On the 25th anniversary of women priests in the Church of England, Bishop Libby speaks to Premier about her calling and the future of women in the church.
The legislation to allow women priests went through General Synod in 1992 while the Rt Rev Libby Lane – who was to later become the first female Bishop – was at theological college with her husband, George Lane. They got ordained together in 1994.
She told Premier: “I was in that first cohort of women who were selected and trained and ordained exactly in parallel alongside their male peers, so we knew that that was going to be our trajectory, that when we completed our training, which we had done at the same time, we would be deaconed and then priested at the same time”.
In January 2015, she took on the role as suffragan Bishop of Stockport after the vote to allow women bishops passed the year before.
When asked about how what the ‘next thing’ is for women in the Church of England was and what she thought of the next Archbishop of Canterbury being a woman she said: “I think the issue around Archbishop will come when it comes. There are certainly women who have their gifts and who will have the experience when those vacancies arise and I pray that they will be discerned alongside their brothers who exercise episcopal ministry and that time will come.
“I don’t know when that will be. But if it does, and it’s in my…
Vanderbloemen Search Group is the premier pastor search firm dedicated to helping churches and ministries build great teams. They’ve helped thousands of churches just like yours find their church staff and are uniquely geared to help you discern who God is calling to lead…
Felix Ngole, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, who said he was expressing a traditional Christian view and complained that Sheffield University bosses unfairly stopped him completing a postgraduate degree, has mounted an appeal after losing a High Court fight.
In October 2017, Deputy High Court judge Rowena Collins Rice ruled that university bosses had acted within the law following a High Court trial in London.
Three appeal judges are listed to hear Mr Ngole’s challenge to that decision at a Court of Appeal hearing in London on Tuesday.
Mr Ngole had told Judge Collins Rice that his rights to freedom of speech and thought, enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, had been breached.
But lawyers representing the university argued that he had shown “no insight”, and said the decision to remove him from the course was fair and proportionate.
They said Mr Ngole had been studying for a professional qualification, and said university bosses had to consider his fitness to practise.
Judge Collins Rice said freedom of religious discourse was a public good of great importance.
But she said social workers had considerable power over the lives of vulnerable people, and said trust was a precious professional commodity.
Mr Ngole posted comments in 2015, when in his late 30s, the judge had been told.
He was taking part in a debate on a Facebook page about Kim Davis, an…
He was not allowed to board the next flight to Nairobi after the airline lost contact with the flight he was supposed to take. He says that a security staff member “told me gently not to protest and say thank you to God, because I am the only passenger who did not enter the flight.”
Antonis Mavropoulos has abundant reason to “say thank you to God” today. What about those who lost someone on the airplane he tried to board?
Is the Christian faith truly relevant at a time like this?
Is God a clockmaker?
One of the finest pastors in America, a dear friend of mine, lost his oldest son recently. As the father of two and grandfather of four, I cannot begin to imagine his pain. Or that of the families grieving over the Ethiopian airline tragedy.
At times like this, grief can turn us from God in bitterness and disappointment. If he’s our loving Father, why does he allow his children to suffer so terribly?
Or grief can turn us toward God in faith and hope. Since he’s our loving Father, won’t he help us through these days of despair and pain?
Nothing about the Ethiopian jet crash changed the character of God. If he loved us before, he loves us still. If he was King of the universe on Saturday, he is King on Tuesday.
What we fear is that the tragedy reveals something about God we don’t want to believe. Perhaps he is not as loving or as powerful as we thought he was. Perhaps he is not as relevant to our lives and suffering as we believed…
The Work and Pensions Select Committee, chaired by Christian MP Frank Field, called on the Government to apply the limit on the total amount of benefits a person can get only to those who are expected to be looking for work.
It warned that only 18 per cent of those currently affected by the cap have been assessed by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) as capable of looking for work, while 82 per cent of households cannot escape it.
In a report on the benefit cap, the committee said: “The Government told Parliament that the cap was meant for people who could work, but were choosing not to.
“But in fact the majority of people who are affected by the cap have been assessed by the DWP as not being required to look for work, usually because they are lone parents with young children or have an illness or disability.
“A policy aimed at people who could work but were choosing not to is now being applied to single mothers with newborn babies and people with serious health conditions, who face significant barriers to finding work. This cannot be what was intended.”
The committee said the cap should only apply to claimants who are either claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance or claiming Universal Credit and in the “all work-related” activity group.
Mr Field said: “It would be difficult to think of a more cruel cut.
“Benefits are being cut with the aim of driving people into…
Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heaven 12 March 2019 – Mountain Movers
1.Lord Jesus, I worship and adore You; You’re the Way, the Truth and the Life; with You all things are possible. (Click HERE for Open Heaven 12 March 2019)
2.Father, in anyway I have fallen short of your glory, please, have mercy and forgive me, in Jesus name.
