AMA: Can Women Serve As Pastors? - Pastor David Houck | June 14, 2026

Can women serve as pastors? Why is the Southern Baptist Convention debating a constitutional amendment on this issue? In this message, Pastor David explores what Scripture says about the office of pastor, the role of women in ministry, and why faithfulness to God's Word matters more than cultural approval. 

Transcript

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You may be aware, you may not be aware, but the Southern Baptist Convention has been making headlines and has been all over social media this past week. You may have seen the post, you may not have. And it is particularly regarding its stance on women serving as pastors. This isn't new. It has arisen in the news several times over the past decade, but this latest uh controversy is the result of a proposed amendment to the Southern Baptist Convention constitution. We, Lambson Room Community Church, are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. So when something like this starts popping up online, we inevitably get questions about what all this means. And my hope to uh my hope today is to help clear up some of the confusion that is happening. And it just so happens that we are in the middle of our Ask Me Anything series, where we answer uh questions that have been submitted by you. Pastor Mike did an AMA message several years ago about this same topic. But given what is happening and given the fact that we have many new faces a part of our church family, I felt the need that it would be important enough to address it again. Having read some of these posts and headlines online, I'd say most of it at best is somewhat misinformed and at worst is intentionally misleading. So, first of all, I want to answer the question: what is happening with the Southern Baptist Convention? Southern Baptist churches, first of all, we need to understand, are fully autonomous and self-governing. We are not a top-down hierarchy. You might you might view of the Catholic Church that they there's a hierarchy. There are people, you know, there's the Pope at top, and then you have the bishops and the cardinals, and you have um priests, and you have directors of regional locations. That is not how the Southern Baptist Convention operates. We, Lambstone Community Church, we do not report to anyone. We operate independently. We make our own decisions regarding budget and staffing, how we operate, etc. Being a part of the Southern Baptist Convention is voluntary. Churches freely choose to cooperate with the Southern Baptist Convention to affirm a shared set of beliefs, which is in the Baptist faith and message, and to voluntarily contribute to the cooperative program, which is this financial funding program that funds different ministries and missions locally, uh, across the nation and across the world. It's interesting that in last week's message regarding the Trinity, we quoted the Baptist faith and message. And once again, today we are going to quote the Baptist faith and message. This statement of beliefs was last updated in the year 2000 to include this statement regarding the role of pastor. You can find it in the section regarding the church. It says, and I quote, its two scriptural offices are that of pastor, elder, overseer, and deacon. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor slash elder slash overseer is limited to men as qualified by scripture. So that is the statement of the Southern Baptist Convention. That has been the position held by the convention for years. And now, to be clear, this is not a new position. This isn't a new stance. This isn't something that was new to the convention in the year 2000. The truth is that there were many who didn't think that this statement even needed to be included because they believed it was a given. It was the majority stance for so long throughout church history, but times were changing, so they added this. Since then, any Southern Baptist churches that have had women serving in office of pastor have either left the convention voluntarily or were deemed to no longer be in friendly cooperation, which is the term the convention uses for essentially being removed from the convention. This made headlines a few years ago when the largest church in the convention, uh, according to congregation size, Saddleback Church, which was formerly led by Rick Warren, who many of you are familiar with, uh appointed a husband and wife duo as the new lead pastors, uh, and that and therefore were deemed to be no longer in friendly cooperation with the convention. Uh, and they were removed from it and made headlines. There's this big thing, there were hearings within the convention. It's reported that today there are no SBC churches with women in the role of preaching pastor. I don't necessarily know that's true. I think they're not reporting it to the convention or they are circumventing it by using different titles. But there certainly is a growing movement within the convention and the church globally arguing that women should be allowed to serve as pastor, which has led to the proposed amendment to the SBC Constitution. This is what has been making headlines most recently. Now, the Constitution is a separate document from the Baptist faith and message. It is