CHRIST OUR HEAD Of all the mysteries that the apostle Paul was given to make known to us in the Scriptures, one of the most profound and universal in its scope is revealed in Ephesians 1:9,10. Speaking of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, he writes, "Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: 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 are on earth, even in Him'. The phrase ‘gather together in one' is the translation of a word that includes the idea of headship, and it could well be rendered ‘head up' or ‘gather under one head'. From this we understand that this revelation of Divine purpose points forward to a time when all things in heaven and on earth will be reunited in harmony under Christ as Head. Scripture and history join in their witness to the disastrous results of the fall in the Garden of Eden, when our first parents succumbed to the temptation of that old serpent, the devil, and rebelled against God in disobedience. Since then, peace and harmony on earth have been an elusive dream. There has been disruption in heavenly realms as well, for Scripture speaks of a time of war in heaven when Michael and his angels fight against the dragon and his angels (Rev.12:7-12). But God's great purpose of reconciliation and restoration centres in bringing everything under the control of Christ as Head. The great basis for this has been laid in the atoning death of our Lord Jesus Christ as we read in Col. 1:20, ‘Having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven". The successive ages of God's dealings with men, whether it be the age of Law which spanned from Moses to John the Baptist, or the age of Grace in which we now live, or the future Millennial Reign of our Lord Jesus Christ, are all leading to this glorious climax. Paul refers to this in I Cor.15:24,25,28 in this way, "Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign, till He hath put all things under His feet. And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him, that God may be all in all". We can see from all this, that submission to God is the keynote of this universal reconciliation, and it is important to note that even the Son Himself takes a place of subjection to His Father. This does not question His essential equality with God, but He voluntarily takes the form of a servant, first to procure redemption and reconciliation by His death, then in resurrection life and power to administer all things for God. ‘The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand" (John 3:35). In the sovereign purpose of God it is already as good as done, for when He raised Christ from the dead, He set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; and hath put all things under His feet (Eph.l:20-22), and nothing can prevent its eventual fulfilment. But in the meantime, He has given Him to be Head over all things to the Church which is His body (v.22). The Church is the first to come under the headship of the risen Christ, and provides a kind of foreview of His future universal headship. In fact it is God's intention that even now, the principalities and powers in heavenly places may learn something of His manifold wisdom as they observe the Church in this relationship (Eph.3:10, 11). While this is true of the Church as a complete body viewed in its entirety from Pentecost to the Rapture, it is also intended that our recognition of His headship be displayed in our conduct as we gather to His Name for service and testimony for Him in our respective localities. Dealing with this matter in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul says in verse 3, "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God". It is helpful to note the sobering and gracious balance of these statements. If the man is to take the place of head of the woman, then he is first reminded that he himself must be subject to Christ as his head. As the woman learns her place of submission to her head, she is touchingly reminded that even Christ Himself has taken a place of subjection to God His Father. Again we must remember that neither superiority nor inferiority is inferred here. We have already noticed this in relation to our Lord Jesus Christ, and we know too, that as children of God, believing men and women are equal in His sight (Gal.3:26,28). The Lord has appointed two symbols with which we are to display our recognition of these headships in His presence. 1. The man is not to cover his head, for if he does so, he dishonours his head (v.4), that is, he dishonours Christ. The man is the image and glory of God (v.7), therefore he is to leave his head uncovered so that the glory of God may be seen in symbol. This was not an adaptation of local or current custom, for Jewish men would have been accustomed to praying in the synagogue with their heads covered. 