Empowered Women: Breaking Ceilings Through Faith

"International Women's Day and I just wanted to say a few words about that because I can't just let that pass right you know the thing about is that women are in the grand scheme of God you might not know it but I'm here to inform you that's the whole purpose of a meeting like this you know our stories are as different as our faces are different you can look at the person beside you she has a different face from yours you don't know where she's coming from she doesn't know where you're coming from our stories are different and that is how much God still loves us individually you know traditionally in the Bible and even in our African culture women are second class citizens in the Bible you will notice even when you get you know through from the Old Testament women did not have as many rights as men when you go to court to testify the testimony of a man was more than the testimony of a woman it was more than the testimony of a man it was more than the testimony of a woman men could do all sorts of things initiate contracts negotiate contracts women couldn't do that then you get into the New Testament did you notice that when Jesus was born and they went to when Joseph and Mary headed to Bethlehem because everybody had to go back to their village to their hometown to be counted for a census they only counted the men the women were not counted and women did not count that's the way the culture and the society is going to be counted and the women did not count that's the way the culture and the society was but thank God even though women were not counted and women did not count Jesus counts us today hallelujah Jesus the New Testament when you read the New Testament you will see that it esteems" [00:01:43]

"elevates and empowers women can anybody get excited about that the new testament esteems elevates and empowers women i hope you got your notebooks it's a good church i can tell already when i go to a church and i see the notebooks and i see the pens i know that they're well taught because no matter how much you like what you hear i can meet you on refinery road tomorrow how was the meeting yesterday ah it was powerful it was amazing hey god moved what did she say i just know it was powerful i just know it was amazing i just know that god moved but what did she say and what did you take away it's only what you write that you will take away hallelujah so i said in the new testament we can see that women are near and dear to jesus and because women are near and dear to jesus women are near and dear to me i wonder why could it be because i'm a woman do you think that might be a clue yes hallelujah yeah i'm a woman and i it's one of my favorite things to do is to minister to women i ministered like pastor vera said i'm an instructor at rhema nigeria my husband and i graduated from rhema bible training center usa 31 years ago yes yes i know i know i'm an ancient in the sanctuary one of my students in lake us said ma you're an ancestor i said praise god hallelujah i'll take that i'm an ancestor can you believe that do i look like an ancestor to you do i look like an ancestor to you okay so i said and i teach ministers and i'm involved in training ministers i was a pioneer" [00:03:29]

"Jesus is the real liberator of women. I said, Jesus is the real liberator of women. You know, there's been the whole women's lib movement, but I'm telling you there's no liberator like Jesus. Why do I say that? You know, like I said, in those days, we're told that traditionally when a Jewish man would wake up and he would pray, he would pray a prayer like, thank God that he's a Jew. Thank God that he's not a Gentile. Thank God he's not a woman. And thank God he's not a dog. So you see, he's glad he's not a woman. But so that's the way women were viewed. But Jesus didn't see women that way. In Mark, in John chapter four, we see that it was not beneath Jesus to talk to a woman. This was the woman at the well, at the well of Samaria. And the disciples had gone into town to get some food and drink and food or whatever. And when they came back, verse 27 says, and at this point, his disciples came" [00:05:36]

"to him and said to him, you are talking to a woman. Eh, master, you are talking to a woman, lowly, ordinary woman. But Jesus is talking to us in the house today, women. I said, Jesus loves us and Jesus esteems us. Jesus lives inside us and Jesus talks to us every day. But no one yet, they said, they marveled that he talked with a woman. Yet no one said, what do you seek or why are you talking with her? They didn't dare to question him because he was Jesus. But inside them, they couldn't understand why the master, the teacher, the rabbi, the healer would condescend to talk to a woman. I'm so glad that he came from glory. He came from heaven and he condescended to live inside me. Praise the Lord. Somebody, is anybody excited in the house that Jesus not only talks to me, Jesus lives inside me. Praise the Lord. So I said, Jesus is the true liberator of women. And then we see the women who came and poured expensive perfume on Jesus's head. And honoring him with her worship, her faith. And humility. You can read that in Mark 14 and in Luke 7." [00:06:41]

