Woman Preachers
- (NJT 7th Aug 2018) “Greetings pastor! After the 2-days conference in Killa, we proceeded to Morgang. Thank God for the 3 days (including a Sabbath) that we could spend there. We held a total of 3 meetings where we conveyed pastor’s message from Joshua and Judges. At the first meeting, Esther Yeoh conveyed thy recent post China Conference message from the book of Joshua, with the emphasis given to the acknowledgement of and submission to the rule of Christ by the church and each one individually. It was a very lively session. All the hearers were summoned to seek for experimental religion while fighting the battle of the Lord together with the brethren. Thank God for a large number of youths and leaders who joined the meeting. Japheth Debbarma responded in prayer on behalf of all the hearers. On the Sabbath, Habakkuk Singh preached on the ‘Rejection Of Saul’ from 1 Samuel. Delegates from different churches all over Tripura and a few new hearers were also present in the worship. From God’s anger against the Amalekites, we were reminded that God does not forget our sins of the past. The hearers were reproved for their man-ward religion.
- (NJT 9th Aug 2018) “On the last meeting in Morgang, Naomi Chua conveyed thy overview of the book of Judges. The message was directed to the young people that were present. Sadly, not many turned up due other commitments. However, the Spirit of God was felt by those present. It was shown how apostasy is in the heart of every man regardless of time and age. As seen in Judges 2, the people of God across all ages apostatized even when there were godly men and hence spiritual declension leads to moral degeneracy. The definition of apostasy in Judges as ‘every man did that which was right in their own eyes’ was brought across personally. God moved the hearts of all the hearers as the ambience was very sobering.
- (NJT 10th Aug 2018) “After our 2-day stay in Morgang, we came to Takarjala. In the morning session (dated 19 June), we had a blessed session with the St Peter’s students. Almost all the hostelers attended the meeting including the children. Esther Yeoh conveyed from the book of Job, highlighting the life of Job and the struggles he had to go through before being justified. Many of the students were very much edified by the message, especially when the sisters went to visit the Girls’ Dormitory to fellowship with the sisters. A few sisters opened up their hearts and shared their problems they were facing in their life. They were very much thankful to the sisters for conveying the message and also for visiting them in their dormitory to give them counsel not just for their spiritual journey but also to encourage them to speak up more and think critically on preaching as well as in their education. They felt that they could not be like Job who humbled himself in spite of everything being taken away and even when his wife told him to curse God and die (Job 2:9); instead he worshipped God. The students felt that they were utterly depraved and needed the mercies of God to humble themselves. The teachers then requested the sisters to have a meeting everyday before the students started classes.
- (NJT 12th Aug 2018) “Next day, early in the morning, the students gathered. Esther Yeoh conveyed a message from the Song of Degrees. From Psalms 120-134. She highlighted the journey of a pilgrimage and that the life of a pilgrim is a very difficult journey. We need the grace of God in our spiritual journey and that we are not alone in our spiritual journey. This spiritual journey is one of maturing and comprehending the depth of our depravity as well as experimentally knowing who God is to us deeply. The students and teachers alike were very attentive and enjoyed the session commenting that they were very enlightened and could now see these psalms in a much deeper way. Many of the students are from heathen background. Pray that they will be convicted by the doctrines of the man of God. It is much safer for them to stay in the boarding school rather than to go back to their homes, because the teachers not only teach them secular education, but also nourish them with the Word of God. It is beautiful to hear the psalms being sung loudly every morning in the school at 6am!”
- (NJT 14th Aug 2018) “We had our first meeting at Takarjala on Tuesday evening where Naomi Chua conveyed on Hannah’s prayer from 1 Samuel 1 and 2. We were told that it was not only a prayer, but also her thanksgiving to God. Hannah exalted the holiness and the omnipotence of God. In 1 Samuel 2:3, Hannah exalted God as the God of justice. She clearly brought out the need for preparatory work and the application of the law in each individual’s life before justification. In 1 Samuel 2:8, we were shown that before God raises someone, He brings him low. Through Hannah’s prayer, we can learn experimental religion. She wasn’t presumptuous but she was very careful in her prayer. At the response session, many confessed of their strong self-dependency and said that God is pleased with the lowly in heart and it is only Jehovah who can deliver them and that religion must be experimental. We must cry out to God like Hannah for our justification. Eber Jamatia made supplication to God on our behalf after the preaching.
- (NJT 15th Aug 2018) “On the second meeting, Naomi Chua conveyed the subject of Anointing (including the different measures) and also recognizing the anointed of God from the book of 1 Samuel. In the book of Samuel, we see the treachery of God’s people by demanding a physical king in spite of having Christ as their King. Indirectly they were rejecting the rule of Christ. They wanted to have a physical king like the other nations. In 1 Samuel 12:6-13, we were shown that God was very gracious by giving the people their demand. And also the choice was made out off the depravity of man’s heart by choosing Saul. But God’s choice was David. We were also shown that many people would not recognise the anointed of God, only a peculiar people like Jonathan and Abigail recognised David. They didn’t blindly follow others. It is very hard to recognise the anointed of our times. We were exposed that there are times we play the family game or stand in unbelief when it comes to recognising the anointed of God. We were also shown that Christ is our King and David typifies Christ. David is the greatest type of Christ in the Old Testament. The presence of the Spirit of God could be felt in the gathering as the conveyance came strongly. From the examples of Abigail and Jonathan, the preacher showed that it has to be the Holy Spirit Who could help them see who the anointed of God is. The call made, once again, was to submit to the rule of Christ as seen in the fact that the star in the ‘star of David’ is Christ. Habakkuk Singh prayed in response to the message at the end.”
