Please turn to Ephesians, the letter to the Ephesians, chapter 1, verses 9 and 10.
Having made known unto us the mystery of His will,
according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Him,
unto a dispensation of the fullness of the times,
to sum up all things in Christ,
the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth.
The same chapter, verses 22 and 23:
And He put all things in subjection under His feet,
and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
which is His body,
the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.
And the same book, Ephesians chapter 4, verses 15 and 16:
But speaking truth in love,
may grow up in all things into Him, who is the head, even Christ;
from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together
through that which every joint supplieth,
according to the working in due measure of each several part,
maketh the increase of the body
unto the building up of itself in love.
And finally, Colossians chapter 2, verse 19. We will not read it in the negative, as it says, so we will read it in a positive way:
Holding fast the Head,
from whom all the body, being supplied and knit together
through the joints and bands,
increaseth with the increase of God.
Dear Lord, as we continue in Thy presence, we look to Thee to speak through Thy Word, by Thy Spirit, to us.
We want to tell Thee, Lord, we are here for what Thou hast to say to Thy church. Reveal Thyself to us. Speak to our spirit. Bring us into Thy truth, that Thy purpose may be fulfilled to the praise of Thy glory. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.
Brothers and sisters, we have been sharing together on this matter of the corporate life, or, to put it another way, the body life.
But in order to really live that body life, there is a most important basic principle, and that is the headship of Christ. In other words, if there is no headship of Christ, there will be no body life.
Thank God, we know one thing: that God’s purpose for man is corporate. You remember when God created man in Genesis 1:27:
And God created man in His own image,
in the image of God created He him;
male and female created He them.
So, by the very act of creation, we know that God’s purpose for man is not individual; it is a corporate person. Man and woman, male and female, created them. The two are united in one. They live a corporate life.
And that is God’s eternal purpose for human beings. But unfortunately, when sin entered into this world, that corporateness was broken.
You remember, after Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they found themselves naked. They hid themselves among the trees when they heard the footsteps of God. And God said, “Adam, where are you? Why is it that you are naked?”
And you remember Adam: instead of confessing his sin, he tried to put the sin on Eve, and more than that, on God Himself: “You gave me the woman.”
In other words, immediately you find that individualistic approach—self, for himself. And the same thing with Eve. When God asked Eve, she said, “Well, it is not me; it is the serpent.”
So you find that whenever sin enters in, the corporateness is gone. Everyone becomes individualistic, all by himself or herself. So that is what is happening in this world.
But thank God, God reacted, and He reacted to recover God’s eternal purpose concerning man.
So that is the reason, when we look at the redemption of our Lord Jesus, it seems very easy to think of the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus purely from a personal, individual viewpoint.
We thank God that He sent His only begotten Son into this world. We thank God that our Lord Jesus died on the cross for us. We thank God that He has forgiven our sins, that He has given us life. But we hold an individual, personal approach: God and me.
But when you look at the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus, He is not only to recover us as individuals, but He is to recover the full purpose of God concerning man.
And therefore, you find the life that He has given us is the same life that He has given to each and every one of us. And by that life, He is uniting us once again together into one body.
The redemptive work of our Lord Jesus is not just reaching individuals. The redemptive work of the Lord is to recover the fullness of God’s purpose.
And if that is the case, you will find this is why we are not only being saved individually. We are not only given life, each and every one of us, but this life unites us together. And the Bible tells us we become the body of Christ.
Salvation reaches not just to individuals; it reaches to fullness, to the recovery of the corporateness of the redeemed. So therefore, brothers and sisters, we do praise and thank the Lord.
After we are saved, we do not only just think of ourselves. We begin to think that we are members of that one body of Christ.
There is not only that personal spiritual life that we have to seek after. It is true; it is basic. But more than that, there is a church life, a corporate life, a body life, that we have to live in.
But, brothers and sisters, we may talk about church life. We may talk about body life. We thank God that there is a life within us. It is not a selfish, self-centered life. The life within us is Christlike. It is the life of the body as well.
