Where is Your Head?
Posted: Tuesday, April 22, 2008
by Dennis Hill
Sagacity LLC & Boundless Partners, Inc.
In recent decades much has been made among Christians about leadership. Unlike the Jews portrayed in the Gospels who claimed no other king than Caesar, believers have accepted the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ. Then why so many books written, conferences held, and a variety of structures implemented on leadership? The Bible makes God's intentions and direction quite clear – He is to be our God and Ruler of all. That Christ is to be our Head is explicitly declared, and as we're instructed by the Spirit-led reading of His Word, we are expected to respond in obedient submission. Fundamentally, it is His mind which we are to "put on" daily, and wondrously, we observe the grand diversity of God in the diversity of His flock in Christian worship, fellowship and service rendered by His beloved.
So what's a disciple of Christ to do individually?
(1) Read the Bible as much as possible…don't skimp – feast on the Word.
(2) If he doesn't understand or get the point of certain Scripture, pray for wisdom and guidance from the Lord…
(3) And if he still doesn't get it, move on and rest in the Lord, waiting on Him and His timing to dispense the wisdom and understanding sought in that particular verse – press on.
Now, some identify from Scripture the corporate relationship as a place where people come together in bible study, fellowship and worship. This is true and soundly patterned in Acts 2:42. However, one whose head is Christ decides whether to put on His mind or continue in his own way or in that of another person. On this last point, one must never surrender headship to another person, despite their charisma or Bible knowledge? The wisdom of God is first pure (James 3:15) and directly imparted by the Holy Spirit to the believer. It is the Holy Spirit who teaches all things freely given by God (1 Cor 2:12-13).
The Lord, Himself, declared the veracity of His Word and who would impart it to us…it is none other than the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures.
?25?These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. ?26? But ?the ?Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will ?send in My name, ?He will teach you all things, and bring to your ?remembrance all things that I said to you.1
And what about the record of the Lord's teaching for our remembrance? Where is that contained, but in none other than the Holy Bible? As He appeared to the men on the road to Emmaus, the Lord is reported in Luke's Gospel as having related the Scriptures to Him…
?27?And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. 2
All Scriptures concern the Lord Jesus Christ – Old and New Testament. As a blessing, the Word of God penetrates man's humanity and stirs his heart, as these Emmaus-bound travelers confirmed later in the same account…
?32?And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" 3
Reading the Word is not merely an intellectual exercise or investigation - the Word is of God - His personal communication, plain and simple. God has promised us a Helper who teaches us all things, and the God raises some to be instruments of His divine will…
11? And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ?12? for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, ??for the ?edifying (building up) of ?the body of Christ, ?13? till we all come to the unity of the faith ??and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to ?a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ?14? that we should no longer be ?children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of ?deceitful plotting, ?15? but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head-Christ- ?16? ?from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.4
Too many so-called "leaders" in churches insist on substituting themselves as a temporal or local "head" for believers, hanging their credibility on extra-biblical requirements and even man-made credentials, such as theology degrees and seminary training. While some well-intentioned people have developed these systems to prevent false teaching, mankind's corrupt nature and inclination to synthesize or add-to God's plan (and Scriptures) has prevented some godly men from being formally recognized. Nonetheless, God's will is not thwarted since the sheep hear His voice. Much to the envy of some in authority, these men raised by God and not recognized by men are well-used of God – some are forced to go underground like in oppressive countries, or God makes a way as well-lit as a runway for them to deliver the Gospel. While such persecution has no place in the body of Christ, it is evident in the temporal churches of men. The church, established in Acts 1:8 really did not comply with the directive to take the Gospel to the whole realm until Acts 8:1 when it was persecuted and dispersed. We should not forget that the Jews who declared Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah were among fellow Jews, and today – unlike the militant period of the Reformation - we see divisions and splits among brethren over nothing more than politics and personalities.
But it is in unity in Christ that we come together. When men operate outside the Bible and reject the leading of the Holy Spirit, instead basing their actions on the way one's father may have done things, or doing things the way other local churches or denominations do things, or perhaps even the way they, as a local body, have done things historically, running on automatic and not examining their actions and standing on the Word of God in each case, then the result of such man-made, extra-Biblical, albeit expedient processes are often man-made results. Ultimately, the lamp light dims, sin rises and becomes open, and the fellowship breaks-down into cliques and divisions.
God's Word declares the individual is better off trusting in the Lord than in men and princes (Psalm 118:8-9). All pointing the believer to trust in the Lord, the purpose of local assembly is contained in Acts 2:42,
?42?And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' ??doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 5
First note the order of these – the first being steadfast in the apostles' doctrine or put another way, studying the Word of God – the Old and New Testaments. Sadly, we find entire families attending church cook-outs and movie nights who rarely, if ever, attend Bible studies. Even sadder are those meetings which are labeled as Bible Study, but in actuality study uninspired books and commentaries, histories and analyses about the Bible, often excluding the examination of God's Word directly – chapter-by-chapter, verse-by-verse. Such teaching discounts the "whole counsel of God" as declared in the Scriptures (Acts 20:27) and suggests the uninspired works of men are somehow on the same level of authority as the Scriptures. We ought to remember that God's communications are worthy of our trust.
Believers develop a discernment of God's Word from that of men by being immersed in God's Word. Moreover, many believers today abdicate their responsibility in developing a personal relationship with the Lord by avoiding personal study in His Word. They choose to go to church each week to listen to eloquent speakers who drop this name and that name, quote this commentary or that encyclopedia. They are mere scribes, repeating what God led others to write when they themselves may not even believe in what they are saying. Recall that the scribes by the time of the Lord's own ministry on the earth had degenerated into a class of religionists devoid of authority (Matthew 7:28-29). Men – even good and godly men – must never replace the headship of Christ in the believer's life. Likewise, such men must never substitute a work of man for the Word of God.
The Jews of two thousand years ago, the Apple of God's Eye, were the first to receive God's offer of salvation, yet they rejected Him. Today, the same diseases of rejecting the headship of Christ, placing man's works on par with Scriptural authority, and ignoring the promise and blessings associated with instruction through God's Word by the Holy Spirit are leading many down the road to perdition…as Peter warns…
14? Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent ?to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; ?15? and consider that ?the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation-as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, ?16? as also in all his ?epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 17? You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; ?18? but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 6
The Scriptures – the words of God - empower and refresh while the words of men enslave. Meanwhile, be encouraged by the fact that God is in control and makes all things work for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Read the Bible – pray for wisdom and understanding – and wait patiently on the Lord for His goodness and timing if you don't "get it" right away. He is with you always! (Matthew 28:20) Trust in Him to complete what He has started in you (Phil 1:6). Make Him your head daily.
We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 7
For further reading and meditation:
Ezekiel 34 2 Corinthians 9:8, Hebrews 13:20-21
1 John 14:25-26.
2 Luke 24:26-27.
3 Luke 24:32.
4 Ephesians 4:11-16.
5 Acts 2:42
6 2 Peter 3:14-18.
7 1 John 4:6.
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