EDUCATION: POWER AND PURPOSE

TEXT: DANIEL 9: 1-3; 6:3

Daniel 9:2

In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

Daniel 6:3

Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm

KEY THOUGHTS:

An all-round qualitative education combined with an excellent spirit will mark a Christian out. God wants His children not to be Heavenly useful and earthly useless or to be earthly useful and Heavenly useless. Rather, He wants His children to be Heavenly useful as well as earthly useful, which explains why Christians must embrace education and posses excellent spirits so that they can excel in whatever they do on planet earth (Proverbs 22:29).

EXORDIUM

One of the greatest inventions of man is education. Education or lack of it is what makes the difference between an enlightened mind and an illiterate; between a stone aged man and a modern sophisticated man. Education is pivotal to mankind’s general development. It lays the foundation upon which man’s continuous search for meaning and relevance in a dynamic world is achieved.

Education is man’s response to God’s injunction to, “subdue the earth…rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28). Education has led to exploits, revolutions and tremendous advancements in every aspect of human endeavours – agriculture, healthcare, space science, technology, etcetera.

It should be acknowledged that while some people are using their education to better the world and provide solutions to mankind’s innumerable problems, others are using their education to destroy the world by creating more problems.

EDUCATION DEFINED

Education is schooling, study, instruction, apprenticeship and tutelage (Acts 22:3; cf. Acts 19:9). Until the world is no more education will not cease because many people will keep devoting themselves to books (Eccl. 12: 12). Education is not only acquired by attending a conventional educational institution, it could be acquired through non-formal means. There are people who went to school but are illiterates because even though they passed through the four walls of educational institutions they have nothing to show other than mere paper qualifications. However, there are people who do not have limited access to conventional education but have continued to enlighten their minds. Therefore, continuous reading and study are the keys to a beneficial education.

GOD’S PEOPLE AND EDUCATION

In Biblical times, God’s people recognized the power of education and so took advantage of it. In fact, some of God’s greatest servants were men and women of sound academic orientations. Two examples here would suffice:

Moses – (Acts 7: 22). His learning empowered him for God’s service. He led God’s people for 40 years and wrote the Pentateuch – Genesis to Deuteronomy and part of Psalms.

Apostle Paul – He was a thorough bred, he had attended the Gamaliel University (Acts 22:3). In fact, great men recognized in Paul a great academic (Acts 26:24). Paul was a great lover of books (II Tim. 4:13). The evidence of his wide exposure to education is there for all of us to see – he was the most evangelistic (cf. I Cor. 15:10) as well as the most prolific (having written about 13 out of 27 New Testament books). Physically speaking, Paul was small in stature but his writings were thunderbolt (II Cor. 10:10).

GOALS OF EDUCATION

While returning from my first “Garri business” trip at Orie, Nunya, Isuikwuato L.G.A., Abia state on Tuesday, October 29, 1996, I wrote the following lines which I captioned, “The Goal of Education.”

Education is not intended to make us proud but to humble us. The goal of education is to make us self-propelling, self-sustaining, independent, resourceful and visionary. Any education which makes us proud, carrying ourselves with the air of nothingness (vain glory, Phil. 2: 3^a), looking down on others as ‘Nothing bazobas’ is no education at all. Any education that makes anyone look down on small beginnings (Zech. 4:10; Job 8:5-7 is no education at all. True education trains the mind, heart, and hands; it teaches us to see worth in little things.

THE GREATEST EDUCATION

The greatest education acquired by man is received at “Jesus’ college,” an arm of Divine University. It does not matter whether you are lettered or not, your association and adherence to the curriculum of studies offered at Jesus College makes you stand out (John 7: 15; cf. Acts 4:13).

Why were these so? The Word of God is the chief means of instruction and learning. It assures you of insight (Psalms 119: 97-100). Any education that does not recognize God as the epicenter is a useless education. Unfortunately, many people through their education do not recognize God (I Cor. 1: 21^a).

Some Christians after exposure to higher secular education suddenly finds the world alluring enough to leave God’s boat of salvation and some use their education to change the church so as to suit the world. All these are wrong.

CONCLUSION

Education, what a sweet experience! Daniel “understood by books and distinguished himself,” Moses was “educated in all the arts and sciences of the Egyptians,” Apostle Paul was so educated that a king described his education as “Excessive,” etcetera.

All of us who are heaven-bound must endeavour not to become “Heavenly useful but earthly useless” by not getting education. On the other hand, those of us who are educated should avoid being “Earthly useful and heavenly useless.” We must balance the equation. It was Aristotle, a Greek sage who said, “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruits are sweet.” Hebrews 12:11 affirms that “No discipline (study) at the moment is enjoyable but later becomes sweet.”

