How the Enemy Divides Women in the Church

1. To be met with the gospel.
   Ladies, there are women sitting in our pews who do not know the Savior. They think they know Him because they’ve seen Him from afar. They know Him in the same way that I think I know Candace Cameron Bure because I follow her on Twitter. But if I show up on her doorstep and invite myself in, she will pretty quickly call the police and have me hauled away. I know about her, but I do not know her.
2. To be encouraged, loved and held accountable.
   From the mom who looks like she has it all together to the gray-haired lady at the organ to the hot mess teenager, we all need the same thing. We need our sisters to come alongside us, ever pointing us to Christ, while teaching, admonishing, and loving us. There is no “opt out” in the body of Christ.

If we attempt to “opt out” or to let our divisions hinder our kinship, we do so in the flesh, as the apostle Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 3:3: “Since there is envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not worldly and behaving as mere men?”

Instead, he asserts, we are to acknowledge our differences and use them to work in unity as unto the Lord, “so neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one. . . . For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Cor. 3:7-9).

Opt In

And so we must “opt in.” Not every woman in your church is going to be your best friend. I get that. We’ll be closer to some members of the body than others in the same way that my hands, mouth, eyes and nose really appreciate each other because we all really like to eat together.

But we must opt in to loving every member (John 13:34).
We must opt in to serving every member (Gal. 5:13).
We must opt in to suffering with every member (1 Cor. 12:25-26).
We must opt in to being “one another” to every “one another.”

Oh, How Good It Is

Dear sister, God did not place you into His building, your local body, by mistake. It is not the job of our churches or our pastor to initiate a program to bring every woman in our church into the fold. It is upon us, individually, to reach out … to build a bridge … to build a relationship.

Whether a woman needs to understand the gospel for the first time, to grow in her fledgling faith or to be confronted with a sin issue, none of these things will happen without relationship.

And, oh, what a sweet-smelling aroma it is to our Lord and to the world when our churches live life together well. Hymnwriters Keith and Kristyn Getty, Ross Holmes and Stuart Townend have written a hymn based on the premise of Psalm 133:1. We would do well to make its words our mission and our prayer as we consider each and every woman who walks through our doors:

Oh how good it is when the family of God
Dwells together in spirit in faith and unity.
Where the bonds of peace, of acceptance and love
Are the fruit of His presence here among us.

So with one voice we’ll sing to the Lord
And with one heart we’ll live out His word
Till the whole Earth sees the Redeemer has come
For He dwells in the presence of His people.

Who are the “untouchables” in your life and in your church? Who needs your friendship and encouragement today? How will you take steps to move beyond the differences and dwell together well?

Reprinted from Revive Our Hearts. Natives of Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula, Laura Elliott and her husband, Michael endeavor to serve the Lord with gladness in Minnesota as they raise five sons and one daughter, while ministering at Chisago Lakes Baptist Church and School, where Michael serves as the school’s administrator. Laura’s passions include words, music, and encouraging women to pursue the God of Scripture in every season of life. In her so-called free time, you might find Laura cooking (or watching Food Network) at home in North Branch.