This message is also printed in booklet form under the title: The Headship of Christ.
Ephesians 1:9-10
Having made known unto us the mystery of His will,
according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
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.
Ephesians 1:22-23
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 fullness of Him that filleth all in all.
Colossians 1:15-20
Who is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation;
for in Him were all things created,
in the heavens and upon the earth,
things visible and things invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;
all things have been created through Him, and unto Him.And He is before all things,
and in Him all things consist.
And He is the head of the body, the church:
Who is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead;
that in all things He might have the preeminence.
For it was the good pleasure of the Father
that in Him should all the fullness dwell.
Colossians 2:19
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, we want to thank Thee for calling us together to remember Thee at Thy table. Lord, we thank Thee that once again Thou hast assured us that Thou lovest us, and lovest us to the uttermost.
We thank Thee for the precious blood that cleanses all our sins. We thank Thee for Thy body that was broken, that we may have life, and life eternal. We thank Thee for the communion that we have with Thee and with one another.
Oh, how we praise and thank Thee for all that Thou hast done for us. Now, Lord, as we continue in Thy presence, we ask that Thou wouldst speak to us. Reveal Thyself to us.
Lord, we pray that Thou wouldst so make known Thyself to us that our lives may really be changed; that we may really live for Thee and not for ourselves. We ask that Thy Holy Spirit will give us wisdom and understanding, and bring us into Thy truth.
We commit this time into Thy hands. Our trust is in Thee. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.
It seems to me that there is one thing that has occupied probably most, if not all, of the brothers and sisters. And I really agree that this is something with which we should be occupied.
So I feel led this morning to share with you on this very subject: the headship of Christ.
The headship of Christ is the most important theme in the Word of God. As a matter of fact, it is the very heart of the eternal purpose of God. It is not a small matter.
Even before the foundation of the world, God purposed in Himself a purpose. It is called the mystery of His will. That is, He had a will even before the foundation of the world, before anything began.
God willed that will according to His good pleasure. In other words, it pleased Him to exercise His will and to set down a purpose. That purpose governs all His workings.
As we find in Ephesians 1:9-10, this will is that, in the fullness of time, God will head up all things in Christ—things in the heavens and things upon the earth.
To head up all things in Christ. Now, in different versions, you will find it expressed in different ways, but the meaning is the same: to sum up all things in Christ; to gather together all things in Christ; to gather all things unto Christ.
What does it mean? It means that it is God’s pleasure, God’s will, and a purpose which He set down even before the foundation of the world. He will never change that purpose.
That purpose is centred upon the headship of Christ. He wants His Son, His Christ, to be Head over all things. He wants all things to be gathered up in His Son. All things are to manifest His Son and to glorify His Son. That is God’s eternal purpose.
Because this is such a tremendous thing—the very centre of God’s will and God’s working—we find that throughout the ages this has been challenged.
It was challenged in the first world. When God first created this universe, His highest created beings were angels. Yet one of the archangels, a perfect created being, rebelled against God’s purpose.
He wanted to take the place of God. God accepted this challenge and cast out the angel who turned himself into Satan, the adversary of God.
Evidently, our solar system and our earth at that time were under his dominion. God had delegated authority to that angel to rule over our solar system. So, when he was cast out, the whole solar system entered into ruin and emptiness.
But God’s purpose cannot be defeated, and God’s purpose will never change. So He began to make this earth habitable again, and He made man to have dominion over the fowls of the air, the beasts of the field, and the fishes of the sea.
God’s purpose was to use man to restore all things back to the headship of Christ. But unfortunately, man again sinned and fell into the hands of God’s enemy.
But God never gave up. A second Man came into the world. He sent His beloved Son into this world to be a Man, and as a Man to bring the fallen mankind—and eventually the whole creation—back into God’s purpose: to gather up all things in Christ, that He may be Head over all things and that nothing may be excepted.
So, dear brothers and sisters, this matter of the headship of Christ is of tremendous importance.
We have heard this term, but what does it mean that Christ is to be Head over all things?
The Bible tells us that He is Head over all created things. He is Head over His church, His body. He is Head over every man. But what does it mean that He is Head?
