Author: Ken Lytle
The Adventist Church in North America is in crisis. The devil has attacked us through extreme liberalism and conservatism and now we are a Church that has lost it’s spiritual, missional, and theological identity.
Instead of focusing on equipping our church members to be modern-day disciples, we are catering to the itching ears of those who warm the pews Sabbath after Sabbath. Some churches, pastors, and conference officials are very good at watering down the truth while others are legalizing the truth causing our Church to become divided and powerless.
Through current events, it is evident that many of our Church leaders have lost touch with the Holy Spirit. Instead of staying true to God’s Word in regards to women in ministry and leadership, we are seeing a rebellious push to ordain women no matter what the Bible says.
The Bible (God’s Word) clearly teaches that men and women are equal as human beings, but that have been given specific gender roles. Men have been called to be the spiritual leaders in the home. The Bible goes on to teach that men must first prove themselves as Godly and effective leaders in the home before they are given leadership responsibilities in the church.
Even though this simple message is clearly written in God’s Word, we see one conference after another throw out the truth in an effort to push a worldly doctrine.
The time has come for the average church member to stop following after rebellious church leaders and humbly seek God’s will in His Word for themselves. If we truly pray and seek God’s face, He will bless us with His wisdom and the desire to follow Him no matter what pastors and conference officials say when they are trying to mislead and deceive.
It is time for you to stand up for Jesus and His lifesaving truths.
It is time for you to speak up and defend the faith.
As we stand up and speak up, God’s endtime Church will begin to shake like never before. It is during the shaking that those who are not grounded in God’s Word and love will get out, making room for those to come in who are truly seeking a genuine walk with their Creator and Savior.
Guideline Lines for Standing Up and Speaking Up
- Don’t focus on petty things like Bible versions, cheese at the potluck, hymns vs praise songs, how people dress, etc. etc. etc.
- Do focus on standing up and speaking up when church leaders try to push pro women’s ordination or pro homosexual agendas (current issues in the Church).
- Don’t focus on keeping old fashion tradition alive when it needs to be laid to rest.
- Do focus on recreating our churches into safe places for people to meet Jesus and grow in His amazing grace.
By the grace of God, we can become a Church that is alive and on fire for Jesus and His amazing truths. Let us pray that God will consume us and fill us and drive us in the mission to seek and to save the lost… making this our reason to live from day to day.
The Bible says that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost and that we are to follow His footsteps. In doing so, we will take our eyes off the petty things that divide us and unite in the mission God has given us.
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Further Study
- Satan knows that God’s endtime Church will be weak and fragmented if the family units within the local churches are weak and dysfunctional
- Men are not being taught and mentored how to be spiritual leaders in the home (family units)
- The creation of dysfunctional family units causes God’s Church to be weak, fragmented, and missionless
- Because of weak family units leading to weak churches, church leaders are now using this to justify the placement of women in men’s leadership roles in the church
- Instead of pushing a worldly, women in ministry agenda, we need to be teaching, training, and mentoring our young and older men to be Godly and spiritual leaders in the home, which will then qualify them for leadership roles in the local churches
Please share this message with others in your local church. You may copy and paste this message into e-mails to be sent to other Adventists who need to hear the truth. You are also print this message out and share it with others. Let us stand up and speak up for Jesus.
Link to an article that has a good Bible study on the subject [CLICK HERE]
Link to a great website that promotes a Biblical approach to gender roles and ministry [Christ or Culture]
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Breaking “August” News
Earlier in the month, four women were ordained in the Ohio Conference. This is the first “women’s” ordination in the Ohio Conference’s history. It amazes me that some of our “spiritual” leaders will boldly rebel and think they can get away with it. The Bible has a harsh message for spiritual leaders who deceive God’s people.
But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who secretly will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their pernicious ways, and because of them the way of truth will be evil spoken of. And through covetousness they will use you for gain with well-turned words; for whom judgment from of old does not linger, and their destruction does not sleep. 2 Peter 2:1-3
Frank Peacham
September 4, 2013
Paul’s instruction for church organization is just an account of how the church was organized in the 1st century. The same is true of the Early Church where they shared all things in common, is an account of how the first believers came together, which believers do not follow today. These actions were ideal for their circumstances, not absolute norms, commandments never to be altered such as adultery.
