Question 4: Is it biblical for a woman to lead the church in singing?

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Question 4:

Is it biblical for a woman to lead the church in singing?

Here's another question from one of our readers. I am Michael Pearl. This is The Door, No Greater Joy Ministries. This reader, and it's a woman, writes a rather lengthy question.

Question:

“I'm wanting your insight on whether women should be leading praise and worship times at church. I know God has said for women to learn in silent, but what about the singing? I do believe I can sing along, but currently, where we attend church, has a praise and worship team that leads the songs to sing while up front. I am on this team. I'm not the leader of the team, but it has been referred to as leading a song when I sing the songs through microphone by myself to the versus congregational singing along. I do desire to obey God and trust his commandments to bless me. Do you have any helpful insight through scripture with singing in the church? I've been asked to sing again on September 30th and not answering yes until I have confidence of what God has told me to do regarding this. Please know I'm willing to learn, and my guess is silence, let the men lead but wanted to see what insights you had.”

Answer:

Okay, first thing is, I don't want to come between you and your church and what your church leaders and elders tell you, you can do or cannot do. All I can tell you is what the scripture says, but I'm not telling you what you should do in regard to your church. So you already know the scripture, but some of our readers may not.

What is shame facedness?

1 Timothy 2:9, "And like man are also women adorn themselves in modest to peril with shame facedness and sobriety."

Now, what is shame facedness? It's much like the Oriental women today who don't look men in the eye boldly, who have a sense of modesty and do not engage emotionally with men in a public setting. In other words, they just remain sort of in the background.

 “and sobriety, not with embroidered hair are gold or pearls are costly,” right? In other words, women are told not to decorate themselves up their bodies, their presence to try to put on airs for men to make themselves sexually attractive. "But (which become of women professing godliness) with good works.”

Why should Women keep silent in Church?

1 Timothy 2:10 “Let the women learn in silence with all subjection. I suffer not a woman to teach nor do usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence."  He's talking about the church here, "And he suffered not a woman to teach our usurp authority for Adam was first formed then Eve and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceive was in transgression."

So he reveals why he has this special rule for women different from men, that women are not to take a lead in the church and not to teach or to have a role of authority in the church. He said because the woman was deceived. I know I'm politically incorrect. I know the Bible's politically incorrect, but I don't apologize for it.

You see, it's obvious that women being the emotional side of the union, much more so than men being the sensitive side, which is good. They're tender and they have big hearts, which we need, we men need it, but they're more subject to following their emotions and being deceived than they are following logic. Now, I'm not talking to all women. I know there's some women in workforce out there that are very logical and very consistent and less emotional than the men are. I know that. I know their exceptions, but the general rule, women are more prone, and I've seen it in the church to be deceived spiritually than the men are. They're much quicker to jump on something and ride it emotionally and lead the church into error.  Just take for example Ellen White, look what kind of era she produced.

Does the Bible tell Women to be silent in Church?

Now we go on in 1 Corinthians 14:31-32 "For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted for the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets."

In other words, you can control what you do. The spirit of God doesn't make you do something you shouldn't do. "For God is not the author of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches. Let your women keep silence in the churches but is not permitted on them to speak. They are commanded to be under obedience, as also says the law."  So Paul brings up to date, he said the law demanded this, and in the church it's also expected that the women are to keep silent in the church and not to speak.

Now, when he says speak, that's doesn't mean they can't say “amen” or “would you get me a drink of water?” It means that they're not to take part in the church worship, the church format where they are, speak publicly, make announcements, declare something. It'd be all right for a woman to say, "Dinner's going to be in the back today," or whatever like that. Or, "There's a nursery for the children." But in other words, she's not to take part in the doctrine, the theological, the worship direction of the church.

Can Women ask Questions in Church?

1 Corinthians 14:34 "They are command to be under obedience also says the law for if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home. But it is a shame for the women to speak in church,”  

A woman shouldn't even ask a question publicly in the church.  She shouldn't have the control because a question controls the direction of the church. So she shouldn't speak up and ask a question.

Now, that doesn't mean in the church building. You can have a function in the church building where women are together, they're teaching, women are teaching women and they're asking questions or they're having a Bible study. That's great.

He's talking about in the presence of the whole church where the men are, “it's a shame for the women to speak in the church,” he said. So it's a shameful thing. Now, I know that this is not our modern era, but then our modern era is not a Christian era either.

Wasn’t Paul’s command just related to the current cultural?

1 Corinthians 14:36 "What came the word of God out from you or came in under you only?"  He said, you think you're the only ones that got it? "If any man think himself to be a prophet or spiritual,"  I know a lot of women are saying, "Hey, I'm a prophet. I'm spiritual. I have gifts."

"If any man thinketh himself to be prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge the things that I write into you are the commandments of the Lord."  So some of you men, some of pastors said, well, we don't believe that. We don't accept that interpretation. He said, well, "You think it came to you only?" He said, "You think you're the only one? He said, if you think you're self spiritual, you need to acknowledge that what I just wrote is the commandments of God.

So it's no skin off my nose, my old nose, if you don't follow this, I'm not upset about it. And I don't remember the last time I preached this probably been 10 or 15 years mentioning it, but someone asks a question, so I've answered it.

Older Women Teach the Younger Women

Now it does say this, Titus 2:3 "The aged women, likewise that they be in behaviors become with holiness, not false accusers not given to much wine teachers of good things."  In other words, the old women shouldn't be drunkards and shouldn't go around gossiping, "But they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, love their children, to be discreet, chase keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands that the word of God be not blaspheme."   So older women teaching younger women is commanded and that's appropriate, and there are times and places for women to teach women.

Should women be in subjection to all men?

And you say, does that mean that all women should be in subjection to all men? Absolutely not. A woman can take a lead in business or in any endeavor and she can stand up and speak with men and debate with them and argue with them and win the contest and go home grinning. That's fine. We're talk about the church here and a woman is not to be in subjection to men in general.

In other words, you come over to my house and sit around the table and you say something stupid, my wife may challenge you on it and have a very healthy, vigorous conversation. I'll just sit back and grin and watch you get the socks beat off of you.

So women are not second class citizens. It's just that the nature of the church and the spiritual rule and reign of the church is such that women are told not to take a lead, not to usurp authority, and to keep silent in the church.

That's God's mandate. If you want to do it differently, you'll have to answer to him, not to me. This has been Michael Pearl at The Door. Tune in again.

Bible teaching with Michael Pearl.
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