Tag: Christian Women

Sanctification, Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday ~ Fight Like a Woman, Not a Little Girl

Michelle Lesley

Originally published September 26, 2014

fight like a woman

Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. Jude 3

What does the Bible say is the role of women in the church?

Is Jesus the only way to Heaven? Why?

Why is a literal, historical Adam and Eve crucial to the gospel?

What does God say about homosexuality?

Ladies, do you know the answers to these questions? Do you know and understand the Bible well enough to provide accurate scriptural support for your answers?

If not, you are not alone. Sadly, many Christian women are lacking in fundamental apologetics skills, the ability to defend even the basics of what they believe.

And part of the problem is that we often settle for being little girls in the faith instead of striving to become strong Christian women.

We pick churches where the pastor spends most of his time telling jokes or regaling us with personal stories because it makes us feel good instead of finding a pastor who is dedicated to rightly handling God’s word, sticking closely to Scripture, and feeding us copious amounts of it.

We pick women’s devotional books and Bible study groups that center around our emotions and building up our self esteem instead of building our esteem for Christ by leading us deeper into His word.

We build women’s ministries that focus on fluff instead of the Father, fun instead of faith, and where older women are left out instead of taking the lead and becoming spiritual mentors to younger women (Titus 2:3-5).

Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a little joke from the pastor from time to time, or an occasional feel-good story, or fun ladies’ activity. It’s when these things make up the bulk of what we call “church,” “Bible study,” or “edification” that our sanctification can be stunted and we can end up as spiritual Peter Pans, refusing to grow up in Christ and remaining children in the faith perpetually.

And when we’re children in the faith, we fight for the faith like children.

When someone challenges our beliefs, emotional outbursts, name calling, unsubstantiated opinions, and personal preferences can take center stage because we don’t know our Bibles well enough to plant our feet firmly on the word and confidently and correctly declare, “Thus saith the Lord.”

Can you imagine Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) going like this:

And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

“What?! How dare you question who I am! You’re just a divisive hater!”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

“Well, that’s your interpretation. That’s not what those verses mean to me.”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”

Hmmm, I know God wants me to be happy and successful. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt, just this once…

No, time and again, here and throughout the gospels, Jesus answered, “It is written.” No ruffled feathers, no indignation. He calmly and firmly appealed to Scripture when God and His word were being maligned.

Jesus fought like the God-man, and we must follow in His footsteps and fight temptation and false doctrine like godly women. How?

  • We recognize and embrace the fact that, as Christians, the Bible -not our preferences, what’s convenient, or the world’s mores- is the final authority for our every thought, word, and deed.
  • We compare all things -even things that carry the label “Christian”- to God’s word and reject anything that conflicts with it.
  • We study our Bibles to learn about God- His nature and character, His plan of redemption, His requirements for us- not as a self-help book.
  • We learn from Scripture- not from our own or others’ opinions- what the role of godly women is, inside and outside the church.
  • We stand firm on God’s word when “the faith once for all handed down to the saints” is challenged, understanding that this will take humility, meekness, love, and boldness.
  • We warn and help our friends and loved ones who are being seduced by unbiblical teachings and personalities.

Every strong, godly Christian woman starts off as a little girl in Christ. There’s no shame in being there. There’s only shame in staying there.

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AT SATISFACTION THROUGH CHRIST.
Ezra Bible Study

Ezra: Lesson 1

Michelle Lesley

ezra study

Welcome to our brand new Wednesday’s Word Bible study! Over the next several weeks, we’ll be studying the book of Ezra. Many of us feel like our knowledge of the Old Testament – particularly the post-exilic writings – could use some beefing up, and Ezra is a perfect book to study for that purpose.

But is Ezra relevant to us as Christians today? As we study, I think you’ll find the answer to that question is a resounding yes. Second Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

God’s people are God’s people, B.C. or A.D. We love God, love His word, and struggle with many of the same sins. And, of course, God Himself never changes.

So let’s roll up our sleeves and start digging in, shall we?

