When the prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch, and Silas and the others came up and confirmed the decision of the Council of Jerusalem, he did not start prophesying beyond the message that was sent with him.  He brought the message and made it clear.  He stayed there in the church.  There were many other prophets that were in Antioch.  They fellowshipped together.  God sent him there primarily to hook him up with the apostle, to go out and finish ministry.  So, in today’s thought processes, prophets almost have a license to go contrary to all biblical order by saying, “It’s the Lord speaking through me.”  “The spirit… is subject to the prophet” 1 Corinthians 14:32).  When we understand that, we will not have people going off in the middle of a service and giving an utterance that often draws more attention to themselves than it does to edify the body.

Paul is looking at all these different areas, and he is bringing this message to them.  He says, “The one thing you need to know is this: you can go ahead and speak, but the other prophets are going to judge.  If anything is revealed to the others, the eldership, or the leaders of the church, let the first hold his peace.”  When I was young and growing up in the Pentecostal churches, most people mainly used that if, suddenly, two people began to speak and prophesy at the same time.  The first person was stopped, and they let the second person continue.

There is nothing wrong with that.  It keeps order.  Both people do not keep prophesying.  The other person is speaking more rapidly, then the other person says, “Hey, I’m going to get ahead of his prophecy.”  Primarily, this is talking about letting the first person, the one who is being judged, speak.  If the eldership says, “Hold it,” then the first person holds his peace.  The judgment is made so that the body will not be confused.  The elders can set the course and make the judgment on whether they accept that prophecy or not.  “For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.  And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.  For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Paul makes this statement: “Let your women keep silence in the churches.”  I mean, we are getting everything organized.  We are dealing with the abuses of tongues, prophecy, pride, ambitions, and all these different things.  Everything is going along well, and then he goes—whoop.  “By the way, let the women keep silent in the church.”

So, you have different groups.  You have the group that says women cannot speak in church.  That is not what Paul is saying.  Paul is not saying that when the community comes together, women cannot speak.  Because Paul has already…  We are going to, at some time in this life, speak about these other issues.  We have already seen that women are admonished to move in these gifts and that women are able to function in all these gifts.  In Christ, there is neither male nor female.

First, the word “women” used here is not the generic word for women.  It is “wives.”  Let the wives keep silent in the church.  Now, you have to remember how things were set up in the early church.  They were following their Jewish roots.  Women sat separately from the men in the gatherings.  Sometimes, there was even a partition.  Within the synagogues and in the early church…  Many of us seem to blow off this time.  I want to tell you something, how important this is.  Many of the early church’s meetings were not like this.  You did not just stand up and preach.  You discussed topics.  People were able to interact.  Questions were able to be asked.  There was clarification.