“[The pastor] must not [be] a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.”  (1 Timothy 3)

Before we (DV) look at the main point of this passage let us look at some of the presuppositions found there in.
* The pastor must be a male, “lest…he fall…”
*”…must not…” This is an imperative and not a minor suggestion.
*The directive has to do with the pastorate, the requirement(s) of the office and a disqualification thereof.
*The disqualification is the novice or new convert.
*The reason for the disqualification from the office of pastor.
*The reason for the warning and the dire judgement included.

Let me remind each reader that these warning are inspired by the Holy Spirit of God and are not simple made up by Paul, (2 Timothy 3; 1 Peter 1) and the fact that Christ spent three (3) years with each of His chosen disciples including Paul and the fact that Paul spent much time with those that worked along with him. Many a person (females and new converts) were to be offended by these requirements through the ages down to our contemporary time and is sure to continue well after our time, if the Lord tarries.

The pastor must be a male period. This is like the requirements prior to the one (1) we are looking at currently, they are non-negotiable.  To be clear, if a person argues with this requirement, his disqualification is apparent and obvious. The person that takes exception to this rules takes exception not only with this imperative but all that come before it AND with God Himself because this is God’s Word God will.

I have heard persons, most arrogant, say “I disagree with this” or that. Reader, let me be clear, If a person says this or something even close to this, red flags, siren, a your spirit should be begin going up, sounding off. and knocking over. When a person expresses doubt or an open disagreement with God by putting their opinions or thoughts ahead of God’s express and written Word, they must be taken seriously and questioned directly and immediately. They must be shown the error of their thinking and if necessary marked as one to be watch and even avoided…Reader, I am serious and should be understood to not be speaking in hyperbole!!!.

I believe very firmly in woman being in the ministry. If one (1) looks in Scripture one (1) cannot walk a way and think differently. The Word is absolutely replete in this regard. In the New Testament alone we read that women were the most faithful to Christ and His earthy ministry. Women financed His earthly ministry, women followed Him most faithfully, Women showed some of the greatest signs of devotion. Women were present in His trials, on His way the Golgotha, women remained at Golgotha until the end and after, women prepared His dressing, were the first to the empty tomb and were the first to preach and proclaim His resurrection and were the first to be disbelieved and were present at His first appearances.

The service of women continued, after His ascension, in the ministries of the disciples and Paul. Many women are mentioned post ascension,  The many women named Mary, Paul’s fellow labourer, Lydia, Priscilla, Narcissis, Naomi, Eunice, Phebe (This woman delivered Paul’s Magnum Opus to the Roman church!!! One (1) of the greatest books (humanly speaking) of the entire Bible was entrusted to a WOMAN!!! Think about that. Other women named by Paul, Nerreus’ sister, Julia, as well as other women named in other epistles of other apostles.

In the Old Testament, there is Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Lea, Hannah, Huldah, Prophetesses which includes Anna in Luke’s Gospel. There is Jael, Deborah, Monoah’s wife and Samson’s mother, Jepthah’s daughter, Rahab, Ruth, Esther, Naomi, Miriam, as well as evil but powerful women such as Jezebel, a king’s Grandmother, Attalia, that killed all but one (1) of her grandchildren, Potiphar’s wife, Delilah (if you want to, but she was in a tough position, humanly speaking) Noadiah. As you can see by the above two (2) paragraphs that women, many, many women have been, and are being used by God. Women are in no way, and no how second (2nd) rate or second (2nd) class saints.

One (1) could look in Christ-ian history and contemporary times that God is pleased and greatly glorified by the “weaker” sex. let us consider the wives of the heroes of the faith, the wives of Luther, Of Calvin, of C.S. Lewis, Jonathan Edwards, Monica, the mother of Augustine, The mother of the Wesley boys, Madame Guyon, Julian of Norwich, Joan of arc, and many other notable women. Contemporaries such as, Joni Erickson Tada, June Hunt, Janet Parshell (SP?), Nancy Leigh Demoss (Nee), Elizabeth Elliot, and many, many others.

Yes, God is greatly honoured and glorified by women past, present and future. I have named women little known, and well known, but lest I am remiss, let me mention the numerable women that are unknown and will never be known, pre-glorification and judgement seat. There are so many women labouring in love, in Christ’s Name and for His sake, and the sake of so many others. They, like those mentioned do so without desire of being known and without the spirit of vainglory. There only desire is that God knows, that God is glorified, pleased and honoured and the saints are edified.

As for new converts and novices. By history’s demonstrations, and by the Word of God Himself, It is wrong to put a novice or new convert “to work” right away or to get the new believer, “serving the Lord.” When a new saint is “put to work serving the Lord,” not only is God displeased and robbed, the Word of God is violated, the new saint is ABUSED, let me say that again… the new saint is ABUSED, and the minister that abuses the new convert manifests a misunderstanding of how things should work at best or an outright violation of Scripture and the revealed will of God. In other words, LEAVE YOUR HANDS OFF OF THE NEW CREATION, HE IS GOD”S NEW CREATION AND NOT YOURS!!!

