House Church Talk - Look who Jesus Chose

[Bruce Woodford]

Dear Brother Dan,

You wrote:"That is my main reasoning that "silent women in the assembly" 
seems inconsistent to what God is doing today in house church, and other 
small group settings. There are so many places in the NT where "every 
member, the functioning of every part, every gift " is emphasized. This is 
not to downplay leadership, as some have done, and even some attempt to 
eliminate it altogether. The real need is to release every gift, including 
the equipping gifts, so that the whole body can be built up."

Brother, the silence of women in the assembly is not inly inconsistent with 
what God is doing TODAY in house churches, but it has ALWAYS been 
inconsistent with what God has done in house churches from the Day of 
Pentecost onward!

The silence of women is NEVER associated with house church gatherings in 
scripture at all!  Scriptural records of gatherings of churches in houses 
repeatedly include the vocal participation of sisters AND the breaking of 
bread. I would challenge anyone to show from scripture that the silence of 
women in house gatherings of believers was ever practiced by the first 
century church or is ever commanded in scripture!

The kind of gatherings in scripture where there is NEVER any record of 
female vocal participation and where the "not to speak" kind of silence of 
women is SPECIFICLY COMMANDED is in whole church gatherings in cities. I 
would also challenge anyone who claims that women may scripturally 
participate vocally in whole church gatherings  to demonstrate this position 
from scriptural examples of whole church gatherings and also from scriptural 
examples of instructions which regulate whole church gatherings!

You are absolutely right that,"There are so many places in the NT where 
"every member, the functioning of every part, every gift " is emphasized."

However, in I Cor.14 there are two expressions which have been misunderstood 
and misapplied by many because they failed to observe...
(1)the context of the instructions (whole church gatherings in one place) 
and
(2) those to whom those commands are directed (males)!
Those two expressions are found in verses 26 and 31:  " when ye come 
together  every one of you hath a psalm..."  and " ye may all prophesy one 
by one ..."   Many have assumed that these expressions are addressed to all 
in the church, i.e. men and women.  This is just not true!  All of the 
commands of I Cor 14 are directed to MALES!

There are many contextual reasons why I believe this is so:
-From verse 6 onward, it is BRETHREN (males) who are specificly addressed.
-It is the "brethren" who are commanded in verse 20.
-It is "brethren" who are addressed in verse 26 to whom the instruction " 
when ye come together  every one of you hath a psalm..."   is addressed.
-It is "brethren" who are informed " ye may all prophesy one by one ..."   
in verse 31.
-It is "brethren" NOT sisters to whom the instructions relative to the 
silence of women are addressed in verses 34 and  35.

These verses say, "Let YOUR women keep silence in the churches: for it is 
not permitted unto THEM to speak;  but THEY are commanded to be under 
obedience as also saith the law. And if THEY will learn anything, LET THEM  
ask THEIR husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the 
church."

If these verses were actually addressed to women as well as men as many have 
assumed, they would actually read as follows: "Let YOU women keep silence in 
the churches: for it is not permitted unto YOU to speak;  but YOU are 
commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if YOU will learn 
anything, ask YOUR husbands at home: for it is a shame for YOU to speak in 
the church."

I hope this helps to put these scriptural instructions into their proper and 
contextual background.

Your brother in Christ,
Bruce

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