HOLDING ONTO THE HEAD

In both scriptures we read tonight, Paul is writing and spoke about Christ being the HEAD.

• And he used the terminology that the BODY operates and grows FROM THE HEAD.
• And we should ask ourselves what does it mean to grow and function FROM THE HEAD.

Eph 4:15 ...grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:  (16)  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. 

Col 2 (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.

In both instances the church BODY GROWS and INCREASES from the head.

FROM WHOM... maketh increase of the body.

FROM WHICH... INCREASETH with the increase of God.

But it may be difficult for us to understand what God is trying to say through Paul's writings.

• What does it mean for the body to grow and increase FROM THE HEAD?
• We know Jesus is the head of the body, and the body of Jesus is the church.

Eph 1:22-23 KJV  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.

But what does he mean to say the church body grows "from the head"?

Every church that is preaching truth has all the members it needs to do the work of God.

• God places each person into the church body just like our human bodies have several parts and organs exactly where they should be.
• You do not find the foot on the side of the head, or the ear on the end of the elbow.
• Every part is where it should be.
• Every one of us have abilities included in our salvation the moment we were saved that are required for this church to do all that God wants it to do.
• The hand is at the end of the arm attached to the wrist.
• And it is way out there on a part of our bodies that can put it out there further than any other part can because that is where it is best positioned.
• IN fact, not only is each one of us exactly where we need to be in the body, but we are attached to another part of the body that we need to be attached to.
• The hand is attached to the wrist and the wrist is attached sot the arm.
• Each body part represents another believer in the church body.
• So it is very important to work with other believers.
• God does not want you hopping from one church to another one.
• He has a specific church congregation for you to be part of where you are attached to certain people in a closer way than with others.
• All the churches that are God's churches are part of His body, but like the hand is not attached to the leg, God wants each person in a specific congregation so you can be attached to the person who is the wrist if you are in the hand, since the other congregation may be comprised of the leg!

We can look at each congregation as a complete body so far as having a whole body is required to get the job for that church done.

• But we can also break it all down so that we see how each congregation is like a clump of body parts that altogether make up the whole body of Christ in the world.

But you can be in the proper place where God wants you.

• And you can be attached and working in ministry with the right person in the church whom God wants you to work with.
• But there is one more important element we must all recognize and never forget about.
• It is the THE MOST IMPORTANT part.... THE HEAD, Jesus Christ.

The HEAD of a human being is a wonderful thing.

• We have five physical senses.
• Hearing, tasting, seeing, smelling and touching.
• 4 out of 5 senses are in the head!

The brain is in the head.

And we can have a hand properly attached to a wrist that is attached to an arm.

• But if that hand cannot HOLD TO THE HEAD and have it's own relationship to the Head so that it personally can receive signals and impulses from the brain, it's position will mean very little.
• It's life will even mean very little.
• The arm and wrist are required to put that hand over to a certain location that the head wants the hand to HANDLE, but if the hand does not receive signals from the brain itself, the job cannot be done.
• Imagine putting your hand over to a book on the table.
• Your wrist tilts the hand just the right angle, and the arm has the writs and hand positioned by the book.
• The wrist did it's part and received signals from the head.
• The arm did it's part as well.
• But imagine the hand receiving no signals, and just hanging limp at the end of the wrist.
• No matter how much the writs tilts it towards the book, and the arm has it hanging beside the book, unless the hand can receive signals form the brain to move it's fingers and separate them and position them in just the right manner so as to pick that book up, the job will never get done.

It is possible for there to be Christians who are saved and alive and attached to others in the church, who cannot hear from God and perform their specific ministries that God has positioned them in the body to perform.

• Something is obstructing the signal from the HEAD.

So holding the head, so that the body can increase and grow and function int his world simply means concentrating upon, above all else, ensuring that one can RECEIVE SIGNALS FROM THE LORD.

• There are all the members we need here right now to have a revival.
• It's just that not all the members are receiving signals from the HEAD to get the job done.

A common Cockroach can live up to a week with it's heads cut off from it's body.

• We have one up on the old cockroach, though.
• We have Christians who never held onto the head for fifty years and they are still alive.

Watch the words Paul used here:

Col 2:18-21 KJV  Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,  (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.  (20)  Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,  (21)  (Touch not; taste not; handle not;

Here is more understanding about what holding to the head means.

• Here is why members of the body of Christ cannot function.
• Paul spoke of the head as Jesus, who died "to the rudiments of the world."
• Everyone is aware that Jesus died!
• But this Head that died is attached to His body, which is all of us together.
• And the MIND OF CHRIST which is THE HEAD is supposed to be working IN EACH MEMBER.
• That is why Paul said that WE ARE DEAD WITH HIM from the rudiments of the world.
• And that UNDERSTANDING that he has of Himself, knowing full well that He did in deed die to the world, is supposed to be transmitted INTO EACH OF US.
• WE ARE DEAD WITH HIM.

The signals the hand gets are the THOUGHTS OF THE HEAD.

And Paul was speaking to people who were all caught up in the rudiments, or the elementary and basic things, of the world, like a focus only upon issues of what we touch, handle and taste.

• He said focus upon commandments to not touch this, or not to taste that,or not to handle the other, are all under the category of KINDERGARTEN BASICS of the world.
• We are supposed to be dead with Christ from all of that.
• Yet that seems to be the focus that most Christians have and immediately think about when it comes to what a Christian is.
• "We do not touch that any more.  We do not taste that any more.  We do not handle these things any more."

