Building Gods Kingdom #8: The Judaizers, Paul’s Stand and Women in the Church

Building Gods Kingdom #8 teaches that the kingdom of God never changes, but the way God administers it has changed from age to age, and in this age of grace Satan’s main strategy is to weaken the church by adding law back in. Dr. William P. Hohman follows Paul’s battle with the Judaizers in Galatians and then applies the same principle to one of the most debated questions in church life: may women speak, teach and minister in the church?

This message continues from Building God’s Kingdom #7: Women in Ministry & Kingdom Truth. Below you will find the full video, a structured summary of the sermon, every Scripture he reads (linked to the New King James Version on Bible Gateway), a timestamped outline, and practical steps for living it out.

Sermon at a Glance

This is the eighth session of the Building Gods Kingdom teaching at NTC Ministries, posted on May 29, 2025. It runs about 83 minutes. Pastor Hohman opens with a short review of the kingdom’s administrations, moves through the apostles and Paul’s conflict with the Judaizers, and spends the second half on women in the church, especially the hard verse in 1 Corinthians 14.

His thread through the whole Building Gods Kingdom message is simple. Satan has nothing new. In every age he tries to filter something into what God said so the Word loses its strength, and the answer in every age is to stand on the Word, stay in your lane, and let everything be done decently and in order.

One Kingdom, Many Administrations

Pastor Hohman begins with a review. The kingdom of God always was and always will be; it is simply the kingdom of God. What changes is the way it is administered, which the New Testament calls a dispensation. With Adam it was innocence. After the fall it was conscience, then human government at the Tower of Babel, then the covenant of promise with Abraham, then the law, where hearts grew hard. Each administration, he says, matched the heart of the people it was given to.

Then Jesus came, full of grace and truth. He fulfilled the law and delivered us from its curse (Galatians 3:13). God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law (Galatians 4:4–5). Grace, he stresses, does not mean you can do whatever you want. Gravity did not stop working when the administration changed, and the ocean still stays inside the boundaries God set for it. The law of reciprocity still operates.

The good of every earlier age now belongs to believers. That is why Abraham is the father of our faith: faith brings the promises into our lives. God also sanctioned three arenas, each with its own lane: the family as the foundation of society, human government, and the church. Even inside the church every joint is meant to supply its part.

Here he names what he calls the greatest problem any minister faces: another vision. Satan pulls leaders into watching other ministers, they get visions of grandeur, leave their lane, and frustrate everyone. “Just do what you’re told to do,” he says. The reward is the same for everyone who obeys. Paul warned that those who compare themselves among themselves are not wise (2 Corinthians 10:12).

Twelve Apostles, Matthias and Paul

Jesus preached that the kingdom of God is at hand, and He chose twelve apostles. In Matthew 19:28 He told them they would judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Pastor Hohman notes that twelve speaks of complete government. When Judas betrayed Jesus and died, the eleven waited for Pentecost, set qualifications from the Psalms and the prophets, and chose between two men who had been with Jesus from His baptism to His ascension. They cast lots, still a practice under the law, and the lot fell on Matthias (Acts 1:15–26).

A common idea is that Paul took Judas’s place. Pastor Hohman says no. The twelve were sent to the Jews, using the law and the prophets to declare Jesus as Savior and Son of God. Paul was caught up into the third heaven, received special revelation, and was sent to the Gentiles. From that revelation came the epistles, about two-thirds of the New Testament.

Paul was not less than the others. He was an apostle not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father (Galatians 1:1), and he says he was in nothing behind the most eminent apostles (2 Corinthians 12:11). His focus was simply different.

Pastor Hohman then explains why this matters. Just as Satan came to Adam asking whether God really said it, he comes into every age to corrupt the Word. Government, society and other religious orders all try to weaken the church, because the church carries all authority and all power from heaven. Jesus is seated in heaven; you are here, declaring truth by the power of God.

Satan’s tool is condemnation over what you used to do. Pastor Hohman answers with God’s covenant oath in Isaiah 54:9–10: as surely as He swore to Noah never to flood the earth again, He has sworn not to be angry with you or rebuke you. That confidence is why we can come boldly to the throne of grace for mercy and help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.

Standing Against the Judaizers

In Galatians 1:6–7 Paul marvels that the Galatians were turning so soon to a different gospel, “which is not another.” Pastor Hohman explains: what they thought was another gospel was no gospel at all, just people troubling them and perverting the gospel of Christ. When believers say they will live by the Word whatever government, society or other religions say, he teaches, they grow in power, strength, understanding and wisdom.

