Set Apart Femininity - Chapter 9

Sacred Ceremony


Joining the Fellowship of Set-Apart Femininity

"This sacred work demands, not lukewarm, selfish, slack souls, but hearts more finely tempered than steel, wills purer and harder than the diamond."
- Pere Henri Louis Didon

Holy Kinship

"When Amy Carmichael began her work of rescuing children from temple prostitution in India, she longed for other women to join her - women who were 'wholly devoted to Christ and separate in spirit from the world.' Not surprisingly, women like this were hard to find, and Amy labored alone for many years. But eventually, God drew seven young women to join her in fulfilling the sacred claim of the set-apart life. Amy wrote, 'These girls were seeking to live a life of unreserved devotion, a life without fences.' They formed a sacred fellowship, covenanting together to live in unity, prayer, and absolute devotion to Jesus Christ."

These women formed the fellowship called "The Sisters of the Common Life." In March of 1916 they went into the forest for a time of prayer and consecration. It was during this time that they drafted their written covenant, signed it solemnly before God and each other and committed themselves to live by its principles. Their covenant was as follows:

• My Vow - Whatsoever Thou sayest unto me, by Thy grace I will do it
  
  
• My Constraint - Thy love, O Christ, my Lord
  
  
• My Confidence - Thou art able to keep that which I have committed unto Thee.
  
  
• My Joy - To do Thy will, O God
  
  
• My discipline - That which I would not choose, but which Thy love appoints
  
  
• My Prayer - Conform my will to thine
  
  
• My Motto - Love to live: Live to love
  
  
• My Portion - The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance.

When hard times came for these women, and the world's allurements seemed to much to thwart, they remembered their sacred ceremony, and held fast to the creed they had sworn to uphold. It was an accountability before man and God that they would keep forever.

Leslie Ludy complied a Set-Apart Femininity covenant for you to sign, to remember as you face trials and to keep you accountable when tempted by the world around us.
"Remember that in signing the following confession, you aren't merely committing to the principles expressed in this book, but you are joining the ranks of set-apart women throughout history - Vibia Perpetua, Catherine Booth, Gladys Aylward, Amy Carmichael, Elizabeth Fry, Sabina Wurmbrand, Jackie Pullenger, and countless more."

"Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."
Hebrews 12:1

You may be alone physically as you sign this covenant, but you are not spiritually alone. Our great cloud of witnesses is cheering you on. There is a remnant of young women in todays culture also who are signing. On top of all that, Jesus Christ is standing beside you, joyfully welcoming you to join the priveleged few who are called to be His true ambassadors of light in a dark and perverse generation.

The Creed of the Set-Apart Young Woman
Taken word-for-word from the book Set-Apart Femininity by Leslie Ludy. Emphasis added.

As a young woman submitted to the ruling grace of Jesus Christ, I acknowledge that my life is not my own. I have been purchased by the spilling of my Messiah's blood. I surrender this earthly feminine vessel unto my Lord and proclaim that He may do with my life as He sees fit in order to establish His kingdom here on earth, make ready His bride, and bring about His glory.

