|
Articles
 ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Dr. Eddie L. Hyatt is a Church historian, Bible teacher, and ordained
minister with over 25 years of ministerial experience. He has served as a
pastor, teacher, Bible school director, and professor of theology in the U.S.,
Canada, India, and Eastern Europe. He holds a Doctor of Ministry from Regent
University as well as a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts from Oral
Roberts University where he also taught in the School of Theology.
He is the author of the highly acclaimed book 2000 Years of Charismatic
Christianity, and his articles on revival have been published in periodicals in
both the U.S. and Canada. He is presently a member of the faculties of Christ
for the Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas, Christian Life School of Theology in
Columbus Georgia, and Integrity School of Ministry also of Columbus, Georgia
where he teaches courses on Revival, the New Testament, and the Holy Spirit.
Eddie and his wife, Dr. Susan Hyatt, reside in Tulsa, OK where they are founding the International Christian Women's Hall of Fame. Their passion is to see authentic revival transform the Church and impact the world in the 21st century. Their mailing address 9933 S. 108th East Ave., Tulsa, OK 74133; and their websites are www.icwhp.org and www.eddiehyatt.com.
Go and Tell! God's Word to Women in the 21st Century
by Eddie L. Hyatt, D.Min., M.Div., M.A.
During the forty days between His resurrection and ascension, Jesus appeared
to His disciples at various times and on one occasion appeared to over five
hundred of His followers. The gospel writers, however, are very explicit in
noting that it was Mary Magdalene to whom He appeared first after His
resurrection. The importance which the evangelists attach to this fact indicate
that it was no accidental occurrence, but that Jesus purposely appeared first to
Mary Magdalene.
It has been noted that we teach a little by what we say; we teach more by what
we do; but we teach most of all by what we are. Jesus knew that actions speak
louder than words and He taught His disciples, not just by precept, but first of
all by example. When He wanted to teach them about humility He did not, first of
all, give them a lecture. He demonstrated the virtue of humility by taking the
role of a slave, girding Himself with a towel and washing His disciples' feet. When He desired to teach them about faith, He first demonstrated the power of
faith by cursing a fig tree and allowing the disciples to see it wither and die. Only then did He give them a lecture about the power of faith.
Therefore, in appearing first to Mary Magdalene, Jesus was making a very
important statement to His followers. It was a statement, perhaps, that they
could not have grasped and retained by a mere lecture. This statement was
further clarified and enhanced by the words which Jesus spoke to her on this
occasion. When Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene He gave her certain, specific
instructions. Matthew 28:10 records His words to Mary: "Go and tell my
brethren...." In other words, He sent her on a specific mission defined by the
words, "Go and tell." Interestingly, the New Testament word apostle literally
means "one who is sent" or "a sent one." Mary, therefore, was a "sent one" and
as such received the first apostolic commission from the Risen Lord.
Her commission was to go and tell the other disciples that Jesus was risen. What
is preaching but telling about Jesus and His resurrection? A perusal of the book
of Acts will, in fact, reveal that the essence of the preaching message of the
early church was Jesus and the resurrection. Mary, therefore, received the first
apostolic commission to preach the good news of the resurrection. And notice
that her commission was not limited to a "women's ministry," for Jesus said
instructed her to "Go and tell My brethren." She, in effect, became the apostle
to the apostles.
THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS
USHERED IN A NEW DAY FOR WOMEN AND ALL MANKIND
By appearing first to Mary Magdalene and giving her an apostolic commission,
Jesus was saying that His death and resurrection had ushered in a new era of
freedom for all of humanity. He was saying that In Him the walls of separation
between the races and the sexes had been removed. Paul echoes this in his letter
to the Galatians saying that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek ... there
is neither male nor female (3:28) This was revolutionary thinking since the
orthodox Jewish man of this time normally began his day with a prayer that
included thanks to God that he was not born a Gentile, a slave, or a woman. It
was revolutionary thinking because in both Roman and Jewish courts of law, the
testimony of women was not allowed as evidence. By appearing first to Mary
Magdalene Jesus was, therefore, cutting through all the disdain and prejudice of
his male disciples toward his female disciples. He thereby declared His equal
acceptance of women and confirmed their ministry by bestowing on Mary the first
apostolic commission after His resurrection. He showed his approval and respect
for all women and their testimony by sending her as the first to bear witness to
the most important event of human history.
