WHAT ST. PAUL SAYS CONCERNING WOMEN IN THE CHURCH

"Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says." First letter to the Corinthians 14 "I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet." First letter to Timothy. 1 Tim 2:22-12 Some observers question the validity of both these key "anti-women" texts. Many modern scholars think ITimothy is not written by Paul, but by a later writer familiar with his thinking. Gatiss says the text has circulated with other epistles of Paul "since the very earliest days". He says "there is no external or manuscript evidence whatsoever to indicate that it is not a genuine letter by the person it claims to be from." Its restrictions on women are "especially pertinent, as it is in a context where Paul is discussing the precise issue of leadership in the Church", he said “ There is no external or manuscripts evidence whatsoever to indicate that it is not a genuine letter by the person it claims to be from.” Dunn does not think I Timothy should be disregarded. But he thinks it may date from a second generation when the expected second coming of Jesus had not happened and the Church had to be "organized for an indeterminate future". No-one doubts that Paul wrote I Corinthians. But some commentators claim verse 14:34 must have been added later, because it appears to contradict an earlier verse in the same letter which says women should have their heads covered when they prophesy. Surely if they prophesy they cannot keep silent - and therefore 14:34 can be discarded? Dunn does not go so far, but he insists that texts must be seen in their historical context: "I think Paul would have been appalled that so many of his letters set in particular situations… are being generalized 19 centuries later and people say, 'This is the rule for ever and a day'." He says the Church in Corinth seems to have been "pretty chaotic... and we can't generalize for the Churches that are well-ordered". The I Corinthians passage perhaps concerns "women who are too keen to take part and are asking questions and raising issues and so on, and the worship is being disrupted", Dunn says. Gatiss agrees that in the Bible "we expect to find historical details and cultural peculiarities and even teaching which applies to the immediate hearers but not to others". But, he says, "all our earliest manuscripts of I Corinthians support the versions of the text as they appear in the standard translations", and its message is clear. Why are women in a list of important early Christians?

Priscilla is named by Paul as one of nearly 30 active Christians Supporters of giving women power in the Church most frequently cite theletter to the Romans, Chapter 16. In its list of nearly 30 active early Christians, at least eight are women. Some commentators stress the fact that one, Priscilla (Prisca in the original Greek), is named before her husband Aquila. Another couple, Junia and Andronicus, are said to be "eminent among the apostles". Some have doubted Junia was a woman at all. As late as the 1960s the New English Bible described her as Junias, a man. More recently, the dispute has been over whether the phrase means the pair were apostles themselves, or simply well known to them. "It's that they are among the apostles and it's the most natural way to take it. Junia is one of the apostles, and among that group of apostles she is eminent," insists Dunn. Gatiss says women "rightly had an honored role within the early Church" but that nothing in Romans 16 suggests that the women Paul names had the authority of bishops or presbyters/elders. "Junia may be a woman. She may be called an apostle. But this has too often been assumed to contradict the traditional reading of I Corinthians 14 and I Timothy 2 without proper logic or careful argumentation." Different message for different people? Both sides in the debate say Bible passages must be taken in their historical context. Both say the obvious meaning of a passage should not be ignored because it does not seem to confirm our views. Both say there is a line to be drawn between what is for the occasion when it was written, and what is a message for all believers and all time. But it is unlikely that either side will be able to convince the other of its own interpretations any time soon. This would not surprise Paul. Throughout his writings he wrestled with disputes among Christians. And often he advised that if someone insists on a principle another thinks unimportant, that person should go along with them, rather than alienate them. He famously wrote: "To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews... To those not having the [Jewish] law I became like one not having the law... "I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some." St Paul the Apostle

• A Greek-speaking Jew thought to have been born about 5 AD at Tarsus in Cilicia (now southern Turkey). • Had been a persecutor of Christians before becoming a leader and teacher of Christian communities in Asia Minor, Greece and Rome • Details of his life come from his letters, and the later Acts of the Apostles • Acts says he was a tentmaker, that his Jewish name was Saul, and that he was a Roman citizen - his other name Paulos could be Roman • Later tradition says he was martyred in the same place as St Peter (Rome) and on the same date (29 June) - but not necessarily in the same year. Perhaps in 67AD.