Introduction to the book of Ezra:

Before we begin studying a book of the Bible, it’s very important that we understand some things about that book. We need to know…

Who the author was and anything we might be able to find out about him or his background.

Who the audience of the book is: Jews or Gentiles? Old Testament Israelites or New Testament Christians? This will help us understand the author’s purpose and approach to what he’s writing.

What kind of biblical literature we’re looking at. We approach books of history differently than books of wisdom, books of wisdom differently than books of prophecy, etc.

What the purpose of the book is. Was it written to encourage? Rebuke? Warn?

What the historical backdrop is for the book. Is Israel at war? At peace? In exile? Under a bad king? Good king? Understanding the historical events surrounding a piece of writing help us understand what was written and why it was written.

When the book was written. Where does the book fall on the timeline of bibical history? This is especially important for Old Testament books which are not always arranged in chronological order.

So this week, before we start studying the actual text of the book of Ezra, we need to lay the foundation to understanding the book by finding the answers to these questions.

Read the following overviews of the book of Ezra, taking notes on anything that might aid your understanding of the book, and answer the questions below:

Ezra at Grace to You

Overview of the Book of Ezra at Reformed Answers

Book of Ezra at Got Questions

1. Who wrote the book of Ezra? What was his profession? His background and lineage? What do these things tell us about his position in society, his knowledge of Scripture, his approach to writing, or anything else about him?

2. Who is the intended audience of the book of Ezra?

3. Which genre of biblical literature is the book of Ezra: law, history, wisdom, poetry, narrative, epistles, or prophecy/apocalyptic? What does this this tell us about the approach we should take when studying this book versus our approach to books of other genres?

4. What is the theme or purpose of the book of Ezra?

5. Who are the leaders and significant personalities in the book of Ezra?

6. What is the historical backdrop of the book of Ezra? When did the events of the book of Ezra take place on the timeline of biblical history (ex: before the Flood, during the period of the judges, during or after the exile, etc.)? What are the historical events immediately surrounding the events of the book of Ezra? Where do the events take place? (Sometimes, a good Bible map like this one or this one can be helpful.)

7. What else did you learn about Ezra or the setting of his book that might help you understand the text of the book better?

Christian women, Church, Discernment

Do You MIND? : Five Reasons for Pastors to Mind What Their Brides Are Reading

Michelle Lesley

A while back, my husband and I were driving down the road on the way to the store discussing various aspects of ministry. At some point the conversation turned to a pastor with whom we were both vaguely familiar. Neither of us knew much about him, so we decided to look him up on Facebook to see if we could get a better handle on where he was coming from, theologically. Aside from a couple of mildly iffy posts that it wasn’t a stretch to extend the benefit of the doubt about, it didn’t seem as though there were any major doctrinal red flags. He just seemed like your average, Bible believing pastor who needed to brush up a little on his discernment. (Hey, who doesn’t, right?)

I was actually more interested in the pastor’s wife and what kind of ministries she was involved in that I might also like, so I clicked over to her page. I was pretty disappointed by what I saw. She had posted materials from several major false teachers- the female equivalents of people from Joel Osteen all the way down to Benny Hinn.

I remarked to my husband that I thought there might be some concerns about this pastor’s theology if he was OK with his wife following and sharing materials from high profile false teachers. And my husband gently reminded me that wasn’t necessarily the case:

“He probably doesn’t even know those women are false teachers.”

My husband went on to say that he wouldn’t have known that people like Beth Moore and Joyce Meyer are false teachers if I hadn’t done the research and filled him in. Not because he doesn’t care whether or not I read sound doctrine, but because pastors and Christian men in general don’t often pick up and read books written for Christian women to examine the theology we’re feeding on.

Until the last few decades, they haven’t always needed to. If your wife went shopping and came home with a book from LifeWay, it never crossed your mind to question whether or not it was biblical. It was LifeWay for heaven’s sake. LifeWay is run by pastors and theologians with years of experience and doctoral degrees from seminary. Of course it was biblical.

