Jeffery is not an avid cook, but he can hold his own in any kitchen. As the youngest child in the Honiara extended dysfunctional family, he spent many hours reluctantly tied to his mother’s apron springs. Often, he would find himself assisting her in the daily chores around the house. She taught him the finer points of housekeeping. By age seven, she taught him how to cook. However, the assignment as the baby of the family was nowhere close to being fun.
When she suddenly died, those tasks became his job. Jeffery knew how to make up the beds, clean the rooms, and cook as well as wash dishes. Repeatedly, his siblings would cruelly taunt him for doing woman’s work. Often, he would run and hide in the small pantry in the kitchen. Jeffery would curl up in a tight ball as the infinitesimal sounds of his whimpering filled the air.
One day, his father came home after a long day at work to find Jeffery running into the closet. After the boy slammed the door shut, the father walked over and lightly knocked on the doorframe.
Jeffery shouted, ‘Who is it? Leave me alone. I am never coming out.’
The father knocked on the doorframe again and said, ’Jeff, it is me. Can I come in?’
After hesitating for a brief second, Jeffery opened the door. The boy exclaimed as his father’s large body squeezed into the small space, ‘I am still not coming out.’
‘Okay, so what is wrong, Jeff?’
With teary eyes, the lad peered up into his father’s concerned face and said, ‘They keep calling me names and stuff cause they say I do women work.’
His father gently placed the palm of his large hand against the boy’s cheek. His long finger brushed aside a teardrop as he said, ‘Listen, son, don’t worry about what they say. See, you are our little ram in the bush. Before your mother died two years ago, she taught you everything. She did that because she knew she could trust you to take care of the family.’
Many women want to delve into the gospel ministry but because of the railing of some spiritually unlearned person, they have not. However, please understand that just because God did not position women as the head of the house or church, does not mean they cannot take a stand for him. They can because God is a God of exceptions. God has ordained and placed many great women pastors, teachers, and leaders because they were the person he need in that place. Now, if His calling, ordaining, and placing a woman as a pastor, teacher, or preacher bothers any man, it might be because she is the exception God replaced that man with.
In the beginning, God located everything and every person in the place and position that God needs them to be. Nevertheless, the biggest problem that continues to plague our society is men and women inability to remain there. Although I stand united with St. Paul’s opinion that women should not be teachers or in a position of authority in the church, I have come to understand the God I serve is a God of exceptions. I believe Paul understood the same thing because Paul was truly one of the exceptions to the rules.
Some theologians suggest one reason for the female species’ subjection to the male species is the woman was the last of creation. She was also the first in the transgression when she accepted the advice of the Lucifer-filled serpent. However, there is something more to that act than a misguided woman listening to the wrong advice. Let us quickly examine the Scripture in Genesis 3, verse 6. It reads, ‘When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.’
Now, some theologians have tried to lay the blame for the calamities that befell humanity since the beginning of time at the feet of the female species. The school of thought is since Eve committed the first sin and talked Adam into following her, whatever a woman has to say should not be listened to.’ Statements such as that and many like it could not be further from the truth because God is a God of exceptions.
Therefore, as I studied the words of Genesis in order to rightly divide the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit of God allowed me to understand that the sin was not committed by Eve. The sin was committed because of Eve. When the spirit of Lucifer possessed the serpent, nothing momentous happened. During the conversation between Eve and Lucifer, nothing vital happened. Think about it. The real and only enemy to man invaded the garden. Lucifer stood right next to the best gift God ever gave to Adam. He whispered lies into her ear and convince her to go against everything her mate and God had said and nothing earth-shattering happened.
Nothing momentous happened because Lucifer knew about the exception to the rule. Jesus revealed this exception in Mark 3 verse 27. That Scripture reads, ‘In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.’ Lucifer could not get to Adam directly so he figured out a way to bind him. Adam knew what the word of God said like Eve. He was put in the position of the head of the house or church unlike Eve. Therefore, Adam was the strongman. However, the love and trust he had for his mate bound up his righteous judgment. It allowed him to go against the very fresh words of God that still echoed through the caverns of his mind. Eve turned, smiled, and gave some to her husband who was with her. Because he was bound by his natural affection for her, he took and did eat. Lucifer won. Sin happened. God return to punish all the players and men and women remained bound in sin for centuries. Then, God applied another exception.
