22 Jul 2013

W&BT#1: Name Above All Names (Week 2)

by | posted in: Books, Women & Books Together | 4

I love all the implications for daily living that this book, and studying and knowing the names of Jesus, has in store for its readers.  I hope you too are enjoying and learning and growing as you are pressing through this book!

Chapter 2 on Jesus being the True Prophet is no different.  How has knowing and understanding Jesus better as the True Prophet changed your life this week?  What did you underline or star or highlight or write notes about that will make a difference in how you live as a woman of God?

Here are some implications that I am working on in my own life from the truths that I read in chapter 2:

1.  Boldness in our witness.  If there is one spiritual discipline that I’m weak in (I promise you there are others), then witnessing it the biggest lack.  And I don’t usually put myself in situations where I would need to present the gospel.  “We will be endued with a sense of confidence, a God-emboldened confidence, and the kind of confidence that will allow us to be courageous in the face of all the challenges of our day.” (p 50)  I think this one paragraph has to do with more than just witnessing.  I think we all need to be ready to stand for Truth – in a world that is so full of half-truths and philosophies that go against what the Bible teaches.  The Bible indeed has to be our standard, because it is the very words and breath of God.

2.  Teach the Word.  You may not have any in-front ministry with ladies in your life, but I’m sure you are teaching someone.  You may be teaching your children at home.  You may be witnessing (sharing life) with those in your workplace or neighborhood.  You may be on a college campus and every word you say in class for discussion or at parties or in your dorm room will speak volumes about Christ and who He is to you.  “So the present prophetic ministry of Christ never introduces bizarre or strange or new and fanciful notions.  No, it is found in the opening up of the Word.” (pg 47)  This is so important today.  Many Christians are believing and practicing what goes against the truth of the Word of God.  If Jesus preached its truth, shouldn’t we live it and preach it as well?

3.  Compassion in our relationships.  I remember taking a spiritual gift inventory during my first semester or so at seminary.  I scored a negative in the mercy department.  A sweet friend and I had about the same score.  But, over the past almost 15 years of knowing her, we have seen each other grow in grace in that department.  We as believing women need and must be grounded in the Word.  But, we also need to be like our True Prophet, and have compassion on those we are around.  “Some of us are good at boldness but not so good at compassion.  We gravitate to all the bold verses but turn away from the gospel’s call to show genuine empathy.” (p 51)  I think genuine empathy and compassion is hard for people who tend to be more holiness/legalism mindset.  But, that should really be the opposite.  If we strive to be holy, then we should all the more know that we aren’t, and have compassion on those who aren’t holy and struggle with the same sins we struggle with.  Empathy and compassion doesn’t mean letting people live in their sins.  We need to call people to live to Christ – in honor of the glory and wonder of the cross..  But, we need to show great compassion, as our True Prophet did, to those who we are ministering to.

What did you learn this week?

 

1 Jul 2013

W&BT: Name Above All Names

by | posted in: Books, Uncategorized, Women, Women & Books Together | 0

A new month and a new feature on kd316.  As I’ve lived in many places there are many women whom I would love to have the ability to sit down in my living room and study this book together (or any other).  But, that can’t happen.  So, that’s why we have technology right?

Women from all over are going to join up and study Crossway Book’s new release (June 2013) of Alistair Begg and Sinclair Ferguson’s readable, applicable book on Jesus: Name Above All Names.  This has been an outstanding book in my opinion and I’ve been enjoying getting to know Jesus better, getting to know the authors better, and getting to know myself better (as you inevitably will when you study Jesus).

So, join us.  We will be starting on July 15 and the comments will be how we dialogue.  If you don’t necessarily want to comment via the comment section, you can always use facebook or email to dialogue.  But, I’d love to hear your thoughts (whether you are here in Little Rock or halfway around the world).  You have plenty of time to order your book.  The chapters are not long and they are very readable even for the average woman who has never been to seminary or anything. Jump on in!  Everyone needs to learn more about Jesus!

I’ll post the study from each chapter each Monday, starting with chapter 1 on July 15 (so if you have time, please go ahead and read it).