Dr Lee Gatiss is the Director of the evangelical Church Society

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-29513427

SECURITY IS OF GOD

Security is very vital to human existence that was why after God has created Adam and Eve He put them in a garden for them to be secured. To further buttress this, Cain after the murder of Abel his brother told God, “Today you are driving me from the land and i will be hidden from your presence, i will be restless wanderer on the earth and whoever fined me will kill me”. Genesis 4:14. And from that time to this day man is always making effort to secure himself from intruder to his place of resident or other environments. The bible says, “Unless the lord watches over the city the guards’ stands watch in vain”, Psalm 127:2.that is to say no matter the effort we make to secure our lives; we cannot really secure ourselves hundred percent without leaving some loopholes. It is only in the presence of God-Garden of Eden- that we can have full security.

They say, when the hunter learns how to aim at birds, the birds learn to fly without perching. Today with the advent of technology, so many sophisticated security gadgets have been invented. Even at that, can anyone say he is fully secured in this world? Remember these guns and weapons are operated by imperfect and careless beings, who at times at the slightest provocation uses the weapons against those they are suppose to protect. Have you not heard of accidental discharge, where innocent souls are killed? Human errors cannot be completely ruled out when it comes to human handling of these weapons. It can be intended or unintended; it is intended when defenseless civilians and colleagues of these security men are killed in arguments over trivial things. Think of the suicide bombing that is rampant in the world today as a result of the wickedness of man. It is unintended when the man is drunk or asleep- unconscious of himself and the environment he is expected to secure-, and the opponent takes advantage of that to disarm him and cause havoc. When those that are suppose to secure lives and properties go drinking, getting drunk and go sleeping then God takes over the security of his people. This is very true in the case of president Obama as seen in the bbc news report below.

The US Secret Service is investigating two senior agents after a car crash at the White House. A spokesman for the Secret Service told the BBC the collision happened during the evening on 4 March. The Washington Post reported the agents drove the car into a security barricade after a night of drinking and partying. The crash is the latest in a series of embarrassing incidents involving the agency charged with protecting President Barack Obama. The Washington Post has identified the agents as Mark Connolly, deputy in charge of the president's security detail, and George Ogilvie, a senior supervisor in the agency's Washington office. They had been attending a party at a nearby bar before the incident occurred, the Post reported. A spokesman for the Secret Service said Director Joe Clancy had directed the department's internal investigator to look into the incident. The Secret Service has reassigned the two agents to non supervisory, non-operational jobs during the investigation.

Trouble at the Secret Service

11 November 2011: A man fires several bullets at the White House and hits a second floor window. Four days pass before agents determine the building had been shot at. One of the president's daughters was home at the time.

13 April 2012: Agents providing security for President Obama in Colombia are recalled after being implicated in a prostitution scandal during a summit.

23 March 2014: Three agents protecting the president in Amsterdam are put on administrative leave after a night of drinking. One agent is reportedly found passed out in a hotel hallway.

16 September 2014: An armed man with an arrest record is allowed on an elevator with the president, violating Secret Service rules.

19 September 2014: A man with a knife climbs over the White House fence and is able to enter the building before being stopped by agents. The president had left the White House minutes earlier.

1 October 2014: Julia Pierson resigns as Secret Service director after a series of security lapses.

4 March 2015: Two agents crash a car into a White House security barrier.

Witnesses reportedly saw the officers in a car with illuminated emergency lights and said they had shown their badges in an attempt to get through a secured section of the White House complex. The vehicle ran through security tape and hit temporary barricades that had been set up while security services investigated a suspicious package. On Thursday, an unnamed White House official told Reuters Mr Obama was "aware of the allegations and supports director Clancy's decision to turn the investigation over to the DHS Inspector General for a thorough review". Over the past several months, several of the agency's top officials have been forced to step down following multiple security lapses. A man from Texas was able to scale a fence and run into the White House while brandishing a knife before being detained. The Secret Service is charged with protecting the president, vice-president, their families and other officials. "The fact that this event involved senior-level agents is not only embarrassing but exhibits a clear lack of judgment in a potentially dangerous situation," the leaders of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee - Republican chairman Jason Chaffetz of Utah and top Democrat Elijah Cummings of Maryland - said on Wednesday. Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman said he looked forward to hearing how Mr. Clancy will respond to the incident. "He has talked about 'zero tolerance' and I expect him to react accordingly," Mr. Portman told reporters Having read through this report you will agree with me that security is of God. GOTO