So in actuality we have a body of body parts who are involved in messing around in issues that are far inferior to the more important and valuable things to concern ourselves with, that Christ wants us to not bother with.

• He wants us to focus upon HIGHER things.
• But he cannot get that signal through to us, because we are not holding the head that will allow us to receive signals that will make us concentrate on better things that chapter 3 mentions.

Col 3:12-17 KJV  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;  (13)  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.  (14)  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.  (15)  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.  (16)  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  (17)  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Compare those things to juvenile infatuation over things we concentrate upon to not touch, taste or handle.

See the nature and the type of things God wants us to focus upon?

The things I just read from chapter 3 are the things that Christ's mind is focused upon.

• They are the things that He focused upon when he had the body He lived in before He was crucified on the cross.
• But we have more focus upon not touching, not tasting and not handling than any of these things Jesus focuses on.
• These latter things are the things that He is signaling to us from This Head, so that each body part of the church can deal with and work with.

Col 3:1-4 KJV  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  (2)  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.  (3)  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.  (4)  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

HOLD ON TO THE HEAD.

• Get those signals from the Head into your soul.
• THINK  of yourself as dead to sin and seated in glory, and think of HIGHER things.
• Yes, we are on earth, and Christ is in Heaven, but THINK OF YOURSELF THERE and then start thinking of HEAVENLY THINGS, because YOU ARE HIS BODY!
• Get His mind in you.
• Think of yourself as He thinks of you -- dead to sin and risen with Him.
• RISEN WITH CHRIST.
• DEAD WITH CHRIST.
• And we must stop depending only on another believer.
• We  need to get signals from the Head as much as the other one you lean upon is.
• And we must stop treating the preacher as the Head of the body as well.
• Some saints cannot think for themselves and always need the pastor's thoughts.
• Some pastors encourage that!
• That is good for new saints, but not for believers' entire lives!

Sometimes the Lord will send a signal to the preacher to direct the people to do certain things.

• If you can find it in the bible, then it is a good thing you need to obey.
• But some people refuse to accept anything like that from a preacher and think, "I am not going to let him make me do anything."
• They think it is a man making people do things.
• Now, there are men who like making people do things that these men conjure up in their own minds for you to do.
• They are not true ministers.
• But there are true ministers of God who receive signals from the Lord to tell you to do.
• And when you think it s a man making you do something, you actually reject a signal from the HEAD for you to obey.
• And this will hinder revival as well.
• For instance, when we call the congregation up together for prayer or for reaching out in unity for something, do not think it is someone making you do something, and you are not going to do it.
• You are breaking the flow of the Spirit.

Pastors are people whom you trust to actually hear from God.

• They are people whom you have confidence in for teaching you the word of God.
• And true ministers will teach you the word so you can learn to receive signals from the Head.
• So when you treat them like they're not hearing from God for the congregation to do something, you are not only disallowing him from being a pastor in your life, leaving you without a pastor though you come to church every week, but you are not HOLDING THE HEAD, Jesus.

Jesus directs true men of God to tell the people something God is wanting of us.

If God genuinely moves on a teenager to prophesy to us to pray for a certain person right then and there, and we think we're not letting someone make us do anything, we are acting very disobediently to the Lord!

• It would be the Lord directing us, and only using that teenager to inform us.
• At another time it may be another member of the body.
• But we know it is the ONE GOD doing it all.
• We trust our church that it is hearing from God, and trust the pastor that he is not making us do anything, but is obeying God to relate a direction for us.
• Otherwise find a pastor whom you can trust for those things.
• But if you think you do not need a human pastor to direct you and that you will always hear directly from God for yourself about everything, then you are wrong and will never be useful in the kingdom of God.
• Some signals come to you directly from God.
• But MANY signals from God come to your though a part of the body you are attached to.
• And the way to find out if a church is mature and really hearing from God is when ALL THE MEMBERS feel the same thing and witness with something directed by one member.

But the important thing is to know that when you are holding to the Head, you are forgiving, and you are helping the body increase.

Everytime holding th e Head is mentioned, it says the BODY WILL GROW AND INCREASE.

WORSHIP.... what if everyone here worshiped like you do?

• Revival comes through congregations that really worship God and attract people with their liveliness!
• The way you worship in church determines a lot of whether or not God can have revival here.
• God depends upon you to do these things to get people excited for HIM.

Some churches never hear anything emphasized other than TOUCH NOT, TASTE NOT and HANDLE NOT.

• Clearly they do not hold the head.
• If they did, they would be thinking on higher things.

Entire Christian movements have people who do awful things because they do not focus the hearts of the people upon holding to the head.


Phi 2:2-5 KJV  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.  (3)  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.  (4)  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.  (5)  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Mat 11:29 KJV  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Mat 20:26-28 KJV  But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;  (27)  And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:  (28)  Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Luk 22:27 KJV  For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.

Rom 15:2-3 KJV  Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.  (3)  For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

1Pe 2:21 KJV  For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

1Pe 4:1-2 KJV  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;  (2)  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

Eph 4:14-17 KJV  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;  (15)  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:  (16)  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.  (17)  This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

If we held to the Head as we should, there would be no doubt that Christ can heal, since we would be convinced and persuaded that all the work necessary for healing was done at the cross!

• We'd have healings everytime someone who was sick would request healing.
• We'd ahve the mind of Christ about these things.
• There'd never be cripples walk out crippled from a church service.
• Any soul that truly wanted to be saved would be saved.
• Nothing would hinder God's Spirit from using His Body to do His will!