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“And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, that is, his body, that is, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22,23).
Paul wrote that God has made Christ “head of the church over all things.” This is consistent with what Christ Himself said to the apostles before His ascension to heaven: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20).
In its broadest, most universal sense, the term “church” includes all the saved everywhere. It is used in this sense in Ephesians 1:22,23. But it can also refer to a group of the Lord’s people in a particular place. So, for example, we read of “the church of the Thessalonians” (1 Thessalonians 1:1), “the churches of Galatia” (Galatians 1:2), and many other places. In this local sense, the Lord’s people do not merely share a saved relationship with Christ; They are able to “gather together as one congregation” (1 Corinthians 11:18 Amplified Bible) and jointly participate in the Lord’s work.
We need to reclaim the importance that first century Christians saw in the Lord’s church. In the local congregation, we need to see the essential nature of the arrangement as the Lord designed it. And beyond the local churches we attend, we need to value our relationship with the “brotherhood” (1 Peter 2:17; 5:9) – a relationship that is bigger than the affairs of our own local congregation, and one that, in fact, exists in heaven as well as on earth (Ephesians 3:14,15). When we give less importance to the church we hurt ourselves spiritually – and we hurt the Lord’s work of evangelism.
Above all, we need to emphasize the sovereignty of Christ over the church. The Church is “His body, His fullness that fills all.” God himself made Christ “head over all things in the church.” So again, it’s a privilege to be part of that body. And it means that we lovingly, radically and respectfully submit to Christ’s leadership.
“Christ is the head of His Church. His Word is the authority; all things relating to the Church are at His feet. Therefore, its characteristics must be determined by Christ. Questions must be answered by Christ; and problems must be solved by Christ. … If it is important enough to be an issue, it is important enough to let Christ settle it – that is, the New Testament must have the authority for our conclusions” (Robert F. Turner).
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com AreYouaChristian.com
