Page 21 - Sarah's Children

Sadly, many saints have had their indoctrination into Christianity based upon
something other than a total surrender to Yahshua. Many have had Christianity
pitched to them like it was some enticing product that would satisfy every desire and
bring them instant happiness. The presentation has been largely aimed at appealing
to one’s selfishness when true discipleship does just the opposite.

How many times have you heard Christianity presented with the opening words,
“God has a wonderful plan for your life?” Yes, the plan is wonderful in the end, but
if discipleship and death to self is not mentioned, if the person is not cautioned to
count the cost of their commitment, then they will find out soon enough that the plan
of God does not seem so wonderful at all. In fact, they will discover that it requires
a crucifixion and a willingness to lose one’s own life. Many will declare that such a
wholesale surrender to the will of God is not what they signed up for, and they will
begin to reinterpret the scriptures in such a way that death is not required.

Sadly, the whole organized, traditional church has so failed to count the cost of
discipleship that there is now nearly universal denial of the true meaning of any
scripture that would lead the saints to have to embrace a personal death. Women are
taught that the writers of scripture were merely reflecting the patriarchal mindset of
their society and that it is no longer necessary for woman to submit to man. Such
concepts are regarded as outdated and unnecessary.

If one were to examine what is taught about women’s roles in the church today they
would discover that no death is required. Women are taught that they are equal to
men in every way. Women are taught that they can pastor churches, even though this
violates the scriptural admonition that women are not to teach men nor to usurp
authority over them. Women are taught that their households are a democracy and
that all decisions should be made by both husband and wife and that it is wrong for
a man to make a decision unless his wife is in agreement. This violates the very order
of God who revealed, “that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head
of a woman, and God is the head of Christ” (I Corinthians 11:3).

In all of these things that the church teaches today, an accommodation has been
made that releases the woman from the place of having to die to her own life. She is
encouraged instead to protect her life and stand up for her rights. This alone should
be evidence that this is not Yahweh’s way. His way is the way of humility and dying
to self. He seeks to produce in us His own meek and gentle spirit, but due to Adam’s
fateful choice we must all go through death to enter into life.

For both men and women, Yahweh requires this humility and death process. Man
must acknowledge Christ as his head and this means that the man can have no head
of his own. He must die to his own desires and will. He must take up his cross, dying