The Sacred Intent of Femininity:
I acknowledge the sacred intent of set-apart femininity. I acknowledge that my life is to be spent wholly on the establishment of Christ's kingdom and glory. I have been asked by the Most High God to be the bearer of His holy name, the house of His holy presence, and a demonstration of a clear, undiluted, and unmarred picture of His kingly beauty for all the people of this earth to see. I acknowledge this sacred intent and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Design of Femininity:
I acknowledge the sacred design of set-apart femininity. I understand that in and of myself, I possess no true beauty or piety, but that in covenant exchange with the Almighty, I have yielded my body unto Jesus and He desired to adorn me with His spectacular, heavenly beauty. I will no longer allow the voice of my selfish, sinful side to rule my actions and daily decisions; rather, I will submit to the voice of God's Spirit within, leaning on His enabling grace to live the radiant, victorious, supernatural existence that I could never achieve in my own strength. May He instruct me, correct me, train me, and tenderly shepherd me in the hallowed art of being set apart for His pleasure and glory. I acknowledge this sacred design and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Priority of Femininity:
I acknowledge the sacred priority of set-apart femininity. I understand that I am made to love intimately and be loved intimately. But I choose to no pervert this innate need by seeking its fulfillment from men, but rather, that I would find this hunger satisfied in the intimate embrace of Jesus Christ. I acknowledge Him as my Prince and Bridegroom, my dearest heart-friend. I claim that my life, my faith, my hope, and my love spring forth from this wellspring, this reality. And whereas God may choose to give me an earthly groom, a mere man can never and must never replace the position Christ holds within my heart. I acknowledge this sacred priority and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Decorum of Feminity
I acknowledge the sacred decorum of set-apart femininity. I understand that my body is the temple of the Most High God, not to be tainted or defiled by what is unclean. I choose this day to agree with God and to never willfully profane His truth by attempting to make it fit my self-agenda. By God's enabling grace, I will love the things that God loves and hate the things that God hates. I will not love the world or the things in the world, but will give my thoughts, time, energy, and attention to the sacred things of His kingdom rather than the profane things of pop culture. I acknowledge this sacred decorum and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Mystique of Feminity
I acknowledge the sacred mystique of set-apart femininity. I realize that there are dimensions of the feminine nature intended to be kept contained and hidden from all but Christ and my future spouse in the context of marriage. I understand that by maintaining the beautiful mystery of the "hidden person of the heart," I am demonstrating the beautiful mystery of the Gospel. I choose to allow the Almighty to hide me, quiet me, and jealously guard me in accordance with His sacred sense of dignity and mystery. I acknowledge this sacred mystique and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Ardor of Femininity
I acknowledge the sacred ardor of set-apart femininity. I understand that to truly love my future husband well, I must love Him with the very love of Christ. As Christ loved me and gave Himself for me, I will seek to sacrificially love and serve my future husband both now and after marriage. Rather than fighting for my own needs and rights, my goal will be to lay my life down on behalf of my spouse. And even if no earthly love story comes my way, it will be my supreme joy and privilege to serve others and wash their feet, doing for others what Christ has done for me. I acknowledge this sacred ardor and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Cultivtion of Feminity
I acknowledge the sacred cultivation of set-apart femininity. I realize that the work of God must progress and not stagnate within my soul. I understand that I must wrestle in prayer for the fullness of Christ's work to be made manifest in my life and in the lives of others around me. I will not accept breaches in the walls surrounding my soul, but will seek, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to place brick upon brick until every last access point in my life is sealed off for Christ's glory. I uderstand that the Almighty must prepare me for the holy work of Christ's kingdom by diminishing my flesh and cultivating His strength and spiritual authority in my life. I acknowledge this sacred cultivation and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Claim on Femininity:
I acknowledge the sacred claim on set-apart femininity. Christ's blood has purchased me and is making me whole so thatI, like my Messiah, might become broken bread and poured out wine for this world. Just as the Holy Spirit has claim on my spirit, soul, and body and is authroized to do with my life as He wills, so too the Holy Spirit has asked me to become willing to allow Him to lend "His claim over me" to the lost in the world, the poor, the orphan, the widow, the blind, the lame, the deaf, the naked, the imprisoned, the outcase, the oppressed, and the lonely - that my life might become bread and drink for them, and that through my willingness to be broken and spilled, they might see, comprehend, and place their trust in the person and glory of God. I acknowledge this sacred claim and commit, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the fulfillment of this high calling.

The Sacred Ceremony
I hereby state that my body and my blood are my God's to spend and that He has both an "intent for" and a "claim on" my feminine existence. I recognize that without the enabling power of God's grace I am incapable of living out his high and holy pattern for femininity and, therefore, such a life and testimony of sacred set-apartness can only be achieved through a constant abiding in Christ's life, love, and strength. Therefore, I hereby beckon the Spirit of God to tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist me with this holiest of endeavors, that by His almighty power I might demonstrate clearly to the world His grand kingdom and His great glory.


Signiature _______________________

Date ________________



"Comrades, let us be resolute. Let us, by whatever name we are called, be Soldiers, Nazarites, Priests. Some will praise us, some will blame us; let us not care too much about either praise or blame. Let us live looking up, looking on, stading true by the grace of Him who has called us."
Amy Carmichael, 1867-1961

(A printable version of this creed is available at Leslie's website: www.setapartgirl.com)

Set Apart Femininity - Chapter 8

Sacred Claim

Awakening Femininity's Greatest Call

Leslie Ludy was asked by one of her readers why she constantly references Christian heroes like Amy Carmichael and Gladys Aylward. The reader wondered why Leslie never talked about normal, everyday Christians living in America. Leslie's reason? Most average American Christians are living self-serving, pleasure-seeking lives. We don't need any more average Christians. We need more Elisabeth Elliots and Amy Carmichaels.

