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Sarah Becker: What Does God Do With Women?
Sarah Becker, children’s minister of First Baptist Church in Elm Mott, asked, “What does God do with women?” She answered the question through God’s interaction with women in Scripture.
Hagar demonstrates God sees and hears women (Genesis 16). Shiphrah and Puah demonstrates God rewards women’s faithfulness (Exodus 1). Ruth provides a particular answer to what God does with women. That Scripture contains the Book of Ruth is itself significant. Ruth shows God values women. Becker also examined Huldah, Miriam and Deborah, who each show God speaks through women.
She described the leadership of women in Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, in which Phoebe is named as a deacon and Junia is named as an apostle. They show God calls and equips women for gospel ministry.
Becker shared a video made by the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church in which male pastors read actual things said to female pastors. She noted comments like these also are communicated in Baptist churches.
She concluded with recommendations for how Christians and churches can see, hear, care for, and value women as God does.
This sermon was delivered for Women in Ministry Sunday, Sun., Feb. 21, 2021, during the morning worship service of First Baptist Church in Elm Mott.
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