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT WOMEN FUNCTIONED AS
APOSTLES, PROPHETS, EVANGELISTS, PASTORS & TEACHERS
Those parts of the church which do not accept female leadership in the Church
base their rejection on primarily two verses in the New Testament written by
Paul. These problem passages, however, must be considered both in their
historical context and in comparison with the more numerous possibility
passages. For example, in Romans 16:1, Paul commends to the church at Rome our
sister Phoebe who is a "servant" of the church in Cenchrea. Paul refers to
Phoebe as a "servant" which is the Greek word "diakonos." "Diakonos,"
or its verb form, is translated "minister" in 23 other places in the New
Testament. For example, in Eph. 3:7, Paul says that he became a minister (diakonos)
according to the gift of the grace of God. Phoebe, therefore, was a minister,
quite possibly a pastor, from the church in Cenchrea and had been sent by that
church to Rome on a special assignment. In vs. 2, Paul refers to Phoebe as a
"helper of many and of myself also." The Greek word translated "helper" in this
verse is "prostates" and, according to Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon, means "to
set over, to rule, superintend, preside over, protect," and "care for." Phoebe
was obviously a leader in the Church who had nurtured the faith of many,
including that of Paul himself. She knew what it was to "Go and Tell."
In verses 3-5 of the same chapter, Paul refers to Priscilla and Aquila and the
church that is in their house. Priscilla and Aquila are always mentioned
together in Scripture which indicates that they worked and ministered together
as a husband and wife team. This is confirmed by Acts 18:26 where both Priscilla
and Aquila took Apollos aside and both explained to him the way of God more
accurately. Many commentators feel that because, in the Greek, Priscilla is
always mentioned first, that she was the spiritually gifted one and probably the
pastor of the church that was in their home. Priscilla knew that she was called
to "Go and Tell."
In verse 7 of the same chapter, Paul sends greetings to Andronicus and Junia who
are of note among the apostles. Junia is a feminine name and so we have here a
woman who is recognized by Paul as an apostle. An early church father, John Chrysostom,
commenting on this verse, said, "Oh how great is the devotion of this woman,
that she should be even counted worthy of the appellation of apostle." We thus
see that in the New Testament church, women as well as men functioned as
apostles. Junia, as "a sent one" had, like Mary, been commissioned
by the Lord to "Go and Tell." In Philippians 4:3, Paul urges the church at
Philippi to help those women [Euodia and Syntyche] who labored with me in the
gospel. The word "labor," which Paul uses here, refers to the exertion and
effort that is required in preaching and teaching. This reminds us of the
admonition of Jesus in Matthew 9:38 for His disciples to pray that the Lord of
the harvest would send out laborers into His harvest. Also note that Paul says
that these women labored "with" him, not under him. Gerald F. Hawthorne in the
Word Biblical Commentary, says that Paul is using a metaphor which means "to
fight together side by side with." Paul thus sees these women as highly esteemed
members of his team who have labored at his side in the cause of Christ. They
knew what it meant to "Go and Tell."
"But," some will ask, "what about Paul's admonition in I Corinthians 14:34 and I
Timothy 2:12 for women to be silent?" First of all, a doctrine should not be
formulated without giving equal consideration to Scriptures such as those
presented above. Also, it is more than likely that the restrictions of these two
verses are related to local, cultural situations and are not universal edicts
pertaining to the whole Church in every age. These restrictions are, rather, on
the same level as Paul's instructions concerning the wearing of veils in I
Corinthians chapter 11 and his admonitions for believers to greet one another
with a holy kiss (a handshake or hug will do just fine, thank you). An
examination of the Greek text and the historical situation in which Paul wrote
these passages, confirms that this is the case.
