August 22, 2011 (Excerpt from the Women's Ministry Leader's Training Camp Series)

Touchdown = Scoring by carrying or passing the ball into the end zone of the opposing side, or by recovering it there following a fumble or blocked kick

In the game of football, touchdowns are what a team lives to achieve. Touchdowns are made by getting the ball to the end zone of the opposing side. It is how a team scores to make the points to win.

In women’s ministry, we make our touchdowns by carrying the Word of God down the field all the way. We do our winning with the Word! When we don’t base our local church women’s ministry on the Word of God, our women’s ministry becomes just another social group. It’s like playing a game of football without the ball. There’s no way to win.

1.  The Word Gives a Foundation

The Word of God is our authority and gives us sound doctrine and godly principles. The Word of God is what all the decisions of our church women’s ministry should be based on. We can’t go wrong with God’s Word.

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. Luke 6:46-48 (KJV)

But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great. Luke 6:48-49 (KJV)

Using the Bible as a foundation for women’s ministry will keep it strong.

2.  The Word of God Gives Instruction

The Word of God gives us instruction for living the Christian life, and we can learn and teach our church women’s group from the whole Bible, but we also find some passages in the Word of God directed to or about women.

In Titus 2 we are given directions for teaching other women. It’s all laid out for us to use as a guide no matter where we are, in church or out of church.

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus2:3-5 (KJV)

There are also other passages in the Bible that mentions women. Deacon’s wives are noted in 1Timothy 3, and widows in 1 Timothy 5. Several passages in the Proverbs touch on contentious women and 2 Timothy 3:6 mentions “silly” or gullible women. Other women are mentioned throughout the Scriptures as well. It’s all there for us to learn from and be instructed by. We can also learn from the lives of the women of the Bible by their examples, their faith, and in some cases their mistakes.

What better way to move down the field than by finding good solid instruction from the Word of God that our ladies can use to learn to be good godly women.

3.  The Word of God Gives Stability

When we base our women’s ministry on the Word of God we can be assured that it is not going to change on us. We can count on it. We can count on it when we make decisions. We can count on it for direction. We can count on it to last forever.

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Matthew 24:35 (KJV)

Teaching our women’s groups to rely on the stability of God’s Word will help them to keep the ball in play as they move down the field and forward in your women’s ministry.

4.  The Word of God is Powerful

Because the Word of God is powerful, we will find that if we base our women’s ministry on it and use it as the driving force, then our ministry to women will be powerful as well. We will touch lives. We will have an outreach that meets needs. We will be reaching women for the Lord. We will be furthering the Gospel of Christ.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (KJV)

It takes power for a team to drive the football down the field, so what better way for us to push forward than with the powerful Word of God.

Conclusion

When a team wants to win a game of football, they put every driving force they can to get that football down the field to score. When they drop the ball, it’s put into play again, and they keep moving the ball on down the field closer and closer to the winning goal. Sometimes the ball is intercepted and that team loses yardage.

That is what happens to us when we drop the Word of God, or we don’t make it a focus anymore in our church women’s groups. We lose yardage. Dropping the ball (or the Word) slows down our progress. It holds back our growth and outreach for the Lord. The Word of God has got to be a vital part of our women’s ministry if we want to go on and move down the field to win for the cause of Christ.

Focusing on the Word of God is not to say that you can’t use other things and infuse events, activities, and other ideas into your women’s ministry. Every event or meeting held through a women’s ministry isn’t always going to be all about Bible study, but God’s Word should be a foundation and a guide for all the things you do within your church women’s group.

Women need all types of things in their lives. We are women. We need encouragement, friendship, support, and even fun.

You may be in a church where your ladies are participating in Bible studies through other ministries of your church so you may not want to start a deep type of Bible study through your women’s ministry at the same time. We should evaluate our women’s spiritual growth from time to time though because more Bible study may be needed.

We need to watch out that we aren’t going down the field powerless, without that foundation of the Word behind us in what we do within our women’s ministry. We can only score those touchdowns with the Word!

Copyright ©2011 Julia Bettencourt

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