I think, first of all, according to the Word of God, when we say Christ is the Head, it means that He is the beginning of all things—that everything comes out of Him.
He is the Head of the universe. Why? Because all things were created in Him, by Him, and for Him. Without Him, there would not be the universe.
He was the firstborn of all creation. The word firstborn there does not mean that He was the first created. It means that He has the priority and the sovereignty, because everything comes out of Him.
Everything was created in Him. In English Bibles we often say “by Him,” but actually, in the original, all things were created in Him. Why? Because everything comes out of His mind.
He is the Architect. He has the design in Him, and that design corresponds to His character.
I think it is very evident. When you see a beautiful building, sometimes you say, “Well, the building is a dead building, because it is made of stones and wood.” But in another sense, a building is living, because it expresses the character of the architect who designed it.
If the architect is a very artistic person, you will find that he will design a very beautiful building. It may not be very functional, but it is beautiful. If the architect is a very practical person, then he will design a very functional building, but it may not be beautiful.
So you find that the whole universe comes out of our Lord Jesus. It is out of His mind. It is His design. It reveals His character.
That is the reason why Psalm 19 says:
The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament showeth His handiwork.
That is why, in Romans 1, we are told that by looking at the things around us—the created things—we know the divinity and eternal power of God. He shows forth His divinity, His divine character, and His eternal power.
All things were created in Him, and all things were created by Him. When the whole universe had its beginning, our Lord Jesus was the Engineer. He is the One who created all things, and all things were created for Him.
God has established Him as the Heir of all things. He is the Owner of all things.
The same thing is true with the church. He is the Head of the body. Why? Because we find in Colossians that He is the beginning. Without Him, there would be no church. The church comes out of Him.
It is out of that pierced side that flowed water and blood, which became the material of the church. He is the beginning.
The church takes its character from Him, the firstborn from among the dead. In other words, the church is on resurrection ground; it is not on any old ground. That is the character of the church.
Individually, of course, it is very true: He is our beginning. We were at the end, condemned to eternal death, with no hope. Yet our Lord Jesus came. He rescued us. He redeemed us. He paid a tremendous cost for us.
He delivered us out of death into life and translated us out of the power of darkness into the kingdom of His love. Dear brothers and sisters, we have our beginning in Christ. He gave us a new life: Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Because of this, He is the Head. I think that is reasonable and understandable. He is the beginning. That is the meaning of the Head.
Anything that does not begin with Him is not in God’s will. Anything that does not begin with Him is a challenge to the headship of Christ, to God’s eternal purpose. God will meet that challenge, and God’s purpose will not be changed.
Secondly, He is not only the beginning, but as the Head, everything reveals and manifests His glory.
Everything will reveal something of His character. Everything will be governed by His character, and everything will manifest His character. That is the reason why He is the Head.
So far as the universe is concerned, it was created to manifest His divinity—His divine wisdom and His immeasurable power. You cannot confine Him. He is divine, and His power is eternal.
Unfortunately, all things have not manifested His glory as they should. But we do find in Hebrews 2 that we have not yet seen all things subjected to Him.
The whole world now is under corruption and emptiness, and all created things are groaning, waiting for the time of liberation. We have not seen all things subjected to Him, but we do see Jesus, made a little lower than the angels, suffering death for every man.
We know and believe that the day will come when all things will be subjected to Him and will manifest His character and glory.
The same is true with us human beings. We have fallen. We have come short of the glory of God. We have become a shame to His name.
But He has begun His good work in us. He has given His life and put His life in us. His Holy Spirit is working daily with us, bringing transformation: getting us out of death into life, out of the flesh into the Spirit, out of ourselves into Christ, until we are transformed from glory to glory according to His image by the Lord the Spirit.
We have not yet fully manifested the headship of Christ in our lives. Maybe to a little degree, but we are far from God’s purpose. Yet thank God, He is working, and one day He will bring us holy and without blemish before Him in love.
The same is true with the church. He loved the church and gave Himself for her, sanctifying her by washing her with water through the Word, that He may present her to Himself a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing—a bride fit for Him.