"you I do not condemn you in fact I speak a word over you go and sin no more and in the power of that word that woman was transformed that woman was delivered that woman was set free and that woman was loose to go and sin no more and be the best that God made her to be hallelujah so I'm telling you today that Jesus is not accusing you praise the Lord turn to your neighbor and say Jesus is not condemning you Jesus esteems you Jesus empowers you hallelujah and we could go on and on but the last one I just want to touch on is the notable women who were partners in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ wow you mean Jesus had ministry partners yes the Bible says he does did you know that the apostle Paul also had ministry partners you read about that in Jesus in Luke 8 verses 1 to 3 new living translation now for our wonderful media people my default translation is the new King James version so unless I tell you otherwise I'm reading from the new King James but I like to read a variety of translations because we get all kinds of shades of meaning so Luke 8 1 to 3 we see soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages preaching and announcing the good news everybody say good news about the kingdom of God he took his twelve disciples with him along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases among them were Mary Magdalene from whom he had cast out seven demons Joanna the wife of Chusa Herod's business manager Susanna and many others many other women who were doing" [00:08:39]

" what? Contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples. Hallelujah. Contributing from where? From their own resources. From their employment. From their businesses. From their deals and trades. Hallelujah. To do what? To support. What? Jesus and his disciples. And what were Jesus and disciples doing? Verse one says, they were going from towns and to towns and villages doing what? Preaching and announcing the good news and the kingdom of God. What is Morningstar doing in the city of Wari and beyond? Preaching and announcing what? The good news of Jesus. The gospel. And it takes ministry partners. Does it not? Hallelujah. So this is a good place to partner with because this is the ministry of Jesus that's continuing in this city and beyond. Hallelujah. So look at Jesus. Mentioning women by name. Ha. In a society where they don't count women. When the 4 ,000 were fed, when the 5 ,000 were fed, did they count the women? No. They said 4 ,000 men plus women and children. Women were not counted." [00:10:29]

"Then the occasion when the 5 ,000 were fed with the multiplication of the bread and the fish, once again, five thousand men plus women, women, and children but Jesus sees you Jesus recognizes you lift up your hands and thank him he sees you individually he recognizes you individually he acknowledges you as a woman because he made you to be a woman he says he has a plan he has a purpose for you you are not supposed to be limited you're not supposed to be bound you count because god says you count even when they weren't counting women jesus said you count and you matter and he acknowledged them and he took them with him on his ministry tours hallelujah somebody give him praise and glory so keep on doing the work of jesus in morning star church and wherever you go hallelujah so why did i say all of that because it's international women's day and we're at an international women's conference and when you know who you are when you know who god has made you when you know what god says about you when you know what the word of god says about you you won't let anybody keep you down you won't let satan keep you down it doesn't matter what your mother or your father said about you you it doesn't matter if your husband is trying to demean you it doesn't matter if your employer says you will never rise it doesn't matter whether the government does not recognize women it doesn't matter who it is it doesn't even matter if it's your negative thoughts you change them with the word of god and that's why we are here nobody will stop you nobody can ultimately stop and defeat you because jesus has liberated you and lifted you and we thank god today hallelujah and i just believe that in this conference we are receiving more grace everybody say more grace to take our place in our god -given space and run our race hallelujah thank you jesus and you know the theme of this conference is taken from mark 2 verses 1 to 13." [00:11:48]

