In this enlightening episode of the International Gospel Hour, we explore the profound relationship between the head and the body as it relates to the church as depicted in the New Testament. Jeff Archie delves into scriptural accounts from Ephesians and Colossians to illustrate why the church is described as the body of Christ, sustained by its connection to the one head, Jesus Christ. We examine the foundational beliefs regarding the uniqueness of the church and how it holds a preeminent position in scripture, as intended by God.
Jesus Christ declared in Scripture to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Amen. So, friends, let’s be filled today with this great study of the church, right here on the International Gospel Hour.
SPEAKER 03 :
Hi, this is Jay Webb for International Gospel Hour. Welcome to our broadcast today. For over 90 years, Churches of Christ have proclaimed God’s Word through our broadcasts. Just ahead is another Bible-based lesson with Jeff Archie of International Gospel Hour.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, thank you always to our J-Web. And greetings and hello, everyone. It’s great having you with us this week for our weekly broadcast of the International Gospel Hour. If you are a new listener to our broadcast, please know that we have a number of options for your listening pleasure and Bible study. Now, as I mentioned, you’re currently listening to our weekly 30-minute broadcast, and occasionally you may hear our shorter segments, such as 60 seconds for the Savior or a couple of minutes for Christ. We have daily 15-minute broadcasts available five days a week, and thankful for you tuning in for the station to which you are listening. As I say at the end of the broadcast, always keep listening right here on this station or platform of your choice. Now, as far as video goes, well, we have a weekly TV broadcast via our YouTube channel, which is International Gospel Hour. And we’re also available on a number of over-the-air television markets and early on Friday mornings on the Charge television digital network. You can also find our programming options at our website, internationalgospelhour.com. You can scroll down just a bit and you will see all of our programs, even our Hispanic podcast, Christianos Fieles, with our friend and brother, Marlon Ratana of SpanishBibleSchool.org. We are thankful for every opportunity to speak the oracles of God as Peter instructs in 1 Peter 4.11 as we declare the whole counsel of God as Paul stated in Acts 20 and verse 27. So thank you always for joining us and stay right here where you listen to the International Gospel Hour. Our reading today comes from Ephesians chapter 1 verses 15 through 23. Paul begins with a prayer for the church and instructs them as follows. Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His 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 age, but also in that which is to come.” And he put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Now, dear friends, what I’m about to say will appear simple and elementary. But without exception, everyone in our listening audience has one head attached to their body. One head to one body. That is normal. And when you think about it, our head makes decisions for the body. The body will follow what the head, what the mind says. When one’s body cannot respond to what the head says or the head, the mind is unable to decide, there will be problems. As of this recording, my family is dealing with a precious loved one who is battling the illness of Alzheimer’s. And friends, it is heartbreaking and it is a challenge. You wonder what is ahead for that day, the next day, the next evening. And as one dear friend said, it’s like losing a loved one before you lose them. Well, spiritually speaking, and as we will examine on this broadcast, we want to talk about the head and the body, and the body that we know of as the church. We talk about the church we read of in the New Testament, the pre-denominational body of Christ, the church of Christ. We love to examine its uniqueness and to make very clear that one can be a member of the church we read of in Scripture without being a member of a denomination. We will not encourage you through our studies here from International Gospel Hour in light of Scripture to be joined to a denominational body. But we believe that we are safe and we are sound and certain when we can point us to the church we read of in the New Testament and to find that church this very day. So, friends, we’re going to begin this study in a moment, but before we do that, I want to take about 30 seconds and allow our J-Web to tell you a little bit more about our work at our website, internationalgospelhour.com.
SPEAKER 03 :
Hello, friends. The Previous Shows tab is available at our website, internationalgospelhour.com, and also available on several podcast platforms. Maybe we are on your favorite podcast site. Just search for International Gospel Hour and you can find previous broadcasts. They’re always there 24-7 for you to listen or even to download either at our website or your favorite podcast site. Check it out today.
