On Sunday mornings I have the privilege of teaching a women’s class at church. There are few things I love more than digging into God’s Word with a room full of women. I know I am partial, but I believe this is a special group of ladies. We began meeting at my house a few years back and when we outgrew my dining room table, we moved to a classroom on the church campus. These gals come from varied backgrounds and seasons of life and range in age from twenty-something’s to eighty-something’s.
The thing that binds us together is we are a group of women who study the Scriptures and try to make sense of what it means to follow Jesus.
And we eat a lot of cake.
And love a good party.
And are serious about inviting new women to Bible study.
We talk a lot about what it means to be a Christ follower in American culture. Yesterday in class we studied Ephesians 1:3-14, which has a lot to tell us about our identity in Christ. Our society tells us that our identity as women is derived from our dress size, resume, marital status, financial status, family of origin, the success or failure of our children, and a number of other things. In the book of Ephesians Paul assures us that as believers in Jesus Christ our identities are already intact and the news is good. We are:
- Given every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3).
- Chosen (Ephesians 1:4).
- Holy and blameless in Christ (Ephesians 1:4).
- Adopted as God’s child (Ephesians 1:5).
- Redeemed (Ephesians 1:7).
- Forgiven (Ephesians 1:7).
- Given an inheritance (Ephesians 1:11).
- Sealed by the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13).
I don’t want to be a woman who looks to society to define me. I don’t want that for the ladies I study Scripture with, and I don’t want that for you. Society doesn’t have the authority to define us. Jesus defines us. Through the study of His Word, He teaches us how to live. He’s our greatest treasure. He’s got the final Word. It’s good news.
And that’s why I love women’s ministry.
