When I first heard the news, I began to pray. I couldn’t help but feel excitement as if it were happening to me directly. My prayers began to deepen and I was hungry–for God to show up like He hadn’t before in one specific place I frequent.
The night of this event provided excitement but for the few hours and moments before start time, the nerves came. They were nerves running deep to the heart. So deep the gut nearly expelled its contents.
I watched it play out before my eyes. I saw the Holy Spirit like never before. I saw a message preached from the stage from the mouth of a woman to a congregation of at least 1200 for our “small group” study.
This is huge. There are so many articles available to read that begin to question a woman’s role in church. Is the nursery her only place? Well she can do card making, funeral dinners, and oh greeting. She can stand behind the scenes to help get things done. Now don’t get me wrong, this is SUPER important! I appreciate the nursery workers more than they will ever know. Those that have had do endure the reign of Daylan deserve a medal. I appreciate the warm faces that greet me when I enter church. They make me feel welcomed and part of the community.
But women today are educated. We have taken out seats to learn. Gone to seminary. Dig into The Word ourselves. Experience true transformation. Challenge each other and even teach The Word to our women’s groups. Some women have the calling to teach the word. So why can’t we use the word preach?
This article discusses this issue. Women such as Beth Moore, they don’t just teach the Word–They preach it.
The definition of preach is:
- deliver a sermon or religious address to an assembled group of people, typically in church.
- publicly proclaim or teach (a religious message or belief).
- earnestly advocate (a belief or course of action).
Why does verbiage have to change just because we are women?
Last night the message preached from the stage carried so much more than the lesson (though it was one of those that hit way too close to home. Inevitably I’m going to have to make some transformation with the help of God). The Holy Spirit made the lesson much deeper.
I was in tears. I cried out of joy. I wept praising Jesus on my way home. The lesson was bigger than the message. It was an example of an educated woman who heard the Holy Spirit and began a transformation journey of her own. She heard Him to create a lesson, then sat herself aside to become a vessel so that the Holy Spirit spoke.
A huge thanks to this woman.
Thank you for being obedient and showing what obedience looks like in action.
Thank you for taking on the burden of being the first woman to stand on that stage preaching to a congregation and not just a room of women.
Thank you for allowing me to pray over you and to follow in your footsteps. You are an inspiration.
