Ask Your Preacher - Archives
Pastor-ette?
Tuesday, October 18, 2016Can a woman be a pastor? Please provide me with verses that back up your answer. Be blessed.Sincerely,
Lady In Waiting
Dear Lady In Waiting,
No. Pastors (Eph4:11) – also known as elders or bishops (Tit 1:5-7) – are always men. The qualifications for pastors are given in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9. One of those qualifications is that he must be “a husband of one wife” (1 Tim 3:2, Tit 1:6) – that clearly rules out females from becoming pastors.
Why Me?
Monday, October 17, 2016Hi, I had a kidney transplant six years ago, and I am doing fine now. I have been a faithful servant of God for many years, but I am afraid to go out there and share His good news because I am afraid of one question because I don't know how to answer it: if you have been a faithful christian and if God says He loves you, why didn't God heal YOUR OWN kidneys, so that you didn't have to go through all that dialysis, suffering, and the transplant? How should I answer this question? I really don't know the answer.Sincerely,
On The Mend
Dear On The Mend,
God doesn’t heal everyone’s problems miraculously because there is a purpose to suffering. As you probably know, after going through difficult struggles, we learn things we could have never learned without those trials. That is why Paul tells us to rejoice in tribulations because they increase our perseverance and hope (Rom 5:3-5). The apostle Paul had physical infirmities, and he asked God to heal him; God’s answer was, “No.” (2 Cor 12:7-9) Eventually, all of our bodies will succumb to sickness and death (Eccl 7:2). What are important are the lessons we learn between birth and death. All christians will suffer (Acts 14:22); it is how we react to the suffering that matters.