Women's Summit

Over three hundred and fifty women gathered last week for an all-day event. The conference facility was expertly decorated – I was very impressed! The event organizer transformed a large hall into a cozy living room experience. The theme of the event was Recycling – Reimagining life.

The ‘Mistress of Ceremonies’ excelled in drawing the crowd together and welcomed the participants to her ‘living-room’ – it was time to get down to sharing and talking about what was on our hearts – and what we are to do with those experiences of life that tie us down, hold us back, and prevent us from excelling in life. The core of our being, who and what we are can withstand anything – it depended on how we viewed the past, and the difficulties. It was time to rethink, recycle and reimagine life.

The crowd absorbed what the speakers said, applauded much, and verbally affirmed statements made. I listened to the presentations, and I listened to the responses, I watched and I learned. I heard the same presentations, yet my evaluation of the content of what was said – was emptiness. Vain words.

All presenters spoke about God – and encouraged the audience about God – they spoke about their churches, they spoke about who God is. Just one thing, everything they shared, and everything they said about God was not what the Bible says about Him. They spoke about themselves and their relationship to and with God – they were the ones in control and God was the genie who would do things for them, when they wanted, how they wanted, and in their time. Oh, have they got a lot to learn!

Assessing what was said by the presenters – they speculated about God, the wisdom they shared was not Biblical, many abstract principles and imagined truths rather than ever having examined what the word said about the circumstances and situations they spoke of. How much more positive their presentations could have been had they examined the Word of God on the issues they presented.

• See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8)

• Have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; (1 Timothy 4:7)

• Guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called "knowledge," for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you (1 Timothy 6:20-21).

• For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5- 8).

What about you? Are you able to hear presentations, and listen to them with a Biblical worldview as the grid through which their words pass? Can you discern the difference? How can you better equip yourself to be of encouragement to women who heard wrong teaching? How would you speak to them, how would you respond to their questions?

#teaching #Bible