But for that body life to become a reality in us, there is a most basic and important principle that we have to understand—and not only understand, but enter into.
Now, if the headship of Christ is not established in us, there can be no body life.
So far as God’s salvation is concerned, there is no problem. Because when He saves us, even though He saves us individually, He saves us to bring us into that body.
So, as soon as we believe in the Lord Jesus, whether you know it or not, you are not only conscious that you belong to the Lord, but at the same time you are conscious that you are not alone, that you have your brothers and sisters. That is very evident.
You know, when you are saved, immediately you find there is a relationship, a living relationship, between you and God. You begin to call God Father. There is a living relationship there.
But at the same time, when you meet any brothers and sisters—anyone who is saved, knows God, knows the Lord—immediately you find there is a bond between you and that person. And we know that that bond is even stronger than the bond of flesh and blood.
So far as God’s salvation is concerned, there is no problem. It is there. But so far as we really live in the reality of that body life, there is a problem.
The problem is not with God’s salvation. The problem is with our condition. It is because we still have self-life in us. If we live according to the flesh, then we are not able to live the body life.
So, brothers and sisters, what we are concerned with is: how can we really enter into the reality of body life? How can we really be, as members, one of another?
Now, when you are thinking of this problem, the first thing that will come into your mind is the headship of Christ. Without the headship of Christ, there cannot be body life.
So this morning, we would like to share together on this matter of the headship of Christ.
In Ephesians chapter 1, verses 9 and 10, we are told of the eternal purpose of God.
You know, brothers and sisters, body life is not just a temporary thought of God. It is the eternal will of God. And then Ephesians chapter 1 says, “Having made known to us the mystery of His will.”
God reveals to us the secret of His heart. And this mystery of His will is according to His good pleasure. In other words, that is what God is pleased with. Now, if God is pleased with it, surely that is what we should be pleased with.
He purposed in Himself, even before the foundation of the world. That is to say, before anything was ever done, God had already decided there is one thing that He wants, and He will do everything according to that will, that purpose.
So it is intensely important, brothers and sisters, for us to know what is behind the mind and heart of God. What is it that God has really desired to have? What is it that really explains all the works of God?
To head up all things in Christ—that is what it is. The headship of Christ: that is in the very heart of God. He wants Christ to be the Head of all things.
Not only the things on the earth, but even the things in the heavens—all things. All things were to be headed up in Christ, summed up in Christ. Christ is to be all and in all. Now, that is the mind of God.
And this mind of God about the headship of Christ is especially related to the church. Because here, in the same chapter, verses 22 and 23, it says God has put all things under His feet. Now, that is just another way of saying the headship of Christ. God put everything under His feet.
And He gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, which is His body.
Christ is to be the Head of all things, and being the Head of all things, He is to be the Head of the church, His own body, to make it His fullness.
In other words, here you find the headship of Christ is especially for the body, in order that the body may be filled with His fullness. Now, that is God’s eternal purpose. That is God’s pleasure. That is God’s will.
When you talk about the headship of Christ, what do you mean by it? I think there are at least two things included.
Number one: the head, or the headship, speaks of fullness.
When you think of your head, you find that it is the center of wisdom and of power. There is a fullness there. So the Bible says, “All the fullness of the Godhead dwelleth in Him bodily.” The head speaks of fullness.
Everything that you can think about God is in Christ, in the Head. There is nothing missing. We can say that all that God is, is there—no more, no less.
It is the pleasure of the Father to give all that He is and He has to the Son. It is in Christ; it is in the Head. Can you think of the fullness there? We can never comprehend the fullness of God—all that God is.
We can never understand how full is His love, how full is His holiness, how full is His righteousness, how full is His almightiness, how full is His glory. You know, we can never, never be able to comprehend, because it is way beyond us.
But one thing we do know: whatever you can think of God, it is in Christ Jesus and nowhere else. God has put all that He is, all that He has, into His Son. He is the fullness of God.