essentially the Constitution, the uh principles that govern how the convention runs and is operated. Spearheaded by Dr. Al Moeller, uh, in the section defining what factors determine whether or not a church is in friendly cooperation with the convention, uh, he is spearheading this new amendment that says a cooperating Southern Baptist Church does not act to affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor, elder, overseer, specifically preaching to the assembled congregation. Quite frankly, just in terms of, not in scripturally, but just in terms of how the convention operates, I would think that this is pretty self-evident. That if you don't agree with what is in the Baptist faith and message, that you probably shouldn't call yourself a Southern Baptist. That if you don't agree with them, why would you even want to be a part of it? But apparently that's not the case. Uh, and there has been much opposition. However, just this past week, the amendment passed with roughly 75% of the vote. It needed uh the two-thirds majority in order to pass. But the amendment will need to be passed for a second time next year in order to be officially added to the Constitution. So, in other words, this isn't over. Um, and as our God is a God of order and peace, the enemy thrives off of chaos, which is where the internet comes in. And if you look it up, you can find it. As Christians, as followers of Jesus, our mission is to cut through the noise, cut through the chaos, cut through all the opinions, and to seek to answer the question, is this biblical? And that's really what the Ask Me Anything series is all about. It's about looking at what Scripture has to say about different issues and questions we might have. Now, there is a lot to cover today. There is a lot more that we could cover. In fact, I was up late last night and up early this morning taking out entire sections from the message just for the sake of brevity and clarity. So I'm sure there will be questions. Um, feel free to stick around for connection time and ask those. But very quickly, I want to address this. According to the Bible, women are equal to men, first of all, in worth before God. Genesis is clear. Both male and female were created in the image of God. That is not something that just belongs to men, it's men and women. As far as a creation standpoint, men and women are sons and daughters of God. They are equal in that way. Second of all, Christian men and women are equal in salvation in Christ. Men or women are not more saved, more redeemed than the other gender. Fact, Galatians chapter 3, verses 28, the Apostle Paul wrote, There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Now include this verse because this is one that is often brought up in the issue of gender roles according to the Bible and within the church. They will point to this and they'll say, No, there is no male and female, we're all one in Christ Jesus. But what Paul is referring to is just the equality in terms of salvation, the unity among believers that we have. It's not saying gender is erased. You know, in the culture, when it says there's neither Jew nor Greek, he's not saying there is no longer no difference between them in physical terms, because obviously the Jews were still circumcised and the Greeks weren't circumcised, and they encouraged the Greeks, the non-Jews, to not be circumcised. It was no longer necessary. But just when you became a Christian, there wasn't automatically some sort of supernatural procedure that happened. So there is still a distinction between them. Says there are neither slaves nor free. Now, did that mean that everyone who accepted Jesus was no longer a slave if they were a slave before? No. There is still that distinction. And Paul says if if you're a slave now, if you can get freedom, then by all means pursue freedom. But if not, just remain in the position that you're in. So of course, there is still a distinction between male and female. That doesn't go away, and that distinction continues in many aspects of life. So, secondly, women are distinct from men in God's design. I really hope I don't have to spend too much time on this. The male and female bodies are different. Amen? All right, so we can move on. Thank you. Uh, and then secondly, women are distinct from men in certain roles and responsibilities. Now, I covered this a lot more in depth just a few months ago in two messages: God's call for Christian women and God's call for godly marriage. I don't want to rehash all of that. I encourage you if you want to know about the different roles and responsibilities for women within a Christian family, just go and listen to those because we don't have enough time. But these distinct roles and responsibilities not only apply in the home, but also in the church. As we'll see, the apostle Paul in his letter to churches, letters to churches, repeatedly affirms that just as in the home, in the church, women are not to have authority over men. That that is God's will and God's design. But many people today question whether or not this is truly a God-given command, or if it was just a reflection of the times written in an era where women were viewed as property by many and they didn't have the same rights and respect as men. So could it be that these