Jesus provided fresh fish to thousands, a meal a 1st century Israelite would appreciate. This is an account of what Jesus did, not a command to “go do likewise.” The same can be said about Jesus choosing fishermen and a tax collector to be disciples. This is an historical, not a command to seek out fisherman to ordain.
After Matthew 24 Jesus gave 7 parables to illustrate preparedness for the Return. The last parable is decisive; the saved are those who care for human needs and injustice—feeding the hungry, working for prison reform, caring the sick and poor in their communities. Those who neglect the poor are lost, the claim as to all male leadership makes no difference. According to Jesus’ teachings, male headship is not present truth; it is not enshrined in the great Sermon on the Mount. The ordination issue is Pauline based, not gospel or creation based.
What matters most is applied theology, the Golden Rule, not systematic theology.
Ken Lytle
September 4, 2013
Let’s remember the words of Jesus while He was in the desert… “It is written!” What should matter to us today is… “What is written!” This post-modern world wants to reason away what is written for personal preferences. The Word of God clearly teaches that men are to be the spiritual leaders in the home and the their success in the home then qualifies them for church leadership. This is what is written and that is good enough for me. Let’s pray that God will humble us and cause us to turn from our wicked ways… that way He can heal our homes and churches.
Frank Peacham
September 4, 2013
Our Creators’ instructions to the earth at Eden is the ultimate “it is written” statement. This is the heart of Adventist thought where Sabbath keeping, vegetarianism and the origin of life are central themes. EGW taught, “When God created Eve, He designed that she should possess neither inferiority nor superiority to the man, but that in all things she should be his equal” (3T 484).
The headship principle is not creation based, but sin-based, in the same vein as God permitting the use of flesh as food. We advocate 6-day literal creation, Sabbath keeping and the Eden diet, all creation based teachings, so why not let women assume their created role?
In the Middle Ages, society was kept in order by the Catholic teaching of the Great Chain of Being. They believed there was a divine order that under God was the King who claimed the “Divine Right” then clergy, men (nobles above commoners) and at the very bottom were women. It was fear of disorder that kept king over citizen and men over women, creating untold wretchedness for millions women who were to told to keep their place under male authority, not so dissimilar to Muslim teachings where women are in subjection to men .
Ken, to “heal our homes and churches” why not let women assume their created role of equality with men?
“Neither husband nor wife is to make a plea for rulership” (7T 46).
Ken Lytle
September 4, 2013
I would gladly embrace women’s ordination and leadership if the Bible instructed us to do so. But Bible is my guide and it clearly teaches that women and men have specific gender roles. Let’s leave these God-given roles alone and let God Himself set things straight when He returns.
It is written… “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you” (Gen. 3:16).
We know from the NT that this “rule” is not a dictatorship… Husbands are to be servant-leaders, setting a Christ-like example in all things.
“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Eph. 5:22-25),
How can we boldly and rebelliously throw out the Word of God just because we don’t like what it says? God forgive us!
Satan knows that he can effectively attack God’s endtime Church if he can weaken the family units that make up a local church membership. Dysfunctional homes create dysfunctional churches. We need to be training our men how to be Christ-like leaders in the home… this would then qualify them for church leadership.
“This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop,[a] he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money,[b] but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 ONE WHO RULES HIS OWN HOUSE WELL, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:1-7).
This goes for deacons as well.
All I can say is… What does the Bible say? Let’s pray for wisdom and humility in these final days.
Frank Peacham
September 5, 2013
Your replay to me ignored the creation argument for equality of women and the EGW quote. This is why our church is so divided. We cannot discuss an issue, taking up the merits or flaws of each argument without becoming dogmatic, quoting the same texts to prove a point. We state our point and will not see the merits of anything that the other side has presented. It would be good if we could have a discussion forum in which each was given time to present their position letting the congregation decide.
