Vantage
point
God
uses women
One of the great privileges
I have had since I have been with Today’s Pentecostal
Evangel is the international travel that is a part of our
coverage for the World Missions Edition of the magazine.
In viewing the works of God among His people on five continents,
one of the things that stand out to me is this: Wherever there
is a powerful move of God, I have seen women actively and significantly
involved. In some places it has been clear that without the ministry
of women the church would not be experiencing the spiritual prosperity
it is. This is clearly the case in the world’s largest church,
Yoido Full Gospel Church, in Seoul, South Korea.
The story of women in missions
is more than that of female nationals. A glance at both the history of missions
and current missions outreach proves that the ministry of female missionaries,
single and married, is of inestimable value. The history of Pentecost also
reveals the crucial role women have played, and continue to play, in the movement.
But more than experience speaks
for the importance of women. So does God’s Word. Though the role of
women in the church has been a hotly debated topic for many years, it is clear
that Christianity has always valued women more highly than other worldviews
have. In the Gospels, Jesus clearly elevated the status of women above that
day’s cultural norm. The apostle Paul continued to promote that reality
in the epistles he wrote. His statement in Galatians 3:28 is the biblical
magnum opus of male/female spiritual equality: “There is neither Jew
nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ
Jesus” (NIV). And though it was Paul who said, “Wives, submit
to your husbands as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22), his statement (often
ignored) about husband/wife relationship in the verse just prior to that was
trailblazing: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Today is National Women’s
Ministries Day. Take time to recognize some of the godly women who have made
an impact on your life.
Ken Horn
(For the Assemblies of God position
paper “The Role of Women in Ministry” visit www.ag.org.)
E-mail your comments to pe@ag.org.
