That said, many churches confuse this fact through their forms. The confusion stems from what appears to be many "little heads" that come between Christ and his people. These little heads are the various forms of clergy that pervade church life. If you attend any worship service you'll see a small number of people who lead the activity and perform most of the tasks. From an observer's position, these folks seem to be in control.
In simple church life Jesus Christ is the only Head both in reality and in form. No clergy exists. When believers gather simply the only person in charge is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit leads the body in pointing to only one Head: Jesus. There is no confusion. There are no little heads. Jesus' Headship is unquestioned in belief, form, and function. As the above image suggests, we are all equal cogs in the life of the church with Jesus Christ at the center, unchallenged in any way.
Ephesians 1:22-23 says, "And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all."
Later in that same epistle we read, "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ" (4:15).
Colossians 1:18 informs us, "And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent."
None of these verses hint that Christ desires any sort of assistance in his Headship. Rather, he demands that he alone be supreme; everyone else serves in equal capacities as the members of his body. In simple church life this is a reality. Everything points squarely to Jesus as Head. No confusion exists or is tolerated. Nobody plays the middle-man role of little head.
The beauty of this is that everyone has a clear view of Christ. He receives all the glory while we receive the edification. Every body part is active in working with all the others to carry out the desires of the Head. All are equivalent in looking to the Head for leadership and guidance.
When the body works this way it is a wondrous thing to behold.
2 comments:
Great post! My two-cents:
For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are ONE body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Romans 12:4-5
Scripture clearly teaches that disciples of Jesus are equal members of just one body - the Body of Christ - correctly defined as the Ekklesia. Unfortunately, what most people consider the Body of Christ today are actually separate and competing non-profit religious organizations that call themselves “churches.”
But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church (Ekklesia), I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. ...What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you. 1 Corinthians 11:17,18,22
A Church becomes a government created and regulated entity once it attains a 501(c)(3) status. At that point, what may have begun as a group of local Christians assembling together as a Spirit filled and Christ led living integral part of the Body of Christ for fellowship, worship, encouragement, teaching and evangelizing is transformed into a distinct and separate legal entity created solely by the State, with the State becoming the "legal sovereign" of the church - its supreme authority. No longer a community of believers with Christ as their head serving under the direction of the Holy Spirit and answering only to God's word, the newly created government entity must now subject itself to the sovereign authority of the State and conform to all 501(c)(3) regulations like every other religious non-profit organization in America.
Corporation - 501(c)(3): An artificial person or legal entity created by or under the authority of the laws of a State. An association of persons created by statute as a legal entity. Blacks Law Dictionary. 7 Ed.
Unfortunately, the misguided and misinformed leadership of these corporate churches continue to believe and declare that Christ is the head of "their" church, when in fact, because their congregations have entered into a legally binding pact with the State, they are now bound to conduct ALL of their "church" business and activities under the strict direction of the State - not God's Word. They are legally bound to adhere to specific State rules and regulations; including limits on their speech and actions - regardless of what scripture commands. Acting in direct disobedience to God's word, these churches have willingly cut themselves off from the Body of Christ by subordinating the biblical headship (Christ) of their assemblies to the State; with any and all biblical directives being subordinate to 501(c)(3) regulations.
Eric,
Only one Pastor,Jesus Christ, the Head of His Body!
Post a Comment