About the Author

Thomas Ray Floyd was born in 1953 in Simpson County, Mississippi, the son of Roy Thomas Floyd and Lina Sue Shows Floyd. Thomas Ray's mother was a member of a Primitive Baptist church, and he cut his teeth on the doctrines of distinguishing grace.

When he was a small boy, his father was converted to Christ and became a member of a Missionary Baptist Church. Thomas Ray joined the church of his father when he was 13 years old, and thought of himself as a Christian. The doctrines of grace that he had heard as a child continued to be precious to him and when he became an adult, he joined a Primitive Baptist Church. When he was 27, Thomas Ray made his first effort to preach the gospel in public and was ordained to the full functions of the ministry in 1985. In 1986 he was convinced under the preaching of Rolfe Barnard (by tapes from Mt. Olive Tape Library), the written sermons of Spurgeon, and the ministry of Elder Zack Guess that he had been a false professor and cried out in agony of soul to the Lord Jesus Christ to have mercy and truly save him. And He did! Floyd then began to preach the gospel as he had been taught of the Lord.

Floyd has pastored churches in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee and until recently was pastor of a church plant known as "Particular Baptist Fellowship." He and his wife Brenda presently attend Zion Baptist Church at Polkville, Mississippi, pastored by Elder Glen Hopkins. The pulpit ministry of Zion Baptist Church can be heard at Sermonaudio.com.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

A Woman's Calling

(Article for publication week of 10-30- AD 2014)

 
"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" (Titus 2:3-5).
For the past several weeks we have been writing on Great Faith as seen in the Roman Centurion in Matthew 8: 5-13 and Luke 7:1-10. This prompted us to make a practical point that a believer can honour the Lord in any lawful calling, and then we showed that a lawful calling is that which God has commanded by specific command or approbation, that which is in accord with God's moral law, and that which is glorifying to God and useful to our fellow man. This week we are compelled to write on one of the most needful, yet most neglected subjects in the scriptures, that is a woman's calling.
The scriptures plainly declare that a woman's calling is to be a wife and mother. She is to be a "keeper at home." We had a preacher who is proficient in New Testament Greek preach in our church a while back and he told us that in the Greek what this actually means is that a woman is to be a keeper at home! Women are not called to be construction workers,  doctors, lawyers, preachers, soldiers, engineers, nor politicians, nor anything except what my text says, to be keepers at home. Dear reader, if you try to argue with this you are not arguing with me, you are trying to argue against God Who has plainly said in His Inspired Infallible Word that women are to be keepers at home. But it is an argument in futility, for God will not be argued with.
Our communities and the whole country is coming apart at the seams, mainly because the family is coming apart at the seams. One of the main reasons for the disintegration of the family is the forsaking of the home by the women. I am old enough to remember when the Universal Plant opened up at Weathersby and the women of this county began to go into the workforce in droves. The very next year the suits for divorce in the Chancery Court doubled statistically. If you don't believe me, go to the courthouse and check the records.
The Biblical calling of being a keeper at home is the highest calling a woman can pursue. The woman who leaves her God ordained domain is not taking a step up, but a step down. God ordained this in the creation when He made Woman to be a suitable helper to Man (Genesis 2:18). God commanded man to be fruitful and multiply and take dominion of the earth. For this he must needs have a suitable helper. God has ordained Woman to bear children and for children to be raised up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord. The bringing forth of God's elect into the world is the first and chief reason for the marriage state. Dear ladies, you will never have a higher calling than that.
The happiest and most contented women that I know are those who understand and obey my text to be keepers at home. The woman who is a "daughter of Sarah" (I Peter 3:6), and is a suitable helper to her husband in his earthly calling, and a mother of children and a faithful keeper at home will do more positive and long range good for the kingdom of Christ than we will ever know in this life. "The Day will declare it."

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