That is God’s purpose. So, brothers and sisters, the reason why He is Head is because everything is to reveal Him and manifest His glory. Therefore, He is Head. Whatever is contrary to His character and His glory challenges the headship of Christ.
Thirdly, He is Head because all things will be summed up in Him. Everything will return to Him. Everything will speak of Him.
We have not seen it yet today. That is why the headship of Christ is so important. It has been challenged, not only by the enemy of God, but also by every one of us. Daily, we are challenging it.
We do not allow Him to be our all in all. There are many areas in our lives which still reveal ourselves and not Him. We do not allow Him to be our Head; we want to be our own heads.
But the day will come when He will have it, because it is God’s purpose and it cannot be defeated.
What do we mean by the headship of Christ? Let us look from another angle.
First of all, the head is the seat of love.
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. God’s love is fully manifested in His Son. When our Lord Jesus gave Himself for us on Calvary’s cross, that was the full expression that God is love.
As we find in 1 John, you cannot doubt any more that God loves us, because He gave His Son to us.
He is Head because He is love. He created all things out of love. He created us out of love.
Is it not true that we come to Him, not because we are threatened by His power? He does not threaten us with His power. We come to Him because we are melted by His love.
It is love that draws us to Him. It is love that touches our hearts. It is love that makes us willing to give ourselves to Him and let Him be our Head.
As Head, He loves us. In Ephesians 5, the apostle touches on this matter of husband and wife. The husband is the head of the family. Why? Because he loves his wife. He loves his wife, cherishes her, and nourishes her.
Christ is the Head of the body because He is the Saviour of the church. It is His love. He gave Himself so much to the church; therefore, He is the Head of the church. He proved His headship by His love for the church.
The same thing is true with us individually. He shows His headship in our lives not by threatening us with lightning and thunder. Probably, if He did that, we might move a little more. But He approaches us with His love—amazing, unchangeable love.
We are melted. It is then that the headship of Christ is revealed. It is the seat of love.
Secondly, the head is the centre of authority.
It is strange, because in our concept love and authority contradict each other. If there is love, there is no authority; if there is authority, it is cold and harsh, with no love.
But as Head, the head is the centre of authority, for that authority is exercised in love. There is authority in love.
He is our Head because He loves us so much, so He has every authority over us. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. He is our authority.
When you touch the matter of authority, trace it to its source. There is only one source: God is the authority of the universe.
Out of His love came this universe. God is authority over all of us because He loves us so much. Aside from Christ, or from God, there is no authority. Any authority outside of Christ is a false authority.
He is the very seat of authority. The whole universe is under His authority. The church is under His authority. Each one of us is under His authority because He is our Head.
You know, it is just like the nervous system. Every member of the body, when it receives stimulus from outside, does not react in itself or by itself.
Whenever any member receives stimulus from the outside environment, it is relayed back to the head. The head gives command and tells that member how to react. So the reaction is not from that member; the reaction is from the head.
He is the authority. This ought to be true in each one of us. How do we act and react? Do we act or react from our own selves, or do our actions and reactions come from the Head?
It is His authority. He tells us what to do and how to react. It is His reaction. It is His action. His authority is being known.
Thirdly, the Head is the cause of unity.
Holding fast the Head, then all the members of the body are ministered to and united together, with every joint supplying, unto the increase with the increase of God.
The Head is the very reason for unity. Every member is different, brothers and sisters. Every member is different. It is not the will of God that we should be uniform.
We are all different, and yet we are one. How can it be? United by the Head. If we all hold fast the Head, then we all work together. If we do not hold fast the Head, we disintegrate; each goes his own way.
The Head is the seat of unity; He is the cause of unity.
Fourthly, the Head is the source of supply.
All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him bodily, and ye are complete in Him. He is the source of all supply.
As we are united with Him, joined to Him, and abiding in Him, we receive from Him the life, the grace, and the gift, that we may be able to minister to Him and to minister to one another.
We draw all our supplies from the Head.
Dear brothers and sisters, because of these four reasons, He is the seat of love, the centre of authority, the cause of unity, and the source of all supply. In these four different areas, we discover the headship of Christ.
