Fire in  the = Hole

Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and = charity and holiness with sobriety.  – 1^st = Timothy 2:14, 15

In the middle of a message I was giving when I was in Africa, the Lord = showed me that this verse was not referring to women, but to the Church.  = Lets’ face it, Paul was not saying that if a woman didn’t give birth to = babies, she was going to Hell, but rather that the purpose of the Body of Christ = was to win souls. 

If we are the Bride of Christ, then the picture of matrimony is a picture = of our relationship with our Husband, Jesus Christ.  We see, especially in = the Old Testament, that it was a shame for a woman to be barren.  Her = primary purpose, besides ministering to her husband, was to bring forth children.  = Hence Rachael’s cry of “Give me children lest I = die!”

But let’s back up a verse or two. 

“For Adam was = first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being = deceived was in the transgression.”   

If we keep the analogy in focus, then this is a reference to the fact that = Jesus Christ was first, before the Church ever was, and Jesus, the = 1^st Adam, was sinless, but humanity has fallen and been deceived through sin = and our desire to be wise. 

Of course, the Trinity always was –that is a principal of the Gospel = – but Jesus was also “the beginning of the creation of God” (Rev. 3:14).  Not that Jesus did = not always exist, but that He was first manifested as the Word of God when Creation = was spoken into existence, and “by Him all things consist” = (Colossians 1:17). 

So then the Church was formed after our Lord, and we are subject to = Him.

So far, so good.  But let’s go back a little bit = more.

“Let the woman learn in silence with all = subjection.  But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to = be in silence. “  (2:11,12)

Going back to the actual Greek, we can see that this does not mean that women = have to come to church like deaf mutes, but that the words suggest tranquility = and proper order in the Church.   In other words, don’t get crazy = on me!  We are to maintain our proper subjection, not just to our husbands, but the Church = is not supposed to take over the dominant role of the = Lord.

But when we allow our thirst for wisdom to drive us (as Eve’s = deception in desiring the Tree of Knowledge), we will develop a tendency to get ahead = of the Lord in our theological pursuits, and wind up missing the whole = point.  Never before have we had so many Christian book stores filled with thousands = of Christian self-help books, and yet nowhere in America do we have the = powerful moves of God like we had a few generations ago before we were invested = with all this Christian scholasticism. 

Hmmm.  Is something missing?  Have we missed the mark someplace?  = Perhaps we should back off and let the Holy Spirit take over.

Going back just a couple verses more, we read Paul’s admonition to the = outward appearance of women in the Church:

“In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with = shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly = array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good = works.”  = (2:9,10)

If the analogy holds, then perhaps Paul is not trying to tell women how to = dress or wear their makeup.  (What man in his right mind would try to = tackle something like that?)  Maybe it is more of an admonition of how we = present our churches.

I have preached in mud huts way out in the jungle where there were but a = dozen or so believers and have repeatedly watched the power of God fall so heavily that it crushed people on their faces to the ground, where the = Spirit was so strong that you couldn’t stop dancing, where the Shekinah = glory beamed so brightly that it overwhelmed you and all you could do is utter praises to God. 

Seen that in any of our huge Mega-churches lately?  =

Constructing huge edifices with golden altars, high-tech sound systems, rich carpets, = and laced with opulence to display our “prosperity in the Lord” = does not make you holy.  Neither does it manifest the power of = God.  Neither does it win souls.  It’s a pretty candy wrapper, but it is not the = costly array that touches God’s heart, but the sobriety of a church that has = the fear of God and is willing to sacrifice all to see souls get saved.  =

The sacrifice that God is looking for comes from your heart, not your = outward display.  Your wisdom comes from the Word of God, not our vast = array of carnal intelligence.  The focus of Christianity is not about you; = it’s about others.

The beginning of 1^st Timothy says it well,

“Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a = pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; = desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor = whereof they affirm.”

Ah, yes.  Charity – more important than faith or hope, the focus = of the Word of God, the essence of Christianity, the purpose of the Cross.  = Charity transcends all other aspects of the Church because it is the giving of yourself, out of love, so that souls can be saved.  Without it, all = we have is Religion.

“She shall be saved in = childbearing…” 

Dalen Garris, dale@revivalfire.org<= /span>

PO Box 822, Waxahachie, TX 75168