Well not any more, it isn’t. The majority (and that’s not an exaggeration) of the “Bible” studies and other materials marketed to Christian women by Christian retailers are authored by false teachers.

what rose reads_kindlephoto-19662398

Pastors, on behalf of Christian women everywhere, I plead with you: check out the theology of the authors and bloggers (including me) your wife is reading and the Christian personalities she follows and shares on social media. Please thoroughly vet the materials your Sunday School/small group/Bible study classes and women’s ministry are using. Find out about the speakers headlining the women’s conference or simulcast your ladies are attending. Make sure guest speakers appearing at your church’s women’s event teach sound doctrine.

Why?

It’s not my place to instruct you (and I’m sure you already know, anyway) in what the Scriptures say about being the spiritual leader of your family, responsible for its theological health or your obligations as a pastor to guard your church against false doctrine. I’ll leave that to godly men, fellow pastors, theologians, etc. What I’d like to do is to offer you some practical insights (in no particular order) from the pink side of the pew that you might find to be helpful tools as you think about and pray through how to handle vetting the teachers your wife or church ladies follow:

1. Your wife’s decision to follow false teachers could cost you a job. There are women out there like me who are familiar with the “twisted sisters” your wife is sharing on social media. If I could wrongly make assumptions about the theology of the aforementioned pastor based solely on his wife’s Facebook activity (because wives can be a reflection of their husbands’ spiritual leadership), others could do the same – maybe even those on a pulpit search committee – and that could impact your search for a pastoral position.

2. You don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot. A pastor’s wife can have a huge influence on her church. She is often the one teaching the women’s Bible study or heading up the women’s ministry, and even if she doesn’t, her input on curricula, guest speakers for women’s events, etc., is usually seen by the women of your church as carrying the weight of your approval or preferences. If you’re up in the pulpit preaching sound doctrine every week while your wife or women’s leader is importing false doctrine into the women’s ministry, it’s like bailing water out of a boat with a hole in the hull.

3. Your wife or (women’s ministry leader) may be chasing off spiritually healthy church members. (If you’ve stuck with me thus far, what follows is unlikely to describe your wife, but I’m going to go ahead and throw it out there for awareness’ sake.) I have heard the following prototypical scenario from dozens of Christian women (and experienced it myself):

“My pastor’s wife is in charge of our church’s women’s ministry, and is a big Beth Moore fan. We only do Beth Moore studies in our small groups, and last year our church hosted a Beth Moore simulcast. I participated in a couple of the studies, but they just seemed “off” biblically, so I started doing some research.

I discovered Beth Moore was teaching false doctrine, partnering with false teachers, and doing other unbiblical things. I went to the pastor’s wife and very kindly, humbly, and patiently showed her the scriptural evidence of Beth Moore’s false teaching. I couldn’t believe it when she flew into a rage, screamed at me, and accused me of trying to create disunity in the church! My husband and I tried to talk to the pastor about it, but he seemed completely unaware of what goes on in the women’s ministry or any problems with Beth Moore, and backed up his wife. We are now looking for a new church.”

This is not an exaggeration or isolated case. I don’t know what it is about Beth Moore’s disciples, but they (especially the ones who are pastors’ wives) seem to be some of the most vicious defenders of false teachers out there. And if your wife or women’s ministry leader acts like this it could cost you godly, spiritually mature church members.

4. Your children’s spiritual lives are at stake, both at home and at church. As with any dad who works long hours, your wife probably has more of an influence in the moment to moment aspects of your children’s lives than you do, even when it comes to training them in godliness. If her spiritual diet consists of false teaching, that’s what is being imparted to your children on a daily basis.

The same goes for the children at your church. The majority of children’s Sunday School teachers and children’s ministry workers are women. The false doctrine these women consume today will be taught to the children of your church on Sunday.

5. When women are spiritually healthy, the whole family benefits. Statistically, women make up about 60% of church attenders, and, of course, 50% of a marriage. That is an enormous influence on your own family and your church family. You want those women spiritually healthy. It’s not only biblical and good for them personally, but everyone they influence and interact with benefits.