statements from Paul were just specific instructions for specific churches? Or perhaps they were only for certain congregations. Or was Paul, as many people like to claim, just a misogynistic bigot? Was he just sexist? Well, let's look at what scripture has to say. The apostle Paul was clear that the office of pastor slash elder slash overseer, and that's what we're gonna say, that's what we're gonna call it, because that is the language used in the Baptist faith and message and in this amendment. The office of pastor, elder, overseer is reserved for specific called and qualified men. The Holy Spirit, who we talked a lot about last week, gives every believer, both male and female, spiritual gifts, like the gift of teaching or mercy, mercy, or giving. These are abilities, these are talents, these are gifts that enable Christians to help build up the church and to serve God and to serve one another. But the Spirit also empowers some believers to take on specific roles within the church. Paul wrote in Ephesians that he, God, gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry for building up the body of Christ. So they're apostles. These were the founders of the church. These were men, 13 men, specifically and directly called by Jesus Himself to lead the church in the early years. They were the prophets, people during that time who spoke new revelation from God and who authored scripture. They're evangelists, evangelists today, missionaries who spread the gospel in different regions. And they are shepherds and teachers, and many people interpret shepherds and teachers as one role. Paul is referring to one thing: shepherds slash teachers. These are pastors, more specifically, pastors who preach, teach, encourage, counsel, rebuke, protect, pray for, comfort, and lead local congregations of believers. That the Holy Spirit gives certain giftings to certain individuals, certain men, in order to help lead a local congregation. It's a unique role for certain called and qualified individuals. What are those qualifications? Well, Paul wrote to Timothy: the saying is trustworthy. If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, which is pastor, he desires a noble task. Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach. The husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity, keeping his children submissive. For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into the snare of the devil. It's quite the list. It's a pretty intimidating list. But what I want to focus on this morning is the fact that Paul uses masculine language to describe the overseer, the role of the pastor, is to be a male. Now, is this just used for convenience sake? No, because this is made explicitly clear in other passages. He wrote to the Corinthian church, 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verse, beginning in verse 33. For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the law also says. If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. All right, let's pray. No, I I will explain. Let's dig into it. Now, is Paul saying here that women are never allowed to speak? That once you enter into Lambs and Rio Communion Church, you walk into our building, silence. No saying hi, no talking, no singing. Is that what he means? Of course not. No, no, no, no. Someone's in trouble. The context of chapter 14 in this letter is about order within a worship service. That the Corinthian uh we know from this letter that the Corinthian church was chaotic. They were all over the place. Nothing was in order. Their services were a mess. So Paul had to give them instructions about how a service should go, how a Sunday morning, a Lord's Day assembly should go in terms of leading the congregation, which was always done through some sort of oral presentations. And authority in the church was about someone speaking to the congregation, elders, overseers, pastors speaking to the assembly of believers. In this passage, he specifically focuses on speaking in tongues, interpreting the tongues, and prophesying. And he commands silence in more than one occasion, not just for the women. Essentially, to boil it down, he says, for the people who are going to speak to the church. He says, all right, so there's a group of you who are probably going to speak on a Sunday morning. Only one person should speak at a time. And during that time, the rest should be silent. That might seem like common sense to us, but apparently it wasn't. Paul is saying, hey, when someone's preaching, don't just stand up and start preaching over them. Wait your turn. I mean, we learned this in elementary school. We passed a talking stick. That's what he's referring to. Now, does this command for them to be silent mean that they must always be silent? No, clearly not, because he's saying you can talk, just wait your turn. Be silent while someone else is speaking. Therefore, Paul's similar command for women to be silent in church isn't a prohibition of any sort of communication or speaking to one another or singing or praying. It's a prohibition against the act of speaking or preaching from a position of authority. That's what this entire issue comes down to biblical authority. And to be clear, Paul is not saying that women aren't able to teach. In fact, we'll see the exact