of what Paul is calling for here. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit.”

The one baptism is not water baptism or any outward act. It is the baptism that happens to every believer when they are put into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit.

For even as the body is one yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Cor. 12:12–13)

The moment you came to Jesus, you were baptized or placed into his body by the Spirit.

What does it mean to be baptized?

To be baptized means to be dipped or immersed. To use an obscure word, it is to be whelmed.

To whelm something is to bury it in dirt or sink it in water. It is what happens when a ship goes down in a storm or a skier is hit with an avalanche. To be baptized or whelmed is a dramatic and catastrophic event.

And it happened to you.

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? (Rom. 6:3)

Your old self has been scuttled, sunk, and sent to the bottom of the sea. This did not happen when you were water baptized; it was done to you by the Holy Spirit the moment you said yes to Jesus.

You: “Yes, Lord.”
Holy Spirit: “Bam!”

“You have been baptized (read: whelmed) into his death” (Rom. 6:3b). Do you realize what this means? The person you used to be no longer lives. Which is wonderful news when you think about it.

Your old self had issues that you could never resolve. The Holy Spirit’s solution was not to patch up your old self but to whelm him or bury her in the ground with Jesus. This is what it means to be baptized into his death. Your old self is history. He’s done and dusted, dead and buried.

Of course, that is only half the story.

Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. (Rom. 6:4)

The Holy Spirit didn’t leave you in the ground. Just as he raised Jesus, he raised you.

Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. (Rom. 6:6–7)

Because of that One baptism you are now free from sin. Sin is no longer your master.

Which is pretty good news, wouldn’t you say?

What is the baptism that saves?

Peter and Paul were talking about the same thing. The baptism that saves and the one baptism are the baptism that happened when the Holy Spirit placed you into the body of Christ:

Baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to him. (1 Pet. 3:21–22)

The only thing that can give you a good conscience before God is the cleansing blood of Jesus (Heb. 10:22). So again, it’s not water that saves you but the blood of Jesus.

The moment you put your faith in the risen Lord, you receive the baptism that saves. Your old man is buried with Christ and you are instantly raised and seated with him in heavenly places. In that moment, you are as saved as saved can be.

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Gal. 3:27)

The old has gone, the new has come. The life you live, you live by faith in the Risen Son of God.

When you get this revelation, it will free you from the curse of trying to rehabilitate the old self. (He’s dead.) It will liberate you from your struggle with sin. (Reckon yourself dead to it.) When you know you have been baptized and raised by the Holy Spirit, it will empower you to truly live.

So why get water baptized?

…in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also… (1 Pet. 3:20–21)

Peter is not saying we are saved through water baptism; he’s saying water baptism symbolizes the baptism that saves us – the baptism done by the Holy Spirit.

Water baptism is a powerful demonstration of faith because it reenacts what the Holy Spirit has accomplished. We don’t go into the water to save ourselves or to complete some process that Jesus started. We do it in response to what the Spirit has done.

Water baptism is an outward act testifying to a supernatural reality.

You may have been baptized as a Catholic or a Lutheran or even a Baptist, but there is only one Body of Christ and there is only one baptism. If you are a believer, you have been baptized by the Holy Spirit into that body. He did it all.

With that in mind, let us put off strife and dissension. Knowing there is only one baptism that matters, let us “be humble, gentle, and patient, bearing with one another in love” (Eph. 4:2–3).

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Got questions about baptism? Check out Paul’s 20-page Water Baptism study note on Patreon.

Why do Good People fall for Bad Teaching?

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We live in an age of conspiracy theories and fake news. We all know rational, reasonable people who seem to be duped by the dumbest ideas, even in the church. How does this happen?

In truth, this is nothing new. It happened before in one of the Revelation churches.

In Thyatira, a group of believers fell for the teachings of a false prophet called Jezebel. What Jesus said to them in his letter (see Rev. 2:19-29) remains just as relevant today.