If you see the Son, you see the Father. He declares the Father. You know, in the old days God spoke to the prophets in many parts and in many ways, in pieces and bits; but in these last days, He speaks in the person of His Son.
So, when you think of head or headship, it speaks of fullness. Number two: when you think of head or headship, you think of authority, because the head is the center of authority.
You know, in Romans 13:1 it says, “There is no authority except from God.” In other words, in this universe, Who is the authority? Where can you find authority? God. He is the authority of the universe.
There is no authority outside of Him. He is the center of authority, and all authorities come from Him. So that is what the headship of Christ is.
Now, having seen what the headship is, we would like to come to the practical side. How does it work in the body?
You know, brothers and sisters, this physical body of ours is a good illustration. It is not a full illustration, because the spiritual body—the relationship between Christ and the church—is far more than the relationship between this physical head and the physical body. But at least it illustrates the principle.
When do you have a healthy body? When your body is rightly related to the head. If there is any cutoff somewhere, the body is either sick or dead.
But this is more than a physical thing, because the relationship between the head and the body is not just an outward joining together. It is more than that.
The head is the seat of command, of authority. And you find that everything goes from the body to the head, and from the head to the body. The whole body is related by a nervous system.
And all the impulses, all the things that come from outside, will be related back to the head, to wait for the head to give the command as to how to act and react. That is how this body and the head are so intimately related.
If there is any blockage in a member of the body, even though it may be outwardly connected, but if there is any blockage within so that the nervous system is blocked, the command cannot go through it. Immediately you find you are sick, or it will end in death.
That is how intimate, how real it is. And I believe we all understand that.
But when you come to the spiritual reality, the relationship between Christ as the Head and we as the body is even closer, more intimate than that.
Here you find our Lord Jesus. He is the Head of the church, His body. And we are all members of that body.
When our Lord Jesus was on earth, the Word became flesh, incarnated, tabernacled among men, full of grace and truth.
That personal body of our Lord Jesus did not give Him any problem. That body was in perfect submission, perfect obedience, perfect cooperation with the Head.
But on the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit came down from heaven and one hundred and twenty members were baptized into one body of Christ—the spiritual body, the mystical corporate body of Christ—theoretically, there should be no problem. But practically, we have problems.
This is not just an outward joining together. This is an inward reality.
Now, the Holy Spirit is like our nervous system. The Holy Spirit, in each and every one of us in the body of Christ, is here to represent Christ, to represent the Head.
How do we know the headship of Christ? How do we know His mind? How do we know His fullness? How do we know His authority? It is by the Holy Spirit.
And you know the wonder of salvation: when we believe in the Lord Jesus, not only is our dead human spirit quickened into life, into a new spirit, but the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in our spirit. So He is there. The nervous system is there.
The Holy Spirit is in each and every redeemed child of God. You know, in the old days, the Pentecostals did not believe that when you believed in the Lord Jesus, you had the Holy Spirit. They said you did not have the Holy Spirit until you had the baptism of the Holy Spirit by speaking in tongues.
But from the Word of God, we find that God gave us not only a new spirit, but He put His Spirit into our spirit, and we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
So this inward spiritual system is already there in the body, and it should work perfectly. So far as God’s salvation is concerned, it should work perfectly. But unfortunately, it is not that simple when you come to practicality.
The Holy Spirit represents the fullness of the Head, as well as the authority of the Head.
If we want to really experience the fullness of the Head, we have to obey the authority of the Holy Spirit.
And this obedience is absolute. It is not conditional. It is not partial. It has to be total. So we say that our obedience to God is absolute: no bargaining, no discount. As He says, so we do.
Now, brothers and sisters, the problem here is: do we really give the Holy Spirit absolute obedience? We should. But why is it not so?
So this brings us back to this matter of consecration. What is consecration?
Consecration is that you yield yourself. You give yourself completely to the Lord, to the Head. You accept His headship without questioning, without reservation.
That is what Romans tells us. After chapters 1 through 11, with all the mercies of God that He has shown us in Christ Jesus, how should we respond?
