NT Womanly Dominion
Filed under {!-- ra:0000000051738e2d00000000145080a5 --}{if 'NT Womanly Dominion' == '52home' && category_name == '52home'} Biblical Womanhood | Book and Music Reviews {if:else} Biblical Womanhood | Book and Music Reviews {/if}In chapter five of Womanly Dominion, Mark Chanski profiles four women from the New Testament and explains what we can learn from their example. As we did for chapter four, we’ve created a study guide to help you get the most out of this chapter. Again we encourage you to discuss your answers with a wise friend.
Study Questions for Womanly Dominion Chapter Five
By Carolyn Mahaney
*Mary, the Lord’s biological mother:
“Let us seek in our daily practical Christianity to exercise the same blessed spirit of faith which we see in the virgin Mary. Let us be willing to go anywhere and do anything and be anything, whatever the present and immediate inconvenience, so long as God’s will is clear and the path of duty is plain.” (J.C. Ryle) p.85
Question: Are there duties God has called you to that you have avoided because they are inconvenient or difficult? How can you emulate Mary’s example: accepting the Lord’s will with joy and walking in obedience?
*Mary, the sister of Martha:
“Mary refused to permit her environment to dominate her; instead, she chose to dominate her environment. She manhandled her schedule in such a way as to make time with the Lord Jesus a non-negotiable priority.” p. 87
Question: Do you consistently practice the spiritual disciplines? If not, how can you “manhandle your schedule” in order to make this time a priority?
*Phoebe:
“Paul identifies [Phoebe] as a ‘servant of the church’.... Dear ladies, peculiarly gifted by God as helpers suitable, heroically play your God-appointed positions in the church. You weren’t assigned to be corporately leading and publicly preaching, but supportively helping and humbly serving…. The church of Christ desperately needs Phoebe-like women of dominion.” pp. 91, 92
Question: Do you spend more time complaining about the men whom God has appointed to lead and publicly preach than aggressively “playing” the position God called you to in the church? How can you repent and begin to serve the church like Pheobe?
*Priscilla:
“The Apostle Paul… commendably recognizes [Priscilla’s] rich deposit of grace, wisdom and gift by granting her priority treatment over her husband in the Romans 16 parade of saints. Clearly it is unbiblical and inaccurate to conclude that the ‘weaker vessel’ is the ‘less competent vessel.’” p. 94
Question: Are you tempted to use excuses like, “my husband isn’t a good leader” or “the single men in my church aren’t passionate for God” to excuse your own failure to faithfully seek God through His Word and prayer? Or, do you shrink back from using your God given gifts in appropriate ways in the church? How does Priscilla’s example challenge your assumptions?