Now let us be practical. The headship of Christ is not theoretical. It is not merely a theological thing. It is very practical.
God means it to be practical to the whole universe, to the church, and to individuals. Again, I want to emphasise: God’s purpose will not change. We have to change, but God will not change.
Let us begin with ourselves. We talk about the headship of Christ. Let us face it and see how real it is. We acknowledge that Christ is our Head, but how do we come into experiencing Him as our Head?
It is not a matter of words. It has to be expressed in life. How can Christ be Head to me and to you, as long as I have my own head?
Even after we have received the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, have we received Him as our Lord? Has it been proven in our lives that in everything we honour Him as our Head?
He is the beginning, the continuation, and the end. Do we manifest His love, His authority, His unity, and His supply?
We all have our own head. We have our own opinion, our own will, our own choice, our own preference, our own life, our own ways, and our own methods—everything.
Is it not true that in our spiritual lives we find conflict after conflict? Why? Because there cannot be two heads.
Christ is meant by God to be our Head, but we are determined also to be our own head. So two heads clash all the time.
How can we really begin with Christ as Head? One head has to be beheaded. Now, which head? Whose head?
That is the reason why you find in Scripture:
Present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service.
Why, as believers, must we present our bodies as a living sacrifice? What does it mean? Why is consecration the basic, first Christian experience?
It is because unless we are constrained by the love of Christ and come to Him as Head, handing over to Him our head and saying, “Lord, I am willing to be beheaded and take You as my Head,” there can be no reality.
That is consecration. You give yourself to Him. You give up your right to your own self. You acknowledge Him as your Head.
Brothers and sisters, without such consecration there can be no growth in Christian life. We will be wandering in the wilderness and will never enter into Canaan.
Again, in our life experience, this is being challenged. The Lord challenges us: “Who is it? Do you want your way? Fine. If you really want your way, go ahead. But who is it? Do you own Me as your Lord? Are you willing to surrender, capitulate, and let Me take over?”
It is a matter of our will. Consecration is a matter of the will. One day we are made willing to really surrender our lives to Him, to be a love-slave and let Him be our Head.
After we have done that, I am afraid consecration is not just one act. Consecration has to have a beginning. One day, when you are constrained by the love of Christ, so far as you know, you surrender your all to Him. It is a matter of the will.
But so far as reality is concerned, there is much in your life that is still not surrendered. You do not realise it at that time because, honestly, so far as you know, you have surrendered to the Lord.
Then you will find that the Holy Spirit begins to work. Gradually, He brings one thing at a time. He will not try to oppress you or overwhelm you by showing you all the things that are wrong in your life. You would be crushed.
No. The Holy Spirit is gentle. He will remind you, perhaps, of one thing in which you are still your own head and have challenged the headship of Christ.
You will struggle over it, and by the grace of God, you say, “Lord, I yield.” Then the headship of Christ is manifested.
That is the reason why our Lord Jesus said:
If any man would come after Me,
let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily,
and follow Me.
This is the only way to be His disciple. Denying yourself is a matter of the will. Taking up the cross daily means that the Holy Spirit arranges crosses for you every day. Take it up; do not try to bypass it.
Let the cross work in our lives, cutting off our own head and letting Christ be our only Head. Then follow the Lord.
The Holy Spirit is the One who will guide us into this matter of the headship of Christ in our lives. He will teach us in all things, because the Holy Spirit in us is to glorify Christ.
He does not speak of Himself, but what He hears from the Lord He will relate to us. He teaches us in all things according to Christ, so that Christ may really be all and in all to us.
If we listen to the anointing within us, then we abide in Christ. That is, in a practical sense, how we allow Christ to be our Head.
How does He manifest His headship in our lives? Are we really, daily, constrained by His love? Is His love the dominating factor in our lives?
You know, the Lord challenged the church in Ephesus. “You have all these good things—commendable, scriptural, correct—but where is your first love?”
When the first love is gone, the headship of Christ is gone, because the Head is the seat of love.
Brothers and sisters, how do I know that I am under the headship of Christ? Look at love.
Am I still in first love with God, with Christ? Do I love my brethren as Christ has loved me?