SPEAKER 01 :
Let us, friends, see the uniqueness of the church in the New Testament and from the description the church of Christ and its uniqueness because of its head and body. We submit this because the Bible instructs one head, one body, one church. So let’s begin by seeing the one head. Well, friends, as already affirmed in Ephesians chapter 1, verses 20 through 23, that is Jesus Christ. When God raised Him from the dead, seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named. And then the scripture says in verse 22 of Ephesians 1, He put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church. Jesus Christ is the head of the church. In Colossians 1, 15-20 we read, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through him and for 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 may have the preeminence.” For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. Dear friends, when we read from Ephesians, and as it’s commonly called the sister book of Colossians, how powerful it is to know without a doubt that Jesus Christ is the head of His church, and he has all authority given from the Father to be the head over any church. We see in Matthew 7, 28 and 29, how when he concluded the Sermon on the Mount, the people were astonished at his doctrine, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. See early in his teaching, from the Sermon on the Mount, people could see his authority, how he was unique and different. In Matthew 17, verses 1 through 5, we note this as the transfiguration of the Christ. And there’s Peter and James and John with him. And afterward, they wished to build three tabernacles, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah, because they saw in the transfiguration Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah. Here is Jesus speaking to Moses. We think of the law. Here he is speaking to Elijah. We think of the prophets. And yet a voice came from heaven. When that was suggested by Peter, a voice came from heaven that said, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him. God said Jesus is the one to whom we listen. And before Jesus ascended into heaven in Matthew 28 and verse 18, he said, All power, or all authority, is given unto me both in heaven and on earth. And then he gave forth the great commission, Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world, or the end of the age. Yes, friends, we see all authority in Christ. Oh, I love how the book of Hebrews begins, that wonderful book that instructs us of the superiority of the Christ and the covenant of which He brought forth. In Hebrews 1, 1-3, God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, said, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, who, being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person in upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Oh friends, look how these texts, Colossians 1, Ephesians 1, Hebrews 1, look how they all blend together. And as head, all authority is given to Christ from the Father. There is all authority in Christ. And friends, we will make no apology in affirming he is the head of the church, his church. There are no earthly headquarters for his church. There’s no general overseer. There’s no president, no pope, no chairman, no denominational head because the church is not a denomination. And dear friends, is it not a comforting thought to know that we can open the Bible and learn and know that one can be a member of the church that has Christ as its head? To God be the glory. Friends, we can’t deny that. We see the one head which is Jesus Christ. And now, let us see the one body. And friends, we see already the body is the church. We once again affirm that from Ephesians, or affirm this rather, from Ephesians 1, 22 and 23. And he put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the church which is his body. The fullness of him who fills all in all. It is Christ’s body. In Colossians 1 verse 24, I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of His body, which is the church. Now friends, I want you to think about some oneness in the scriptures with me. In Ephesians 4 verses 4 through 6, there is one body and one spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. Now, from Ephesians 4, 4-6, we learn, verse 4 specifically, there is one body. And in Ephesians 4 and verse 5, there is one Lord. Now, if there is one Lord and there is one Lord, well, then we have to affirm there has to be one body since it is His. And if the body is the church and it is as affirmed by Scripture, then, friends, we have to affirm God authorized only one church. And think on this, dear friends. Are we not in a day and age when we see multiple heads over what some would say one church? Well, yes, we would. And you wonder which head do you listen to when people