So who was this Jezebel? Jezebel was bad news and trouble. Somehow she convinced Christians that it was okay to practise adultery and idol worship.

Why did some believers fall for Jezebel’s teaching? How did she deceive them?

“By her teaching,” said Jesus (see Rev 2:20). She seduced the saints with words.

It’s not hard to paint a picture of what happened.

Jezebel was articulate and compelling. She could quote scripture, and much of what she said seemed to make sense. Yet if you were paying attention, you would notice that Jezebel hardly ever mentioned Jesus. The focus was always on her: “My faith, my journey, my understanding.” Self-discovery was important to Jezebel.

She’d invite listeners to demonstrate their maturity by moving beyond the words of Jesus and the apostles. She’d make shocking pronouncements and belittle those who disagreed with her. She would say things like, “I used to think the way you did but I’ve grown.”

Listen to Jezebel and your mind might be tickled but your faith would be hammered. Her words, though eloquent, left a bad taste. Like an ill-tuned song they didn’t resonate with your spirit.

You’d find yourself wondering, “Did God really say that?”

Jezebel fooled some within the church, but she couldn’t fool Jesus. The Lord with burning eyes saw through her empty words to the hidden message of death and destruction. He exposed her sham ministry to save his church.

So what is the takeaway for us?

Don’t be impressed by those who sound wise but who distract you from the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Cor. 11:3).

False teachers boast of their so-called enlightenment. They delve into mystical writings and non-canonical books, but their digging only leads down. They claim to have discovered deeper mysteries, but the Son of God with burning eyes sees through them.

“Know them by their fruit,” said Jesus, speaking of those who are false.

If their message starves your faith, feeds your doubts, and leads you to rely on yourself – your own wisdom and understanding – it is not from the Lord.

If their message tickles your intellect but doesn’t resonate with your spirit, it is not from the Lord.

If their message makes you angry, hateful, spiteful, or causes you to take up arms against your neigbors, it is not from the Lord.

But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them… (Revelation 2:24a)

Serious words indeed. Jesus does not live in a blurry world of “your truth” and “my truth.” He is the Truth and anything which leads you away from Truth is from from the father of lies.

What are the deep things of Satan? Scholars debate whether “Satan’s deep secrets” is a reference to esoteric mysteries that only initiates can grasp or the Gnostic practice of exploring the depths of sin. We might say it is any teaching or message that distracts you and leads you away from Jesus who is Truth.

Either way, the deep things of Satan can be contrasted with the deep things of God that are revealed to us by his Spirit (1 Cor. 2:10). The latter produces life and godliness; the former leads to sin and death.

Choose life.

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Extracted and adapted from Letters from Jesus.

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Do you have a Biblical View of Women?

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In the church, you will encounter two views about women. There is the traditional view (women should be meek, stay-at-home-mothers) and the so-called progressive view (women can do anything men can do).

Which view is Biblical?

I suspect most people would say the traditional view. Many churchgoers believe that the Bible calls women to be subservient and silent housewives.

Most people would be wrong.

What we call the traditional view comes not from scripture, but ancient Greece. It was the pagan philosophers of Athens who said the ideal wife was silent and subservient, and their views were exported around the world in a process known as Hellenization.

The alternative idea that women are equal with men and can do anything they put their mind to is the older idea. It was articulated by our Creator in Genesis 1 and modelled throughout the Bible.

What we call “traditional” should really be labelled a perversion of God’s original plan for partnership. As we will see, the traditional view is demeaning to women, harmful to families and thoroughly unscriptural.

What follows are four brief comparisons of the Greek and Biblical perspectives. Extended quotes and sources can be found in the 10-page study note “A Biblical View of Women” that accompanies this article (it’s free).

The Greeks: Women are meant to serve men
The Bible: Husbands and wives submit to each other

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle all taught that women are inferior to men. And because they are inferior, women should be ruled by men. “The male is by nature superior and the female inferior; the male ruler and the female subject,” said Aristotle.

