It’s time to preach the truth in love.
The Harsh Reality
Here is the harsh reality — members of the Lord’s church of Christ are confused. It is no longer uncommon to see the wife functioning as the head of the household. And increasingly more debated is the role of women in the church. What is more, Christians are bowing to the new social norms of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender movement.
The Wife’s Role in The Home
In certain instances, a woman is born naturally inclined to want to control the people in her life. Other times, the wife’s temperament is psychologically nurtured into extreme feminism, and she fights with her husband tooth-and-nail for power.
And there are those times when you have a deadbeat husband who voluntarily relinquishes his authority. All these scenarios might hasten divorce.
As for the wives who are functioning as head of their families, they must relinquish control of themselves first to Christ before they may be humble to be helpmates, worthy of yielding to the will of their own husbands (1 Corinthians 11:3). God wants every lady’s heart and soul, and body.
Women’s Role in The Church
1 Timothy 2 is becoming debated regarding gender. Women leading prayer in the general assembly is causing contention. We are seeing women preaching to men from the pulpit, female elders, and deacons too.
The woman cannot lead public prayers as men do simply because 1 Timothy 2:8, 12 explicitly spells that doctrine out. Neither are they to preach or to exercise authority over men (1 Tim. 2:12). Women do not meet the qualifications of elders because bishops are males (1 Tim. 3:2, 5). Elders must have a wife and rule their own houses (1 Tim 3:2, 4-5). “For if a man does not know how to rule…” (1 Tim. 3:5).
Sexual-Orientation Confusion
Additionally, churches of Christ are becoming more accepting of the LGBT community. Gender dysphoria was considered a mental illness, but now it is an accepted norm in our post-modern, practically agnostic culture.
As far as the LGBT participants are concerned, 1 Corinthians 6:9 is abundantly clear. “Such were some of you…” but you converted to Christ (1 Cor. 6:10-11). The Christian community must separate from this ideology and sanctify themselves unto the Lord and His service. This could mean celibacy. Jesus spoke of such cases in Matthew 19:11-12.
Reverence to God Brings Clarity
We believe in God. We just do not fear Him with godly reverence.
While it is valid that we must love the sinner and hate the sin as the adage goes, the truth must come out. Sinners will not be liberated from their servitude to cultural gender confusion until they are lovingly confronted with the Scriptures — the truth, which Jesus says can set us free (John 8:31-32, 34).
Peace beyond our personal comprehension awaits us if we will trust God enough to do things according to His design, purpose, and will.
“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.” — 1 Timothy 4:6
-Donny Weimar, TBC Online Instructor