LET US GO TO CALVARY

This statement sounds like an invitation from one person to another. Probably from a shepherd to his flock or from a friend to a friend, or from a believer to a believer. It could even be from a believer to unbeliever or from unbeliever to unbeliever. When invitation like this comes to anyone, especially one who is hearing Calvary for the first time. The likely question he/she may ask is where is Calvary?

Calvary is a place of skull- in Aramaic is called Golgotha. (John 19:17-18). It is a place outside the Jewish city where criminals are crucified, it is a place of death. According to a song writer “on the way to Calvary he went for me “that is to say Christ went to Calvary on your behalf and my behalf. Since it is a place of death he went there to die the death we (the whole world) would have died

.This is not just an ordinary death but death on the cross (crucifixion). Let us look at the last lap of the journey to Calvary and what transpired. . At his trial Pilate saw nothing to be used as charge against Jesus he therefore ask the people for permission to release him. Their response was “crucified him” when he ask them for a reason the only answer they could provide is to shout louder “crucified him”. To prove his innocence of their demand he took water and wash his hands and said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood” all the people answered “his blood is on us and on our children”- Matt 27:25. When the Governor wanted to grant pardon to a criminal which was customary, the people presented Barabbas as substitute for Jesus. This is why in some quarters it is said that justice was murdered at Jesus’ trial but all were part of the plan of God to redeem man. As Jesus proceeded to Calvary the following were in his entourage Notable among the women were : Jesus mother (Mary) her sister, Mary wife of Clopas and, Mary Magdalene others are :,John the beloved, the Jewish soldiers, two condemned criminals,, chief priest, teachers of the law, and the Jewish elders then Jesus and the cross. These categories of persons represent the totality of human race, the good, and the bad. This could further be classified as sympathizers and the crowd or people (those that rained abuses and spat on him, mock and beat him and eventually crucified him.).Before i continue if i may ask where do you belong?
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CROSS. Cross is made of two chunks of wood –vertical and horizontal-. The cross is similar to a Mathematical positive sign. When a vertical line is drawn across a horizontal line that means the vertical line- canceled out the horizontal line. The horizontal line represents man’s way of life in relationship to her neighbor in day to day activities, while the vertical line represent God’s love and mercy towards man. That is to say the love of God canceled out the sins of man. Put in another form the word evil was re-written as live. In other words evil (wickedness of man) was substituted with live. On the cross man- who was doomed to die now live At Calvary Jesus was crucified with two criminals on his right and left hand side. The love of God prevailed over the sin of man. No wonder Jesus was denied fear hearing. .Barabbas the condemned criminal was set free in place of Christ -the innocent- to fulfill the prophecy as recorded in Isaiah 53:5 “but he was pierce for our transgression, he was crushed for our iniquity, the punishment that brought us piece was on his shoulder and by his wound we are healed. By this act he purchase for mankind forgiveness, purity, deliverance, healing, salvation and peace.
 CALVARY OF TODAY. Since Christ has died for us at Calvary we are not dying again on the cross. The death we will die now is to die to self. What is self? St. Paul explains this in Colossian 3:5-8 “put to death therefore whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lost, evil desires, and greed -which is idolatry. Because of this the wrath of God is coming. You use to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourself of all such things as these, anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips”. hence Christ said to his disciples” if any man would come after me let him deny himself take up his cross and follow me .for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. , though cross is naturally unattractive and unpalatable to carry, because Christ has made it a means of liberation and source of joy, it becomes a must for every follower of Christ. The saying “no cross no crown” is very true in this respect. There is no cross free Christianity Jesus never promises us one. In Matthew Gospel 10:38 he says” anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Every Christian has a cross to carry. But each person’s own differs from another. Crosses are every day challenges in life. It was St. John Vianney, who said, “Contradictions bring us to the foot of the cross and the cross to the gate in heaven”. Jesus knows that paths without obstacles don’t lead to any where important. the harder the conflict the more glorious triumphs “.You may be passing through difficult times now in your life, career, academic, family or marriage., the list is endless, you may have done all in your power to remedy the situation but to no avail. Don’t be discouraged Jesus as our model fell trice with his cross on the way to Calvary and did not quit the journey. Know that God sometimes allows crosses to come but the truth is that on the cross lies your crown.
 To conclude, according to the sermon by St. Peter Chrysologus (bishop) there are three things that will sustain one’s faith,in the journey of life, prayer, fasting, and mercy or alms giving. One cannot go without the other two. Prayer knocks, fasting obtains and mercy receives. Prayer clears the ground, fasting tills and plough while mercy waters. Fasting is the soul of prayer while mercy is the life blood of fasting. If you want to receive you must give, if you want to be shown mercy, you must show others mercy if you want to be loved you must love others, if you want God to feed you feed others

