Women encouraged to proclaim gospel with every act

FRISCO  Using five words from Mark 14:3-9 that she said she intends to be engraved on her own tombstone, Dorothy Patterson encouraged women to recognize they are proclaiming the gospel through every act of devotion to the Savior.

In her message to the women’s session of the Empower Evangelism Conference in Frisco on Feb. 28, Patterson related the example of the woman who anointed Jesus with oil and received his commendation: “She has done what she could.” Patterson observed that the action took on more meaning as “the only anointing our Savior had before his death.”

An author, theology professor and the wife of the president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Patterson cited the order in which the phrase is offered in the Greek text?”what she could she has done”?in order to describe the intended emphasis.

“It hits home the idea that anything you do as unto the Lord Jesus is received by him in just that way. It takes on a new importance. It is your sacrifice, your gift to him,” she said.

Recalling Jesus’ correction of those who tried to dismiss the woman’s offering, she quoted his response, “‘Wherever this gospel is preached, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.'”

She spoke of the mistaken tendency to think the only way the gospel is proclaimed is through singing, preaching or reading Scripture. “No, ladies, you are proclaiming the gospel with every act of devotion to the Savior when you do what he has told you to do.”

Women at the session also heard testimonies from Angela Thomas of Greensboro, N.C., and Pam Tebow of Jacksonville, Fla. Thomas encouraged women to let go of their bitterness over past circumstances in order to fully embrace God’s forgiveness.

Tebow, a former missionary to the Philippines and mother to Denver Broncos’ quarterback Tim Tebow, challenged women to make positive, life-impacting spiritual influence one of their greatest priorities.

“The more you trust your Master the more you realize that he loves us so much that he gave his Son and that tremendous, miraculous, motivating love overflows from you to everybody around you over whom you have great influence. That is the cornerstone of an influential life,” Tebow declared.