What is God robbed of? God is robbed of His time with His new born son or daughter. Let me put this into perspective.  Imagine being in the delivery room of a hospital, your wife is giving birth to a new life. You and your wife have been waiting nine (9) months or even years and years for this moment of moments. The baby is delivered and before your see the baby, the new creation, the new life, and before our wife gets to see, who will be a great love of her life, the child is rushed out of the room and sent to an academy or boarding school where s/he will be trained to work in a cookie cutter factory.

Reader, Fellow Pastor, Fundamentalist, youth pastor, minister of any kind, take this seriously. You are, have been, and will possibly continue robbing God of His time with His new creation, God has been “waiting” since eternity past to give new life and to adopt this child and then you take this born again child OF God and kidnap him or her… You brother or sister are a man stealer…research that word. If you think me harsh or hard heart-ed and mean, think about God and His anger for you are robbing and stealing from Him!!! Do not think I am going overboard…I am very well grounded on the arc that is taking me To the Judgement seat of Christ…are you?

Allow me to point out the damage done by this spiritual kidnapping…but first let me point out something another minister said to me. This minister, very experienced in many offices of the ministry said, the spiritual sins of a person, in comparison to carnal sins are greater in the Eyes of God. To be clear, I am speaking to spiritual kidnapping.
Some of the damage that is caused by spiritual kidnapping…no matter how sincere a minister make be are:
*A non-thinking minister later in life.
*A non-thinking minister will breed a non-thinking church and non-thinking churches breed a mixed multitude in the church.
*The non-thinking minister and non-thinking church breeds “completely lost saints.” In other words, they make unbelievers think they are saved. When this occurs, a thinking minister or witness cannot reason with the lost person who is thinking they are saved already, because someone like you have (humanly speaking) condemned their eternal souls to Hell!!!
*A non-thinking minister and non-thinking church believe what they have been told to believe and have no need to continue fellowshipping with the truth contained in Scripture. They say things like, “I know that, ” or “I know that stuff, already,” or “That’s not what I’ve been taught,” aka “I’ve already been told what to believe and I need not look into eternal truth any further,” or “Thinking hard…thinking hard, to is to do.” (I meant the ordering of the last quote in order to provoke un-thinkers.”
*The non-thinking way of “doing church or “playing church” (In today’s church that equals playing house or playing doctor and that is also an effect of non-qualified ministers or angels of light, IE. (s)atan’s ministers filling the pulpit) is easier, more welcoming, and easier to get along. The non-thinking way is a way that leads to ignorance. We have brought up topics found in Scripture with aged believers, deacons, elders, and even pastors and they want not to fellowship with me around God’s Word. They’d rather talk about the number of persons in the audience, and it is an audience and not a collection of like minded believers, or upcoming events. Brethren, these things ought not to be.
*The Godhead of Inspired Scripture and revealed truth is not known by those claiming to be believers in the Trinity. When a sound minister speaks to God’s right to choose who will be saved and who will be damned, or God’s right to kill or God’s hatred for certain persons, or the facts that Christ died for and only for those He has loved from eternity past, and that Christ-ians are to be Christ-like, as they have been predestinated to be, in terms of words, works, and ways and in terms of holiness and righteousness, the so-called people of God begin and continue to climb walls and go into spiritual convulsions inside their heads. The non-thinking believers begin to pull their spiritual hair out as God continues counting them. These non-thinkers begin gathering sticks and a stake for the thinking minister’s murder. Knees start knocking shoulders start nudging, eyes begin rolling, the gnashing of teeth and the biting of tongues sing hate in unison. While this is happening God is on His throne and is being glorified and honoured and is showering blessings and encouragement upon His faithful and thinking minister.
*Another danger and affront to God is the Word of God being given mere lip service or eye service or both. I’ve heard a “pastor,” say, “Now close your Bibles and listen to me.” after reading a verse or even a portion of a verse. Reader, Minister, Pastor, this is a non-thinking “pastor” and a non-thinking “church” …it is the “blind leading the blind,” it is, a minister placing upon the shoulders of the people, that which he bears not, it is a “pastor” or rather, “a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” it is he that will, for as long as possible, steal, kill, and destroy as much as is possible.

Don’t get me wrong or think I am speaking up for the sheep. I am not. The sheep made the shepherd!!! just as Dr. Frankenstein made his monster and the popular and bullies make school shooters today!!! The persons in these “churches” are as guilty and responsible as the willfully ignorant self-centered, self-focused sinners attending faith healing tents and buying healing clothes and healing water and sending GOD’s MONEY into these servants of (s)atan. I know I sound hard, mean, and harsh, and judgmental. But reader, the Word of God is Present, some persons own multiple copies and remain in willful…willful…willful ignorance. Do you understand what this writer is pointing out? Are we to be mushy and gushy with these persons or should we be direct and snap them out of it?  I suppose the wise answer comes from Solomon, answer a fool according to his folly and answer not a fool according to his folly as well as it is a folly to answer a matter before hearing it, and suffer not a fool gladly. But another Example is Christ. Sometimes He would be direct and un-suffering and at other times Patience, Herself.

Reader, forgive my length, I lost track. God Willing (DV) we will pick this up at a later time.

Godspeed.