say, well, there’s one church. But it’s interesting to find there are earthly heads or headquarters. It just doesn’t matter. It doesn’t make sense. Now, let’s go another side. Are we not in a day and age where we see multiple churches, multiple bodies that claim one head? I mean, it’s interesting to see Jesus in his prayer for unity that all be made one, and that there is one head, therefore one head, one body, but yet we find the multiple bodies or multiple churches. My friends, to lean on the words of James the writer, these things ought not so to be. Let’s think back on Acts the second chapter. And we see in Acts 2 in verse 47 that the Lord added people to the church that day. Let’s think on this for a moment. I recall, and it was a relaunched television program in recent years, but probably close to about 30 years ago, there was a show called Quantum Leap. You can probably still see it on a sci-fi channel or various channels or stream it, whatever. And it’s the story about Dr. Sam Beckett, who stepped into a time chamber, a time machine that he had created to test it, And it would launch him back in time and launch him into lives of people to correct the wrong that had been done. There are several episodes that stand out in my mind. And one where he leaped back into his life as a teenager already knowing what was going to happen. And he was trying to make those things right. And that wasn’t why he was there. I mean, it’s a very intriguing show. But anyway, let’s just say that I came across a time machine. And I stepped into that time machine. I’ve often said I’d love to do this. And set it to Acts chapter 2, the day of Pentecost. And take me back to what happened that day. Let’s say that I would come out and I would see people being baptized, Acts 2.38, Acts 2.41. And let’s say that I would go up and ask them, now, may I ask you something? What denomination are you now a member of? Friends, they would look at me very funny, like, what are you talking about? We’re not added to a denomination. But, you know, what church? To what were you added? They would know. You see, many times we miss there in Acts 2.41, with many other words did Peter testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward or perverted generation. Who is the head of your church? They would know because Peter has been preaching Christ the whole time. So, friends, imagine that for a moment. And that’s where, as we see so far in our study, there is one head, there is one body. That’s all that God ever intended. And, you know, I realize that bringing forth this message would sound strange to so many. I’ve had individuals, well-meaning individuals, like, well, it really doesn’t matter where you go to church, but the Bible tells us there’s one head and one body. We need to make certain that we are worshiping and part of the church we read of in the New Testament. We find some who are well-meaning people, but will acknowledge an earthly individual as, as the head of the church of which they are a part, and will place trust in that individual. But friends, there’s not a man walking on the face of this earth that could step into the shoes of Jesus Christ as the head of any church. We wish not to be out of line or rude. I don’t want to come across that way at all, friends. If you’ve listened to my broadcast very long, you know we’re just seeking to do the will of the Father. But these are things that a lot of the religious world find very strange. And friends, maybe you’re thinking, I’d like to study more about this. I’d like to learn more about this and grow in my study. And that’s where we here at International Gospel Hour, each broadcast, we try to offer a study tool that you can use between broadcasts and to spend more time on your own in that search. I’ll pause here for our J-Web, who will share with you how you can receive that study. Get this, folks. We send it by mail. I mean, we have some online offerings that we are gladly sharing with people, but we also try to offer as much by mail as we can, and we try to suit and fit everyone’s need the best that we can. Well, with all that being said, here is our J-Web of how you can receive your free study. No obligation. Give it a try. Work with it. Go as far as you’d like or go all the way with it. Well, here’s J-Web to tell you how you can get started.
SPEAKER 03 :
Our long-time free Bible study course by mail is always available. Have you tried it yet? Just call us toll-free at 855-444-6988 and leave your name, address, and just say Home Study. That’s it. You may also go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the Contact tab, and leave us the same information, name, address, and type Home Study in the message box. Study the Bible at your own pace. Again, it’s free from your friends here at International Gospel Hour.
