December 20, 2011

Jesus, the Head of the Church

Colossians 2:6-12

In Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.
Colossians 2:10

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The church is one body, and Jesus is the head of that body. Because Jesus “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death on a cross” to redeem his church, the Father “exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name” (Philippians 2:8-9). God also placed him above all spiritual authorities and strongholds as head of the church.

Jesus is the Savior of the church and its source of life. He came not to rule it with tyranny but to serve it with humility. He is the foundation, the builder, the owner, and the protector of the church.

Jesus loves the church with an everlasting, persevering, sacrificial, and sanctifying love.

And in his strength the church is preparing to present herself to him as a pure, holy, and glorious bride (Ephesians 5:27; Revelation 21:2).

Are you a part of this body, of which Christ is the head? If you believe in Christ, you are inescapably a member of his church. Don’t belittle the wonder of your membership. There are those who dismiss the church as a relic of past history. They think new forms of spirituality have made the church of Christ obsolete. Don’t believe it! The church is Christ’s body on earth today—his hands and feet to a world in need.

Holy God, I belong wholly to you, in body and soul. What a comfort to know that Christ loves and protects me. Help me to serve as part of his body. Amen.

About the author — Hernandes Lopes

Rev. Hernandes Dias Lopes grew up in a Christian home in Brazil. Following his 1981 graduation from Seminário Presbiteriano do Sul in Campinas, Brazil, he served two congregations of the Presbyterian Church in Brazil. In 2000, he earned a doctor of ministry degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. Rev. Lopes has been the voice of the television program Verdade e Vida (“Truth and Life”) since 2006. In 2010 he was appointed Portuguese ministry leader for Back to God Ministries International. Rev. Lopes and his wife, Tinha, have two college-age children.

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