ICS Daily Devotions
Christ as the Head of the Church
Col 1:18a (NKJV) And He is the head of the body, the church.
We have a great chief Shepherd who is a strategist, achiever, and a victor. Therefore, the local church should be doing very well. If the local church is not doing well, it means it has not been connecting with the chief shepherd or she has been too engrossed in church politics. There are times when the church is operating without acknowledging or seeking what the Head of the church wants to do. In fact, we have often replaced Christ as the Head of the church with intellectual rationalization of men and expect the church to flourish. There is schism in the body when every part of the body is doing everything except following the instruction from the Head.
Nobody will debate whether Christ is the head of the church. Christ, the Head, directs the body, instructs the body, and motivates the body according to the sovereign will of the Father. The Head controls, directs, instructs, guides, motivates and keeps the body functioning according to His purposes.
It is up to the church to follow the will of God. Jesus has a plan and a calling for every church and the strategies can differ from one another. It takes humility both to seek the will of God and to follow the vision on the part of the entire body of believers. But it is possible and should be done.
As a church, we need to hear what the Heavenly Father wants us to do because Christ is the Head of the church and the body responds to the instruction. Jesus is the chief shepherd who leads His flock. and subsequently, the senior pastor is the under-shepherd who communicates the will of the Father to the sheep.
John 6:38-40 (NKJV) For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
While Jesus ministered on Earth, he never failed to hear the will of the Father, never failed to understand the will of the Father, and never failed to do the will of the Father. If we are aware of God’s will for His local church and our lives, then the rest will be easy to accomplish as a church. We have been asked to imitate Christ. This is one major lesson for us to learn from Jesus in our lives and that is to do the will of the Father. If all of us are to pursue the will of the Heavenly Father for our lives, it is an anchor for our walk of faith. We will be able to keep His will in our hearts and seek His Kingdom so that everything that we need will be given to us.
The great challenge is that many Christians expect God to answer their prayers but very few would like to walk in God’s will, and instead, they walk in their own ways! In the New Covenant, we are able to yield to the voice of God, walk in His ways and His plans. God expects us to do it. Likewise, the church is to walk in the will of the Father based on the instruction from Christ who is the Head of the church.
If the believers walk in the will of the Father for their lives, they will have faith in what the Lord has spoken; they will not be worrying while serving God. Let us be encouraged to walk in God’s will by living a consecrated life, and at the same time, make sure that we fulfill His calling together.
Sermon series: Our Church Experiencing God Together (CG Campaign 3)