When women are taught sound doctrine, they grow to Christlike maturity. They exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. They want to share the gospel. They walk in humility, patience, love, repentance, forgiveness, and biblical submission. They encourage their husbands toward godliness. And you know what else they do?

They teach other women to do the same. They train up children who are godly. They’re self-replicating.

Spiritually healthy, mature, godly women make your life easier, more peaceful, and more of a joy, both at home and at church, because they’re working with you, not against you.

But your wife and the women of your church are not going to get the pure milk of the Word they need to grow in Christlikeness from the pantheon of divangelistas lining the shelves of your local Christian bookstore. And most of those precious ladies you shepherd are completely unaware of that fact. So they need your help, Pastor. Your bride, and the Bride, desperately need you to mind what they’re reading.

Kitchen/Recipes, Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday ~ Top 10 Money Saving, Time Saving Kitchen Hacks

Michelle Lesley

Originally published October 30, 2014kitchen hacks

I’m a stay at home, home schooling mom with a large family, so we’ve had to make some -completely worth it- financial sacrifices to make that happen. We rarely eat out, and lots of convenience and froo froo foods are crazy expensive. Consequently, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, which I happen to love. Over the years, I’ve had a lot of fun finding creative ways to “beat the system” of spending too much money and wasting too much time. Here are my top ten favorite kitchen hacks:

1. Make your own “convenience” foods and items instead of buying them at the store.

It’s usually cheaper, often more healthful, and you can make larger or smaller batches than the store’s pre-packaged convenience size depending on your family’s needs. Here are three examples from the Satisfaction Through Christ blog: Haylee’s taco seasoning, Lauren’s home made cleaning products, and my copycat Chick-Fil-A recipe.

mayo-e14140868289102. Baked goods just tend to be moister and better with a little fat in them.

If you use low fat or skim milk, mix in a dollop (1-2 tablespoons) of mayonnaise or sour cream when you’re baking brownies, cakes, biscuits, or instant mashed potatoes. (A little cream cheese in the mashed potatoes is also good!)

 

3. If possible, make friends with your store’s stockers, butcher, etc.

First of all, making friends is a great way to share the gospel with them. Second, they can often alert you as to when items will be marked down or go on clearance. My husband often shops for me and has made friends with employees at a couple of stores. One employee explained to him how and when his store marks down meat. The employee from another store actually calls him whenever they’ve got a good clearance deal.

breadcrumbs-150x1504. What do you do with your bread ends, leftover dinner rolls, garlic bread, etc.?

I use them to make my own bread crumbs for breading pork chops or chicken, as filler for meatballs, and as garnish on top of baked pasta. Just put that bread through the food processor (I’ve found that it works better to freeze it first, so I save up a bunch of bread in the freezer until I’m ready to make a batch), and voila! You can also season it by adding powdered ranch dressing, garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, or other spices. I like to mix in Italian seasonings and parmesan cheese and bread chicken breasts with it for chicken parmesan.

5. I have a bad habit of heading off to the store and forgetting my grocery list, so every time I update my list, I take a picture of it with my phone.

That way, it’s always with me, even if I decide to make an impromptu stop at the store while I’m out doing other errands. I also text the picture of the list to my husband to keep in his phone for when he stops by the store. There are several free grocery list apps available, too, if you like that method better.

10006923_861042400603362_8453181981795771252_n6. Large families with lots of kids would be better off just buying a cow.

Unfortunately, my neighborhood is not zoned for that. I also don’t have time for frequent milk shopping, plus the store with the cheapest milk prices isn’t very close to my house. What to do? Every month or so, I go to the store with the lowest prices on milk, buy five or six gallons and freeze them. You have to pour a little off the top of each gallon so the jug doesn’t crack (water expands as it freezes), but it works beautifully.

7. Substitutions are your friend.

They’re often cheaper and create less waste than buying the ingredient the recipe calls for and having most of it go bad because you only need a smidge. My two favorite substitutes are for buttermilk (add 1 T. lemon juice or vinegar to 1 c. milk and let stand 5 minutes) and baking chocolate (3 T. baking cocoa plus 1 T. shortening or oil).

taters-150x1508. “Leftovers” is such an unimaginative way to think of extras. I “upcycle” my left over food.