3.Father, let every spirit of doubt and unbelief in my life, be consumed by Your fire, in Jesus name.
4.Father, please, help my unbelief and give me a faith that would not fail in the day of test or trial, in Jesus name.
5.Father, please, don’t let church going become a mere routine in my life; each time I go before Your presence, let me go with strong desires and expectations to receive from You, in Jesus name.
6.Lord Jesus, come and destroy every stubborn yoke in my life, and make a way for me where the enemies say there is no way, in Jesus name.
7.I speak to every challenge and mountain, confronting my life and destiny, “be thou removed and be cast into the sea”, in Jesus name.
8.Father, please, give me grace to persevere and tarry long in Your presence, until every challenge is overcome, in Jesus name.
9.Father, please, make the mountain of problems confronting me, today, become plain, in Jesus name.
10.Father, go ahead of Your son, Pastor E.A. Adeboye, and dismantle every satanic road block, in Jesus name.
11.Father, bless Your son, that You have been using to prepare these prayer points, beyond measures, and all those who have been rebroadcasting them, in Jesus name.
12.Father, let every challenge, hindrance and obstacle of getting these prayer points across to Your children, timely, and on daily basis be removed, in Jesus name.
13.Your Personal petitions. (Philippians 4:6)
14.In Jesus name I pray. (John 14:13-14; 15:16)
15.Thank you Father for answered prayers. (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
These prayers have no expiry date! Please, pray them, irrespective of the time they get to you. Remain blessed, in Jesus name.
Kindly, purchase your own hard copy or online version of the Open Heavens devotional & buy for your friends too, as a potent evangelism tool. God bless you, as you sow, into Pastor E.A. Adeboye’s book Ministry, in Jesus name.
Prayer Points on Today’s Open Heaven 12 March 2019 – Mountain Movers
Topic: We’re Adopted [Joyce Meyer Devotional 12 March 2019]
Although my father and my mother have forsaken me, yet the lord will take me up [adopt me as His child]. — Psalm 27:10 (AMPC)
Today’s scripture has been particularly meaningful and encouraging to me over the course of my life.
I was abused as a child. During my childhood, my mother was deeply afraid of my father, so she was unable to rescue me from the various kinds of abuse he perpetrated against me. I felt very alone, forgotten, and abandoned.
I have come to understand firsthand that multitudes of people we encounter daily are just trying to survive until someone rescues them—and that someone could be you or me.
The Bible says that in God’s love, He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world… (Ephesians 1:4 AMPC). He planned for us to be adopted as His own children. These beautiful words brought a great deal of healing to my wounded soul. God adopts the forsaken and the lonely, and He lifts them up and gives them value.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta felt that each person she met was “Jesus in disguise.” Just try to imagine how much differently we would treat people if we thought of them as she did. She realized that God loves everyone as His own sons and daughters.
If someone insulted, slighted, ignored, or devalued one of my children, I would take it as a personal insult, so why is it so hard to understand that God feels the same way when one of His children is mistreated?
You and I belong to Him, so we need to love ourselves appropriately and treat ourselves well. We also need to treat others as part of God’s family and do what we can to build them up and add value to their lives.
Prayer Starter: Father, thank You for personally choosing me—picking me out as Your very own. Help me today and every day to encourage and value others, treating them as Your precious sons and daughters. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
God’s View Concerning Marriage (Part 2) By Pastor Faith Oyedepo
Topic: God’s View Concerning Marriage (Part 2)
Dear Reader,
I am happy to be with you today. As we unfold the mysteries in God’s Word again today, may the Lord give you quick understanding! Last week, we saw that God’s view of marriage is for the good of man. This week, we shall go further to see how God views marriage – A Help Meet for Him.
God’s Word says: And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him (Genesis 2:18).
Before Eve was brought into Adam’s life, certain responsibilities had been committed to him. It was his duty to dress and keep the garden (Genesis 2:15). But God saw that he needed help to fulfil those responsibilities.
In Genesis 1:28, God had said to the man … Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. This statement is a blessing, but it also connotes responsibility. “Multiply”, “Replenish”, “Subdue”. Certainly, Adam needed help. So, God sent him help in the form of a woman one that was suitable, adaptable and complementary to him. She was not just any kind of help, she was … A help meet for him. Marriage was created to help man, not to hurt him. It was created for his comfort, not discomfort. Both the husband and wife are meant to support one another in every area of life. When a man is struggling to carry a heavy load alone, he experiences a lot of strain and struggles, but once he has someone to share it with, he is relaxed.
