Ephesians 5:3-13 NKJV
“But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let
it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4neither filthiness,
nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather
giving of thanks. 5For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor
covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ
and God. 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things
the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be
partakers with them.
“8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in
the Lord. Walk as children of light 9(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all
goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10finding out what is acceptable to the
Lord. 11And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but
rather expose them. 12For it is shameful even to speak of those things which
are done by them in secret. 13But all things that are exposed are made manifest
by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.”
What’s Not Fitting?
Before I knew what passage was coming next I ran across a
post on an internet site written by a man who was teaching strongly against
women serving as pastors and elders in the gatherings of the church, that they
were not to be in positions of authority over men, usurping authority over men,
instructing men in authority to where they could exercise discipline over men. I
responded in agreement that women should not be pastors and elders, and that
they should not instruct men in positions of authority over men. But then the
Lord prompted me to ask him these questions:
“How many men do you think who are currently serving as
pastors and elders in the body of Christ meet the spiritual qualifications for
pastor and elder, as taught in the Scriptures? How many do you believe are
living in moral purity, in absolute faithfulness to their spouses, who are
loving their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her? And
how many are truly teaching the whole counsel of God and not a diluted ‘gospel’
intended to tickle itching ears and to grow their numbers? And if you removed
all of the men, who are not living up to the qualifications for pastor and
elder, from their positions of authority, what % would be left?”
I received a response from a woman: “Probably not many. But
still doesn't change God's stated because biblical order for men and women!”
My response: “I agree. Not trying to change that. The point
is really I hear so many men pushing the whole silence of women thing in the
church but many of those men do not meet the biblical qualifications for their
positions, just like women are not qualified to be pastors and elders. If the
men are so concerned about the women being in their rightful positions, then I
believe they should be examining the men, too, to make certain that those who
do not qualify are not serving where they are restricted from serving, too. So,
if they only apply the Scriptures to the women, and not to the men, then they
are being hypocrites and should not be serving in those positions.”
The Current Situation
We, the body of Christ, are being instructed here by the
apostle Paul that in our gatherings there should be no fornication,
uncleanness, covetousness, filthiness (immorality), foolish talking, nor coarse
jesting. They are not fitting for those who call themselves followers of
Christ. And those who practice such things will not have any inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ and God. And so we are not to be deceived by those who are
teaching that we can just believe in Christ and now heaven is guaranteed us
regardless of how we live. If sin is our life practice, and not obedience to
God, we are not saved.
Now, I am 76 years old, and I have been within the
gatherings of the church, either live in person, or virtually, all my life. And
I have interacted with other professing Christians both live and in person, and
on the internet (once we had the internet), too. I have listened to hundreds or
thousands of sermons and I have read people’s writings and their conversations
on the internet, too. I have taught the Scriptures for 50+ years, so I know
what they teach on moral purity, sin, and what constitutes biblical salvation,
and regarding the spiritual qualifications for overseers (pastors, elders,
deacons).
So, I am not naïve about what has been going on within many
of the gatherings of the church, and about what is being taught by many as “the
gospel,” and how so many are now teaching that addictive and habitual sin will
keep no one out of heaven, and how so many men and elders and pastors will even
hint at the fact that they are not living in moral purity, but while they
excuse it away. I know the lingo. I am well versed in it. And so many of them
will do nothing to stop any men from continuing in addictive sexual immorality
and from willfully sinning sexually against their wives.
But Rather Expose Them!
I am reminded here of the story of the sinful woman who was silently
rebuked by the Pharisee because she stood at Jesus’ feet weeping, and she
washed his feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair, and kissed his
feet, and anointed them with oil. But Jesus rebuked the man in front of the
woman because what he should have done for the Lord, he did not do, but the
woman did do (Luke 7:36-50). So sometimes God uses women in places where men
should be, doing what God has called the men to do, but they are not doing
because they are spiritually absent without leave. Sometimes he uses us women
to address these issues because we are willing to obey.
So, what needs to be exposed here? The fact that it appears
that in my country (USA) the majority of what are called “churches” are
businesses of men being marketed to the world. And so many pastors are being
taught what to do to win the people, which includes diluting the gospel and
allowing sin to run rampant in the name of “love” and “grace.” And many of the
pastors and elders are among those who have fallen into sin, and sexual sin is
definitely at the top. And so they excuse it away. And so many are, thus,
living in adultery against their wives and are not leading their family and
their church fellowships into biblical repentance and obedience to our Lord.
But you don’t hear a large outcry about this subject coming
from many men, or women, really. But I hear a huge outcry by men, usually men,
about women speaking the truth of the Scriptures in mixed company. They are all
gung-ho about the silencing of women, but they are not, by the majority,
speaking out against men serving as elders and pastors who do not fit the
biblical qualifications because they are yielding to idolatry, adultery, sexual
immorality, and/or to the diluting of the gospel message, and the appeasing of
people in their sins, because they want to grow their numbers. So they are
hypocrites for silencing women’s voices if they are yielding to sin as a matter
of habit, and if they are teaching lies to the people about salvation.
Repent and Obey
So this is a call to all who profess Jesus as Lord but who
are knowingly, willfully, and habitually returning to the same sins over again
while making excuses for them and while teaching others that they can do the
same under “the grace of God.” This is a call to all who serve as pastors and
elders of church congregations to make certain that you are living for the Lord,
and that sin is not your habit, and that your lifestyle lines up with the
biblical qualifications for someone in your position, especially before you
start calling out for the silencing of women when there is a serious shortage
of qualified men willing to serve the Lord faithfully in obedience to his
commands. God will use women to be his messengers when most men are spiritually
AWOL.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts
26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans
8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1
Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians
5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14;
Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24;
1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation
3:1-22]
Ministers of Our God
An Original Work /
June 21, 2011
Christ’s Free
Servant, Sue J Love
Ministers of our
God,
harken to hear Him
speak.
Have you given Him
your hearts and
souls today?
Hasten to give all
to Him.
Let Him cleanse your
hearts from sin.
Cast yourselves on
His altar.
In your lives do not
falter.
Ministers of our
God,
flee from all your
idols.
Remove them from
your lives.
Be transformed
today.
Listen to the words
I say.
Give your all to
Christ today.
Let him rule within
your hearts,
cleanse from sin,
His grace impart.
Ministers of our
God,
won’t you come to
His cross?
Die to sin and
yourselves.
Penitently pray.
Humbly accept Him
today.
Let Him wash your
sins away.
Receive Him into
your hearts.
His mercy and grace
impart.
https://vimeo.com/127504455
Are You Spiritually AWOL?
An Original Work / June 24, 2026
Christ’s Free
Servant, Sue J Love