CHILDREN,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, PRECIOUS GIFTH TO THE FAMILY

Family is made up of man-father-, woman-wife-, and children in alignment with the divine arrangement -God the father, Son and Holy Spirit .It is a place to share love- because God originator of families is love -, Family is a place to live in peace with one another. Every happy home is a blend of love, peace, validation of one another and protection of each member’s interest. It is the nature of persons to makes it a safe and desirable place to live in.
 Marriage is a prerequisite to family life, so we cannot discuss Family without making reference to marriage.   God instituted marriage as seen in John Gospel Chapter 2. In Gen.1:28 God bless man saying“be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish on the sea, the bird of the air, and over every living creature that move upon the earth” that means children and all other earthly things are gift from God. From here you will deduce that God gave man the gift of sexuality and fertility. Children are the fruits of these gifts.
 Let us look at the benefits of the gift of children to the family.
 Children are source of joy. This can be seen in the life of Joseph. ”Joseph named his first born Manasseh and said ‘it is because God has made me forget all my trouble and my father’s household “the second son he named Ephraim and said ‘it is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering’ (Gen.41:51-52) This joy is not so much appreciated by families that do not experience any delay in child bearing compared to those that it takes years  to have their first issue. In (1samuel.1:1-12) we saw Hannah a woman who was made to sorrow because of her childlessness. She did not allow the sorrow to take her away from God but rather it made her to be desperate. But her desperation brought dedication and commitment to God rather than to something else.
 Children are gift but with responsibility. Every recipient of this gift must manage it according to the plan and purpose of the giver.-God. This is where use/abuse comes to play. Children are blessing.-Psalm 127:3. God has use them to bless families, they should be made to be a blessing to the family and to others. They are source of comfort and are to be made instruments of comfort. For this to be possible energy must be extended. Work must be done on them. They have to be brought up according to God’s standard in order to escape the wrath of God.
  Children are products of sexuality Sexuality as a gift should not be a license for procreation and enjoyment only, thereby down playing on self-control which eventually leads to unintended pregnancies,in the soceity it is labeled “unwanted”. As the name implies, Families make effort to do away with these type of pregnancies, by ,the use of contraceptives and other ungodly birth control methods.. The consequences of this is increase in abortion, abandoned baby syndrome, baby factories, Choosing the gender before birth is also becoming an issue. If the baby is not a male child it is aborted. This was adopted in an Asian country in the past but today the young men have no women to marry.
 For children to be blessings and source of comfort to the family, there must be good parenting. This will be well understood considering the following headings: ENVIRONMENT, RELIGION, EDUCATION,.DISCIPLINE.
 ENABLING ENVIRONMENT. An enabling home environment is one where the child has all he/she needs to thrive, this include physical needs such as food, clothing, shelter and protection. It is a warm, loving, sensory rich environment where the child’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs are provided for by the family and community.
  RELIGION. The family that prays together stays together. Family prayer releases divine power that makes family members stick to one another, love and care for each other. Homes where parents do not have favorites make the children feel loved equally and united. Joseph in the book of Genesis was the subject of envy by his siblings because his father loved him specially and gave him a coat of many colors. The word of God should be shared daily in the home. It brings the presence of God to the home and the joy that accompanies God’s presence becomes the portion of every member of the family. The Bible also provides moral instructions which keep the children and the entire family on the path of righteousness.
 FORMAL/INFORMAL EDUCATION. The children should be helped to acquire academic skills and develop good interpersonal skills. This is achieved by talking respectfully to them, being empathetic with them and learning to see things from their own perspective. The family is where you learn to respect other people’s views, spending good quality time together. This has a way of revealing the nature of each member of the family as each person talks about his/her likes and dislikes challenges and fears in life. It is also an important place for parents to teach valuable life lessons to their children by making them know the need to be cautious in the use of language, appreciative in little things, remorseful, truthfulness forgiveness and other values that will make them succeed in life (.proverbs 22 :6,).
 DISCIPLINE . Children should be disciplined when the need arises. But this should be done with love The best way to discipline a child is to live exemplary lives as parents.” Do not withhold discipline from a child, if you punish them with the rod they will not die” “punish them with the rod and save them from death” (proverbs 23:13-14) “Endure hardship as discipline. God is treating you as his children for what children are not disciplined by their father? if you are not disciplined-and everyone undergoes discipline- then you are not legitimate- not true sons and daughters at all.( Hebrew: 12:7-8).
 In the world we live today, there is no ideal family. The only ideal family that ever lived on earth is that of Jesus ,Mary and Joseph., we need to work hard to make our families if not exactly like theirs but close to theirs. The family is a domestic church. When families are built to standard, then we will have a church and when the church is near perfection then we will have a better society. GOOD CHILDREN ARE MADE