If there is love, there is the headship of Christ. If there is no love, no matter what you say, you do not manifest the headship of Christ.
That is the reason why you find in the Word of God such emphasis put on this matter of love.
Our relationship with the Lord—is it all motivated by our service to the Lord? Is it out of duty or out of love?
Our relationship with our brothers and sisters—is the love of Christ being manifested? That is the headship of Christ.
Love suffers long and is kind. Love does not behave itself unseemly. Love is not proud; love is humble. Love forgives, forbears, and forgets.
Brothers and sisters, how can we really show forth in our lives the headship of Christ unless love is manifested? That is the practical sign of the headship of Christ.
How do we really show forth the headship of Christ if His authority is not known? Do we submit ourselves under His authority?
Do we submit ourselves to one another in the fear of Christ?
Again, God is the only authority in the universe. Aside from Him, there is no authority. Authority is not a positional thing. Authority is not something claimed. Authority is not something that you can grasp.
It is Christ in you—that is authority. It is His authority in you.
In every member of the body of Christ there is a measure of authority, because there is a measure of Christ there. That is the reason why we have to submit to one another in the fear of Christ.
We do not submit to man. We submit to one another because we see Christ in one another. He is the authority.
We do not like to hear the word authority, but authority is one of the foundations of the work. If there is no authority, everything will be chaotic—no order and no beauty.
What is the authority of Christ? His authority is manifested in every one of us when we really yield ourselves completely to Him.
Then you will really manifest the unity of Christ in your lives. We may disagree; that is a matter of opinion. But so far as our life is concerned, we are one.
There is the unity of the Spirit. God has already given us that unity:
One body,
and one Spirit,
even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all,
Who is over all, and through all, and in all.
He has already given us that unity. It is the unity of the Godhead, the unity of Christ. But do we diligently keep that unity?
Paul wrote to the Corinthian church. Some said, “I am of Paul”; others said, “I am of Apollos”; others said, “I am of Cephas”; and some said, “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided?
Our unity is in Christ. We should diligently keep the unity and not allow any party spirit in the church—grouping into small groups and dividing the body of Christ.
Can we say that we know the headship of Christ? Do we manifest in our lives that we diligently keep that unity, continue to fellowship with one another, remain open, and never insist on our own way?
Eventually, by the grace of God, we will arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.
In our practical life, do we really draw all our supplies from Christ, from the Head? He is the Head of wisdom, knowledge, strength, and everything.
Do we really draw everything from Him, or do we draw out of ourselves and try to give it to others? In a practical sense, what are we doing? Is that the way we manifest the headship of Christ?
Brothers and sisters, myself, I am ashamed. It is easy to talk of the headship of Christ, but how weak we are to live in the reality of it.
I feel that we should humble ourselves.
So far as the church is concerned, how is it to be practised?
Christ is the Head of the body, and the body is the fullness of Him that filleth all in all. That is the meaning of the headship of Christ.
He is Head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.
As the church, the body of Christ, the body is made up of many members. Unless all the members hold fast the Head, the headship of Christ will not be manifested in the church.
The church in Colossae began well, but then someone came in and enticed them away from Christ. They began to be drawn into vain philosophy and teaching according to the tradition of men and according to the rudiments of the world, and not according to Christ.
When that happened, the headship of Christ was challenged.
Every member of the house of God must learn to hold fast the Head. If the headship of Christ is real in each one of us, then the headship of Christ will be manifested in the church.
Love will be there. Authority will be there. Unity will be there. Supply and wisdom will be there.
Look at the early church. I wonder how much teaching they had received on the headship of Christ, but the headship of Christ was a reality in their midst.
They loved one another, forgetting themselves. They were under the authority of the Holy Spirit. They were united in one accord, and they drew every supply from the Lord.
So, brothers and sisters, I feel it is the responsibility of every member in the body of Christ to so submit to the headship of Christ that it will be naturally manifested in the church.
But the church is not a democracy. It is a theocracy.
How does God lead the church, govern the church, and build up the church?
In the beginning, you find that the church began in the upper room. There were one hundred and twenty people there. Then three thousand were saved, and more were saved.