2. The woman is to cover her head, for the woman is the glory of the man (v.7), and it is appropriate that the glory of man be covered in the presence of God. If she appeared uncovered she dishonoured her head (v.5), that is, the man, and it was as shameful as if she were shorn or shaven (vv.5,6). It has been suggested that the covering for the woman referring to throughout these verses is simply her long hair. But if this were the case it would be difficult to make sense out of verse 6. The interest of the angels is mentioned in verse 10, and we know from I Peter 1:10-12 that they have a desire to look into the salvation and grace that have been brought to us by our Lord Jesus Christ in this present age. This encourages us to believe that our intelligent use of these symbols is an object lesson to them even now. May we all be encouraged to grasp and appreciate the meaning of these symbols more fully, realising that we have been placed together in a Divinely given order which has been so designed "that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ" (I Peter 4:10,11). What an elevated and holy character this would add to all our activities. - R.M.Goatley. WHAT TIME I AM AFRAID In all our lives there come dark times and hard places, difficulties and disappointments; but whatever the trial may be, we need not fear if we can say, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee" (Psa.56:3). It is like putting our frail human hands into a clasp that will never fail us, or gaining a foothold on a rock that can never be moved. There are so many kinds of trouble in the world, each one of us has something different to bear. But there is One Who will sympathise with us in them all - One Who has comfort for every sorrow. Others may fail us, our affairs may seem tiresome and even insignificant to them, but let us be like those disciples of whom it is written, "Theywent and told Jesus" (Matt.14:12). They were disciples of John, and they had lost their friend and teacher. They had followed him to the grave and now they could do no more for him. No doubt life seemed very hard and empty, but, weary and sorrowful, "they went and told Jesus". Dear reader, are you feeling sorrowful, weary and disappointed? Perhaps someone you loved very much has been taken from you by death; someone whom you feel you cannot do without has been separated from you, gone, may be, to other shores, and you do not expect to see them again. Perhaps some great change that appears dark and gloomy has come into your life and everything seems difficult and strange to you. Then, come and tell Jesus. His desire is that you might know Him as your Saviour and also your Friend - "The Friend that sticketh closer than a brother" (Prov. 18:24), Who in trouble or difficulty, sorrow or distress, "will never leave you nor forsake you" (Heb.13:5). It may be that this difficulty, this very sorrow that seems to overwhelm you, has been sent to draw you closer to Himself. Few of us could say that we have never been afraid, so we can use the first part of the verse, "What time I am afraid". Then let us enter into the joyful confidence of the latter clause and say, "I will trust in Thee". Where could we find a safer refuge and resting place? - Sent from L.W. Potter.THE SABBATH To the question, "Who changed the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week?" we answer, the Sabbath has never been changed. The Sabbath is still the seventh day, or our Saturday. Then why do we as Christians not keep the seventh day? Simply because, that under the New Covenant there is no command to keep it. Our Lord Jesus Christ has never requested us to do so. The Sabbath was the sign of the covenant of law that God entered into with Israel as a nation (Ex.31:13-16; Ezek.20: 12). The Church is neither Jewish nor national. In the Church, the body of Christ, there is neither Jew nor Gentile (I Cor.12:13). The Sabbath sign of the covenant with Israel was linked with the first creation (Ex.20:8-l I): but the Christian is part of the "new creation" (2 Cor.5:17), and is united with Christ in resurrection. On the Sabbath day Christ lay in the tomb. "When the Sabbath was past", on the first day of the week, Christ rose from the dead, triumphant over death, hell and the grave. The First day of the week was "the third", the appointed day that Christ was to rise (Luke 24:21). The Church had her beginning on the First Day of the week. Pentecost always came on that day (Lev.23:I6). No Christian who is intelligent in the New Covenant, keeps the first day of the week as a Sabbath. The First Day of the week was the resurrection day, and the birthday of the Church. The early Christians came together on that day (Acts 20:7; I Cor.16:2), so it is the right thing for Christians to meet for their worship and preaching of the Word on that day. We can be thankful to the Lord that in so many lands this can be done freely. We would also notice Heb.4:9, "There remaineth therefore a rest (or keeping of Sabbath) for the people of God". The first mention of the Sabbath (Gen.2:2), links the Seventh Day with the first creation, and this last mention of the Sabbath looks on to the Eternal rest that will be the portion of the saints of God in Eternity. As believers we found rest in Christ from the penalty of our sin, and so we have already entered into that rest in a practical and experimental way. This is rest from the burden of sin through coming to Christ, or rest of conscience. Then there is the rest of heart that comes from doing the will of God. It is taking His yoke upon us and finding rest to our souls (Matt.11:29), and like John, resting on the very bosom of the Lord. This is the present portion and privilege of the child of God. However, because of unbelief, and disobedience to the Word, many of God*s people fail to enter into God*s rest in this practical