The Greek-speaking Jews of the first century felt the same way. Josephus the historian said, “A woman is inferior to her husband in all things. Let her therefore be obedient to him.”

However, the Bible teaches that women are in no way inferior. Both male and female were made in the image of God.

If you want to know what God thinks of women, look at how Jesus related to them. Jesus treated women with kindness and respect. He even trained them, which was something no Greek or Jewish teacher did.

Misguided men have been oppressing women from the beginning, but male privilege has no place in the new creation. “There is neither male nor female, for all are one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).

The Greeks: A woman’s place is at home
The Bible: Men and women are to rule and reign and fill the earth

The philosophers and rabbis believed that only men could work, but this division of labor is not found in the Bible. God told the first man and woman they had been created to rule and reign together, and the Bible records many women who worked outside home.

Jesus encountered many women in his travels and not once did he send them home. He included women in his company of disciples, and he welcomed Mary when she left the kitchen to sit at his feet.

The Apostle Paul praised several women who he identified as colaborers in the gospel. Some of these, like Phoebe and Priscilla, travelled internationally. Others, like Junia, had such prominent ministries that they went to prison for preaching the gospel.

Raising children is a noble occupation, but the traditional view that a woman has no options besides being a homemaker is more pagan than biblical. In the Bible, both fathers and mothers are called to be active in the raising of children, and all of us are encouraged to fan into flame the gifts God has given us.

The Greeks: Women must be silent in the assemblies
The Bible: Men and women are encouraged to speak

The Greeks forbade women from speaking in public assemblies and the Hellenized Jews agreed. “It is a shame for a woman to let her voice be heard among men,” says the Talmud. Many today make the same error even though there are more than two dozen New Testament scriptures encouraging women NOT to be silent in church.

When the Jewish and Greek Christians of Corinth asked Paul whether women should be silent in church, he replied, “What? Are you out of your mind?” Paul rebuked the Corinthians for even contemplating such a thing and reminded them that “when you come together each of you can bring a hymn, a word, a tongue, an interpretation.”

The Greeks: Women cannot lead
The Bible: Anyone can lead if they are going in the right direction

In the pantheon of Greek philosophers, women are notably absent. Yet in the Bible we find many courageous women who led, and this was particularly true in the New Testament.

According to John Chrysostom, the women of the early church “were more spirited than lions, sharing with the Apostles their labors for the Gospel’s sake.”

The early Christians were well-acquainted with female prophets, female apostles, and female pastors. In the final chapter of his letter to the Romans, Paul named ten people involved in ministry in one form or another, and seven of them were women.

Jesus encouraged women to lead, and for a while they did. Then in the 364AD, the Council of Laodicea banned the appointment of women leaders. Jesus encouraged his disciples to let their light shine, but after the fourth century Christ’s female followers had their gifts hidden under a patriarchal bushel.

A biblical view of womanhood

The philosophers and rabbis are responsible for some of the worst ideas we’ve inherited about women. As a result of their sexist swill, many women have been kept silent and sidelined, and the world is poorer for it.

“There should be no division in the body,” said the Apostle Paul, and so say all who have been baptized into Christ. Indeed, is this not the test of our fellowship, that we esteem those the world deems weak and womanly, while giving greater honor to the parts that lack it?

We who have learned to see through the eyes of Christ no longer regard anyone from a fallen, or Greek, point of view.

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For sources and supporting material, check out Paul’s full-length study note “A Biblical View of Women.”

Paul’s new book The Silent Queen is now available on Audible and other audiobook outlets.

Who is Alive but Dead?

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If you want Christians to work harder, there are two scriptures you can trot out to boost productivity. The first is the one about being lukewarm; the second is this one from the letter to Sardis:

I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. (Rev. 3:1)

This passage is usually interpreted as follows: “The Sardians were complacent, comfortable Christians who weren’t working hard enough and allowed their faith to die.”

Short version: work harder for Jesus!

(Sidebar: Isn’t it amazing how 27 books of the New Testament can be summarized in those four words: work harder for Jesus?)