Reported by Shelomi Debbarma (f), Beraiah Lao (f) and Amaziah Debbarma (m) on behalf of Habakkuk Singh (m), Esther Yeoh (f), Naomi Chua (f) and Neariah Debbarma (f); Morgang, Tripura; 18th-22nd June AD 2018.
The above report from North-East India illustrates how Elijah Chacko specially trains and sends young women on international missionary itineraries to preach his messages. He is cautious in this, knowing that many would oppose him on this issue and therefore these young ladies (Naomi Chua and Esther Yeoh) are sent to the villages of the Indian backwater state of Tripura, where their activities will not become known. He would not send these sisters to preach in Singapore or the United States.
What he does is contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture: But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence (1 Tim 2:12). Of this passage Calvin says, ‘For the government of women has always been regarded by all wise persons as a monstrous thing; and, therefore, so to speak, it will be a mingling of heaven and earth, if women usurp the right to teach. Accordingly, he bids them be “quiet,” that is, keep within their own rank… If any one bring forward by way of objection, Deborah (Judges 4:4) and others of the same class, of whom we read that they were at one time appointed by the command of God to govern the people, the answer is easy. Extraordinary acts done by God do not overturn the ordinary rules of government, by which He intended that we should be bound.‘ Likewise Matthew Henry says, ‘According to Paul, women must be learners and are not allowed to be public teachers in the church; for teaching is an office of authority, and the woman must not usurp authority over the man, but is to be in silence. But, notwithstanding this prohibition, good women may and ought to teach their children at home the principles of religion. Timothy from a child had known the holy scriptures; and who should teach him but his mother and grandmother (2 Tim 3:15). Aquila and his wife Priscilla expounded unto Apollos the way of God more perfectly; but then they did it privately, for they took him unto them (Acts 18:26).‘
These arguments are often sidestepped by saying that such womenfolk are not preaching but simply conveying what they themselves have heard Elijah Chacko preach. But an upright reading of the report makes it very plain that this was preaching, for they directed the messages to their intended audience; they highlighted certain aspects of the messages; the sessions were lively at times; the hearers were summoned to respond… ‘the presence of the Spirit of God could be felt in the gathering as the conveyance came strongly.‘ The preacher (Naomi Chua) showed them their need for the Holy Spirit and made a call (once again) to respond.
An argument I have also heard frequently used is that of expediency: that Elijah Chacko uses women to be his ‘deputies’ only if there is a lack of capable men. But this report contradicts such a feint: Esther Yeoh and Naomi Chua were accompanied by Habakkuk Singh, a capable missionary who oversees the churches in the whole North-East Indian region. [It was he who very appropriately preached on one of the sabbaths. It is he whose name comes first in the credits.] These young ladies were preaching not just to children, nor just to sisters, nor even just their contemporaries, but they were preaching to churches and gatherings of leaders, including Japheth Debbarma, the most senior Tripuri leader.
Why in truth did the preaching fall to university-age striplings? For this is not an isolated case, but is a pervasive feature of Elijah Chacko’s ministry. When there were critical pastoral issues amongst the churches in China, he chose his wife Deborah to address them and instructed her to preach in the Lord’s Day worship. Elijah spends a very great amount of his time in private with the womenfolk. He often claims that they surpass the brothers in doctrine and abilities. He intentionally removes them from the authority of their husbands and local elders and when he is absent instructs the sisters remaining in Singapore & Johor Bahru to hold their worship services and prayer meetings separately from the brothers. He would have the women to answer to none but himself. Their husbands know little of their comings and goings, their errands and private meetings. The reason for these appalling irregularities is found again in 1 Tim 2:14 – ‘And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.‘ Elijah needs people who unquestioningly follow his instructions. It was Eve who was deceived – and a young Eve is easier to mould to his purposes than a wiser and more experienced one. It is a heady experience for a young woman to represent a man like Elijah Chacko and have entire churches hanging on their every word. If anybody dare question them, let them know that they are questioning Elijah Chacko! But if any should expose these young ladies of heresy, then Elijah can wash his hands of them and accuse them of misrepresenting his doctrines. To see how pliable and useful Esther and Naomi are to their surrogate father, go to the rebuttals section and read how they address Chia and Lim, before whom they should be silent. The girls speak with the boldness and confidence of those who have been unleashed against Elijah Chacko’s enemies. It is as it was in the days of Isaiah: ‘As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths (Is 3:12).‘
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