Many believers suffer "spiritual malnutrition" from feeding on spiritually empty Bible teachings. Since the day man chose knowledge of good and evil over LIFE in the Garden of Eden, he has been compulsively seeking more and more knowledge. Even after being born again, he continues to experience that fruitless quest of knowing more and more about (essentially) less and less. While he should, and could, be satisfied knowing only, "Jesus, and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2) he wants to rapidly fill his mind with everything in the Bible plus such doctrines as he can understand and some he can’t. Paul said, "I will not dare to speak of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me…" Rom. 15: 18 Men go to Bible schools and seminaries to learn about the Lord Jesus Christ, then go out into the world to teach others what they have learned, which is nothing. Knowing about Jesus is not the same as knowing the man Jesus Christ who indwells the believer. Clearly, in his desire to appear SPIRITUAL before men and to satisfy his own infinitesimal intellect, man will refuse the pure milk of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, ignore His wonderful salvation and gorge himself on the corruptible fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He will come together with others in what is called a "church," not in praise of God and thanksgiving, but to hear a "sermon" or to have a ‘Bible" study. Beloved, if we will confine ourselves to speaking only those things that Christ has done in us, (our testimony, Rev. 12:11) the Holy Spirit of the Living God can provide all the teachings we REALLY need. It is a heart-wrenching pity to see so many beautiful Christians, once on fire through their contact with the Lord; now so spiritually weak with empty knowledge they can’t keep up with the moves of the Holy Spirit.
The Christian community is rife with educated but unsaved preachers who, through false credentials issued by spiritual imposters and approved by worldly government agencies, illegitimately supplant the true preachers and pastors ordained by God for the teaching and tending of His flock. The called men of God, who are the true guardians of our souls, cannot compromise themselves for state recognition and must, like Paul, earn their own livings while faithless flocks pour their money and substance into the coffers of corrupt and empty schemers preaching gospels which tickle ears. It is proof of their calling that the true "slaves of Jesus" continue to serve without compensation, solely for the glory that awaits those who are faithful to the end.
Paul said, "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness."(II Tim. 3:16) He did not lie but we do when we use the words of God to teach, reprove, correct or train others without the Holy Spirit directing our use of the Scripture. Just because a teaching is Biblically accurate does not mean that is what God would have us learn at this particular time. Regular reading of the Bible plus the devotion of time usually spent in "Bible studies" to prayer and praising the Lord will give the Holy Spirit opportunity to teach us all things according to our own individual needs. We even find that we do not need "Great Scholars" who can relate interesting trivia and even tell us what the Bible says "in the original Greek, Hebrew or whatever. (There is a place for scholars, make no doubt.) What we do need are self-sacrificing Christians who will lay down their own lives to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who need it, encouragement and exhortation to all of us and continuing words from the Throne of God as He directs them. When we come together with the right attitude and with God-ordained people in order to thank and praise the Lord, He is able to inspire a teacher or prophet, whom He has anointed, to speak a word or give a teaching that has been wrought in him. And, for our protection, He will have in attendance, men in authority, trained by Him, to discern the accuracy of the word brought forth with the power and willingness to gently make corrections as required. No teaching or prophecy should stand unless judged correct by the God-ordained Elders and/or Prophets.
Prophets are both male and female. In the spirit, there is neither male nor female. Before man was formed of the dust of the earth, he was created male and female in
the spirit. If we will worship God in spirit and in truth during our comings together,
His Holy Spirit will be free to move "upon all flesh: and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit." (Joel 2:28,29) To deny that the Holy Spirit of God can speak through women is not only to deny the sovereign power of God and His right to do what he wills in His words, but also to keep ourselves from hearing those things which would have been spoken through the women. Of course, the elders and prophets are still obliged to judge and correct any errors due to works of the flesh. A woman, not the Holy Spirit, is forbidden "to teach or exercise authority over a man but to remain quiet," (I Tim. 2:12)