Er, no. That’s not what Jesus is saying. The work harder message comes straight out of dead religion.

So what is Jesus saying? And who is alive but dead?

Who’s dead?

In contrast with the no-name church down the road in Philadelphia, the Sardian church was highly regarded. It had a reputation as a thriving fellowship. But in the Lord’s eyes, that reputation was misplaced.

The Sardians were all style and no substance. They impressed some with their religious activity. But Jesus wasn’t fooled. “You are dead.”

Some say the Sardians were apathetic believers whose faith was waning. “They were a dying church.” But the Sardians were dead, not dying. The word Jesus used to describe them literally means corpse.  A corpse is not an apathetic or lazy person; a corpse is dead. Jesus is describing unbelievers who are disconnected from the One called Life.

There were believers in this church, and Jesus has a separate message for them later in the letter (it’s full of good stuff!). But many of the Sardians were spiritually dead. They had not received the Spirit that gives life. That’s the bad news. The good news is that Jesus raises the dead. This is what he says to the dead Sardians:

Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die… (Rev 3:2a)

To wake up is to repent. “Wake from your sleep and turn to God.” Jesus was not speaking to lethargic Christians who need to perk up for the Lord. He’s speaking to those who need to “awake and arise from the dead” (Eph. 5:14).

Like the prodigal son who “was dead and came to life again,” the Sardians need rouse themselves, come to their senses, and come home to the Father (Luke 15:24).

What does it mean to strengthen that which remains?

Repent before it’s too late.

The word for strengthen in this passage means to turn resolutely. It means, get up! Move! Turn about! It is a call to immediate and definite action. It’s as though the Sardians are sleeping on the train tracks and Jesus is shouting, “Wake up before it’s too late!”

Who is about to die?

The Sardians. The gospel isn’t going to die, for the word of God never passes away. But the Sardians will pass away if they don’t wake up. They are already spiritually dead; soon they will be physically dead. They may not die this year or next year, but eventually their time will run out.

“Paul, are you saying this church have unbelievers in it?”

Most churches do, at least the ones making an impact in their communities.

The recording artist Keith Green once said that going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to McDonald’s makes you a hamburger. Yet some imagine the Revelation church communities were populated exclusively by Christians and that Christ’s words for the people in those communities should be embraced by all Christians.

This is a dangerous belief indeed, and it is a reason why much of the treasure in Jesus’ letters has been lost. Read something meant for someone else, and you’ll get the wrong message.

The letters to the seven churches contain words for all sorts of people, from salt-of-the-earth saints to wolves in sheep’s clothing. Fail to distinguish messages meant for others from messages meant for you, and you will end up confused. You’ll come away thinking that Jesus is double-minded:

One minute he’s full of praise; the next he’s dark with rebukes.

He says to hold fast; then he says to let go.

He exhorts us to stand firm but he wants us to turn back.

He wants us to freely receive, but he wants us to pay.

Jesus is not double-minded, but you might be if you fail to ask this question: To whom was Jesus speaking?

In his letters Jesus distinguishes different groups. In Sardis, there were those who had soiled their garments and those who hadn’t (see Rev. 3:4). In Pergamum there were some who held to the teaching of Balaam and some who didn’t. In Thyatira there were a few who followed Jezebel into adultery and others who wanted nothing to do with her.

Different needs, different medicine

We shouldn’t be surprised by this. Healthy, growing churches attract all sorts of people, just as Jesus did. Look at the crowds who followed him and you will find sinners and seekers, good people and bad. The Jesus of the Gospels drew the unrighteous and self-righteous, and he had different words for each. It’s the same in his letters to the churches of Revelation.

Many Christians read the letters to the churches and come away feeling condemned by the hard words of rebuke. These letters make them ill because they are consuming someone else’s medicine.

This suffering is borne of confusion. Are you a follower of Balaam? Is your name Jezebel? Are you numbered among the self-righteous who have heard the gospel and rejected it? No? Then hard words meant for them are not meant for you.

