By Mark Grace, CCCNZ Ambassador
A tukua ana e ia nga mea katoa ki raro i ona waewae, meinga ana hoki ia hei i runga i nga mea katoa mo te hahi, Ara mo tona tinana, e ki tonu nei i a ia, i te kaiwhakaki o nga mea katoa i roto i te katoa.
‘Ua tu‘uina fo‘i e ia mea uma lava i lalo o ona vae, ma ‘ua faia fo‘i o ia ma ulu o mea uma lava mo le ekalesia, o lona tino lea, o le tumu o ia o lē na te fa‘atūmuina mea uma lava i mea uma.
And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 1:22-23
What an explosive sentence. Christ has supreme authority. Christ is the head of the Church. The Church is his body. He sustains the world and is at work in it through his Church. What wonderful implications there are from these statements!
The one who was with God and who was God, the one who became one of us, the one who died in our place and was raised for us, the one who now sits at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for us—he is the one who has direct lordship over our local church.
As Christians who gather in local churches, he is over us, he is in us, and we are in him. He is among us as we meet, and he is with us when we scatter. Jesus Christ is Lord of our local church.
As a result, elderships who shepherd local churches are responsible to the Chief Shepherd. They aren’t accountable to church councils or outside groups.
Our independence as local churches is derived from the delightful reality that Jesus Christ’s lordship is real and direct. The Chief Shepherd shepherds us through under-shepherds, elders.
But just because Christ is directly Lord over local churches doesn’t mean our independence turns towards isolation. It’s the opposite. In our independence, we can celebrate and enjoy inter-dependence with other churches. Why? Because they are also Christ’s, just like we are. What Christ is doing in and through them can be of mutual benefit.
Reflecting on how great and good our Saviour is, how great a cost he paid, and how special it is we as church families have direct access to his leadership and lordship excites me immensely. Let’s join together, encouraging one another as we wait for the return of our Lord.