May God power our education. As we send forth our graduating students away from this great university, it is our prayers that they will excel and use their education to enhance the fortunes of their families, communities, our nation and our world. Above all, that the Church of Jesus Christ will be the greatest beneficiaries of their education.

May God richly bless all of us in Jesus’ name!

HILARY JOHNSON CHUKWUMA CHUKWURAH

Township/Campus Church of Christ, 14, Agbugwu

Lane, off, University Market Road, P. O. Box 351,

Nsukka, Enugu State.

PHONE: 08039596919; 08182820677.

E-MAIL: hilaryjohnsonc@yahoo.com;

hilaryjohnsonc@gmail.com.

WOMEN SILENCE IN CHURCH: IS IT TOTAL?

INTRODUCTION

The issue of “Women Silence in Church” in course of our corporate worship as congregations has been with us for quite a long time now. The reason this is so is because we have a healthy respect for God and for His revealed Word, the Bible. Again, we are a distinct people whose desire is to do the Will of God.

It is a thing of great joy in that while other churches in Christendom are contending with ordaining “Women as Clergy” our interest in the role of women remain whether women should speak in church or not. It is because of this healthy attitude towards the Word of God that I remain happy and blessed to be a member of the Church of Christ.

I Corinthians 14:34-35, indeed is one of the “difficult passages” of scripture that Apostle Peter spoke about in reference to Apostle Paul’s writings (II Peter 3:16). I Corinthians 14:34-35 talks about “Women being silent in churches because they are not allowed to speak.” The bones of contention lie in the words, “Silent” and “Speak.” The question therefore is, “This ‘Silence:’ Is it total?” If it makes reference to absolute silence, it means that it is wrong for Christian women to utter a word in the assembly. They are not even supposed to open their mouths in Church to say, “Amen” when prayers are offered, sing as we are enjoined in Ephesians 5:19 to “Speak” to ourselves in “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs….” Also, women would not be allowed to answer questions in the gathering of the Church as was in the case of Saphira in Acts 5:1-11. As it obtains in some congregations that take attendance of their members every Lord’s Day, women would not be permitted to answer when their names are called. Why? Because the Bible enjoins women to remain silent!

So, we again ask, “Is this silence total or partial?”

Understanding I Corinthians 14:34-35 is to understand gender roles in the Church of our Lord. Two distinct genders exist within the Body of Christ – males and females. To the males God has bestowed the responsibilities of providing leadership while to the females God has assigned the roles of being led. We would have loved to ask God why this is so, but who are we to ask God a question (Romans 9:20)? Perhaps, the answer to this lay in what happened in the Garden of Eden which Apostle Paul had alluded to in I Timothy 2:13-15 and I Corinthians 11:3, 8-9.

Throughout Scripture leadership in both family and spiritual matters have always been men’s affairs. However, socially, politically and in organized corporate organizations (private sectors), the case may be different as was the case of Deborah in Judges 4:4. Notice that Deborah was neither a religious leader nor a family head. Being a judge was either political or civil in nature.

While selecting His Apostles, Jesus never appointed a woman as Apostle. Also, when mention was made of qualifications of Elders and Deacons, women were excluded as no qualifications pointed to them. The term, “Deaconess” used in reference to Phoebe in Romans 16:1-2 does not in anyway refer to a leader but as a “messenger of the Church at Cenchrea.” It was through her that Apostle Paul had sent his epistle to Christians in Roman while she was on a business trip to the city of Rome.

Women were never authorized or appointed to leadership positions over their male counterparts anywhere in Bible as far as spiritual and family affairs were concerned. This probably was the problem in the Church at Corinth where women were angling their way to leadership positions which caused a stir. Consequent upon this, Apostle Paul had to write, instructing Christian women who probably were wives of Church leaders who were trying to usurp authority which they did not have scripturally to shut up their mouths and remain under the authority of their male counterparts.

That said, the contentious word in I Corinthians 14:34-35 is “silence.” The question again is, “What “Silence”? What does “silence” of I Corinthians 14:34-35 mean? To examine and possibly understand what this “silence” and “speak” are all about, let us begin to examine some New Testament passages where references were made of women in the Church.

a).If there were women prophetesses who probably exercised their

gifting in the Church, would they be violating the command to be

silent? (cf. I Corinthians 11:5).

b). If they were to be silent, would it be absolute silence? If the, “If all

prophesy….” of I Corinthians 14:24 would include women, would

they not be violating the plain instruction to be silent?

c). Were women in congregations expected to be without any element of

sound? This, obviously is not what this injunction suggests.

a). Would asking a brother or preacher questions that bother Christian

woman outside the Church hall not be a violation of this law?

b). Was this instruction to “remain silent” only for Christian women who

were married? Contextually, it seemed possible since the single,

divorced and the widowed were not mentioned.