opposite later on. He is saying that just as God's design for women to submit to the leadership of their husbands in the home, women are also to exercise submission to the authority of male pastors and leaders within the church. I said this before, and I'll say this again. God does not command women to be submissive to all men. They're to be submissive to their husbands in the home and submissive to the male leaders within the church. Now, some people will propose the idea that Paul's instructions regarding the role of women are again merely reflective of the culture of the day. That he is just a product, therefore, his words are just a product of a male-dominated society. But to follow that logic will eventually lead you to the conclusion that the Apostle Paul was wrong. That the foundation of his instructions is simply outdated misogyny. And to claim that is to claim that his writings are not the inerrant words of God, that scripture is not God-breathed, or at the very least, Paul's letters are not God-breathed. And then you might as well just go ahead and throw away half of the New Testament which Paul wrote. And since Paul is actually the one who wrote that all of Scripture is God breathed, then just go ahead and throw away the rest of the Bible while you're at it. So we must not come to the conclusion that Paul is merely sexist or this is just merely a product of the cultural. Another proposal is that Paul's instructions were a specific culture in a specific time and not a timeless principle given to all the churches. That maybe there were just a few noisy women in the Corinthian church that needed to be dealt with in this way. They were causing troubles, and he says, all right, just be silent. And perhaps, if this were all that he said on the matter, perhaps we could agree with this idea. But it isn't all that he says on the matter. This command is not just given to the Corinthian church. He also writes this to Timothy, a young pastor. 1 Timothy chapter 2, verses 11 to 14, he says, Let a woman, let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man. Rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Here we see clearly what Paul means by silence, not teaching to men or exercising authority over men. He's talking about the role of a preacher, the office of a pastor, the person, the man who is to stand before a congregation and preach and teach God's word, as Paul says, to reprove, to rebuke, and to exhort. He says, that is not what he permits a woman to do. That is the area in which they must be silent. And why? Because of some specific issue in that time and place? No. Paul reserves this role for men on the basis of God's creation order, not a specific cultural context. He's clear. He says the reason why is that Adam was formed first, then Eve. God created man first. He created Adam. He placed him in the garden. He gave him responsibility. He gave him a position of authority over the earth. And then he said, Uh-oh, we got a problem. He needs help. And he created the first woman, Eve. The social order of both the Christian home and of the church is supposed to reflect God's divine order of creation. Had he created woman first, it would be the other way around. But it isn't. Can I tell you exactly why? No. But that's God's will. And then Paul turns to the fall for the second explanation. Satan, you can read about it in Genesis chapter 3. Satan approached Adam and Eve in the garden. And who did he tempt? Eve. It was Eve who was deceived into disobeying God. Not Adam. Now listen, Paul is not placing the blame of humanity's sin solely upon Eve. In fact, in other letters, we see he blames Adam. Eve was deceived. Adam was not. Adam willfully disobeyed God. He made the decision. He was the one who was given the command not to eat from the tree. I pictured this situation in his head. Satan comes and he approaches Eve. And Adam is there. We know he's there because he took the apple immediately after. So he must have just been standing over in the corner, kind of listening. What's she gonna do? I'm not dealing with him. What's she gonna do? She's deceived. Adam is the one to blame. He should have been the leader that God created him to be. He should have stepped in between Satan and Eve. He should have said, no, God clearly commanded us not to do this. But he didn't. Paul's message here isn't that women shouldn't be pastors because they're more gullible than men or because they are to blame. He's saying, look what happens when we disobey God's divine order of creation. Sin entered humanity because a man rejected the responsibility God had given him to protect and to lead. So the basis of Paul's instructions isn't some sort of temporary cultural issue. It's God's divine, unchanging order of creation. And we understand from Paul's teaching here that it has nothing to do with competency or capability. It's nothing to do with men versus women. It's just how God wills it to be. And furthermore, we can come to the conclusion from Paul's instructions to Timothy that most men are not qualified for the office of pastor, elder, overseer either. The issue here is not, I'm a man, so I can be a pastor, you're a woman, so you can't. One is not qualified or disqualified from the role of pastor simply because of which bathroom they use. The