way. - C.S.S. PRESSING ONWARD Forgetting those things which are behind - Phil.3: 13. The backward look can be very dangerous for the Christian. Few things are more crippling to a healthy spiritual life than dwelling on past failures. Going back over forgiven sins dishonours the God of all mercy Who has said of His people, "I will remember their sins no more". One of the favourite devices of the adversary is to tempt us to worry over the past. - Anon. THYSELF AND THE TEACHING "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them; for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee" - 1 Timothy 4:16. Take Heed Unto Thyself. No language can adequately set forth the moral importance of this. It is, of course, important for all Christians; but for the teacher it is specially so, for Timothy is addressed as a teacher here. He, above all, will need to take heed to himself. He must guard the state of his heart, the state of his conscience, his whole inward man. He must keep himself pure. His thoughts, his affections, his spirit, his temper, his tongue, must all be kept under the holy control of the Spirit and Word of God. He must wear the girdle of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. It is morally dangerous in the extreme, for a man to teach in public what he does not live in private - dangerous for himself, most damaging to the testimony and injurious to those with whom he has to do. What can be more deplorable or humiliating than for a man to be characterised by contradicting in his personal history and in his domestic life, the truth which he utters in the public assembly? Take Heed to the Teaching. Solemn admonition. What care is needed. What holy watchfulness. What earnest, prayerful, constant waiting upon God for the right thing to say and the right way to say it. God only knows the state and need of souls. He knows their capacity. We do not. How it sets before us the urgent need of self-emptied dependence upon the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Here lies the precious secret of all effective ministry, whether oral or written. Nothing equivocal, nothing strange or startling would then be sent forth. Nothing but what is sound and seasonable would flow from the lips or pen. "Strive diligently to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that has not to be ashamed; cutting in a straight line the word of truth" (2 Tim.2:15. J.N.D.). - C.H. Mackintosh A GREAT WOMAN AND THREE GREAT DAYS Three times in the story of the great woman of Shunem, which is recorded in 2 Kings 4, we read the expression, "It fell on a day". The very wording indicates that the events which are recorded were unexpected, and at the beginning of the day there was no indication that what followed was likely to take place. Our lives are also like that. The events of each day are unknown to us as we rise in the morning and we pray that we will be able to face whatever lies ahead of us. Some days there are happy events, some days sad, but often unexpected. 1. A Day of Opportunity. The faith of the great woman of Shunem was very strong. Because of this, she was equipped to handle whatever a day brought forth. In verse 8 she was ready for a day of opportunity. As Elisha passed her house continually, she noted that he was a holy man of God, and the opportunity was given her to extend hospitality. This she did with blessed consequences that she did not forsee. Do we look for the opportunities of the day and take them as they cross our paths? How much poorer would the Shunammite have been if she had let the opportunity pass by. She was ‘instant in season and out of season ', always looking for service which she could perform.2. A Day of Testing. In verse 13 we discover that she was able to face a day of testing. Because of her liberal hospitality to the prophet and his servant. Elisha offered her a place in the court or with the captain of the host. He was testing her to see if promotion or a place in the world was her desire. What a dignified and spiritual reply came from her lips: "I dwell among my own people". The attractions of the world could not pull her away. Do we not feel the pull of the world as we go about our daily business? At some time or another, we must all face the test to see where our affections really lie. Happy is the overcomer who can resist the call of the world. As a result of her spiritual desires she was fruitful and bore a child. The prize of fruitfulness was given to the one who rejected the pleasures of the court. May we value fruitfulness for God above all that the world can offer. Elisha knew well the character of the woman before he made the offer, but by doing so, he gave her the opportunity to show where her heart lay. 3. A Day of Trial. The third occasion when we see the expression used is in verse 18. Here this great woman meets a day of trial. The death of her son tries her to the limit. No doubt she would have wished for any test but this one. What will her response be? Her husband does not have the answer. He could not understand why she should wish to see the man of God when it was neither a new moon nor a sabbath. How many spiritual sisters have to face life with husbands who do not share their spiritual interest nor their understanding of the ways of God. He did not have the spiritual discernment which she