BENEFITS OF ONIONS AS A GIFT OF NATURE 44452664

Onion as vegetables has so many uses that are of great importance to human health.

The juice of onion is use to cure blurred vision and ear pain. When it is eaten raw, it helps to keep the heart healthy. It reduces inflammation of joints and pains .It has the ability to liquefy mucus and reduce its formation, thereby making respiration to function normally. It also prevents cold and flu. It helps to increase sperm count and sperm mortality daily .It protect the body from Atherosclerosis Ostereoporosis. It is used for the treatment of anemia, because it contains high amount of iron. It helps control sugar level in the body which treats diabetes. It also increases insulin. Tooth disorder could be relieved by intake of onions A substance present in onions called chondrocytes help in proper bone formation and corrective tissue. Onion is very rich in sulfur which promotes hair growth. Studies had shown that applying onion juice on scalp twice a week for two months will stimulate hair growth. A substance called Quercetin present in onion has an anti-oxidants and anti-allergy properties. Onions contain Chromium, which assist in regulating blood pressure. When eaten raw, it lowers blood pressure. Eating raw onions regularly can significantly lower cholesterol and help prevent heart attacks or heart problem.

WHAT YOU SAY IS NOT WHAT GOD SAYS

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NATURE AND ITS BENEFICIAL CONTENT

After God has created the world he behold it saw everything and confirm that it was good. The tree was the center focus of creation. it was to serve as source of food and balm for healing No wonder in the Holy Bible ( Ezekiel 11:12) God said “their fruits will serve for food and their leaves for healing “that is to say God has originally made provision for our up-keep. but today we have abandoned the gift of nature and followed our own ways in determining what to eat.. After God has created Adam and Eve, he put them in a garden to feed from the trees. and their fruits. There is no record anywhere that they were hungry or sick. but today with the advent of science and technology man has shifted from fruits and vegetables to junk food –food that are at the mercy of preservatives-.. Why not reverse to the original food, to reduce or totally eliminate multifarious sicknesses ravaging the world..Let us use Daniel and his friends in exile at Babylon as case study. When they were chosen by the king of Babylon to serve as his officials. These were the words of Daniel,. ‘Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael. and Azariah “please test your servant for ten days give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food”( Daniel 1:11-13)at the end of ten days they look healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. (Daniel 1:15). For those who want to be healthy and well nourished, this is a food for thought. Let me begin this series by showcasing the benefits of banana