ATTRIBUTES—-
THE HEAD OF
THE CHURCH BODY
WHO IS GOD? THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH BODY
Our idea of God can often make Him seem so far away, so unreachable, and so other. But while He is infinitely above us, He is also intimately close to us. In fact, God’s Word describes Jesus as the head of the church body (Colossians 1:18). You can’t get closer than that!
Being part of His body—the church—means that the ways we interact with God and with all the people who are a part of His body are very intimately interwoven. The head can help the hand, and this enables the hand to help the broken toe (or any other part that needs care, attention, and love). Jesus is the one holding all the parts together so that we can grow spiritually healthy as individuals and as a body. Paul says it this way: “We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:15-16).
WHO AM I? A VALUED PART OF THE CHURCH BODY
People’s first impression of - Christians - followers of Jesus Christ—is the church. Let’s face it: That impression can often leave people not wanting to be part of that body. Why? Because we are not completely perfect yet. All of us who follow Christ, from the pastors to the elders to the kids running around during worship time, are works in progress. This means that we are all still growing to become like Jesus Christ, the perfect example of a sinless, loving human being. We’re not there yet.
However, we can rest assured that Christ is helping us to grow more and more like Him (Ephesians 4:15). Therefore, even though the church body is not perfect yet, we are a body with hope! We know that as we grow in love as children of God, He will draw more people to His body to know Him. We are a diverse body of people whom only the head—Jesus—can grow and unify. As we read in Ephesians, “This is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:6).
WHAT DO I DO? LIVE IN THE LIGHT
Every part of the body of Christ is valued. Because of who we are, our stories of salvation, the gifts the Holy Spirit has given us, and the ways we serve one another, we each bring unique things to the body. Even though we have different roles, we all have the same guiding purpose.
Each of us can find out where we best fit in the body when we join a local church. Therefore, the first thing we must do is get involved with a great church full of people who love Jesus. Then we will start to live out what Paul talks about in Ephesians 4:21-24: “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”
As this process happens to us individually, we will find that it will then help the “little body” of the local church grow, and this process will produce more healthy churches that will spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through the global church to the rest of the world. Remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount: “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). So shine!