Do You Believe In Women Preachers?

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Praxeas

Let's refresh your memory again. What IS a prophetess?

Luk 2:36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,

The greek word here is the feminine tense of the masculine form for prophet.

The same word is used in the LXX version of the OT
Jdg 4:4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.

2Ki 22:14 So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter), and they talked with her.

So what is a prophet?
Act 21:10 While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
Act 21:11 And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'"

Prophet
In the NT prophḗtēs corresponds to the person who in the OT spoke under divine influence and inspiration. This included the foretelling future events or the exhorting, reproving, and threatening of individuals or nations as the ambassador of God and the interpreter of His will to men (Ezek. 2). Hence the prophet spoke not his own thoughts but what he received from God, retaining, however, his own consciousness and self-possession (Exo_7:1; 2Pe_1:20-21; especially 1Co_14:32).

And as we have seen a prophetess is a feminine version of the same word

So it's interesting that the verse in question comes just before the one above

(II) To tell forth God's message, hence the noun prophḗtēs (G4396), prophet, is the proclaimer, one who speaks out the counsel of God with the clearness, energy, and authority which spring from the consciousness of speaking in God's name and having received a direct message from Him to deliver. Thus one may prophesy without being a prophet in the strict sense of the word. A prophḗtēs, both in the OT and NT, is not primarily one who foretells things to come, but who (having been taught of God) speaks out His will (Deu_18:18; Is. chap. 1; Jer. chap. 1; Ezek. chap. 2; 1Co_14:3). The art of heathen

Those girls were prophetesses. They prophecied.

Now let's look at the gift!
1Co 14:3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.

Notice next how prophecy is one of the ways to edify the church like teaching?

1Co 14:6 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?

Then Notice what Paul says to the church?
1Co 14:26 What should you do then, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each one has a song, has a lesson, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all these things be done for the strengthening of the church.

Also notice what Paul says about those exercising the gift of prophecy? He calls them prophets
1Co 14:29 Two or three prophets should speak and the others should evaluate what is said.

And what is prophecy for? Learning
1Co 14:31 For you can all prophesy one after another, so all can learn and be encouraged.

"Preacher" is not an office. Teachers are not Preachers. A teacher can be a preacher but those office or rolls are not the same. Same goes for the other offices. So the words are not synonymous.

The word Preach means to proclaim. Notice Paul uses it distinctly from being an Apostle and a teacher
1Ti 2:7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Sorry but you haven't done your homework.

[Sister Alvear]

Paul’s letters indicate women were deeply involved in his ministry. Perhaps the best example of women’s involvement is in his letter to the church at Rome. In the sixteenth chapter of Romans, Paul mentions numerous women in active and prominent roles in the church. The first is Phoebe who served as a deacon in Cenchreae (vs. 1-2). Priscilla is called his fellow worker (vs. 3-4). Mary is mentioned as diligent worker in the church at Rome (v. 6). Junia, a woman, is a called an apostle (v.7 see NRSV, KJV, NKJV). Three women—Tryphena, Tryphosa, and Persis—are mentioned as hard workers for the Lord (v. 12).

In other letters of Paul, one finds references to women praying and prophesizing in public worship (1 Cor. 11:5) and contending at his side in the cause of the gospel (Philip. 4:23). Also, in his letter to Timothy, Paul gives instructions about women deacons (1 Tim. 3:11).

Coupled with these examples of women in ministry are three basic theological truths, which seem to indicate women should be involved in all aspects of the church’s life. First, There is no indication that any spiritual gift was limited to men (1 Cor. 12:7-11, 14:31, 1 Peter 4:10). Second, all God’s people were called his priests without any hierarchy of males (1 Peter 2:9, Rev. 1:6, Rev. 5:10). Third, all human distinctions were removed in Christ who united them (Gal. 3:28).

[Sister Alvear]

The Great Commission, Mark 16:15, "Preach the Gospel," is to ALL believers, and to all the church of Jesus Christ. The command to "preach the Gospel" is to both male and female.

[Sister Alvear]

Both the Hebrew (Nebrah), and Greek (Proph) used for prophetess means (female preacher). (See Young's Concordance, Pg. 780.)

The word "Prophet" means a public expounder.

The word "Prophesy" means to speak forth, or flow forth. The Bible says in 1 Cor. 14:3, "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto MEN to edification, and exhortation and comfort."

The dictionary says, prophesy is "to speak under divine inspiration...to preach."

Therefore we learn from the original translation, from the Bible interpretation, and from the dictionary, that to prophesy means more than to tell the future, but it is to speak publicly about the past, present, or future. It is to preach under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

The Old and New Testament prophets and prophetesses were preachers of God's Word.

Even if the words prophet and preacher could be separated, how could anyone prophesy to bring exhortation, comfort and edification to the church, if she were forbidden to speak in church and was to keep silent?

Would God inspire and anoint someone to do something that was wrong and sinful???

[Sister Alvear]

1 Cor. 14: 34-35 does not say anything about women preachers. If Paul intended this verse as a general rule to bar all women from speaking in church, then they cannot teach Sunday School, testify, pray, prophesy, sing, or even get saved, and this would contradict the rest of the Bible (Acts 2:4; Acts 2:16-18)

[rdp]

Originally Posted by Socialite

I don't even have the time to respond to half of what you say.

There's also an entire book of biblical hermeneutics. I don't pick 3 key terms that I've learned and smother a post with them to prove I'm smart.

Try articulating, it works better.

Funny...this is like saying someone who robs banks shouldn't be cherged w/ "Robbery" repeatedly. Ughh, WHEN YOU COMMIT THE SAME FALLACIES AD NAUSEUM....YA' GET THE SAME CHARGE! BTW, there's plenty of "books" on hermeneutics!

[rdp]

Originally Posted by Socialite

Some say tomotoe, others say tomato

So... your argument is, though scriptures refer to someone as a prophetess, the prophet exceeds one who prophesies because they are a spiritual position in the Church? Is that what you're saying?

So can a woman preach even if she's not a preacher?

The OT alone refers to "prophetess,"...you'll never see the term applied to anyone w/in the NT church economy [save Jezebel..."who CALLS HERSELF a prophetess" (much like some I know of today)].

Prax is saying, "Seeeeee, women 'prophesied,'...that's makes them 'Prophetesses'". Wrong, wrong, wrong......

[rdp]

Originally Posted by Socialite

Whether it's tied to creation (one of your evidences) or not -- if you believe it's a literal command to be obeyed, then that's what it is.

Culture relevance is a big part of interpretation, rdp.

And for the 50th time now, I Tim. 2:11-15 is NOT tied to "culture," but the creation model of headship & order.

Good grief....can ya'll not read????

[jfrog]

rdp, why is it that none of your positions are ever consistent?

[Socialite]

Originally Posted by rdp

And for the 50th time now, I Tim. 2:11-15 is NOT tied to "culture," but the creation model of headship & order.

Good grief....can ya'll not read????

It's still a biblical command. Can you not read?

Put away your eraser and quit trying to take away from the Word!