She, Herself and God

Phoebe: Worthy of Honor among God’s People

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I am breaking with tradition in the way I write She, Herself, and God. Beginning March 2022, there will be additional features: monthly theme, weekly questions to ponder, and a quote to remember from each devotion. And for this month, the discussion is centered on women and patriarchy. Is it Biblical to have women leaders in the church? What does the Bible say about patriarchy, by the way?

MONTHLY THEME: Women and Patriarchy 

FEATURED VERSE: I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among God’s people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me. (Romans 16:1-2, NLT)

I originally came from a patriarchal church that is biased against women because we are considered the lesser or weaker sex, and we can only play the role of a wife, a mother, a teacher, a seller, or a house helper. But even in these limited jobs that we are allowed to have, the church has a lot of restrictions as well. For example, Filipino members can only be sellers in businesses permitted by foreign church leaders. So if in case the business is a store that sells cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, we should not be selling these products at all even if doing so is part of our job description. In addition, women are not authorized to stand at the pulpit of the church in leading the congregational singing or the corporate prayer and in reading or preaching the Word of God. In other words, we are permanently part of the audience.

So even if women members have spiritual gifts just like Phoebe, we will never know because we are forced to stay submissive to men in the church. And that was the reason why my only dream as a child was to be a wife and a mother. Never have I ever imagined myself to be in a high position in the church or even in the society because of my conservative background. Thus, the role of Phoebe in the New Testament makes me question now not just the patriarchal church where I originally came from but every church that does not allow women leadership. If having women ministers are not pleasing in the eyes of God, how come that apostle Paul endorsed Phoebe, who was already a deacon in the church in Cenchrea? If the Lord of Paul back in the day did not limit women ministry, can the Lord of Christians living in this day and age not do the same?

In his Epistle to the Romans, the apostle Paul asked the church to welcome Phoebe as “one who is worthy of honor among God’s people.” He did not mention that she must be treated as a lesser or weaker sex. Instead, Paul specifically requested the church at Rome to provide Phoebe the help she would be needing, as she had been helpful to many especially to him. From his statement alone, we can conclude that Phoebe had been very active in the ministry, which translated to her role as a deacon. Sadly, it was in stark contrast to the roles of being just a wife, a mother, a teacher, a seller, or a house helper played by women in my old church. And most likely, many Christian women today are still given these roles in other conservative denominations.

As a woman of God, we should not let anyone play god with our lives and worse, use our genders against us. We should instead be sensitive to our kingdom calling and fulfill the purpose of the Lord for our lives just like Phoebe, who was worthy of honor among God’s people. While being a wife, a mother, a teacher, a seller, or a house helper are all honorable, we should not be limited to these roles alone especially if we have other spiritual gifts like preaching. We should not let patriarchy be a form of idolatry that will be used and abused by some people who secretly want to replace our Creator. Instead, we should fix our eyes on the Lord, focus on the work that He has called us to do, and be fearless because He did not give us a Spirit of fear in the first place.

DEVOTIONAL PRAYER: 

Heavenly Father, we praise You for not being a gender biased God because You love every woman and every man You created. We thank You because You gave us unique spiritual gifts and equal opportunities in the ministry to serve You, worship You, and glorify You. We love You, Lord, as our one true God; even if we bow down to authorities here on earth, we proclaim that only You can lord over our lives. We thank You more because You created our genders not to divide the church but to unite us as one body taking part in fulfilling the great commission. We also declare that even if there are men and women leaders in the church, the Head is only Christ; hence, we are all servants and workers in Your kingdom. Thank You, Father, for people like Paul who set an example on how women in the church should be treated because he did not practice favoritism and patriarchy at all. May all the men You have called to serve You do the same for Your glory because there is no longer male or female, as we are all one in Jesus and equal by redemption. This we pray in the Name of our Redeemer, the true Leader of the church, and the Name above all names. Amen.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

What are your thoughts on churches that still practice patriarchy and limit women ministry?

Are you in favor of having women leaders and ministers?

If not, then what can you say about Phoebe and her role as a deacon in the church in Cenchrea?

QUOTE TO REMEMBER:

Women, like men, are worthy of honor among God’s people.