Only the Humble Brave Build Bridges and Cross Divides

 

What happens when the Christian group whose very name means to evangelize refuses the mission and ministry of more than half of its members? What happens when the groups whose names are associated with sanctification, the spiritual events of the first Day of Pentecost and the gifting and ministry of the Holy Spirit refuse or ignore the anointing and leadership gifts of more than fifty per cent of their ministers? What happens when the Creator’s model of partnership and shared authority between men and women is seen as undesirable and women’s hands are not allowed to administer the elements of the Church or deliver the Word to the whole people with authority? What happens to the mission of the Church when the gifts and talents of more than half of the members of the Body of Christ remain hidden, unvoiced and/or unfacilitated?

Even a child could answer these questions. The Church cannot be what it was intended to be. The Church will not have the effect it was intended to have. The world will not be changed and redeemed as it was intended. Revival will be severely limited. Power will be severely throttled in the Church. The love and full salvation of Christ will not be visualized in the earth as it was intended to be revealed.

Yet, we continue without a loud cry of pained lament.

Yet, we continue as though everything is as it should be.

We continue without the presence of the fully flourishing ministry of a people who are alive in every dimension.

 

ARTIST’S NOTE: This painting politely and gently prophesies this condition in the Church- the Body of Christ. I did not set out to paint this painting or to visualize anything that had to do with the Body of Christ or women called to leadership and proclamation ministries. Rather, after I painted this canvas, I looked at it and saw what was there. I have to believe it was inspired by the Holy Spirit as this painting is not representative of my style or genre of abstract and impressionistic art.

 

5 ELEMENTS OF THE PAINTING: In the Body of Christ today there are divisions that create different lands in which God’s servants called to minister before Him may live. Observe the five major elements to this painting:

• There is The Green Hillside located at the left midpoint which has been cultivated for decades. Rocks and major impediments have been removed. Its grassy knoll seems to have a garden behind it that can be entered by a man-made pathway. In the distance behind the garden, structures or cities are suggested. It appears a comfortable place that facilitates life, work, and enjoyment. This is one land in which to dwell. It is much easier for ministry to thrive in this environment for valuing, instruction, mentoring and facilitation are present.

• In the right foreground is The Rocky Place, an environment of sharp stones, boulders, and steep, difficult terrain. There are green and flourishing areas where roots have taken hold despite the lack of cleared land, cultivation of the soil, or the creation of pathways. Living/functioning is much more difficult here. Impediments continually cause bruising and injury. Progress is greatly slowed because of lack of even terrain and engineered pathways. Hidden in this hillside are faces projecting pain and struggle. This is another place to live where life sometimes thrives in small ways in spite of hardship. It is a place of great pain, but it is also a place of great potential.

• In the left foreground is The Burned Hillside. Although usually unacknowledged by the Church, multitudes of lives have had a brief start here. A dead tree stands on the pentacle of this hill symbolizing the tragic and premature deaths of women’s calls to ministry- calls that took root briefly and were snuffed out because of lack of encouragement and nurture. Burned grass, deceased plants in varying stages of growth, and not-yet-germinated seeds lie among the charred rocks and dry soil of this place. This land is devoid of the elements that support tender beginnings or the ministry lives of the young or fragile. At first, this element of the painting is not noticed. One tends to look away or past The Burned Hillside, but it is necessary to thoughtfully view this land of aborted beginnings for it is part of our land. This is the cemetery of women’s calls to ministry that have died and been buried deep in the ground. This charred hillside in reality is much larger than the Rocky Place to the right and would have a horrifying affect if shown in its true proportion.

• The fourth element is The Bridge that is not complete but has some fragile substance. It begs to become a safe and reliable structure that spans the divide. It asks the question that a few onlookers on the grassy knoll of The Green Hillside seem to be considering: How can we bridge the chasm and bring new life to our sister hillside and its daughter to the left?

• The fifth element is The Provision in the Heavens where sturdy, substantial Hand-hewn building materials can be seen. They appear to be steps of solid rock that have been there for a long time. Debris has accumulated suggesting a lack of use and maintenance. These are the Word and Acts of God. Foundational truths lie here: the partnership of men and women intended from the beginning, the full salvation offered to men and women alike, Joel’s prophesy of a people alive and spiritually active in all elements, the record of Spirit initiated ministry of women from Old Testament times to the present day and beyond.

The painting is not a pretty one. It begs to have life and color added. It begs to become a beautiful landscape of cultivated green hills, pleasant gardens, clear blue skies, and liquid turquoise streams.

It asks the question: Who can build this bridge? Who can span this chasm? Who can bring new and vibrant life to these hillsides and streams?

The resources needed are available. The distance can be spanned. Each hillside can be a flourishing environment with supply, refreshment, and fellowship traveling back and forth between all areas of the high places.

Intentional biblical education concerning women’s salvation, mission and ministry within the Body of Christ is available and possible. Visualization and imagination of women in all areas of ministry can be provided in many ways. Wise and intentional facilitation of women’s call and ministry is within our reach. The proud and self-serving will never build bridges that last. God gives grace to the humble and courage to the meek.

According to the prophet Joel: If the inhabitants of the land (church leaders first and congregations with them) will look and recognize the barrenness of their land and the prospects for its future productiveness, if they will rend their hearts and cry aloud jealous for the covenant fruitfulness of all the land, God will hear and leave a blessing (Joel 1; 2:12-18; our covenant evidence, Joel 2:28-29). His people will not be put to shame but will flourish in all dimensions. The whole community will be invigorated being made alive by His Spirit in every element. Then the Church will be the effective presence and witness of God in the earth.

 

REFLECTION:

In which land do you find your place?

What will you do to help heal the division?

Are you humble enough to build a bridge delivering supply and fellowship to one of these neglected hillsides?

Are you brave enough to cross the divide and interact as a healer of this brokenness in the Body of Christ?

How can you contribute in education, in visualization of women in leadership ministry, in the facilitation and nurture of women hearing and answering the call to ministry?

 

There are powerful . . .

Heavenly Possibilities   

 

Kathy A. Meisner, M.Ed., M.Div., is a graduate of Pentecostal Theological Seminary, Cleveland, TN, where she received the Pentecostal Ministry Award in 1994.  She currently resides in the Nashville, Tennessee area with her husband Gary. Kathy is writer of Redemption and Restoration: Reversing Life’s Greatest Losses (A study of Ruth and Esther) and Passing Faith’s Tests with Love and Joy (A study of James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1-3 John, and Jude). Both are components of the Spirit-Filled Life Bible Discovery Guides of which Jack W. Hayford is executive editor.

Kathy is a writer and artist with a studio and small gallery (Gallery 415) in Mt. Juliet, TN. Her art may be viewed at www.kathymesiner.com. Some additional writings and an outline for approaching a comprehensive theology of ministry by women may be viewed at www.metoochurch.org

  Kathy A. Meisner, M.Div., M. Ed.

Copyright 2019

Smithsonian level giclee reproductions of Heavenly Possibilities in a variety of sizes on canvas or paper as well as additional booklets may be obtained by emailing Kathy at art@kathymeisner.com.