The Head of the Church

 Every organization has a head. The church is not different in this regard. The apostle Paul wrote, “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22-23)

The understanding of Jesus being the head of the church is of great importance. When you take a moment and consider all the different religious beliefs in this world, it can appear overwhelming. The light that enables us to see through all the confusion is the light of Christ.

When it comes to worship, for example, there are many ideas presented by Christendom that are most often in direct conflict with one another. However, a return to the biblical pattern provided by the authority of Christ allows us to see the matter clearly.

Jesus stated to the woman at the well, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24). The term “spirit” indicates that one is worshipping God from a sincere heart. The term “truth” indicates that one is worshipping God in the manner that He has proscribed.

If we are not careful, our minds can wander off while we are singing praises unto God. It is impossible to worship God in truth if we are unaware of the words we are singing. Equally true, it is impossible to worship God in truth if we are insincere about the words we are singing. For example, our lips may sing, “Here am I, Lord send me” while our hearts may proclaim, “Here am I, please send someone else!” (cf. Exodus 4:13)

Not only do we worship God with sincerity, but also in the proscribed manner. The apostle Paul addressed how we are to sing unto God. He wrote, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:19)

We sing each of these different types of songs when we worship God. Psalms are either directly from the book of Psalms or are an adaptation from them (e.g. As the deer -Ps 42). Hymns are songs that give praise unto God (e.g. Hallelujah Praise Jehovah). Spiritual songs are they that teach a spiritual lesson (e.g. Yield not to Temptation)

When we sing, we also note that the melody is made in our hearts before the Lord and not on a mechanical instrument. This is according to the pattern of New Testament Christianity and the authority of Christ.

When we praise our God from a sincere heart and in the manner that He has directed, then we know that we are right with Him and that we are indeed the New Testament church with Jesus as our head.

God Bless each of you,

Eric Hicks