“Hey, Stan,” I said one morning, “I heard that the community church over in Wilsonville hired a new pastor. You hear that?”
“I did hear that,” Stan replied. “In fact, I got to meet him the other day when I was over there for a welcoming community reception.”
“So you met him,” I said. “Nice guy?”
“Very,” Stan replied. “We had a nice conversation about where he came from, what he thinks of this part of the world, and, most importantly, he passed the test.”
“Test?” I asked. “What test?”
“Well,” Stan responded with kind of a sheepish grin, “rightly or wrongly, I have the tendency to ask people questions just to kind of test them to see where they are in their walk with God.”
“And you did that with the new pastor?” I asked a bit skeptically.
“I did,” Stan replied. “As I shook his hand and told him I was happy to meet him, I said, ‘So, you’re the new head guy.’”
“New head guy?” I said. “How did he respond to that?”
“Perfectly,” Stan responded. “He just looked at me for a few seconds, and then said something like he was not the new head guy. He said he is just the new pastor but he knows and works for the One who is the head of the church, Jesus Christ.”
“Great answer,” I commented.
“Absolutely,” Stan said. “When he said that, I really shook his hand and told him I was delighted to meet him. I then told him I didn’t live in Wilsonville, but I would be pleased to drive over if there was ever anything he thought I could do for him or the church.”
“Sounds like the church may have made a good choice for their new pastor,” I commented.
“I agree,” Stan replied. “Jesus is the head of the church. Period. Pastors and elders are to help lead the flock under the headship of Christ, but if they begin to think they are the head or heads of the church, trouble’s brewing and Satan’s smiling.”
“I hate it when he smiles,” I said.
“Me, too,” Stan replied. “And we can keep him from smiling about this if every person who is involved with the church keeps the perspective that Christ is the head. It’s His church. We are a part of the body and we are to be disciples.”
“By denying ourselves, taking up what God has for us to take up, and following Him wherever, however, and whenever He leads.”
“And remember the ‘whenever’ is always,” Stan concluded.
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Bible verses to consider:
And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:22-23.
And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. Colossians 1:15.
And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23.
“Tend My lambs, . . . Shepherd My sheep, . . . Tend My sheep.” John 21:15-17.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, that you gave your Son to be the head of the church. Thank you that you gave Him to be the head of me in every aspect of my being. Please forgive all of the times I have tried to assert headship over and above Him and you. I ask for your hand of blessing on the church so that the pastors, elders, and leaders will truly and continually submit to your headship and do what you have for them to do in denying self, taking up what you have for them to take up, and following you however, wherever, and whenever you lead. Please help me and them in following every step of you lead so you can use us however you want to help build and maintain a healthy church in accordance with your will. Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus, your chosen Head of your church. Amen.
Think on this: Have you accepted God’s headship in the sense of having accepted His free and gracious provision of life eternally with Him when your time here is completed? If no, why? If you are a Christian, how are you doing in submitted to the Lordship of the Head of the church in every aspect of your life? If you sense the need for change in how you view and respond to His Lordship, how is that going to happen? Is that what you want? Why or why not?
Waiting for the Train 