Christian, you are not “alive but dead” and you do not need to work harder to “strengthen that which remains”. You are one with the Risen Lord. Jesus died so that you might live. You know this.

Now rest, and let no one burden you again with a yoke of slavery.

—

Extracted and adapted from Letters from Jesus

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The Three Nights of Christmas

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It’s that time of the year where we gather with friends and family to celebrate Christmas and to tie a bow on the year that was. 2020 has been an interesting year, as the Chinese would say, and few will be sad to see it end. But even though this was a challenging year, 2020 was not without its highlights: Many of us spent far more time with our families than we might otherwise have done. We met our neighbors and discovered corners of our communities we had no idea existed. We learned how to pivot and attend meetings in our PJs, and we heard a great song. We learned to be resilient and we also learned that it’s okay not to be okay every single day. A small gift Since this Christmas feels different, I’ve been casting about for a special way to mark the occasion. In the past few days I have written something for my kids to read at the dinner table. It’s the story of Christmas told three ways. It’s rough and I don’t have a better name for it than “The Three Nights of Christmas.” If you have children, you may want to pick one, [...]

The Silent Queen – out today!

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My new book, The Silent Queen: Why the Church Needs Women to Find their Voice, comes out today!

In The Silent Queen, I reveal God’s original plan for men and women to rule and reign in partnership. I show how God’s partnership plan runs like a golden thread throughout the tapestry of scripture, and I address those scriptures that have been misused to sabotage that plan.

Women have been told they are subordinate and men have been told they must rule alone, but that’s not what our Father said. In this book, I tackle the tough questions undermine our marriages, families, and churches:

  • Should women stay silent in church?
  • Can women teach, preach and pastor?
  • What did Jesus think about women in leadership?
  • Are wives helpmates?
  • Should women submit to male leaders?
  • Should wives submit to bad husbands?
  • Are women more easily deceived?
  • Is infidelity the only excuse for divorce?
  • And much more!

I’ve been working on this book for two years and I can’t wait to share it with you. Here is some of the feedback I have received so far:

“You better repent of your false teaching!”
“It’s clear from scripture that women can’t lead.”
“You are very wrong. Your writing is dangerous, brother.”

Apparently this is a dangerous book!

Full disclosure: this book challenges traditional (i.e., unbiblical) ideas we have about women and their place in the world. It draws a line between what God said and what man made up.

One of my favorite comments came from a (male) beta reader: “This book removed blinders I did not know I was wearing.” That is my story too. I did not know I had blind spots until God revealed them to me.

For the first time ever, I am releasing a new book in three formats:

1. Ebook: Kindle, Kobo, Google Play, PDF

2. Paperback: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository (free shipping)

3. Audiobook: Audible (coming soon), Kobo, Bookbeat, Bookmate

Grab a copy of The Silent Queen for yourself and another for your pastor, mother, sister, daughter, son, and anyone else with a story or song to share.

Happy Christmas, and happy reading!

Paul

Why the Woman of Proverbs 31 may not be your Ideal Wife

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Many men and women have a mental list describing their ideal partner. “She’s got to be a good cook, enjoy watching sports, and not be a nag.” “He’s got to have a steady job, a nice car, and a mother who lives far away.” Some even invoke a Biblical basis for this sort of wish list. “Proverbs says, ‘He who finds a wife finds a good thing’ (Pro. 18:22). I’ve got to find a good wife. It’s in the Bible!” Okay. But what makes a good wife? Is the ideal wife a soul mate or a servant? A partner or a parlor maid? A woman will say she’s searching for the right man and a man will say he’s searching for the right woman, but who is the right man or woman? What are they like? How would you recognize them? “Easy question,” says the Christian man. “The perfect wife is the woman of Proverbs 31.” For many men, the woman described at the end of the book of Proverbs represents the ideal partner. It’s not hard to see why. This woman is wise, strong, industrious, entrepreneurial, and—this is the good part—she earns her own money. This excellent woman is [...]

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