requirements are much more focused than that. In your own time, just go through the list of qualifications that Paul wrote to Timothy. Kind, respectable, faithful to his wife, a good father, able to teach, have a good reputation among onsiders, not greedy, not a drunkard. He can't be new to the faith. Let's be honest. That excludes a lot of men, doesn't it? Yeah. And the standard is not perfection, because if that were it, then I certainly would not be up here. No one would be standing at the pulpit. But this role isn't to be taken lightly. It's a heavy burden to bear, one that no man deserves, but only some are called, not based upon their own merit, but based upon God's saving grace and the generous gifting that the Holy Spirit has determined for that believer. God's called me to this role. Not because I deserve it, not even because I wanted it. Not because I'm sort of super Christian, but because that was his divine will. Maybe some of you are led, but that's not God's will for many of you for your own good. Because James wrote, Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. It's a burden to bear. It is a great responsibility. And so Paul also instructs Timothy, do not be hasty in the laying on of hands. Now he's not referring to punching someone in the nose, it's referring to the process of ordaining someone, of making someone a pastor or a leader within the church. He says, don't be quick to do that. This is a serious role and responsibility. It's not a man versus woman issue. This is about who God has called and who he is qualified. And guess what? If God hasn't called someone to the role, they are not qualified. According to God's sovereign will for the church, of which Christ is the head, the office of pastor, elder, overseer is limited to men. There's a lot more that could be said. There's a lot more evidence I could give. But I can come to no other conclusion that Paul meant what he wrote, and that the Holy Spirit meant what he wrote. That these are not cultural issues of the time, but these are divine principles. That's what scripture says, and that's what the Southern Baptist Convention seeks to uphold. But I know this leads to other questions. Like, how does this apply to other church roles? Well, I want to be clear. Women have always played an indispensable role in the mission of the church. Amen. From the very beginning to this very day, women are essential in the church. They are needed. The church could not be the church properly without women actively involved in ministry. In fact, Paul commended women all the time. In Romans chapter 16, he begins, I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Centria, that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well. And then when you read the rest of the chapter, Paul goes on to mention at least seven or eight other women by name, praising them for their labor, for their work. The Apostle Paul was not sexist. The Apostle Paul worked alongside, commended, and respected many women in the faith. I mean, people tend to skip over the fact that the first part of let the women learn quietly is let the women learn. He followed in the footsteps of Jesus and completely revolutionizing women's access to formal education. In the ancient world, most religious education was reserved only for men. Women typically did not follow rabbis, but Jesus had female followers sitting at his feet, listening to him teach, and he actually commended them for it. This statement, this teaching from Paul did not diminish the role of women in the church, it actually elevated them. Christian women should receive the same degree of teaching and discipling as men, because they are just as essential to the church. Paul relied upon many strong women serving faithfully where God had placed them. Now, there are many people who will point to Phoebe or Priscilla or other figures in the New Testament, other female figures, and say, Well, what were they? Well, they weren't a pastor, an elder, or an overseer. Scripture never refers to them as such. Paul never gives them those titles. They were essential. But Paul doesn't contradict himself. Scripture does not contradict himself. You can't just pick those names out of a list of greetings and say, well, what about them? They weren't pastors. That has not changed. But what also hasn't changed is that the church needs women. Lambson Road Community Church needs women actively involved in ministry just as much as it needs the same from men. So just because the role of pastor is limited to men, let me be clear, that does not mean the impact of a woman in ministry is limited by any means. A woman serving where God has placed her can have just as great of an impact as someone like me preaching from the pulpit, if not more. Secondly, many modern church positions are not identical to biblical church offices. In the Bible, as far as offices, we have the apostles, there are no more apostles, then we have pastors, and we have deacons. Those were the offices in that time. Today, we have Sunday school teachers, worship leaders, ministry directors, treasurers, secretaries, trustees, office administrators. There's no direct correlation between any of those roles in Scripture. The language of the amendment says the Southern Match Convention prohibits women