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual service.
We have to begin, after we have received all the mercies of God. How should we begin? We begin by presenting our bodies. Why? Because our bodies represent our whole being—everything. No reservation.
Not like the other offerings, other sacrifices. The burnt offering is a whole offering—outside, inside, everything. We present our bodies a living sacrifice.
We live henceforth our lives as a sacrifice, as something already given to God—not ours anymore. We have given up our right over ourselves. We are not our own. We are totally His. Brothers and sisters, we have to begin there.
Now, it is very true: you cannot do that unless you are constrained by His love. Because who is willing to give up himself to somebody else in such totality? Nobody will.
So this is first love. It is love that constrains us to do that.
But you have to remember that consecration is not just one act. You have to take the first step, but there is a way of consecration, a consecrated life that you have to live.
Not because five years ago you consecrated yourself, so everything is okay. No. Where are you today? Are you still in that way of consecration? And it has to go deeper and deeper.
Consecration, as our brother Nee says, is our first Christian experience as well as our last Christian experience.
So do not think that you consecrated yourself five years ago and that solves the problem. It does not. It just puts you on the way of consecration. You have to daily consecrate yourself.
The continual burnt offering has to be offered, one in the morning and one in the evening, and the fire of the burnt offering never runs out.
So, dear brothers and sisters, is our consecration real today? Is our consecration living today? This is a question we have to ask ourselves every day.
Are we totally giving up ourselves to Him and allowing Him to have absolute authority over us? The Bible sometimes calls the Lord Jesus the despot. Why? Because it is absolute authority—no question.
So, when it comes to your experience, brothers and sisters, I believe every one of us has gone through such experience: how we argue, how we delay, how we try to offer something else instead of absolutely obeying the Holy Spirit.
So this is the first thing. I will reserve the process a little bit later, but I would like to continue on with another thing.
You can say it is easy to say, “Yes, I am under the authority of the Head.” Why? Because my Head is perfect.
Now, it is easy to say, but it is not that easy to really live out. But oftentimes we feel, “Well, I am willing to be absolutely obedient to the Head, listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit.” This is basic, yes.
But when you think of a body, does every member of the body relate directly to the Head?
If my head and my feet are all related directly to the head, why is it a monster? No such thing.
And furthermore, if every member is related directly to the head, then where is the body? Have you ever thought of that?
We think that the authority of the Head comes directly to us individually, because everyone is directly related to the Head. In one sense, spiritually, yes; but in another sense, no. Why? We are the body of Christ, and we are members one of another.
As 1 Corinthians 12 says, we are the body of Christ, and members in particular. Now, what does it mean? It means that God has set us in the body as particular members in the body.
You look at my body. My body has many members, some visible, some invisible. But every member is particular. My hands are different from my feet. My heart is different from my mouth. Everything is different.
So, in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, we find it says, “If the ear shall say, Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body; it is not therefore not of the body.” And if the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” can it do that?
Can we choose to be that particular member of the body which pleases us? If you read 1 Corinthians chapter 12, it is evident: God has placed us, has set us, in the body as various members of the body. We have no choice.
You cannot be the other member of the body. It is God’s authority. He puts each and every one in the body. There is a divine order, and that divine order comes from God. He set it.
So no member can boast, nor can complain. It is God’s will, and this is something we have to see and understand.
Furthermore, when He puts us as members in the body, He puts us in such a way that all the members of the body are related.
No member can exist by itself. All the selfishness must go. All the self-centeredness must go. All the “I, me” must go.
Isn’t that wonderful? So that is why you find in Psalm 139 it says the body is wonderfully and fearfully made. It is wonderful, but it is beautiful.
Think of that. If you are all by yourself, it is wonderful, but it is not beautiful. But if you are joined with your brothers and sisters, it is wonderful and it is beautiful. But this is the wisdom of God.
So you find that the problem in living body life is twofold. On the one hand, is your relationship with the Head living? Number two, is your relationship with your brothers and sisters living and right?
