WOMEN CAN BE APOSTLES.

A recent trend has been for some parts of the church to allow women to minister publicly, while at the same time, not allowing them to occupy positions of spiritual or ecclesiastical authority. These groups have usually experienced a degree of revival, meaning that the Holy Spirit has broken in. At such times of visitation, we tend to assume that the Holy Spirit comes to confirm what we believe. According to Jesus, however, the Spirit comes to change us and to guide us into all truth (Jn. 16:13). One of these changes always involves elevating women to equality with men to the extent the culture will allow. In most cases, women find a public voice—because that is God’s will. When evidence of the Spirit’s manifest presence diminishes in these groups, however, human government replaces the leadership of the Spirit. Normally, male rulership is firmly reestablished, all but erasing the elevation of women toward equality that was implemented by the activity of the Holy Spirit. Women may retain a public voice, but little or no authority. In this popular, contemporary form of church government, the five-fold ministry (Eph. 4:11) seems to be the model of choice. In this structure, apostleship is considered the most authoritative of the ‚offices.‛ This, coupled with the idea of man as head or ruler, means women are kept under control. At least three problems appear in this approach. 1. Apostle. The New Testament meaning for the Greek word translated apostle is simply ‚a sent one.‛ It carries no sense of authority over people (1 Cor. 4:6-13). 2. Office. Nowhere in the original language of the New Testament is the word ‚office‛ or the idea of ‚ministry office‛ found, even though some translators opted to insert it (e.g., 1 Tim. 3:1). Words such as apostle, pastor, prophet, bishop, and so on, refer to function and responsibility, rather than to an office or a position of power. 3. Five-Fold Ministry. The idea of ‚five-fold ministry‛ is not necessarily a model for church government. In fact, neither Jesus nor Paul gives us a standardized list of ministries and gifts, or a church structure. Ephesians 4:11-12 is the only place that the ‚five-fold ministry‛ is found, and since it is not wise to build a doctrine on only one passage of Scripture, we should be careful not to ascribe too much weight to this form. Despite these issues, in this new apostolic movement, women are permitted and encouraged to minister. This is enough to make many women feel good after having to deal so long with the doctrine of ‚Woman, be silent!‛ Some men in leadership have found this idea beneficial, too, because giving women this coveted freedom to prophesy, preach, and teach publicly has been a means for them to grow their ministries. In fact, ministries that allow women a public voice tend to flourish. On the other hand, women are not allowed to function in the highest ‚office‛ advocated in this sort of church structure. This indicates, first of all, that it is hierarchical, a form that neither Jesus nor Paul advocated. It indicates, as well, that it is patriarchal; that is, men rule; women serve—as teachers, preachers, and so on, but not in the ruling ‚office of apostle.‛ It is all terribly off course, biblically speaking. With that said, we do need to look at an apostle, in the true, New Testament sense. And this apostle was a woman—Mary Magdalene—who happened to be the first apostle commissioned by the Risen Christ (Jn. 10:10-18; Mt. 28:1-10). It is an acknowledged fact that the women were the last ones to leave the cross and the first ones to arrive at the tomb. When Mary Magdalene visited the tomb early on Resurrection morning and found it empty, she went immediately to tell the others that Jesus’ body was missing. They all hastened to the scene, but they did not grasp the significance of the empty tomb because they still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead (Jn. 20:9). So they left, but Mary lingered. It was then that Jesus appeared to her and said, ‚Go and tell my brothers….‛ This appearance and commissioning are significant. The Gospel writers explicitly note that it was Mary Magdalene to whom Jesus appeared first. The importance that the Gospel writers attach to this fact indicates that it was not an accidental occurrence. It was something that Jesus did on purpose so as to demonstrate God’s perspective on women. All along, He had tried to get this across, but this was the final blow to their traditional mindsets. In appearing first to Mary Magdalene, Jesus was making a very important statement that the disciples had not previously fully understood. Go and tell defines the commission. Since the New Testament word apostle literally means ‚one who is sent,‛ Mary was actually receiving the first apostolic commission from the Risen Lord to be the first to proclaim the greatest fact in history, the Resurrection. Go and tell My brethren defines the people to whom Jesus was sending her. He was sending her to men. He was not sending her to other women! In other words, her commission was not to a ‚women’s ministry,‛ as is so often the restriction placed on women today. As a result, Mary has been referred to as ‚the apostle to the apostles.‛ The idea of a woman testifying to men was revolutionary because, in both Roman and Jewish courts of law, the testimony of a woman was not permitted as evidence. By appearing first to Mary Magdalene and by sending her to the men, Jesus was cutting through remnants of prejudice yet remaining in His male disciples toward His female disciples. No doubt, He was also teaching the women something revolutionary about their responsibility and status in God’s plan. A new day had dawned. Jesus was alive, victorious over sin, and no longer restricted to the social expectations and restrictions of human culture. In three short years, He had walked among God’s Chosen People, teaching them so much about the values of Heaven. Now, it was their turn to pick up the torch, to hold forth the Word of Life (Phil. 2:16). And now it is my turn—and yours! Whatever He says to you, do it! (Remember Jn. 2:5?) The Risen Lord is calling us today—men and women alike—to live according to His values in every area of life, and to do our small part in His big plan, carrying out the Great Commission, teaching them to observe ALL that He has commanded (Mt. 28:19-20 NKJV). May He find us faithful.