Most of modern Christianity goes out of its way to convince us that the Christian life is all about us. And it doesn't take much for them to get us convinced, either. Here's the publisher's description of that popular woman's book Captivating. "The message of Captivating is this: Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation." What is meant by the term "your heart"? According to Captivating's author, "The heart is who we are. The real self. Me. My heart is me. The real me. Your heart is you."

So, in other words, you matter more than anything else in Creation? Is that true?

"Do you matter more than the 143 million orphans around the world, starving, scared, abandoned, and alone? Do you matter more than the millions of Latin American street children who hide in alleys and old buildings to escape the "death squads" of corrupt policemen who hunt them down for sport? Do you matter more than the millions of elementary school-aged girls kept as slave prostitutes in South America? Do you matter more than millions of starving kids who live in dumps and eat buzzard soup or dead dogs to survive? Do you matter more than the countless African boys who have seen their parents killed and been forced to rape or kill to stay alive? Do you matter more than the scores of six-year-old African girls who have been repeatedly brutalized and raped by HIV-infected men?"

I think you know the answer to those questions. We are so protected and free here in America. Especially those of us who have grown up in Christian homes. I, personally, have been SO blessed to grow up in a Christian home. Jesus Christ is a household word in our family (and not used in vain). My parent's rules (though seemingly overly strict and horrible at times ;-) ) have protected me beyond my imagination. I'll admit, sometimes (most of the time!) its hard for me to think about the starving children in Africa, when I'm having a bad day. Or even when I'm having a good day! I'm in my own world, many American Christians are. We are so wrapped up in our own little lives, our own little issues that we forget about the rest of the world. How many times have I obsessed about some sort of drama amongst my friends, and not even thought about the abused girls in the slave trade, who would do anything to have a life as good as mine.

"We do not live in a world of peace and harmony. There are urgent battles for injustice waiting to be rescued. There are millions of precious children facing unspeakable suffering."

And I sit here, thinking about my shopping trip later this afternoon, what I'm going to wear on Sunday and how I'm going to deal with a girl I don't like but have to be nice to anyway.

"And like Jackie Pullenger said, if Christ's set-apart ones do not act as His hands and feet to them...who will?"

During the Holocaust, wealthy Christians sat comfortably in their church singing hymns at the top of their lungs only to drown out the anguished cries of the thousands of Jews who passed by in cattle cars on their way to death camps.
"Most of us would be horrified at the thought of ignoring a cattle car of screaming Jews as they were hauled away to their deaths. But we do it every single day when we turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to the millions of destitute and dying who urgently need our help. We do it when we spend all our living on self-indulgent pleasures instead of on rescuing abandoned children. We do it when we go on luxury cruises instead of outreaches to the poor. We do it when we have movie marathons instead of prayer vigils for the oppressed. We do it ever time we make our own comforts and happiness the highest priority. We do it whenever we fall for the idea that we are the most important people in all creation."

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." Luke 9:23-24

Our hearts are not the most important thing in the world. The pattern of the gospel is to do as Christ did, to seek and save the lost.

"Our hearts are valuable to Christ, yes. He loved us to intensely that He gave up His very life to rescue us and set us free. But why does He set us free? Why does he make us whole? Why does He protect us, heal us, bless us, and provide for us? Why does He make us into strong, valiant, virtuous women? So that we can spend our lives living in selfish pleasure, comfort and ease? So that we can selfishly soak up the benefits and blessings of Christ while the rest of the world is dying?"

He sets us free so we can be like Him. He set us free so that we can be fore others as He was for us - a poured-out living sacrifice that places others' needs above our own.

"If you have chosen the set-apart path of a woman who fears the Lord, your life is not your own. The Spirit of Christ has a claim upon you. You have a call upon your life. You have a job to do. He has called you to minister His love to those in need. This sacred claim is the highest privilege we could ever receive. We can never repay what Christ did for us on the cross. But because He has made us His hands and feet to this world, we have the incredibly opportunity to give to other the very same astounding, transforming love that He gave to us."

Our act of worship is offering our bodies to Him as living sacrifices. This isn't sitting around in a church building singing about how much we love Him (though that is good, too). It is demonstrating Christ's never ending love to those who so desperately need it.




"And the King will answer and say to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."

- Jesus Christ

(P.S. Check out www.braveheartedgospel.com to learn about more opportunities to become part of an international rescue mission for orphans and enslaved chidren around the world)

Feminine Inspiration

(once again, compliments to the sartorialist)

Feminine Inspiration

(compliments of the sartorialist)

Set Apart Femininity - Chapter 6, Part II

Sacred Cultivation

Unearthing Femininity's Valiant Strength

Fortification
The Impervious Christian Life

"Despite the popular notion today that it is more spiritual to remain weak, struggling, and vulnerable, God desires to build us into valiant, valorous, fortified warriors who fear none but Him alone and are vulnerable to none but Him alone... the chief word that characterizes the Proverbs 31 woman is strength."