Husband and wife are meant to complement each other by filling up the vacuum in each other’s lives. In Genesis 27, there is this story about Rebecca. She failed in her duty as Isaac’s helpmeet and played an unpleasant role in the incidence of Jacob stealing Esau’s blessing. Isaac was old and so could not see, because his eyes were dim. Rebecca knew this weakness, but rather than compliment him by helping him, she exploited the situation by “assisting” Jacob to steal Esau’s blessing.
It was Rebecca that initiated the idea of Jacob stealing Esau’s blessing. Even when Jacob noted the loopholes in the plan, Rebecca still convinced him to go ahead. Without her support, Jacob would not have been able to deceive Isaac and steal Esau’s blessings. She used her husband’s weakness against him and her son.
Wife, you are meant to be a help-meet. You are created to surround your man with aid and assistance. His life should be better as a result of his association with you. Your contributions in his life should be positive. If the vices he had before you were married keep increasing rather than decrease, if his life remains at the same spot, then you’re not carrying out your responsibilities in his life.
You are to bring about a positive change in your husband’s life. The difference in his life, as a result of his marrying you, should be glaring for all to see. It is your responsibility to help him attain the greater heights God has prepared for him.
Be a helper, not a destroyer, an asset not a liability, a blessing, not a burden and a soothing balm, not a thorn in the flesh. Do you know what a thorn does? It makes life uncomfortable and unbearable. It causes a lot of pains.
You need the help of God to be able to be a help that is meet to your spouse. This comes by surrendering your life to Christ. You surrender by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. If you are ready to be born again, please say this prayer: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for delivering me from sin and satan to serve the living God and thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.
Congratulations! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are now born again and a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21).
With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace in Jesus’ Name! Call or write to share your testimonies with me through [email protected], 07026385437 OR 08141320204.
For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).
Pastor Faith Oyedepo is the wife of Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel, and Senior Pastor of Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, Nigeria.
The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 12 March 2019 – Righteous Persons Sometimes Suffer (1)
TOPIC: Righteous Persons Sometimes Suffer (1)
READ: Job 5:1-16 King James Version (KJV)
1 Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?
2 For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.
3 I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation.
4 His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.
5 Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance.
6 Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;
7 Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
8 I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:
9 Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:
10 Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:
11 To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.
12 He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.
14 They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.
15 But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.
16 So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
THE MESSAGE:
Eliphaz, one of Job’s friends had contended in his discourse on Job’s situation that Job was suffering because of his wickedness and to prove his case, he made the statement in verse 6 “affliction does not come from the dust or trouble from the ground.” By implication, Job was guilty of sin hence his advice in verse 6 for him to repent, because righteous persons cannot suffer afflictions. In his argument he made some statements about God: God does great and unsearchable things including watering the earth for man’s food (vs.9-10); God has a strong disposition in cracking down the counsel of the wicked (vs.12-13). Though his statements about God are true, he was totally wrong about Job’s case; he and his friends knew nothing about the dialogue that took place between God and the devil over Job’s integrity. It is human for people to blame others for their troubles, especially when a righteous person is suffering.
Man is limited in knowledge; therefore we must be careful on what we say over people’s plight. Yes, righteous person sometimes suffer like Job. When such happens, our duty is to strengthen, encourage and comfort them rather than being judgmental.
PRAYER: Lord, arise for the righteous who are suffering and save them.
Topic: The Woman is Not Inferior to the Man [TREM Devotional 12 March 2019]
“And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Gen 2:23 KJV
You can see right in the above scripture that the man and the woman are the same. The fact that God brought out the woman from the man and the woman is weak in her physical configuration does not mean she is any less than the man. Secondly, the fact that God said that the wife should submit to the husband does not mean she is any less than her husband. Rather, it dignifies her when she submits to her husband. The way God made it is that the husband should be a covering to the wife.
God looked at the physique of the woman and saw how fragile she was and said I want to protect her. I don’t want her messed up, so am going to give her somebody that’s strong to cover this dignity and glory that I have covered her with. That is why God asked the wife to submit. It is not to put her down, rather it is to help her to actualize who she truly is. I don’t understand when men get intimidated because their wives are doing better than them. Your wife is being blessed and you become offended. It is because you don’t understand the Bible. If you understand the Bible you should kneel down by your bedside and say ‘Thank you Jesus for what you are doing in our lives.’
Everything was going well for the husband and wife until Satan came into the scene. Wherever the devil enters he comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. That is why we should resist him with every fiber of our being. Fight and refuse him access into your territory. When he entered in the garden, he began to pollute what God had done. You must, therefore, keep the devil out of your life and out of your home. I decree the shielding of your family and destiny from the arrows of tragedy and death.
Further Reading: Genesis 2:21-25; Ephesians 5:21-28
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Deuteronomy 16-18; Evening- Mark 13:1-20
Written by Dr. Mike Okonkwo; Is the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM); a versatile man of God with over 30 years of dedicated service unto the Lord.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
