The Head
During this week’s teaching, the preacher reminded us of a question asked by Rodney King “why can’t we all get along?” This question by itself was enough to make me spend the rest of the week thinking about the answer. But the preacher didn’t stop there and asked the same question a second time, but in the context of the church “why can’t we [the members of the church of Christ] get along?” This wasn’t the core of the teaching, but it certainly left me thinking, “Why?”
Thank God that he always has an answer for a worried heart: “Everybody wants to be the head.” Sounds harsh, but my experience is that I have found myself thinking “I would have done things in a different way.” Lets be honest: who has not had that kind of thought?
The Bible clearly states that Jesus is the Head, and we are the body of the Church. All the instructions for the body are controlled by the head, with the rest of the body following along.
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. – Ephesians 4:4-5
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. – Ephesians 4:15-16
Now, if the church would be run the way each member want to run it, it would be an aberration.
- If each body part does what it wants, the church would be a dysfunctional body with each part moving in a different direction, or
- If each body part was a head, the church would be a multi-headed monster with its heads fighting each other (it is interesting that Revelation presents the enemy of God as a multi-headed dragon [Rev 12:3,13:2,17:3] )
It is sad to find the church fighting itself instead of following Jesus guiding us in the conquer a world in need of him. When a part of a body fails to do its function and dies, it is removed from the body so the rest of the body is not affected. I definitely do not want to be that part of the body. I don’t want to die of spiritual gangrene.
This is not a message with the purpose of making anybody sad, but a wake-up call to let us know that is time to stop listening to the schemes of the enemy against the church, submit to the leadership of the Head through the Holy Spirit, and advance in the direction of victory for all of us, and those who are to come.
Oh God! We have been deceived by our own thoughts thinking that we can lead the church better than others, when the truth is that none of us can lead the church, but only the rightful Head: Jesus. Forgive us for trying to take a role that is not ours, and help us to watch for one another as a single body that is purified by obedience to Your word, and works as one, so Your name is glorified in us.
until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. – Ephesians 4:13
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