But how do we obtain this unshakable confidence when all around us people are wallowing in their insecurities? The answer is that we must become fortified Christians.
"A fortified Christian woman has an impenetrable barrier between her and the enemy. She has put on the full armor of God and is able to resist the devil, no matter what fiery dart he tries to throw at her."

Many of us live our lives defenseless against the devil's attacks because the walls to our strongholds have been broken down and are in shambles. In order to truly be able to defend ourselves we must be made strong and secure.
"You may feel weak, frail, and vulnerable, but He is ready to make you stronger than you ever thought possible."
The strength and god-given power that we read about in scriptures is not impossible to have today. God is still the same as He was all those years ago, it is us who've changed. Take David, for example. He was a lowly shepherd boy. I imagine him as scrawny and gangly with hardly an ounce of muscle on him as he played the harp and help sheep in his arms. But God turned him into such a valiant warrior that he killed lions and bears with his are hands and slay a giant with a slingshot. What God did for David he also wants to do with you.

Fortification Step 1: Identifying Breaches

The first thing Leslie Ludy did to begin her fortification process was to pray. She asked God to show her the breaches in her spiritual wall.
"Was there anything I was allowing into my life, no matter how small, that was providing the enemy access?... Lovingly and faithfully He helped me close off all enemy access points. As my breaches were identified and dealt with, I found that my prayers were more effective, the Word of God was more alive, and my intimacy with Christ was more vibrant. Instead of constantly warding off enemy attacks, I now had two hands free to being rebuilding the wall around my spiritual life."

Some breaches in your spiritual wall might include:
Past Sins
Sinful Strongholds
Satanic Objects or Activities

Fortification Step 2: Making a Sacred List

A sacred list is a listing of all of the things in your life which don't reflect the glory and triumph of Jesus Christ. If you struggle with insecurity or self-pity, put that on your list. If you don't sleep well at night, put that on your list. If there's someone you have a difficulty getting along with, put it on your list.
When you've finished prayerfully making this list, go back over it and give these issues special attention as you read your Bible, pray or simply live your life from day to day.

Fortification Step 3: Wrestling Until Break of Day

Prayer is our secret weapon. "If we desire to be free from enemy stronghold over our lives and fully fortified to live the superhuman existences God intended us to live, then we must learn how to pray."

Chapter 6, Part III coming soon! This last section of this chapter is about the mighty power and understand of prayer.

Feminine Inspiration

A Challenge to Women

By John Piper
January 1, 1995

1. That all of your life—in whatever calling—be devoted to the glory of God.

2. That the promises of Christ be trusted so fully that peace and joy and strength fill your soul to overflowing.

3. That this fullness of God overflow in daily acts of love so that people might see your good deeds and give glory to your Father in heaven.

4. That you be women of the Book, who love and study and obey the Bible in every area of its teaching. That meditation on Biblical truth be the source of hope and faith. And that you continue to grow in understanding through all the chapters of your life, never thinking that study and growth are only for others.

5. That you be women of prayer, so that the Word of God would open to you; and the power of faith and holiness would descend upon you; and your spiritual influence would increase at home and at church and in the world.

6. That you be women who have a deep grasp of the sovereign grace of God under girding all these spiritual processes, that you be deep thinkers about the doctrines of grace, and even deeper lovers and believers of these things.

7. That you be totally committed to ministry, whatever your specific role, that you not fritter your time away on soaps or ladies magazines or aimless hobbies, any more than men should fritter theirs away on excessive sports or aimless diddling in the garage. That you redeem the time for Christ and his Kingdom.

8. That, if you are single, you exploit your singleness to the full in devotion to Christ and not be paralyzed by the desire to be married.

9. That, if you are married, you creatively and intelligently and sincerely support the leadership of your husband as deeply as obedience to Christ will allow; that you encourage him in his God-appointed role as head; that you influence him spiritually primarily through your fearless tranquility and holiness and prayer.

10. That, if you have children, you accept responsibility with your husband (or alone if necessary) to raise up children who hope in the triumph of God, sharing with him the teaching and discipline of the children, and giving to the children that special nurturing touch and care that you are uniquely fitted to give.