possessed. To the questions regarding the welfare of her family, she gives the remarkably tranquil reply, "it is well". The present was dark, but all was in God *s hand, therefore all was well. She knew that the answer to the trial lay with the man of God. Just as surely, we know today that the presence of the Lord Jesus is what brings us through even the deepest trials of life.And so she triumphs as an overcomer and her son is restored to her. May we all live in such a way that, like the Shunemmite, we are ready to face whatever falls on a day. Both the bright days and the dark days fall across our pathway, but in them all He is moulding us and caring for us, leading us on to a greater knowledge of Himself and of His ways. May we face each day with the morning prayer that we will be able to use for good, every circumstance of which we can say, ‘It fell on a day". The unexpected may come, but no matter what it brings, may our response be that of this great woman when she said, "It is well". - John Grant, Courtesy "Counsel""Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths". - Proverbs 3:5,6. SIMPLE HINTS ON BIBLE READING Christ is the key to the Bible. The written Word reveals the Living Word. Christ and the Scriptures are inseparable. The Word, from first to last is full of Christ. Patriarchs, psaimists, prophets, tell of His coming in grace and in glory. Types and shadows, persons and things, tell of His peerless Person and His perfect work. The Gospels trace His path from the manger to the Cross, and back to heaven again. The Epistles unfold His glories in resurrection, His people*s association with Him, and the glory to come. The Bible is full of Christ; He is its Alpha and Omega. Read your Bible to find Christ, not to learn doctrine, or to get information, merely. Read it for yourself, for your own soul*s need. Not so much that you may speak of what you read to others, as to nourish your own spiritual life, to cleanse your ways and to enlighten your path. Read the Word of God slowly, carefully and reverently; not as a newspaper, but as one listening to the voice of the Eternal God. Compare Scripture with Scripture. Do not come to the Bible to get your ideas confirmed, or wrest the Word to support them. Come with an open mind, ready to be taught; willing to unlearn the false, and to learn the true. Count on the teaching of the Holy Spirit. He has come. He abides in you to guide you into all the truth. He inspired the Word. He is able to interpret it. He will, if you allow Him to do so. And, having found the words of God ‘eat* them (Jer.15:16); having learned His will, do it (John 7:17) - The Believer*s Magazine. EXTREMES The tendency of human nature to swing to one extreme or the other has been one of the banes of the church in all generations. We rightly reject the idea of ‘one man ministry* - but need we therefore accept the idea of ‘any man ministry*? Because the doctrine of grace has sometimes been distorted into an excuse for laxity, some seem to wish to go to the opposite extreme and make our acceptance before God to depend upon some undefined degree of attainment. Certainly we should avoid entanglements with associations contrary to the Word of God, but does this oblige us to isolate ourselves from individuals who are calling on the Lord out of a pure heart? If we have been delivered from ecclesiastical pomp and ceremony, does that mean that reverence and order are out of place in the gatherings of believers? And so we could go on. What a tremendous difference it would make in all phases of Christian life and service if we could maintain a proper balance. Very often, inability to see eye to eye with one another is simply due to the fact that each prefers to lay unbalanced emphasis on the side of truth which appeals to him. If each would try to see how far the other is right, it is quite likely that both could come to agreement, to their mutual advantage and richer appreciation of the truth involved. - Anon. Precious Seed.CHRISTIAN VIGILANCE Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die. - Revelation 3:2 Like the church in Sardis, God*s children often need a solemn awakening message like this. Spiritual declension sometimes creeps over the soul so stealthily that the believer has no idea how far he has slipped back until the voice of God awakens him from his slumber. it is a sad picture that is presented here. Only a few of those graces that once adorned the soul now remain, and these are "ready to die". A little more worldly conformity, and nothing will be left to show that the soul was ever the temple of God. How is it with you, dear reader? Does this describe your state? Listen to the voice of Him who "walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks", and whose "eyes are as a flame of fire". "Be watchful" against a further departure from God, and "strengthen the things which remain". Bring your sins and need and weakness to Him who alone can restore, who alone can quicken and revive. - Selected.FAITH JUST IN THEE Not when I see the answer
coming, blessed Lord; Not when I feel that I can do the thing desired; Not when the Canaanite is slain and done away; To trust Thee then, when all is dark without To trust Thee then, to think upon Thy Word, - Author unknown. Please address Wholesome Words correspondence to: R.M. Goatley, |