Before we traverse further in this discourse, let me mention that there exist numerous accounts of women leading men down the path of destruction throughout the Scriptures. One example can be read in Jeremiah 44 verse 15 through 29. The condensed version of it is God punished Israel because the men would not lead their households. This is the natural position of the male species. We are the head of the household. Often, because of the care of life, our pride, and many other things, we become bound in our ways of thinking. We become useless men who are physically at home but our minds are on the other side of town. When this happens, like in the Garden of Humanities Beginnings, Lucifer steps in and takes control of our households. Therefore, it is nobody blunders but the man. However, there is an exception to the rule.
References to this next exception can be found in Judges Chapters 4 and 5. Her name was Deborah. This mighty woman of God was called upon to stand outside her assigned place in life. She received this divine appointment from God not because she was the best person for the job. She was not because the job was to physically defend the nation of Israel. For this job, God needed a man to step up and be a warrior when no men were willing to lead. So God had to apply the exception to the rule.
God did not create women to look pretty, bear children, cook meal, and take care of their mates. God created them to be our helpmates, as well as do the other things. Therefore, since the men of Israel had a problem leading Israel, God told the exception to step up and take charge. She appointed Barrack, not the President, to lead the Army. Because of Deborah, Israel was saved.
However, I am sure that Apostle Paul did not forget about the history of the exceptions used by God when he made his opinion known. In contrast, Paul was sitting the infrastructure of the church in place. The first organized church was inside the homes of the early converts. During these times, the American ideology of human rights did not exist. Mankind, the male species, still believed and practice the principles handed down by God that the man was the head of the house. Accordingly as Paul established the church, he did everything to keep and establish the God given order of things. God assigned man the position of authority and therefore we have Paul’s opinion. Nevertheless, Paul did not forget the exception to the rule.
In Joel 2 verse 28 – 32 and again in the book of Acts Chapter 2 verse 17 – 21, this exception is given. It states, ’In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.’ My friend, we are indeed in the end of times. We live in a time where the men of God refuse to take the lead in their own houses because we are too busy chasing after the American dream. We exist in an era where instead of studying the word of God for themselves and teaching their children about God; we depend upon someone we hired to instruct us and our children.
As men in America, we are more consumed with discovering the latest gadget than delving into the hidden treasury of wisdom found in the word of God. In times like these, where our children are being targeted by Lucifer everyday; the influential sports industry of our capitalist society called out for the men of America to stop shouting about God. They produced other things for men to shout about and convinced us to worship them as idols. Lucifer bound the strongmen of America in front of the television set as we sat beside our wives on the couch of life while he whispered sweet nothing in her ear. However, at Calvary God apply the exception to the rule.
See, I agree with Paul. Women should not teach or be placed in a position of authority over men except where there are no Godly men to step up and teach, the word of God must be proclaimed. In Luke 19 verse 39 – 40 tells us of this exception to the rules. It reads, ‘some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” The exception is if. Jesus would have told them to be silent except if he did the rock would cry out. The world and Lucifer have silenced many of the Godly men of the world, nevertheless, the message must go forward. It goes forward because of a simple exception to the rule.
Today, as you read this and ponder your place in life, I hope you have realized that you are alive because of an exception to the rule. The rule states that the wages of sin are death. We all sin everyday but we do not die because of the exception. God was not willing to see us to perish. So he sent his son, Jesus, the Christ. The laws stated the soul that sin shall surely die. However, Jesus stepped up onto the gentile made cross, stretched out his arms, and died to be the exception to the rule. Because of this, no man, women, or child can enter the kingdom of heaven, except through Jesus. Thank God for exception to the rules.
