female ministers

²⁶And so, he began to act faithfully in the synagogue. And when Priscilla and Aquila had heard him, they took him aside and expounded the Way of the Lord to him more thoroughly.

²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither servant nor free; there is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

¹⁷‘And this shall be: in the last days, says the Lord, I will pour out, from my Spirit, upon all flesh. And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. And your youths shall see visions, and your elders shall dream dreams. ¹⁸And certainly, upon my men and women servants in those days, I will pour out from my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

⁴Now there was a prophetess, Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, who judged the people in that time. ⁵And she was sitting under a palm tree, which was called by her name, between Ramah and Bethel, on Mount Ephraim. And the sons of Israel went up to her for every judgment.

¹¹Let a woman learn in silence with all subjection. ¹²For I do not permit a woman to teach, nor to be in authority over a man, but to be in silence.

¹Now I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is in the ministry of the church, which is at Cenchreae, ²so that you may receive her in the Lord with the worthiness of the saints, and so that you may be of assistance to her in whatever task she will have need of you. For she herself has also assisted many, and myself also.

³And I also ask you, as my genuine companion, to assist those women who have labored with me in the Gospel, with Clement and the rest of my assistants, whose names are in the Book of Life.

¹And it happened afterwards that he was making a journey through the cities and towns, preaching and evangelizing the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, ²along with certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, who is called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had departed, ³and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many other women, who were ministering to him from their resources.

²⁷And God created man to his own image; to the image of God he created him; male and female, he created them.

²⁰And so Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took up a timbrel in her hand. And all the women followed her with timbrels and dancing.

¹²For I do not permit a woman to teach, nor to be in authority over a man, but to be in silence.

³⁶And there was a prophetess, Anna, a daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Asher. She was very advanced in years, and she had lived with her husband for seven years from her virginity. ³⁷And then she was a widow, even to her eighty-fourth year. And without departing from the temple, she was a servant to fasting and prayer, night and day. ³⁸And entering at the same hour, she confessed to the Lord. And she spoke about him to all who were awaiting the redemption of Israel.

²⁶For you are all sons of God, through the faith which is in Christ Jesus. ²⁷For as many of you as have been baptized in Christ have become clothed with Christ. ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither servant nor free; there is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if you are Christ’s, then are you the offspring of Abraham, heirs according to the promise.

¹Most beloved, do not be willing to believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are of God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

¹Now I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is in the ministry of the church, which is at Cenchreae,

⁸See to it that no one deceives you through philosophy and empty falsehoods, as found in the traditions of men, in accord with the influences of the world, and not in accord with Christ.

³¹Give to her from the fruit of her own hands. And let her works praise her at the gates.