Six Manifestations of Disloyalty
by Pastor Dag Heward-MIlls
Women are one of the greatest assets a church could ever have. Satan has deployed his weapon of deception to keep the women out of the workforce. Women have been depicted as the most dangerous group of people ready to destroy the man of God and his ministry. Indeed, many strange women have done just that!
However, this same group of apparently dangerous people hold the key to church growth. Women believe more quickly and are more ready to flow with God’s servant. When churches are being pioneered, women are often the greatest treasure the apostle could have.
1. Women will make your church grow because they helped Jesus in His ministry. In the Bible women followed Jesus and helped Him.
If women helped Jesus I would like them to help me too. If Jesus needed the help of women, you will too. Jesus had a worldwide ministry. He traveled to many cities and villages preaching the gospel. The twelve disciples were with Him on these preaching tours as well as certain women who ministered to Him. Women are always present where fruits are being borne!
And it came about soon afterwards, that He began going about from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God; and the twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means. Luke 8:1- 3 (NASB)
2. Women will make your church grow because the apostle Paul used women in his ministry.
If women helped the apostle Paul to achieve so much for God, they must have some importance other than making meat pies, serving tea or frying fish! Women can be fellow labourers with apostles in the ministry.
And I intreat thee also, true yoke fellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow labourers, whose names are in the book of life. Philippians 4:3
3. Women will make your church grow because they recognize the anointing and believe in it quicker than men.
Indeed, women are the live wires of the anointing. They receive, they detect and they believe ten times faster than the average man. Abigail recognized that David was going to become the king and she honoured him whilst her husband was hardened and resistant. The woman with the issue of blood received the anointing whilst Peter, James and the others felt and received no healing anointing at the crusade.
Mary Magdalene went to the graveside on Easter Sunday to experience the resurrection first hand whilst Peter, James, John and the other powerful apostles were huddled away in unbelief and depression.
You may have heard of the Azusa street revival whose leader was William Seymour. There was a man called Charles Parham who was William Seymour’s spiritual father and the principal of the bible school William Seymour attended.
Pentecostalism was born when Charles Parham taught his bible students (including William Seymour) about receiving the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues in his bible school although he himself did not yet speak in tongues.
Agnes
A lady called Agnes pressurized Charles Parham to pray for her to receive this Holy Spirit. Charles Parham was reluctant to pray for her but she pressed him to. When Charles Parham prayed for her, a glow came over her and she received the Holy Spirit and began to speak in fluent Chinese tongues. She even received the ability to write in Chinese. This was apparently documented by the government.
Amazingly, the Azusa street revival and the worldwide Pentecostal movement began through this lady being the first to believe and receive this gift of speaking in tongues. It was after this that William Seymour moved to California and began what we know as the Azusa Street Revival began what we know as the Azusa Street Revival. Indeed, William Seymour himself had not yet received the Holy Spirit when he moved to California.
4. Women will make your church grow because God has destined to destroy the devil through women. Women will destroy the devil.
The ancient prophecy that attests to this fact is that women will bruise the head of the serpent. Through women you will destroy the devil, that old serpent that deceived the world.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Genesis 3:15
5. Women will make your church grow because women are the producers of children.
Wherever there are women there are children, off springs and fruits. In the natural, women bring about and nurture young ones. In the ministry, the same pattern is seen. Wherever there are women there are lots of spiritual children. Somehow, women attract other people to the church and convince many to join. They are the first to believe and the first to convince others to join in.
6. Women will make your church grow because women are good pastors.
Women have the natural gift of talking. They have this gift because they are always talking to children as they bring up. This gift of talking can be perfectly transposed into the ministry as counsel, teaching and interaction.
7. Women will make a church grow because women they are good helpers.
Women are natural helpers because they were created by God to help. Every woman has an inbuilt engine that makes her a natural helper. Women are looking for someone to help. Many women entered their marriages hoping to fulfill their divine calling of helping someone. Unfortunately, the hurts and confusion of marriage do not allow them to use their helping gift. In the church many women are able to express this natural helping gift.
8. Women will make a church grow because they are more permanent and loyal workers.
A church grows proportionately to the number of permanent and loyal people it has. Men are known to change their jobs at least four times in their lives whilst many women keep their jobs for a lifetime. A church filled with faithful and loyal people is a great blessing.
9. Women will make a church grow because they are less concerned about money than men.
Women are usually not as interested in money as men. They seem to be more content if they feel safe, secure and happy. Generally speaking, I would prefer to have women counting the church money. Generally speaking, I would prefer to have women in certain sensitive positions.
8. Women will make a church grow because the largest churches in the world have used women to build their churches.
Pastor David Yonggi Cho speaks about how women have served faithfully as cell leaders and helped to build his church. I once preached in a large church that seated twelve thousand people. It
was one of the largest churches in that country. In that service, I was amazed to find not more than twenty men amongst twelve thousand women. Amazing women!