11. That you not assume that secular employment is a greater challenge or a better use of your life than the countless opportunities of service and witness in the home the neighborhood, the community, the church, and the world. That you not only pose the question: Career vs. full time mom? But that you ask as seriously: Full time career vs. freedom for ministry? That you ask: Which would be greater for the Kingdom— to be in the employ of someone telling you what to do to make his business prosper, or to be God's free agent dreaming your own dream about how your time and your home and your creativity could make God's business prosper? And that in all this you make your choices not on the basis of secular trends or yuppie lifestyle expectations, but on the basis of what will strengthen the family and advance the cause of Christ.

12. That you step back and (with your husband, if you are married) plan the various forms of your life's ministry in chapters. Chapters are divided by various things—age, strength, singleness, marriage, employment choices, children at home, children in college, grandchildren, retirement, etc. No chapter has all the joys. Finite life is a series of trade offs. Finding God's will, and living for the glory of Christ to the full in every chapter is what makes it a success, not whether it reads like somebody else's chapter or whether it has in it what chapter five will have.

13. That you develop a wartime mentality and lifestyle; that you never forget that life is short, that billions of people hang in the balance of heaven and hell every day, that the love of money is spiritual suicide, that the goals of upward mobility (nicer clothes, cars, houses, vacations, food, hobbies) are a poor and dangerous substitute for the goals of living for Christ with all your might, and maximizing your joy in ministry to people's needs.

14. That in all your relationships with men you seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in applying the Biblical vision of manhood and womanhood; that you develop a style and demeanor that does justice to the unique role God has given to man to feel responsible for gracious leadership in relation to women—a leadership which involves elements of protection and care and initiative. That you think creatively and with cultural sensitivity (just as he must do) in shaping the style and setting the tone of your interaction with men.

15. That you see Biblical guidelines for what is appropriate and inappropriate for men and women in relation to each other not as arbitrary constraints on freedom but as wise and gracious prescriptions for how to discover the true freedom of God's ideal of complementarity. That you not measure your potential by the few roles withheld but by the countless roles offered. That you turn off the TV and Radio and think about...

The awesome significance of motherhood

Complementing a man's life as his wife

Ministries to the handicapped

* hearing impaired
* blind
* lame
* retarded

Ministries to the sick:

* nursing
* physician
* hospice care—cancer, AIDS, etc.
* community health

Ministries to the socially estranged:

* emotionally impaired
* recovering alcoholics
* recovering drug users
* escaping prostitutes
* abused children, women
* runaways, problem children
* orphans

Prison ministries:

* women's prisons!
* families of prisoners
* rehabilitation to society

Ministries to youth:

* teaching
* sponsoring
* open houses and recreation
* outings and trips
* counseling
* academic assistance

Sports ministries:

* neighborhood teams
* church teams

Therapeutic counseling:

* independent
* church based
* institutional

Audio visual ministries:

* composition
* design
* production
* distribution

Writing ministries:

* free lance
* curriculum development
* fiction
* non-fiction
* editing
* institutional communications
* journalistic skills for publications

Teaching ministries:

* Sunday school: children, youth, students, women
* grade school
* high school
* college

Music ministries:

* composition
* training
* performance
* voice
* choir
* instrumentalist

Evangelistic ministries:

* personal witnessing
* Inter Varsity
* Campus Crusade
* Navigators
* Home Bible Studies
* outreach to children
* Visitation teams
* Counseling at meetings
* Billy Graham phone bank

Radio and TV ministries:

* technical assistance
* writing
* announcing
* producing

Theater and drama ministries:

* acting
* directing
* writing
* scheduling

Social ministries:

* literacy
* pro-life
* pro-decency
* housing
* safety
* beautification

Pastoral care assistance:

* visitation
* newcomer welcoming and assistance
* hospitality
* food and clothing and transportation

Prayer ministries:

* praying!!!
* mobilizing for major Concerts of Prayer
* helping with small groups of prayer
* coordinating prayer chains
* promoting prayer days and weeks and vigils

Missions:

* all of the above across cultures

Support ministries:

* countless jobs that undergird major ministries

What is Set-apart femininity?

"Set-apart femininity blends the classic womanly grace and dignity of an Audrey Hepburn with the sacrificial, poured-out-for-Christ lifestyle of an Amy Carmichael. It's true feminine beauty merged with absolute abandonment to Jesus Christ. It's the sparkling, vibrant, world-altering, Christlike version of femininity that your King created you to exude."

- An excerpt from Leslie Ludy's new book, "Set-Apart Femininity"