1. WOMEN DISCIPLES OF CHRIST Luke 8:1-3

2. Christianity has lifted woman to a new place in the world … And just in proportion as Christianity has a way, will she rise to a higher dignity in human life … what she has now, and all she shall have of privilege and true honor, she owes to that gospel which took those qualities which had been counted weak and unworthy and gave them a divine glory in Christ.”

3. Tradition and culture has relegated women to unjust, partial, biased, discriminatory and bigoted place under the sun. Thanks be to Christ. Women are not just supporters and helpers in the vineyard of the Lord. They are co-workers, co-laborers, co-missionaries.

5. The Hebrew word for women is ‘ishsha, which is derived from the root word which connotes “to be soft and delicate.”

6. The word ‘ish (man) seems to come from the root word ‘___ y-sh, which means “to be strong.”

7. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

8. When God created mankind, He “created both male and female.” What will happen to mankind if all the population are male? Or all female? Humanity will perish.

9. God created both male and female, not one or the other. This means that the image of God appears equally in both male and female. Both male and female mirror the nature of God.

11. St. Augustine writes: “Despise not yourselves, ye women: the Son of God was born of a woman.” (On the Christian Conflict)

12. “Woman I hold, is the personification of self- sacrifice, but unfortunately today she does not realize what tremendous advantage she has over man. As Tolstoy used to say, they are labouring under the hypnotic influence of man. If they would realize of non- violence they would not consent to be called the weaker sex.”

13. Women are not only co- workers in the vineyard of the Lord. Discipleship begins from birth. The cultural and religious biases of man have relegated women to the background. However, Christ did not confine His ministry to men. From birth to His death, women played important roles as faithful advocates of the Gospel.