If either of these two goes wrong, you are not able to live the body life. The body life is broken.
So, brothers and sisters, when I meditate on these things, I think, “Well, Lord, it is wonderful, but it is beautiful.” So what should we do?
On the one hand, we need to give the Head absolute obedience. And on the other hand, we need to submit to one another in the fear of Christ. Ephesians 5:21.
We do not give our brothers and sisters, the members of that body, absolute obedience. No. Nobody is worthy—only Christ.
We do not follow any man absolutely. That leads us into destruction. But we do need to submit ourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.
I submit to you, not because of you, but because of Christ—Christ in you.
So it is not just a submission to a person. Now, this is our problem. We think, when we submit, we are submitting to a particular person. Now, who is that person to whom we should submit?
Sometimes a big member has to submit to a small member, and vice versa. Not your choice. It is Christ, in the fear of Christ. It is for the body’s sake.
So, brothers and sisters, when you consider these things, it is not as simple as you think. You know, it is easy to talk about body life, but to live body life is not that simple, not that easy.
It demands a great deal of us. Are you willing to pay the price for the purpose of God to be fulfilled? Or are you ready to keep yourself and destroy the purpose of God? Which way do you choose?
That is the reason why you find, in the Word of God, such exhortation that we have to have the right mindset.
You know, Ephesians chapter 4 says:
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord,
beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called,
with all lowliness and meekness,
with longsuffering,
forbearing one another in love;
giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit
in the bond of peace.
We have been called to be the body of Christ. It is a high calling, a holy calling, a heavenly calling. Now, how can we walk worthily of the calling wherewith we have been called? With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace.
Philippians 2:1 says:
If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ,
if any consolation of love,
if any fellowship of the Spirit,
if any tender mercies and compassions,
make full my joy,
that ye be of the same mind,
having the same love,
being of one accord, of one mind;
doing nothing through faction or through vainglory,
but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself;
not looking each of you to his own things,
but each of you also to the things of others.
Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
The mind of Christ: humility, willing to empty yourself, humble yourself.
Colossians 3:12 says:
Put on therefore, as God’s elect, holy and beloved,
a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering;
forbearing one another, and forgiving each other,
if any man have a complaint against any;
even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye:
and above all these things put on love,
which is the bond of perfectness.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
to the which also ye were called in one body;
and be ye thankful.
Now, these are only a few illustrative passages.
So, in order that we may be submissive to one another in the fear of Christ, we need to develop a mindset. We need to have the mind of Christ.
We need to look at ourselves not above what we should think of ourselves, but we need to see our brothers and sisters as more excellent than we are.
And when we have that kind of mindset, then the Holy Spirit is able to use the cross to work in our lives: to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.
Brothers and sisters, unless we have that kind of mind, the mind of Christ, there is no way to deny yourself. There is no way to take up the cross. There is no way to follow the Lord.
This wonderful, beautiful, heavenly, glorious body life demands a great deal of us. Our Lord Jesus Himself has gone through it.
So He is able to save us to the uttermost. We have to confess we are not able. Who is able to live such a heavenly life, the body life? We cannot.
He is the great High Priest, interceding for us incessantly to bring us into that full salvation, to the eternal purpose of God.
Brothers and sisters, that humbles us. Who are we? What are we, that He can do such a work as to bring us into the beauty of that body life?
Isn’t that wonderful? Oh, worship Him.
May the Lord really speak to our hearts. Brothers and sisters, the time is short. His will has to be done.
He will have a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, to present it to Himself when He comes back. The Lord help us.
Dear Lord, we do realize it is not just an individual thing that is involved. We realize that it involves Thy eternal purpose.
We come before Thee in fear and trembling, lest in any way we come short of Thy glory.
We pray that, on the one hand, Thy glory will so attract us and make us willing to pay any cost, if it can be said at a cost.
Lord, our heart’s desire is: Thy will be done—not our will, but Thy will be done.
We look to Thee, knowing that Thou art able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we may even ask or think of. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.