Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
In I Cor. 14, God instructed, through Paul, as to how the gathering of the NT church was to be set up.
I Cor. 14 ... 26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
The first thing shown: Every person in the congregation was free to share as the Spirit of God led. This is very important for the gathering of the church. For the Spirit of God speaks through whom God wills.
(I Cor. 12 ... But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as HE will.)
Man changed this commandment of the Lord for the gathering of the church, mostly thinking to keep out "false" things ... but when you change the commandments of God (I Cor. 14:26) as they did for the gathering of the church, they ended up keeping correction out of the gathering of the church, and keeping many words of the Holy Spirit out of the gathering of the church.
When Paul traveled about, he went to the synagogues and spoke to the people. But if Paul were here today, Paul would not be permitted to speak in the majority of the Christian church gatherings for only men approved by those churches are permitted to speak.
Yet God intended for all in the gathering to be free to speak by the Spirit of God. (I Cor. 14:26)
27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret. 28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. (Tongues without interpretation would not edify the church.)
29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. 30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. 31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
Now there is an instruction concerning women in the church gathering.
34 Let your women keep silence in the churches:for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home:for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
When God showed me I was called as a minister to the body of Christ as apostle/prophet, I asked God about this subject of women speaking in the church gathering. I had been in a church where this was prohibited and I had read what Paul said about women speaking in I Cor. 14.
The first thing God said to me is to look at what these women were doing in this example in I Cor. 14. I saw immediately they had to be interrupting the gathering of the church by asking questions. For Paul said, "And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home" ... Paul was basically saying is what these women were doing with those questions was a "shame" for them to speak as such in the church. These women were asking questions under the guise of learning and thereby they drew attention to themselves and stopped the flow of the Spirit of God in the gathering of the church. I certainly agree that it is a shame for women to speak in the church when led by their own flesh. The church is not a place for the asking of questions. Rather the church gathering is for the edification of the body of Christ by sharing what God has done in a person's life and by sharing what God has shown that person by the Holy Spirit. Often when I read Bible, I have sections where I don't know what it means. I do not call another human to ask what that scripture means. I tell God I don't understand. Sometimes HE will explain it to me immediately. Other times I will understand months or years later. Sometimes I still don't understand (we know in part ... I Cor. 13)
The second thing God said to me to show me women who are led by Holy Spirit are permitted to speak in the church is: Philip had 4 daughters who did prophesy. (Acts 29 ... And the next day we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea:and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. 9 And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.)
Prophesy is for the church. These daughters could not prophesy to the NT church unless they were permitted to speak.
I was persuaded, I believe by God, that women were permitted to speak in the gathering of the church when they were being led by the Holy Spirit. (Women were not permitted to disrupt the gathering of the church with asking of questions.)
For several years, I attended a church and Sunday School Class in Dallas. The teacher of the Sunday School class presented his lesson but at the end of his lesson he never failed to say, "Does anyone have a word from the Lord?" As he was teaching I frequently had a word of knowledge. But I did not interrupt his teaching to share that word of knowledge. That would not be in order. But after he would ask if anyone had a word from the Lord, I would share that word of knowledge.
Continuing with the instruction for the NT church in I Cor. 14 ...
36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? 37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. 38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
39 Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. 40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
I have seen so many "out of order" things in the churches I have attended over the past 30 years. Sadly there is no way to correct such. I have often gone to pastors after the services and presented the out-of-order problems. None would ever listen nor make corrections. (Read: Evil from pastors)
I'm not "bitter" now concerning these things. It is what it is. But if the gathering of the church had been set up according to the commandment of the Lord in I Cor. 14, many of these errors seen today would never have been permitted in the church gathering.
I can now see the root of the problem and it comes from violation of I Cor. 14.
One other thing about the church groups that prohibit women from speaking in the church: Often they will allow women to speak in the church at the Sunday School class at 10 a.m. but prohibit speaking at the service at 11 a.m. (I don't know how they reason this.)
This makes no sense for the gathering of the church is when two or three gather together in the name of the Lord.
Jesus says ... Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
(I've even seen such groups allow a famous woman to speak at 11 a.m. but prohibit all other women... When Dale Evans Rodgers was living I saw a church do this with her in Dallas.)
If anyone (man or woman) had a word of wisdom or word of knowledge from the Spirit of God I would certainly want to hear that word. And I know those gifts given by the Holy Spirit are for the whole church.
Gal. 3 ... 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female:for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.