WHY WERE WOMEN COMMANDED TO KEEP SILENT?

I Corinthians 14: 34, 35 is sandwiched between verses that forbid confusion and disorder (I Corinthians 14:33, 40). I, therefore, submit that what these women were doing was asking questions (the specific speaking) in the assembly of their husbands in such a way that both precipitated teachers. Under the guise of wanting information, they likely were asking pointed questions that were designed to put the service-leaders on the defensive.

This problem was peculiar to the Corinthian Congregation going by Paul’s allusion to “Your women” (I Corinthians 14:34a). The overall context – of this concluding portion of 1 Corinthians 14 – suggests that there was a definite problem in the Corinthian church, and it had to do with aggressive women. Some of these Corinthian sisters were asserting themselves, speaking out in such a manner as to challenge the role of the males in public, speaking out in such a way to similarly cause confusion. This is the paramount lesson found in I Corinthians 14:34, 35.

Women today can also create confusion in the assembly and be guilty of not being in subjection to their husbands by confusion and also resulted in lack of subjection to their husbands. These "women" were not all the women at Corinth, but they were married women. It is also implied that their husbands of whom they were to inquire at home and not in the assembly were in a position to provide the answers to their questions. Moreover, it is highly likely that their husbands were the prophets concerning whom the immediately preceding verses pertain. Hence, these women were to remain silent.

Therefore, to simplistically and arbitrarily keep verses 34, 35 out of their context and contend that there is contained in these verses a blanket requirement of the silence of women in the assembly is to defeat and ignore Paul's original application of I Corinthians 14:34, 35 and make the passage collide with a number of other matters.

WHAT DO THE WORDS, “SILENT” AND “SPEAK” MEAN?

The Greek word translated, “Silent” in I Corinthians 14:34 is “Sigao.” It is used 19 times in Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) and about a dozen times in the New Testament. It means to “keep one’s peace” (Exodus 14:14). It is used also in the New Testament in this manner, “To keep silent, hold your peace” (I Corinthians 14:28, 30).

To “speak” in I Corinthians 14:35 does not refer to just making any sound but the act of taking the floor to address the audience or Church, which I Timothy 2:8, 11-12 forbade. Simply stated, “Speak” here refers to teaching.

Wayne Jackson in his article, “Is I Corinthians 14:34-35 Applicable Today?” quotes Professor H. P. Hamann as having written:

If we have the same writer in both letters writing on the same matter, we have the right to allow one text to explain the other, and especially to let the clearer or more definite throw light on the less precise. So 1 Tim. 2 is the key for the understanding of 1 Cor. 14 (1976, 8).

He then makes the following comparison between I Corinthians 14:34-35 and I Timothy 2:11-12.

A Comparison: 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-12

I Corinthians 14:33-34	1 Timothy 2:11-12
“it is not permitted unto them to speak” (34)	“I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man” (12)
“let them be in subjection” (34)	“but to be in quietness” (12)
“if they would learn (mathein) anything” (35)	“Let a woman learn (manthaneto)” (11)
“let them ask their own husbands at home” (35)	“in quietness with all subjection” (11)
“as also saith the law” (34)	Adam and Eve in creation and sin (14, 15)

CAN A WOMAN ASK QUESTIONS DURING ASSEMBLY?

From Paul’s statement in I Corinthians 14 it was obvious that there were separate classes because of his reference to, “If the whole Church should come together in one place….” (I Corinthians 14:23). As obtains in some congregations today, there were divided classes such as new converts, adult and children classes, etcetera (cf. Titus 2:2-6). In these classes, a woman who was taught can ask her questions.

When a woman wants to ask question, she must seek permission. When she is granted permission to ask a question, and she does so with modesty and with the proper respect for her teacher, there is nothing on earth wrong with her framing that inquiry. Does anyone imagine that just because a student poses a question in class, or makes a comment, in the public school system, that he or she has somehow usurped the role of the teacher?

SUMMATION

From the foregoing, therefore, it is my submission that the “silence” of I Corinthians 14:34-35 does not mean absolute silence and that the “speaking” that women were also forbidden from does not refer to wordless silence, rather it refers to the act of speaking to a Church gathering where a woman elects in herself and assumes authority by herself to lead the Congregation against God’s natural law.

HILARY JOHNSON CHUKWUMA CHUKWURAH

Township/Campus Church of Christ, 14, Agbugwu

Lane, off, University Market Road, P. O. Box 351,

Nsukka, Enugu State.

PHONE: 08039596919; 08182820677.

E-MAIL: hilaryjohnsonc@yahoo.com;

hilaryjohnsonc@gmail.com.