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Month: December 2008

A soft place to land

A soft place to land

bear2 on Women in Ministry blog by Cheryl Schatz

As a woman in ministry, I have struggles like everyone else, wanting to do my best for the Lord Jesus, yet finding opposition from the enemy who tries to sap my strength and take away my passion.  Sometimes there isn’t even a soft place to land when places/people which have been trusted as a safe place are no longer safe.

I am reminded of David who was a man after God’s own heart, yet at times felt betrayed and homeless.  I am also reminded of Jeremiah who is known as the weeping prophet who did God’s work by being the messenger bringing a warning of judgment, yet as the messenger he was rejected and abandoned.

Everywhere I turn, I see godly people having some of the greatest struggles of their lives.  When one is tested and tried and the work and the struggle is difficult both emotionally and physically, where does one turn to to find a soft place to land?  Where or what do you turn to?

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How many wise men?

How many wise men?

Tradition has flavored a lot of things for us that causes us to see everything in terms of tradition instead of thinking outside the box.

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Today I am offering a guest post to Don Johnson who will challenge us to see things without our traditional “glasses”.

How Many Wise Men? by Don Johnson (guest post)

The Question

Here is a fun question you can pose to your friends. Please be as specific or as general as warranted by the biblical text. The answer may surprise you if you have not heard this before. 

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A Christmas post – does the star of Bethlehem belong to satan or God?

A Christmas post – does the star of Bethlehem belong to satan or God?

While this post isn’t exactly a “Women in Ministry” post, I think it does highlight the importance of men and women working together in complementary ways for the benefit of the body of Christ and for ministry to the lost. God often uses women in ways that are different than he uses men simply because he has made us to provide what is missing.  This is the definition of a helper – one who provides what the other is lacking.  Together men and women can make a great team each uniquely providing their gifts with teaching provided by not just one but both as a full rounded view that is beneficial for the common good.

My gift is seeing outside the box on disputed issues.  I have the gift of seeing in scripture what others miss. The article below was written by myself at least ten years ago as an apologetic response to those who see the star of Bethlehem as a satanic tool that was used to guide ungodly men who brought about the deaths of many baby boys in Israel and whose actions also threatened to destroy the Son of God as a child.  I think that at this time of year it is a good article to post because there are many naysayers who dispute Christmas as a freedom for Christians to celebrate the birth of the Messiah.  I think you will find the following dialog to be an interesting read and could be helpful the next time a Jehovah’s Witness comes to your door and tells you that Christmas is pagan and the star of Bethlehem was satan’s star sent by the enemy to bring death and destruction.

The following article is in dialog form for ease of reading.  It is a simulated dialog between a  Christian named Chris and a Jehovah’s Witness named Joe.  This article has been used by God in a mighty way for many years to free those who used to be bound by the Jehovah’s Witness religion regarding their fear of Christmas.  Those who come out of this false religion remain bound by their traditions until the word of God is used as pure water to wash away the false doctrine. (Note the New World Translation is the Jehovah’s Witnesses own in-house translation).

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Was the Star of Bethlehem satan’s star?

By Cheryl Schatz / MM Outreach

(original article on line found here)

Chris: Joe, can you tell me why the Watchtower believes that the star of Bethlehem was Satan’s star and that the wise men were led by Satan?

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The all new 1 Corinthians 14:34, 35 Church

The all new 1 Corinthians 14:34, 35 Church

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I don’t do “humor” too much on this blog, although I love humor and I love to laugh.  The issue of women in ministry is normally a serious one but I couldn’t resist this funny cover that comes from my friend Pastor Jon Zens.  Pastor Jon’s web site is here and he has written a good article on 1 Timothy 2:11-15 here called Are the sister free to function? There is also an answer to whether a woman is to be silent in the church here called A discussion on silent women.  Pastor Jon has been very support of the function of women in the church using their God-given gifts.  He has been a personal encouragement to me and he recommends my DVD set to many people.

Jon also has a new video clip on the front page of his web site revealing his views that the church should not have a clergy class but that elders and pastors are a part of the body of Christ and not a special “class” of believers.

Do egalitarians twist the scriptures?

Do egalitarians twist the scriptures?

twist on Women in Ministry blog by Cheryl Schatz

The charge is often laid that egalitarians twist the scriptures.  I would like to apply a saying that I read recently.  Here it is:

(Complementarians) are quick to accuse of foul play but there are no rules that they have to follow.

What egalitarians are trying so hard to do is interpret scripture with scripture and take the full context instead of isolating scriptures from their context.  Let’s see if complementarians play by the same rules or if they hold themselves as exempt from their own rules.

1.  1 Timothy 2:11-15 is used as a general principle that forbids godly Christian women from using their God-given gifts for the benefit of their Christian brothers.  If this is true as complementarians assert it is, can you please tell me why Paul uses singular and a plural grammar in verse 15?  Who is the “she” who will be saved in the future if “they” continue on in faith, love, holiness and self control?  Isn’t it a twist to ignore the specific grammar of verse 15 which is the conclusion to the prohibition?  How can we know who Paul is prohibiting in verse 12 if we do not know who the “she” and “they” are in verse 15?

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