In Galatians 2:1–5 Paul goes up to Jerusalem fourteen years after his revelation. Pastor Hohman points out that Paul did not rush out to show what he knew; he waited until God changed him so he could bring it in love, speaking the truth in love to build people up. Jesus came not to be served but to serve and give His life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).

The key in the passage is Titus, a Greek, because the Judaizers wanted him circumcised, yet he was not compelled to be. The Judaizers were Jews who infiltrated the churches to add law to everything: yes, you are saved by grace through faith, but unless you are circumcised you are not really saved. Pastor Hohman says some modern Judaizers do the same with water baptism, which has its place but is not a condition of salvation. His verdict: baloney, and it does not matter how you cut it, it still smells like baloney. Salvation is confessing the lordship of Jesus Christ.

Paul refused to give in to the Judaizers even for an hour, “that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.” Pastor Hohman says believers must stand the same way. He believes a shaking is coming that will start in the church, demanding repentance from the little foxes that spoil the vine. Satan’s only tool, he says, is fear, but the phony will be shown to be phony, the real will be shown real, and the true church will rise.

Even Peter was intimidated by the Judaizers. In Galatians 2:11–14 Peter ate freely with Gentiles at Antioch until men came from James. Then he drew back out of fear of the circumcision group, other Jews joined his hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was carried away. Paul opposed him to his face, in front of everyone. Standing firm is not always easy, Pastor Hohman says, but Paul never caved.

Women in the Church: What Scripture Shows

The second half applies the same principle to women in the church, a subject he began in the previous session. You have to rightly divide the word of truth, Pastor Hohman says, not grab one verse and declare that women can do nothing. Whole denominations that keep women in the church from being apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors or teachers are holding back half the church. “We need everybody,” he says, man and woman alike. The fivefold ministry exists to train the people to do the work of the ministry, not to do it for them.

He walks through women God has used, from the old administration to the early church, to show that women in the church have always carried real ministry. The table follows his own list.

He also reads Psalm 68:11–12 in the English Standard Version: the Lord gives the word, and the women who announce the news are a great host. Even in the Old Testament, he says, women heralded the truth. Under grace there is neither male nor female; you just do what God tells you, with meekness but boldly.

Then he lists the passages on women in the church. Women were in the upper room praying (Acts 1:14), and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). God promised to pour out His Spirit on all flesh, and “your sons and your daughters shall prophesy” (Acts 2:17–18). Pastor Hohman explains that the Greek propheteo has two meanings: to foretell an event, or to speak out the Word of God by the unction of the Holy Spirit. Teaching the Word is prophecy in that second sense.

After the Sanhedrin released Peter and John, the believers prayed and all spoke the Word with boldness (Acts 4:31). The Lord has spoken; who can but prophesy (Amos 3:7–8)? God is always talking, he says; if you have not heard Him in a long time, renew your relationship with Him. In 1 Corinthians 14:26 each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, and the word brethren there means brothers and sisters, so women in the church are included.

In Romans 12:4–8 he notes that the phrase he who translates a small Greek word he says means whoever, man or woman. The gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:4–11 are given to each one for the profit of all, so a gathering of five or a thousand has every gift. Not all are apostles or prophets (1 Corinthians 12:27–31), but we earnestly desire the best gifts, which he defines as whatever gift someone needs. And all of it must flow from love.

Corinth and “Let the Women Keep Silent”

Pastor Hohman reads 1 Corinthians 14:1–5: pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, especially to prophesy. Tongues build up the speaker, like a battery charger; prophecy, or tongues with interpretation, builds up the church. Prophets are in control of their own spirit and can take turns, because God is not the author of confusion but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:29–33).

Then comes verse 34. After all those passages, does a blanket command for women to be silent fit the narrative? He says it does not. He mentions views that it was an interpolation or added later, since some manuscripts place verses 34–35 after verse 40, and he notes that the Greek word for woman there, which he renders gune, also means wife. But his own explanation rests on Corinth itself.

Corinth was a wealthy port whose temple of Aphrodite, he says, held more than a thousand temple prostitutes. Paul labored there a year and a half (Acts 18:11), and many converts came out of lifestyles that were hard to break (1 Corinthians 6:9–11). Few were wise, powerful or wealthy (1 Corinthians 1:26), wealthier members got drunk at the communion meal while others had nothing (1 Corinthians 11:20–22), and Paul wrote letter after letter to bring order.

So, Pastor Hohman teaches, verse 34 is about disruption, not a ban on women in the church. Women were calling out while leaders were evaluating prophecy, and Paul told them to be quiet then and ask their husbands at home. He also notes a commentator’s view that Paul may be quoting the Corinthians’ own letter and refuting it, and that “as the law says” points to Roman rather than Jewish law. Either way, he says, the very next words urge brothers and sisters to be eager to prophesy, and the theme of all Paul’s writing is “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:34–40).

