Free The Church

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting and please leave a comment after you read the blog!

The emasculation of husbands

Despite the title of the blog, I am not against women teaching.  I personally benefit and enjoy listening to Joyce Meyer,  Nancy Lee DeMoss and other intelligent women who hear God and speak on behalf of God.  And I believe that these women when broadcasting through the airwaves or any other public communications medium are fine, because they are not specifically teaching men. They are teaching whosoever will.  There is a significant difference.

I had to rethink through my point of view on this topic since I was recently excommunicated from a house church headed by a woman pastor.  In post expulsion communication with the brother that had brought me into the fellowship, I expressed regret to him that I had not heeded my conscience in continuing my attendance when I found out that the group was being led by a woman.  I told him that we have a tendency to rationalize and to justify what we want at the expense of the plain teaching of Scriptures which says:

I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. (1 Tim 2:12 NIV) Read the rest of this entry →

For the last two weeks I have been wrestling with how to discuss this topic in this blog.  I know Father wants me to lay this out for readers to understand.  I broached the topic in one of the God Journey Forum discussions.  But in the last two days, the Lord has given me the vision of how to put this down on electronic paper.

Before I can discuss submission, I have to lay some spiritual ground work for my points to be properly understood. Read the rest of this entry →

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. “(2 Cor 5:10 KJV)

We all know that we are going to face Christ in judgment.   When most people read this verse, they personalize it in the sense of giving an account for their lives.  Frankly, I do not believe that is what is meant.   We have been given the greatest gift of all.   Paul calls the gifts,   “this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Cor 4:7 KJV);  Jesus called the gift the talent that the man “went and hid thy talent in the earth (Matt 25:25  KJV); He also compared this gift to a  “pearl of great price” ,  that when the man found he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. (Matt 13:46 KJV). Read the rest of this entry →

My marriage was transformed when I grabbed hold of a spiritual principle. That principle is found in 1 Cor.  11:3.

“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.” (1 Cor 11:3 KJV)

I had theologically understood it all along, but it was in the practical application that I missed it.  Theologically I understood why Adam was cursed when it was Eve who disobeyed in partaking of the fruit. Adam had the responsibility to “keep the garden” (Gen. 2:15).   That meant that he was to guard and protect that garden. The garden, included his wife, Eve.   So when Adam did not stop Eve, he abdicated his responsibility.   Paul tells us: Read the rest of this entry →

Tony Evans pastors a church in Oakcliff, a suburb of Dallas, Texas. He is a black pastor who has reached believers in all family groups. He once said that the time has come for blacks to stop seeing themselves as blacks who are Christians, but as Christians who are black. His statement is profound. He has addressed a fundamental point of identity that is undermining the body of Christ in America today. I do not mean the issue of blacks and whites, but whose Kingdom do we belong to first. I would add to his point that the time has also come that Americans need to stop seeing themselves as Americans first and Christians second. We are Christians first, Americans second. We are not here to serve American interests, but Christ’s interests. Read the rest of this entry →

It is commonly said amongst Christians that we respect the office, not necessarily the person in office. I heard this a lot when Bill Clinton was in office. The sentiment sounds noble, but when I reflected deeper upon the thought I have come to the opposite conclusion.

The main reason this opinion stands is because of scriptural injunctions to obey governing authorities.

Rom 13:1-2
1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. (NIV)

It is clear that God establishes authorities. But even in the NIV it does not say “office”.  An office may be filled with God’s authority, or it may not. The authority is the person, not the office.  The root word in authority is “author”. God is the Author of authority.  If a person is in authority, he or she is in the Author.  An office is not a person and cannot be in God. Read the rest of this entry →