from serving in the office or function of a pastor, elder, overseer, specifically preaching to the assembled congregation. This amendment, and Dr. Al Moeller said himself, is not about all these other church roles. It's about the position of a preaching pastor, whether in title or in function. Dr. Al Moeller, who created this amendment, himself said in an interview, this doesn't say anything, nor does it intend to say anything about a female missionary or a Sunday school teacher. This is an amendment. This is a statement about the role of pastor and preacher. Let's not apply this amendment to other areas where it doesn't apply, and let's be sure we don't do the same with Scripture. Thirdly, Scripture leaves women, leaves room for women to serve in many significant teaching, ministry, and administrative roles that do not involve authority over men. Women are not prohibited from teaching altogether. We find the opposite because we read several months ago that Paul said to Titus, older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanders or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children. Says women should preach. Excuse me. Women should teach women, they should counsel women, they should disciple women, they should pray for women. Now, the Southern Baptist Convention and I uh with them reject the idea of calling them women's pastor because the church today throws around the term pastor way too loosely. We need to call, we need to define pastor by how scripture defines pastor, elder, overseer. But women should be leading ministry for women, and that is much more appropriate for a female leader within this church, a faithful woman in this church to counsel and disciple a young woman who enters the church rather than it is for any of the male pastors or deacons to do for obvious reasons. And also just for the sake that a woman can count a woman who had a miscarriage can counsel another woman who recently had a miscarriage in a way that I personally could not. Women are to teach. Many women are gifted in areas of administration, they have great organizational skills, they may be good with accounting, they may be good with finances. I sometimes see this idea of the role of a woman in church or in the home. Sometimes, you know, toxic men will be like, well, you know, so women cannot touch the money. That's what the Bible says. The Bible does not say that. In fact, there are many women who are much better with numbers and accounting than their husbands are. Jesus was supported financially by women. Proverbs 31, which describes an excellent wife and a godly woman, the ideal Christian woman. She is gifted in many areas and certainly gifted in administration. There's a great implication that she, at the very least, takes part in the management of their finances. She's making investments. She's buying property. She's planting a vineyard. She's selling things in the market. She was active in the financial duties of the home. And I see no reason why a woman can't be active in the financial responsibilities of the church either. Here at Lampston Road, we've had and currently have women serving as trustees, as clerks, as treasurers, ministry directors, volunteer team leaders. But to be clear, they are not pastors. And we're not just using different titles in order to circumvent this rule. They aren't pastors. They don't preach. They don't carry the same authority. They don't have any authority over men in the church. I'll give an example. Michaela Manbeck. She is our Lampsen Kids Ministry Director. She is in charge of our Sunday school program for children age seven and younger. She has a master's in childhood education. She's taught in public schools and private schools in a homeschooling setting. She is more qualified than any men we have in the church to lead that ministry. She's not a pastor. She's not a children's pastor. She doesn't preach or teach to the congregation. She doesn't have authority over anyone. She works with me on all the areas of the ministry. Even working with me to now develop lesson plans. She organizes, she structures, she does the work of printing out the lesson plans, she organizes the schedule, she makes sure people are trained. But she's not up here preaching. She doesn't have that same level of authority. Women are needed in the church. There is roles for women, room for women to function in the church. Now, another question I received this week is how do we explain this to non-believers? Because we see it all over Facebook, all over news sites. All these non-believers are offended, all these non-Christians don't understand this rule. It seems completely countercultural and backwards to society. And the question is, how are we expected to explain this to non-believers? Well, first of all, you need to understand that God's design for men and women has been contested ever since the fall. It shouldn't. But outside the church, it's to be expected. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God, Sid entered the human race. And with it, God pronounced curses upon Satan, upon humanity, and upon all of the earth. Notice one of the things God said to Eve. Genesis chapter 3, verse 16. To the woman, he said, Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you. Now, what does he mean by desire? Is this some sort of sexual desire? No, that's not a curse that existed before the fall. We find our answer in Genesis 4. When God tells Tells Cain that sin is crouching at the door and its desire is for you. Its desire is to have you, but you must rule over it. It's not a good desire. It's also translated as a desire to control you. Or her desire, your desire is a woman, and sin's desire is contrary to your desire. A part of the curse upon humanity is this ongoing universal clash of the sexes. That the women, that the woman naturally desires to rebel against God's created order. And I'll add that men will give her many a reason to want to do so. What's in the headlines now isn't new. It's a tale as old as time. It's existed since the fall of humanity. So don't be expected or don't be surprised by pushback and offense. Secondly, the church should seek to stand out from the world, not conform to it. We see this great desire in many modern churches, especially in the U.S., to be relevant, to be approachable, to be cool, to blend in. And while some of that is noble, we must be careful not to conform to the rest of the world. Paul wrote to the Romans: do not be conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Allow Scripture to transform your minds, that by comparing the teachings and the trends of the world against God's word, we can hold on to what is good and acceptable and perfect and refuse to conform to everything that is not. And yes, that will offend. Yes, that will make enemies. But Jesus promised no less. He says, if the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Why should the world love us? Misery loves company. Why should we fit in? The darkness hates the light. Our fallen world does not want to see you rise. Our citizenship is in heaven, where we await our eternal home. So why, as sons and daughters of the king, would we seek so hard to live as peasants? Don't be ashamed of who we are. Don't be ashamed of who God has called us to be. Yes, we are different. We are different because we're saved. We're different because we're transformed, we're cleansed. And how else will those around us be drawn towards the transforming power of God if they don't first see it in us? Thirdly, Christians should readily receive and uphold all of Scripture as truth, even when unpopular. We've looked at so much scripture today because we believe it is true. We believe it is the word of God. Paul said, all scripture is God is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. All of scripture is true. All of scripture is useful and profitable, even the uncomfortable parts, even the parts that offend our modern sensibilities. We don't pick and choose what to believe is true depending on the whims of culture. And we certainly don't interpret the Bible through our modern cultural or political lenses. We do the opposite. We examine what's happening in the world through the lens of Scripture, the lens of God's word. What Paul has written in these letters may not be politically correct today, but it is God's true. In fact, twice in 1 Corinthians, in the same passages where he speaks of the role of women in the church, Paul says that what he is saying applies to all churches everywhere because they are the words of God. In chapter 11, verse 16, he says, if anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God. In 14, verse 37, he says, if anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. If anyone does not recognize this, listen to this, he is not recognized. Paul says, What I'm saying doesn't come from me, it comes from God. If you're bothered by it, want to push back against it, he says, we have no other way, nor do any of the churches. He says, Those who are truly spiritual will recognize the truth of these words, and those who reject it will themselves be rejected. There's so many Christians who are embarrassed and ashamed of God's word, who sit in a service like this when we talk about something difficult, when we talk about something that is offensive to the world, and they say, I'm so glad I didn't invite someone today. Really? Really? You're that worried about offending them that you don't want them to experience the transforming truth of God's word. What are you gonna do when they start reading the Bible? Are you gonna go in and cross off entire chapters and books and say, please, please, please don't read this because it might offend you? Guess what? The gospel message is offensive. You cannot come to realize that you need a savior until you realize that you need saving, that you are hellbound. I don't want to offend. Do you really think someone's going to come to Christ just based upon how appealing and attractive you make Jesus to them? No, it's not you, it's God, and it's the power of God's word. Paul said, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. I just don't want to offend them. They will be offended. Jesus said, For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words. And this adulterous and sinful generation of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his father with the holy angels. How seriously do you take those words? Fourth, biblical submission does not imply inferiority. The misconception lying beneath all of this is that somehow a pastor is more superior