Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• A number of ladies mentioned in the passage
• What are women called to do?
• E.g. Mary (v6)
• Priscilla and Aquila (v3)
• Phoebe (v1)
• It doesn't say in this passage what the women were doing
• Paul mentions them
• Paul wants to greet them
• They had made a significant impact in the Church of Jesus Christ
• Stuart Ollerton's wife was taken to the Lord
• Her life was such an example
• She was a great servant of Jesus Christ
• We have known great women in the church
• Four examples
• Jesus was often surrounded by ladies
• Luke 8:2
• Mary & Martha
• Overview:
• The role of women in the church (in part)
• Recognising women's workers
• Women and the rest of the church

The Role of Women in the Church

• It is a role that can be polarising and bring controversy
• We need to go back to the bible to see what it says
• In terms of our standing before God - we are all of equal worth: equally sinners and equally saved
• The Spirit was not just poured out on the apostles but to men and women of the church - Acts 2:17
• Hence we hear of prophetesses in the New Testament - Acts 21:8-9, 1 Cor 11:5-6
• 1 Cor 14:34 - God has given leadership to men - all the apostles and new Testament writers were men
• 1 Cor 11:3 - God's order (women are not inferior, but a question of function)
• Acts 2:18
• Paul is commending Phoebe
• Cenchrea was 9 miles away from Corinth
• She was a servant or deaconess
• Diaconon - there is no gender to the word in the Greek
• 1 Tim 3:1-11 - The qualifications of an elder and deacon
• v11 - the word wives could be better translated women
• John McArthur purports that this refers to deaconesses
• Paul is saying to recognise Phoebe as one of God's servants
• Paul often refers to women
• Phil 4:2-3
• They were co-workers in the gospel
• They were not preachers or teachers
• They visited the poor, gave counsel, evangelised
• Do we value our women as we ought?

Recognising Women Workers

• Do we recognise our women?
• Paul is giving an official commendation
• Pheobe (v1)
• The word in Greek indicates a patron/benefactor
• A businesswoman
• The Countess of Hunginton - Example
• Priscilla and Aquila (v3)
• They were tent makers
• Paul met them when all Christians had been expelled from Rome
• Paul was a tent maker
• They went to Ephesus and the Rome and then back to Ephesus - they were always traveling around
• They had a 'tent ministry'
• They risk their lives for Paul's sake (v4)
• The wife is often mentioned first - completely against convention of the day
• Priscilla may have been more gifted
• They served the Lord together
• Women commended in the New Testament
• Zechariah and Elizabeth - couples
• Adronicus and Junia (v7)
• Tryphena and Tryphosa (v12)
• They had a church in their house
• All the churches of the Gentiles gave thanks for them
• We must pray for more
• Mary (v6)
• She strained with strenuous work
• Charles Spurgeon - quote and explanation
• Examples of ladies we know
• May we honour women as we should

Women and the Rest of the Church

• The passage isn't so much about women but about the Church
• Male and female
• Slave and free
• Slaves - names and households
• Different classes
• Artistocractic names
• Middle class
• City dwellers
• Country dwellers
• New and old converts
• Jewish, Roman and Greek names
• The Church is made up of all different nationalities
• We are not to just focus on the women
• The Church is a body
• We must be careful of splitting the Church up into categories
• What matters is about being in Christ
• v8, v9, v12 etc
• Paul knew these people
• Rom 1:8-9
• Paul was praying for them
• 16 verses but 18 people
• May it be that we love the Church a Paul did