RECOGNIZING AND RESPECTING THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS IN WOMEN MADE A KOREAN
CHURCH THE LARGEST CHURCH IN THE WORLD
In 1988 I spent one week in Seoul, Korea observing the ministry of the largest
church in the world pastored by David Yonggi Cho. At that time the Yoido Full
Gospel Church had over 600,000 members and was growing at the rate of 13,000 per
month. Ninety per cent of those new members were entering the church through the
50,000 cell groups that met weekly in homes and offices throughout the city. I
learned that a number of years previous, during a time of crisis, God dealt with
pastor Cho about mobilizing the women in his congregation. He protested because
in Korea women have traditionally been very subservient to men and not allowed
to function in leadership roles. He finally yielded and began appointing called
and gifted women as cell group leaders and as pastors. That was when his church
exploded in growth. At the time of my visit, ninety percent of his 50,000 cell
groups were led by women. Sixty-five percent of his pastoral staff of 565 were
women.
In the 1980s a friend of mine spent 6 weeks in Seoul studying the Yoido Full
Gospel Church, seeking to learn the secrets of its incredible growth. After
returning home to America, he wrote a book entitled, Cho's Secret Weapon--Women. Indeed, when Cho began to mobilize his entire congregation without regard to
gender, unprecedented growth and harvest began to occur.
Although Cho seems to have retained some of the vestiges of his traditional
thinking about women (he seems to still think a man should always be in charge),
his experience is a shining example of what can happen when a congregation is
mobilized by allowing people to function according to their gifts, rather than
forcing them into restrictive roles according to their gender. And this approach
is necessary if the Church is to function as the body of Christ.
MINISTRY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT IS BASED ON GIFTS AND CALLING--NOT GENDER
In I Corinthians 12 and Romans 12, Paul pictures the Church as a body made up of
many members. Each time he shares this concept it is in the context of Spiritual
gifts. This is because it is the possession of a Spiritual gift that gives each
member of the body its particular function or ministry. The authority to
minister is thus rooted in one's possession of a divine call or gift. Ordination
is simply the Church's recognition of that gift. When John Wesley was asked why
he gave recognition to women preachers, he replied, "Because God owns them in
the conversion of sinners, and who am I that I should withstand God."
Much of the Church has refused to recognize the gifts of its female members and
has, thereby, violated Paul's command in I Thessalonians 5:19 not to quench the
Spirit. As a result of this disobedience, many gifts have lain dormant while
millions have perished without Christ and the Church has languished in defeat. The Great Commission has not been fulfilled and the Lord's coming has been
delayed. Thus, it is time for the Church to allow the gifting of the Spirit
rather than religious tradition to determine who should function as an
evangelist, pastor, teacher, or preacher.
This is a time when God is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh. It is a time
when both sons and daughters are prophesying. Much, therefore, is hinging on the
Church's response to the work of the Spirit in its midst. If the Church will
truly embrace an "every member" ministry this decade might yet usher in the end
of the age and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 68:11 might yet be
fulfilled which, in the Hebrew, literally says, "The Lord gave the word and a
great company of women proclaimed it." Millions of Marys are even now hearing
the inner voice of the Spirit instructing them to "Go and Tell."
*************
Eddie and his wife, Dr. Susan Hyatt, reside in Tulsa, OK and are co-founders
of Hyatt International Ministries which includes Hyatt Press, the International
Christian Women's History Project, and Revival Research Institute. Their passion
is to see authentic revival transform the Church and impact the world in the
21st century. For information on their ministry and/or a catalogue of their
writings, write to email them at
hyattpress@aol.com
Copyright 1999
|
