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As we are celebrating Women’s Day in our home country, South Africa, I would like to share a beautiful story about a woman in the Bible who represents true womanhood to me: Priscilla.
To kick-off, it's important to give some background on Priscilla.
Priscilla was a female leader in the early times of Christianity, helping to spread the gospel, and therefore, she was known as one of the first teachers of the Christian faith.
The significance of her name reflects her calling and therefore means to 'live a life that pursues to please God by bearing His message'. To be a bearer means to carry, uphold, or just like a tree, yield fruit or flowers. In the true image of womanhood, a woman's role in life is to bear life and create in life; this resembles the significance of a woman being created within the image of the ultimate Creator and Bearer of life.
“I will make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:1)
When reading about Priscilla in the Bible, we mostly read about the impact she and her husband made on several communities, devotedly serving the Lord. Priscilla and Aquila, her husband, were a married missionary couple with a calling to strengthen the newly planted churches. Just as it is only possible for the church to succeed within Christ, so could Priscilla and Aquila only succeed by functioning as one unit.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. (Ephesians 5: 25-27)
It is so important for a woman to acknowledge her influence in the Kingdom of God, bearing the title as a supporter, and sometimes also as a leader, in different departments of the church. For example, a wife's duty is to support her husband and children, representing the Holy Spirit as Supporter within our daily lives, but a woman also has a duty to step into the authority of being a leader to younger girls within the church, showing them what womanhood is all about. If a wife submits to her husband, it isn’t a sign of inferiority or weakness, but rather a beautiful image of the submission of Christ’s bride (the church) to her Groom (Christ).
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10.
The function of a woman in the church, can, therefore, be compared to the function of wings on a bird's body: wings are a strong and crucial support system for birds, in order to fly with.
Birds use their wings to fly beyond heights and unreachable destinations that seems impossible for human and other creatures to do. We, as women, are the wings of the Body of Christ, bearing life to so many different opportunities in the church, sisterhood, and daily life of believers.
In whatever area a woman may find herself in life, the role she plays is of utmost importance and therefore I pray that we may flourish in every aspect of life through Christ, who empowers us to do so.
Tonight my prayer for every woman reading this is as follows: "Jesus, thank you for your empowering grace that enables us to sit at your throne and be open and vulnerable before you. May we find our strength within You by surrendering ourselves and seeking you first. Help us to see the power that you have invested in us as women working within your Kingdom daily. In Jesus' name. Amen."
Lots of Love
Tehillah
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