You state that Husbands are to be servant leaders setting a Christ like example in all things. I ask you cannot a God fearing woman be a servant leader jointly with her husband, according to the Creation model?
Will you quote Paul with equal earnestness when he teachers that slaves are to submit to their masters in all things. We say that this counsel does not apply today. I wonder why one does and the other does not.
You state that strong women make for dysfunctional families. Socially this is not a hard and fast rule. Men more often abuse their authority over women then women over men. I have often seen how strong family men create destructive power struggles in the church. I have come to believe that gentle kindhearted women would direct the church boards in more Christ like ways then male counterparts.
Dysfunctional homes do not always create dysfunctional churches. The lack of love and the neglect of the poor create dysfunctional churches. The leaders are men and all they care about is building up the church plant and keeping the Sabbath, with pennies spent on community improvement. Nearly every SDA church in NA would not be missed by the community if they should close their doors.
It is written in Num 31 & Dt 22 that Israelites were to kill every Midianite man, woman, baby and child but save the virgins as spoils of war to be married to their captors. Do we still live by this Written command? Why one and not another?
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (and women) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Ken Lytle
September 5, 2013
@ Frank – Your statement, “Your replay to me ignored the creation argument…” is just a personal argument leading to arguing, which will accomplish nothing. I have already stated what Bible says on the topic and that is all I can do to encourage you and others to accept God’s Word… the rest is up to the Holy Spirit. When it comes to understanding truth, we need to balance every teaching with the OT and NT. The OT and NT both teach gender roles. This is to help bring peace and structure to households and churches in a world of chaos.
Frank Peacham
September 7, 2013
Lyle, I do accept God’s word as authority, as you do also. Some instruction from God’s Word is set in permanent cement. Such as “adultery,” no believer will ever justify, for there is no exception or excuse. Other laws of God are more open ended. Such as the 5th commandment, whereas Jesus taught that we should deny our parents (to a parent “dishonor”) should their wishes conflict with following Christ (Mk 10:29; Lk 12:53; Lk 14:26). Although this may be a difficult command Jesus promised a huge reward.
When Scriptures presents different viewpoints of a subject we should choose by the weight of evidence. By prayer, we draw reasonable conclusions. However it is not absolute, there are exceptions. For instance, when Jesus said, “sell what you have and follow me” we with reason exclude this command, whereas many believers from Late Antiquity were convicted to follow this to the letter.
Paul teaches that Elders should be “husbands of one wife” (1 Tim 3:2; Titus 3:6), but we make all kinds of exceptions. Look, we have single elders, divorced elders from other then adultery (even Conference leaders).
In the practice of the NT church, a male elder was the norm, as was the practice of slavery unquestioned. However, in the theology there is a different story, there is a new vision for the future. Paul taught if we are “baptized into Christ,” a new social orientation takes place. There no longer Jew or Greek (Roman conquers) believers, freeman or slave believers, male or female believers, instead (glory be to God) we are “all one in Christ Jesus.” However more, we are “Abraham’s seed” and this is male! Paul breaks down the social barriers of society that have separated and segregated millions in history into inferior or superior classes. If the Christian believers had grasped these grand truths there would never been Christian slavery or a Civil War (640,000 killed).
The new church model is the Spirit gives the gifts and callings for ministry and service (Eph). It could be black, white, slave, old, young, male or female (look at the Upper Room). This why we cannot set in cement woman’s ordination issue, because there are exceptions and different viewpoints from Scriptures. Further, we may be denying the very gifts the Spirit gives to nourish the church, which the Spirit describes as female in Revelation 12.
This issue is not liberal VS conservative; it is differing viewpoints in faithfully reading Scripture. I have seen enough abuse of male power; because they are male, they are placed in position, not because they are Spirit gifted. Although the normal role for a woman is that of wife and mother, who could deny that the Spirit could call her to a spiritual leadership role and quality her for it?
Will the Spirits calling destroy family order? Of course not.