"and he preached the word to them then they came to him then they came to him bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men and when they could not come near him because of the crowd they uncovered the roof where he was so when they had broken through everybody said broken through they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic son your sins are forgiving you and some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts why does this man speak blasphemies like this who can forgive sins but God alone but immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves he said to them why do you reason about these things in your heart which is easier to say to the paralytic your sins are forgiving you or to say arise take up your bed and walk but that you may know that the son of man has power on earth to forgive sins he said to the paralytic I say to you arise take up your bed and go to your house immediately he arose took up the bed and went out in the presence of them all so that all were amazed and glorified God saying we never saw anything like this okay then he left and went and he taught okay I want to just read a little bit of Luke chapter 5 because there's something else that Luke chapter 5 adds to this verse 17 of Luke chapter 5 and I'm reading from the new King James now it happened on a certain day as he was teaching everybody say as he was teaching" [00:15:46]

"the presence of the trap setters even in the presence of the naysayers even in the press even in hostile environments have you ever found yourself in a hostile environment they don't like you they don't support people of your tribe they don't want you in this job they don't want you in this government position even in a hostile environment Jesus was teaching his ditch his detractors were there satanically orchestrated opposition can't be there the power of God will always still be there because the power of God is always where the Word of God is Jesus was in the house Jesus was not there for decoration Jesus is not here for decoration the Word of God is going out with a purpose he sent forth his word he sensed why his word and his word will never return to him what void without accomplishing the purpose for which it was sent so Jesus is in the house Jesus is bringing forth the Word of God even in the presence of Satan of the satanic and satanically orchestrated the opposition in the it doesn't matter who it is the power of the Lord will always produce and lead to a manifestation of the spirit hallelujah are you getting a vision for yourself now satan cannot stop it and man cannot deny it hey I said satan cannot stop it and man cannot deny so as you're just looking at me here you're gonna leave this church you're gonna go back home you know we come to church and we get all excited because of something called the corporate anointing where does Jesus live in this house" [00:20:57]

"does he live in this house no he doesn't live in temples made of hand of bricks and mortar he doesn't mean that when Jesus died on the cross the Holy Spirit left the holy of holies he moved out and on the day of Pentecost when he came down we are anointed with the whole and then they were all baptized with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues the Holy Spirit is here in his power and Jesus said he's not living in houses anymore he now lives where inside know you not that you are what the temples of the Living God individually and collectively so Jesus lives inside us and when we come together in a church like this I bring Jesus you bring Jesus she brings Jesus and all these men who are the supporters of women in a women's conference can we appreciate the men who are so much more than we are in the church we are so much more than we are in the church we are so much more than we are in the church we are so much more than we are in the supporters of women in a women's conference yeah appreciate them because if they didn't support women they wouldn't be here hallelujah hallelujah so all of us men and women the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us we come together there's something called a corporate anointing hallelujah when I'm by myself in my bedroom I can talk to God God can talk to me but when we come into an atmosphere like this I said when we come into an atmosphere like this and an atmosphere of faith an atmosphere of the Holy Spirit Jesus is in the house hallelujah and where Jesus was back then there were miracles where Jesus is now there are miracles you" [00:22:40]

"we don't need to be afraid of what the enemy is doing we just need to show up with the holy ghost hallelujah we just show up with the holy ghost who lives mightily on the inside of us we preach the word we do the word and just like the bible says what the bible says as he was teaching the power of the lord was present as i am teaching tonight as we shall be teaching tonight tomorrow and sunday i said the power of the lord is present to save heal deliver whatever it you need the miracles are here right now so it doesn't matter who whatever satanic opposition whatever person does not like what we're saying the one to say women should not preach the one who says why is she dressed the way she's dressed it doesn't matter we'll just keep putting the word out hallelujah so we said woman break that ceiling what is a ceiling what in the world is a ceiling a simple definition of a ceiling is an upper limit and it could also mean the highest level that something is allowed to reach so if i wanted to jump in this auditorium now the highest i can jump is where that ceiling otherwise my head will make a hole through the ceiling and i'll land outside so a ceiling is an upper limit a ceiling is the highest level that you are allowed to reach thus far and no more a ceiling can also represent a barrier an obstacle a limitation" [00:27:56]