Women's Ministry

The foundation for Women’s Ministry is instructed in Titus 2:3. “The older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things- that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.”

Why does Titus discuss slandering right up front? Because it can be a problem. If you are ever, at any time, talking about another person other than the very person you are currently talking to, and if what you are saying is anything but positive, edifying and complimentary, you are slandering. (See Eph 4:29-32) You are opening the door to Satan for confusion, hurt feelings and sin. Also, if a sister starts to express that she’s been hurt, upset, etc by someone else it is our instruction not to receive it. Instead we are to stop them and direct that person immediately and only to the person that hurt them, so as not to cause separation and division. We must, for the purpose of restoration, correct this sister and hold each other accountable. In the process of biblical correction, there might be discussion between two or more, but unlike with slander, someone has always gone directly to the sister herself with the concerns being addressed, seeking restoration.

The heart of Women’s Ministry can be found in Galatians, chapters five and six. “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ … I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” We are clearly given the qualities exhibited by someone walking in the Spirit…Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.

It is essential for us as sisters, to have credibility in order to speak into each others lives as Titus instructs us. To trust each other, we must see in our sisters, the fruits of the Spirit, and know they are Biblically grounded. To stay filled with the Spirit we must feed it. Read the Bible and pray every day, worship and fellowship. We live in a time where we sometimes go to church with complete strangers. The hope of Titus is to build a family in Christ. To have a lot of ‘cousins,’ ‘aunts’ and ‘nieces,’ and hopefully also some dear, trusted sisters, and maybe even a grandma, mom, and daughter… or two!

Finally, we are also instructed in James, 5:16: “Confess your trespassesto one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” We sometimes wear a mask of perfection, because we don’t want others to know we struggle. Satan does not want us to be healed, and that is why we must confess and pray for each other. Hiding struggles or sin can lead to being isolated, prideful or judgemental of others, and even lying to cover if someone can’t live up to their own persona of perfection. The truth is that everyone struggles sometimes. Titus also tells us to be discreet. We do not use confession as a way to drop someone else’s name, or to reveal issues, but as it says, to confess our own trespasses. By applying Titus, Galations, James, and the rest of God’s word, our foundation can truly be built on Spirit and Truth.