9 Nov 2010

Female Theologians and the Church (Guest Post)

by | posted in: Books, Women | 0
There is a really sweet couple in my life who I have had the privilege to minister with, get to know, hang out with, serve with over the last 8 months. Brittany is a joy and a blessing to me. I am hoping her blog post will be a blessing to you:

A few weeks ago I was on a Q&A panel at SEBTS for prospective students and I was asked a really good question that sparked my thinking. Before I jump into the topic, let me give you a little background information.

Since marrying the Hubby, I’ve switched churches. When we first started dating, we were at two different churches and neither of us wanted to switch until our commitment was official. Once we were engaged, I slowly started letting go of responsibilities at my church and started “merging” over to Ben’s church. Now that we’re married, we’re fully at his church and I’m working on switching my membership over to his. During this process I’ve been searching for a solid older married woman (30+, but preferably 40+) to disciple me.

A few weeks ago, we heard one of our church’s pastors speaking and I turned to Ben and said, “I want to be discipled by him, but I’m a girl… and that would be awkward.” He quickly agreed. But this pastor is a phenomenal thinker and his knowledge of Scriptures consistently impresses me. I love how he is consistently reading a variety of books and how he relays pertinent information in such a way that everyone can understand. He is such a gifted teacher and I would love to sit under his teaching! Ben and I both agreed, me being discipled by an older man would not be the wisest of situations, but it brings me to my topic… Where are the brilliant female theologians in our churches?

While on the panel at SEBTS I was asked a question about being female at a Southern Baptist seminary. In summary the lady wanted to know whether or not women were treated as second class citizens. Were women viewed solely as future preacher’s wives? I’m not going to delve into that question here, but the short answer is no. But regardless, even if the opposite was true, should we allow an unbiblical idea stop us from becoming good theologians? There is a shortage of good female theologians in our churches and I’m wondering why.

Regardless of your stance on whether women should be “teaching” in the pulpit, in Sunday school rooms, deacons, etc., we can all agree that older women are called to disciple others, the Great Commission is not gender exclusive. So in light of this, I’m trying to process a few thoughts… Humor me and help me develop my thinking.

1. All Christians should be Christian Theologians. We should all be “studiers of God.” If we believe in the Gospel, shouldn’t we all be good learners of the Scripture and strive to think and live rightly in this world, both men and women alike?

If this is true, then…

2. The studying of Christian theology should NOT only take place in seminaries. It should NOT be only taught from the pulpits. It should not only be well understood by men. It needs to be taught in our homes, in our friendships, in our families. This practice must permeate every sphere of our lives. Shame on us if we push off our responsibility to “academia” or solely to men. The Bible is for the rich, the poor, the young, the old, the brilliant, the not-so-brilliant, and for male & female. Each of us have the responsibility to be good stewards of Scripture.

Therefore…

3. Christian women, you are called to study Scriptures and to disciple others. It’s not optional. The Great Commission was not for men alone. If you feel called to seminary and you let a few men who have an inappropriate view of complementarianism get in your way of learning, shame on you. Who cares what they think? You have a responsibility to learn Scriptures well.

Which leads me to point #4…

4. In regards to learning Scriptures well… Ladies, no offense to Beth Moore (and seriously, I mean no offense), but we are fully capable of reading the same books that our brothers in Christ are reading. Our understanding of the Gospel needs to be equally robust as theirs. Be well rounded in what you read.

And lastly, this final point is mainly for me…

5. For those of you who are working through women’s issues in a more conservative church than you’d prefer. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, but make sure your attitude is in the right place. Recognize that you, like every other member, have submitted yourself to the authority of the church. Ask good questions, learn from the leadership that you’ve placed yourself under, and try to develop a spirit of humility. Pride is a dangerous thing and it seems to show itself frequently in Christian debates. Be open to the Holy Spirit changing your heart just as you would pray that the Holy Spirit would change the hearts of your pastors and elders.

Alright yall, those are my thoughts… I’m still growing, learning, failing, and then starting the process again so feel free to reprimand my thinking if I’m off.