to other members of the church. That's not true. Pastors just serve a specific function that others do not. We are just one part of a much larger body. Paul repeatedly refers to the church as the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verses 14, beginning in 14, he says, For the body, meaning the church, the body of Christ, does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot, now he's referring to the human body, if the foot should say, because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. Later he says, the I cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. By the way, pastors are not the head. Christ is the head. We all serve him just as you do. We need each other. The pastor needs you, you need the pastor. It's not about one being superior and one being inferior. Together we make the body. And Jesus is the ultimate proof that submission does not imply inferiority. Talked about the Trinity. One of the confusing perhaps aspects of the Trinity is that even though they're all equal, all three persons of the Trinity are equal, they're all equally God, they're all equally divine, they're all equally powerful. Jesus submits to the Father, the Spirit submits to Jesus and the Father. There's no inferiority, it's just roles, it's just functions and purposes. And then Jesus set the divine standard for humanity of what it means to love and serve others. Paul said, Philippians chapter 2, verses 5 through 8. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Jesus, the Son of God, who is equal with God the Father, God himself submitted himself to the point of not just living as a servant, but even dying as a criminal. He left his throne in heaven to be placed in a dirty manger on earth. He subjected himself to a life of pain and suffering. He worked to afford the very food he created. He gave his life on a Roman cross. Does that make him inferior? Not at all. That makes him the Messiah, the Savior of the world, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. How dare any single one of us think we're above that? I shouldn't be in submission. Really? Jesus was. Which leads us to this Christians should keep the main thing central while remaining faithful to all scripture. People are talking about it. If asked or confronted about this issue, stand firm. As with any issue in the in scripture, uphold the truth of scripture. Don't back down, don't be ashamed of the very words of God. Speak the truth in season and out. When it's popular, when it's not popular. But listen, if it's not brought up, then there's little need for you to. You don't just walk into the break room tomorrow. Women shouldn't be pastors. You know, if they didn't bring it up, you don't need to. If they did, don't back down from it. But you don't need to voluntarily bring it up. Why? Because even though the issue is important, in fact, I'll say the issue is essential to who the church is, it isn't the most important message that sinners need to hear. The apostle Paul urged these issues, but he knew what was most important in evangelizing. 1 Corinthians 15, he said, For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. What's the main message non-believers need to hear? That Jesus, the Son of God, died, was buried, and rose again on the third day. And whoever places their faith in him as Lord and Savior will be forgiven of their sins and will have eternal life. That is what is of first importance. And that is the truth that people not only need to hear, but that the truth that they need to see you live out. People need to see that you believe in Jesus and that you believe in God's word. They need to see that this different way of life you're living, as strange as it may be, is the better way. They need to see that they're missing something, and then you can introduce them to Jesus. So don't hide these countercultural things. Embrace them. Live the way we're called to be so people can see you're different. Then they can join God's kingdom and take part in God's church. Then they can lead and serve where God has called them to, not where the world says they should be. The world cannot compete with what God has to offer. True eternal joy and satisfaction comes only through the love of God, the forgiveness of Jesus, the cleansing of the Holy Spirit, and faithful obedience to his word. It may be unpopular. It may be countercultural. People might hate you, but they hated Jesus. And yet he still offers salvation. Amen. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word, as always. Lord, sometimes it might be offensive to our sinful natures and desires, but that doesn't mean it isn't true. And your call for us as believers, as those who have received the life-changing grace of Jesus and the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit. For those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus, that is what you expect to follow Jesus, to follow your word in season and out of season. Lord, may we be a people who do not hide from the truth, who are not ashamed, neither of the gospel or of the word of God. For by your word are people saved. We live in a world of chaos and confusion. Let us be a people of light, of order, of peace, that they might be drawn towards you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.