He ties the teaching on women in the church together with Galatians 3:28, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus, and ends with 1 Peter 4:10–11: as each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, and if anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.

Living Out Building Gods Kingdom This Week

Pastor Hohman closes by telling the church that women and men alike are needed and that every believer should come alive spiritually. Here are practical steps drawn from this message:

• Stay in your lane. Do what God told you to do and stop measuring yourself against other believers or ministers.
• Refuse added law. The Judaizers still have imitators. When someone says grace is not enough without one more requirement, hold to the gospel the way Paul did with Titus.
• Come boldly. Answer condemnation with God’s covenant oath of mercy and approach the throne of grace with confidence.
• Desire the gift someone needs. Men and women in the church alike can ask the Holy Spirit to use them in whatever gift will build up the person in front of them.
• Keep it decent and in order. Minister with love and self-control, take turns, and welcome correction as part of growing up.
• Build yourself up. Pray in the Holy Spirit to strengthen your own faith, as Jude 20 teaches.

He reminds the church that no one is all that, and that ministry is never about looking spiritual. It is about people being blessed and God being glorified.

Timestamped Outline

• 0:00 Review: one kingdom, different administrations
• 1:13 Grace does not mean lawlessness
• 2:15 Family, government and church
• 3:16 Stay in your lane
• 5:29 Twelve apostles and Matthias
• 7:51 Paul’s calling to the Gentiles
• 11:28 Never rebuked: boldness at the throne
• 13:42 A different gospel: Galatians 1
• 15:46 Titus and the Judaizers: Galatians 2
• 18:44 A coming shaking in the church
• 20:37 Paul opposes Peter at Antioch
• 23:51 Women God has used
• 27:27 Junia and Psalm 68
• 31:00 Pentecost: sons and daughters prophesy
• 37:39 Romans 12 and the gifts
• 44:50 Earnestly desire the best gifts
• 49:19 Tongues, interpretation and prophecy
• 53:42 Verse 34: does it fit the narrative?
• 1:00:27 The city of Corinth
• 1:08:07 What Paul was really correcting
• 1:15:50 Verses where women teach
• 1:21:16 Next week: Ephesus and Timothy

Building Gods Kingdom Series

This message is part of an ongoing teaching series at NTC Ministries. Start at the beginning or keep going:

• First message: Building God’s Kingdom #5: House Owners Who Hold the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven
• Previous: Building God’s Kingdom #7: How Tradition Limits God’s Word and the Women He Uses in Ministry
• You are here: Building Gods Kingdom #8: The Judaizers, Paul’s Stand and Women in the Church
• Next: Building God’s Kingdom #9: Women in the Church, Corinth, Ephesus and Biblical Submission

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Pastor Hohman teach that water baptism is unimportant?

No. He says plainly that there is a place for water baptism and that he plans to teach on it. His objection is to making it a condition of salvation, the same way the Judaizers made circumcision a condition. Salvation, he says, is confessing the lordship of Jesus Christ under grace. Anything added as a requirement for being really saved is, in his words, still baloney however you cut it.

Should every message in tongues be interpreted?

Not according to this sermon. When a believer prays or worships in tongues, he says, they are speaking to God, and no one needs to understand. When God wants to speak to the gathering, the message must be interpreted so the church is built up. He adds that anyone with faith to give a message in tongues should have faith to interpret it, and that he is never without an interpreter.

What does it mean to prophesy in proportion to faith?

Pastor Hohman explains from Romans 12 that you cannot prophesy beyond the faith you have. He could not teach this message unless he honestly believed it was the Word of God, and he could not tell someone the Lord is giving them a child unless he truly believed it. Growing in faith and maturity is what lets the gifts flow accurately to help people.

Scripture References

All passages open in the New King James Version on Bible Gateway:

• Galatians 1:6–7 — a different gospel, which is not another
• Galatians 2:1–5 — Titus was not compelled to be circumcised
• Galatians 2:11–14 — Paul opposes Peter at Antioch
• Hebrews 4:16 — come boldly to the throne of grace
• Acts 2:17–18 — sons and daughters shall prophesy
• 1 Corinthians 12:4–11 — the gifts given to each one
• 1 Corinthians 14:34–40 — decently and in order
• Galatians 3:28 — neither male nor female
• 1 Peter 4:10–11 — speak as the oracles of God

How this summary was made: written with AI assistance from the sermon’s own transcript and checked against the Scriptures listed above.

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