Leftover pork roast, ribs, brisket, and barbecued chicken can be boned (if necessary), then cooked down into pulled pork (or chicken) sandwiches. Strain mushrooms and onions out of your extra gravy or sauce to use in casseroles and roasts. Leftover baked potatoes can be made into mashed potatoes or potato soup. Extra vegetables go great in soups, too. Leftover baked or grilled chicken can be used in pasta or casseroles. I save my ham bones to stew into my red beans and rice, and the bones from whole baked chickens to boil for chicken stock (much better than the canned stuff).

9. Buy in bulk (when the per unit price is lower- sometimes it’s not), then repackage and/or freeze.

Large packages of ground beef can be reapportioned into one pound bags and frozen. Pork chops, chicken breasts, and leg quarters can be individually frozen (side by side on a large baking sheet, and covered), then repackaged. Buy produce, such as onions, bell peppers, and carrots, when they’re on sale, then chop and freeze. We buy large bags of cereal instead of boxes, then put smaller portions into plastic containers that are easier to pour and keep closed.

clearance-225x30010. Meat and other food items that are on clearance are not only a great way to save money, but they can really inspire you to cook imaginatively.

A clearance can of cheese soup “recipe starter” recently became a home made mac and cheese in my kitchen. Some thin sliced steak -which I’d never worked with before- led me to a recipe for steak sandwiches. Both were big hits with my family, and they always look forward to the next mystery meal. Also be aware of your store’s day old bread/bakery rack. Why make or buy expensive dinner rolls when you can get a loaf of french bread (or other great items) for a dollar or less?

First Corinthians 10:31 says:

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

All. That means kitchen hacks, too. But how can kitchen hacks glorify God? When we save money and time in the kitchen, we’re able to invest those resources into Kingdom purposes, whether it’s something as simple as a few extra minutes to pray with your child or something as far-reaching as giving more money to missions. God gives us lots of opportunities each day to steward every moment for His glory.

this article was originally published at SATISFACTION THROUGH CHRIST.
Wednesday's Word

Wednesday’s Word ~ Zechariah 7

Michelle Lesley

zech 7 13

Zechariah 7

In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. 2 Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men to entreat the favor of the Lord, 3 saying to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, “Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”

4 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: 5 “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? 6 And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? 7 Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?”

8 And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, 9 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, 10 do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” 11 But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. 12 They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the Lord of hosts. 13 “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, 14 “and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate.”

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Questions to Consider:

1. What is the theme or purpose of the book of Zechariah? Which other Old Testament, post-exilic prophet was a contemporary of Zechariah’s? What is the historical backdrop for the book of Zechariah?

2. What is the “weeping and abstaining in the fifth month” referred to by Sharezer and Regem-melech? (2-5) Instead of saying, “Yes, keep the fast,” or “No, forego the fast,” what does God say instead? (4-7) During the seventy years of exile, were the people keeping the fast out of love and reverence for God or simply as a self-pitying ritual? (5-6) Which is more important to God, the outward actions of obedience, or obedience from a heart of love for Him?

3. Examine your motives for going to church, worship, serving others, giving offerings, studying your Bible, and praying. Do you do these things out of rote obedience or because you love God? Pray and ask God to change your change your heart in any area in which you are not acting out of love for Him.

4. What instructions did God give the people in verses 9-10? What does the word “they,” the use of the past tense (refusED, turnED, etc.), and the phrase “former prophets” in verses 11-14 indicate about the previous recipients of these instructions? Who were these recipients? What was Israel’s response to God’s instructions before the exile? (11-12) What was God’s response to Israel’s disobedience? (13-14)

5. Why did God have Zechariah tell the people about Israel’s past disobedience and His punishment of that disobedience? (11-14) What can we, as Christians learn from this passage about the importance God places on obedience from the heart? Though verses 9-10 were written specifically to Israel, does God want Christians to carry out these same principles? How do you know? What are some examples of ways you can carry out the spirit of God’s instructions in verses 9-10?