They had to break bread from house to house, but they met together at Solomon’s porch.
When Paul and Barnabas went on their journey preaching the gospel, they visited different cities in Galatia. Many were saved, and they met together as a family. Nothing is mentioned about how they should meet.
They simply met together in the name of Christ. “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” That is how they gathered.
Every brother and sister worked together, seeking the Lord together as a family—the young and the old.
When Paul and Barnabas came back after some time, they noticed that God had manifested some among them as more responsible and more mature. Those whom the Holy Spirit had manifested, the apostles confirmed.
They were made elders in the church. When the people began to multiply, how could order be maintained? Naturally, in the Word of God we find that the Holy Spirit manifests some.
It is a matter of labour and love, not a position. Just like a family: even though all the members work together, you have the father and you have the mother.
In the church, according to the Word of God, some people will be manifested by the Holy Spirit—not appointed by man. The apostle did not appoint them; the apostle only confirmed them. The Holy Spirit manifested them.
These began to take the lead, not in the sense of being a separate group or superior, but in the sense of taking more responsibility for the family, labouring more for the family, and giving more to the family.
It is a matter of love. With love, there will be delegated authority.
Brothers and sisters, that is the way you find in the Scripture. The church is not a democracy.
Even in the early days, there was a tremendous issue. Some Jews became Christians and demanded circumcision for the Gentiles. How did they settle that matter?
If you read Acts 15, first of all it was open to every brother and sister. The whole congregation in Jerusalem met.
Those who were of the circumcision had freedom to voice their opinion. Everybody in the family could voice an opinion—not out of themselves, but out of what they felt was of the Lord.
Some may have been mistaken, but they were sincere, and everybody was open. After everybody had been given their chance, the apostles and elders took everything that they had heard, brought it to the Lord, and sought the Lord’s face until they came to one mind.
They could say, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us.” That is the way it is done.
So, brothers and sisters, we cannot expect the church to be a democracy.
Some say, “There are the brothers; let all the brothers come together and make decisions.” Why not the sisters? If you want to do that, let all the brothers and sisters come together.
But this is not the scriptural way. In the beginning, yes, because you are small in number and you can do that. But when you have hundreds of opinions and hundreds of thoughts, how can you decide on anything?
Everyone should be given the opportunity to voice honestly how he or she feels before the Lord. We should not despise each other. Let everybody have the opportunity to say what he or she feels honestly before the Lord, not out of themselves, and then bring everything to the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, this is the way you find in Scripture, and this is the way that we, through the years, have been trying to do.
We feel that eldership is not a position or a title. It is a function. It is a labour of love.
Whoever aspires to be an elder, the Scripture says, desires a good work. In other words, it is a labour of love.
You are willing to sacrifice. You are willing to suffer. You are willing to be an example—not to lord it over God’s people, not out of necessity or duty, but out of love.
It means taking the lead and inspiring God’s people.
But let every brother and sister know that it is not a decision of a few. They should listen to the body. Maybe the Lord will speak through the body. But bring everything to the Head.
After they hear from the body, bring it to the Head and seek His mind concerning it. Brothers and sisters, if we can work together like this, I believe there will be blessing from above.
So, dear brothers and sisters, since we all have this matter of the headship of Christ in our minds, I have just shared what the Lord has shown me.
I hope you will take it home, review it, consider it, reject it if it is not of the Lord, but accept it if it is of the Lord.
All we want to do is God’s will. That is what we want. But we want to see the headship of Christ. I think this is the longing and desire of every one of us.
We want to see it in a very practical way—not just talking, but in a practical way.
So I do look to the Lord that we will all humble ourselves, seek His face together, and let the Holy Spirit lead us in the way ahead of us.
Dear Lord, it is the desire of all of us that Thy headship should be real in each one of us and in us together.
Lord, we thank Thee that Thou art teaching us, and we ask that Thou wouldst give us an open, humble spirit, that we may really hear from Thee and know Thy way.
Lord, lead us. Lead us all the way into the headship of Christ.
We want to be one with Thy eternal purpose. May Thy will be done among us all, as it is in heaven.
We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.
19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: