Warrior Women: The Role of Woman in the Church

There is a major move in Church, with women now leading and preaching. There are warrior women who want to pray and preach. There are some resisting this, taking Paul's words out of context, "Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess to worship God. A woman must learn in quietness and full submissiveness.   do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man;b she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman who was deceived and fell into transgression.  Women, however, will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control." (1 Timothy 2:9-15). The problem is that people don't know that Paul was speaking to Greek Churches that had Pythonesses in it, women who were pagan and who taught men to have sex with them and were oracles (prophets), they were continuing this trade in the church (these women are mentioned in Revelation 2:20, Revelation 18:4), so Paul put this length paragraph upon those pythonesses churches but not all churches. For elsewhere Paul says, "Greet the brothers in Laodicea, and also Nympha (means Bride, is not a male name like many scholars say) and the church in her house," (Colossians 4:15), "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae," (Romans 16:1), "Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you(r salvation)," (Romans 16:6), "Greet Andronicus and Junia (Iounias, Noun, Feminine), my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did," (Romans 16;7), "Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord," (Romans 16:12), "Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too," (Romans 16:13), and  "also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier--and to the church that meets in your home," (Philemon 1:2). Repeatedly Paul is commending women working for Lord, which is Evangelism and make disciples (includes teaching and preaching, primary way of evangelizing!), "But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:5, see also 1 Corinthians 15:58). In the list of accommodations Phoebe is called a Deacon, Nympha and Apphia lead a church, note it is extraordinary Paul is using Apphia's name first, in Jewish masculine culture, you always say the man's name first, "Is this not Joseph and Mary's son?" (John 6:42, Luke 4:22, Matthew 13:55) in fact it was insult in Jewish Culture when the disbelieving Nazarenes said to Jesus, "Then they scoffed, "He's (Jesus) just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us." They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him," (Mark 6:3), but Paul goes against this Jewish custom and mentions Apphia a women before her brother Archippus. Paul does this again with Priscila and Aquila, "Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila and those living in the household of Onesiphorus." (2 Timothy 4:19). The reason is Paul mentions the teacher or preacher first in a couple or pair of siblings, so we then know that Apphia and Priscila are the teachers!


We are living in an age of women coming into positions that have long since be denied them. Many seek to resist this, calling it an abmonination or antiscriptural, but I say then what do they make the Old Testament Deborah, "Then Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go. Certainly I will go with you," said Deborah. "But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh." (Judges 4:7-8), Deborah was a judge of Israel. What do these naysayers have to say about Mary Martha's sister whom Jesus discipled, "As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42), and Jesus talking to Samartian Woman, telling her who He was, "Jesus and the Samaritan Woman:

4 Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John ² (though Jesus himself didn’t baptize them—his disciples did). ³ So he left Judea and returned to Galilee.

⁴ He had to go through Samaria on the way. ⁵ Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. ⁶ Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. ⁷ Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” ⁸ He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.
⁹ The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”
¹⁰ Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
¹¹ “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? ¹² And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”
¹³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. ¹⁴ But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
¹⁵ “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”
¹⁶ “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.
¹⁷ “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.
Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— ¹⁸ for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”
¹⁹ “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. ²⁰ So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim,^[c] where our ancestors worshiped?”
²¹ Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. ²² You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. ²³ But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. ²⁴ For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
²⁵ The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
²⁶ Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!”
²⁷ Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you talking to her?” ²⁸ The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, ²⁹ “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” ³⁰ So the people came streaming from the village to see him.
³¹ Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.”
³² But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.”
³³ “Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other.
³⁴ Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. ³⁵ You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe^[e] for harvest. ³⁶ The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! ³⁷ You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. ³⁸ I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.”

³⁹ Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” ⁴⁰ When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, ⁴¹ long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. ⁴² Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world." (John 4:1-42).

The Samaritan woman was not impended from preaching about Jesus, "Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony (Revelation 12:11).  They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world." (John 4:39, 42 ESV). Earlier I shared how the Apostle Paul commended women who had worked hard in Lord (Romans 16:6-12), which is obviously what this Samaritan Woman.  Beyond that, the first person to see Jesus Risen was Mary Magdalene! (Mark 16:19, John 20:14, Luke). If Women were first ones Jesus confessed who He was (John 4:26), discipled one (Luke 10:38-42), and showed His Resurrected Self to (John 20:14), why then would we deny women the right to teach and preach?!

It was women who supported Jesus' Ministry and kept Him and Apostles taken care of, "Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples." (Luke 8:13). These same women are the only ones, save for Apostle John, who where at Jesus Christ own crucifixion, " Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to Him. Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee," (Matthew 27:55), "Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene," (John 19:15), and, "And there were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome." (Mark 15:40). While all the Apostles were scattered save for John, the women stood there at the Cross, and they watched as Christ bore the sins of mankind.

There were Women at Pentecost who were filled with Holy Spirit power, "Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers," (Acts 1:12-14), and "When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance." (Acts 2:1-3). It is clear the women witnesses and those who supported Jesus' ministry stayed with the Apostles after Jesus Ascended (Acts 1:1-11). In fact, Paul remarks how the Apostles have wives, "Don't we have the right to bring a Christian wife with us as the other apostles and the Lord's brothers do, and as Peter does?" (1 Corinthians 9:5). Contrary to Catholic tradition, the Apostles had wives and took them with them in ministry!


The Church needs to not resist reform. For the Roman Catholic Church resisted Refomraiton, and it lost the chance to purge idolatry and know the Scriptures, and become like Church of the Apostles We must not wage a war against women, for Woman are warriors, in Hebrew Woman means "Warrior." It was woman that God chose to come into this world, "In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings,favored woman! The Lord is with you, Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God!You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail. Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her." (Luke 1:26-38). It was Women who supported Jesus' ministry (Luke 8:1-3), it was a woman Jesus first raised from dead (Luke 8:40-56, Mark 5:21-43), It was woman He revealed Himself as way of Salvation (John 4:26) it was a woman Jesus told He was resurrection and life (John 11:25-26), It was a woman who got to see Risen Christ  first (John 20:1-18), and it was to women that the apostles made deaconesses (Romans 16:1), and who lead Churches (Colossians 4:15). The case against Woman pastors, preachers, and teachers falsl apart when we examine The Holy Bible. Another question that should haunt hard liners against woman teaching, what if the only Christian in a village is a woman? Is she sup[pose to just remain silent until a man is saved? Oh course not! She should preach. What about the woman Jesus taught like Mary and Martha, and Samaritan Woman, are they having heard Christ's words and the Gospel just remain silent? Of course not, they should shout from rooftops! Which Samaritan Woman did. The Great Commission from Christ, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20). There isn't a clause that says, "only men go make disciples." Also note, that Jesus taught Mary and Martha commands.

What about the authors of New Testament? Why are there no woman authors? Well in 33-90 A.D. women in Jewish Culture were second class citizens, they could not teach, or write or read. They had to be instructed by their husbands. Christ was actually revolutionary, firstly as Rabbi he talked to women, something Talmud forbids and Rabbis are told to not even walk same street as women. Jesus also spoke to pagan Samaritan woman, something she remarks, "why asking me for a drink, you are a Jew and I a Samaritan?" (John  4:9). But the Apostles found themselves still in culture still man centric, and so most of the accounts are from the men. However, The Gospel of Luke is unique, in that Luke interviewed all the women, Mary Jesus' Mother, Mary and Martha, Mary Magdalene, Mary Clopas, and more. Luke did this because he was a Greek, and Greeks and Romans revered women, and gave them privileges that Jewish Men did not (Dear and Glorious Physician, Taylor Cladwell, notice also that most of verses about women donating money to Jesus ministry and other details about women are in the Gospel of Luke, see Chapter 8). It is also reported that Hebrews is written by both Paul, and Mary Magdalene, and others. The other reason is that Four Gospels came from Twelve Disciples, one of whom was Jesus' closest disciple, John, and their testimony in that period and time would have been accepted by Jews, Greeks, Romans, and more; if a woman had written say the Gospel According Mary the Mother, Greeks would have read it, but strict Jews at time would have not, so they picked the Accounts that in that day and age would have the most universal appeal and approach to get Gospel to everyone, including Pharisees.

Woman are warriors for Christ. Let's start letting them be warriors and teachers! For there have been many Church women who did incredible things, Susanna Wesley, raised and taught John and Charles Wesley all they knew in Bible because their father was Vicar always away at the Castle Church. Ann Hutchinson lead Bible Study and the authorities in America destroyed her because she preached Grace instead of works (Ephesians 2:4-9). Joan of Arc not only saved France from becoming Neo-England, but she heard from God directly and held Reformation and Biblical beleifs, "Joan was brought to trial before a church court because the theologists at the University of Paris, as arbiter in matters concerning the faith, insisted that she be tried as a heretic. Her beliefs were not strictly orthodox, according to the criteria for orthodoxy laid down by many theologians of the period. She was no friend of the church militant on earth (which perceived itself as in spiritual combat with the forces of evil), and she threatened its hierarchy through her claim that she communicated directly with God by means of visions or voices." (Saint Joan of Arc, French Heroine, Encyclopedia Britannica, Capture, Trial and Execution), and "When the trial proper began a day or so later, it took two days for Joan to answer the 70 charges that had been drawn up against her. These were based mainly on the contention that her behaviour showed blasphemous presumption: in particular, that she claimed for her pronouncements the authority of divine revelation; prophesied the future; endorsed her letters with the names of Jesus and Mary, thereby identifying herself with the novel and suspect cult of the Name of Jesus; professed to be assured of salvation; and wore men’s clothing. Perhaps the most serious charge was of preferring what she believed to be the direct commands of God to those of the church [note: Joan was correct, see "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus," (1 Timothy 2:5), see also 2 Corinthians 3:16, Colossians 2:17, John 15:4-7, John 10:27, John 16:13, 1 John 1:3, Hebrews 10:16]." (Saint Joan of Arc, French Heroine, Encyclopedia Britannica, The Trial). There was St. Augustine's Mother Monica who prayed for her son with tears and the fruit was Augustine abandoned his lascivious behavior and wrote some accurate treatises (confessions) on Original Sin. Constantine's Mother Helena helped him find holy places in Jerusalem, and perhaps taught him more about Christianity
. Today there is Ann Graham Lotz, Joyce Meyer, Beth Moore, and many others. Some may fear a spirit of Ashtoreth Queen of Heaven is moving, and return to Madonna Cult, but the truth is many of greatest preachers and pastors in history had a wife, a woman at their side helping them. So lets dispense with the idea that Woman can't preach, teach, and lead. For they have been leading, even from behind the scenes and through their husbands, because as Jesus said, "Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." (Matthew 19:5-6)., so then every famous preacher and teacher owes their wife! I would also ask if the two become one, then why can't the woman teach like her husband the teacher? Hmph? Huh?!

Finally, I want to remind people, who made woman? God the Trinity did, "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them," (Genesis 1:27), and "Now the Lord God said, "It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [one who balances him—a counterpart who is] suitable and complementary for him.” So the Lord God formed out of the ground every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. And the man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper [that was] suitable (a companion) for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; and while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man He made (fashioned, formed) into a woman, and He brought her and presented her to the man. Then Adam said,This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed or embarrassed." (Genesis 2:18-25). The Lord said He made mankind, both male and female in his image. And the Apostle said this, "There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28), "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith," (Galatians 3:26), and, "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:12). There it is, there is no gender preference to those in Christ, and all who believe in Jesus are Children of God, both male or female! Amen.