SPEAKER 01 :
Now, friends, let us study further, and let’s take that one head, the one head, Christ, and the one body, the Church, And let’s discuss that together. You know, in order for a physical body to function, it must be attached to the head. We know that. 1 Corinthians 12, verses 12-27 uses the physical body and uses it in parallel to the church. How the body has many members, that’s verse 12. And we learn how those members spiritually should work together, Romans 12, 4 and 5. One is baptized within the body, and Galatians 3.27 reminds us, for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. We see also from 1 Corinthians 12, verses 18 and verses 22-24 how every member is important, every member of the body. The hand, the arm, the eye, the ear. And you know, friends, every member is important within the church. For we are to rejoice together, we suffer together. That’s verse 26 of 1 Corinthians 12. And we’re reminded of that in Romans 12, verse 15. How we edify or help one another. That parallels perfectly with Ephesians 4, verse 16. Now, 1 Corinthians 12, 26 mentions a schism, that there should be no schism in the body, a cleft or a tear, any dissension or division, which is what Paul has been dealing with throughout most of that book. And so we understand that we do not need to allow the unfruitful works of darkness to have a part in the church, Ephesians 5, 11, and how we are to come out and be separate from those, 2 Corinthians 6 and verse 14. And you know, friends, nobody decides to get sick. Nobody with good health says, you know what, I think I’ll get sick the next few days. And so what happens is a schism or division will happen when the body fails to function properly. And when a body disagrees with the head, don’t be surprised when the body suffers. Now, we’re speaking of matters spiritually here, or physically, but also spiritually. Now think about it, friends. One’s head controls one’s thoughts, one’s words, one’s actions. So let’s do a parallel. Should not Jesus Christ, the head, control the thoughts of the church, his body? Absolutely. For Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10, 5, Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Well, friend, would we not affirm that if one is in the church, that one’s thoughts and one’s beliefs should be within the obedience of Christ? So what one thinks needs to be in accordance with the head, or specifically his words, John 12, 48-50. Now, should not the head, Christ, control the words of the church, his body? Yes. For if anyone speak, let him speak as of the oracles of God, 1 Peter 4, verse 11. The word oracle there is defined as a word, a narrative, a statement. It’s a diminutive of the word logos, which means Christ. It’s a divine response or an utterance, so if we speak the oracles of God, would not those words be from the head and his authority from his word? Well, we must affirm that as well. And then should not the head, Christ, control the actions of his church? Absolutely. Colossians 3, 15-17, Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful. And that we notice in verse 17, whatever we do in word or in deed, we do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. So friends, the word of Christ instructs one how one is to live. So the head, Christ, should control the thoughts, the words, and the actions of the body, His church. Friends, let’s place forth a few questions here. Are you a member of the church we read of in the New Testament and not a member of a denomination? Would you not agree that through our studies today in light of Scripture that we need to be members of the church we read of in the New Testament? That one we know is correct. Is there only one head and that head being Christ according to the Scripture? Yes. Is there one body and that body being the church according to the Scripture? Yes. Is the body, the church, the people, to respond to the thoughts of the head, the Christ, to speak His words and respond with actions as He directs us through His word? Oh, absolutely. Friends, with all these questions and the answers therein in light of Scripture, we must affirm the importance and the necessity of being a part of the church one reads of in the New Testament that has as its head Jesus Christ. Friends, we shared with you earlier our Bible study by mail. We once again share that information with you. And if you’d like to study this further, we’ll mail that to you. Call us at 855-444-6988. Leave us your name and address and just say Home Study, just like Jay mentioned earlier. And friends, we hope that you’ll have a part of that study. I’m going to pause for Jay one last time, just for several seconds, a little over 20 seconds, and let him give you some updates about the app you can download on your iPhone or Android.
SPEAKER 03 :
Please download the International Gospel Hour app on your iPhone or Android. A free download awaits you at the App Store or Google Play. Just search International Gospel Hour and download our app free and have access to all our work. It is all there through the IGH app.
SPEAKER 01 :
And friends, downloading our app will give you access to a lot of the things that we study and do here and may help you in your studies of the things that we’ve talked about today. We trust this study with you today will prompt us all to search the Scriptures as Jesus told us in John 5, 39 and as they did in Berea in Acts 17, verses 10 and 11. And let us address your questions if you would. As we pursue the truth and grow in our study of God’s word concerning the church, we will help you all that we can through what we offer. And if you are studying and you have questions, again, our toll-free number, 855-444-6988. And we’ll continue these studies together at another time. Thank you for joining me today on the International Gospel Hour. I’m Jeff Archie, and friends, keep listening.
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God be with you till we meet again.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you for listening to our broadcast today, and we hope you continue onward with your search and study of God’s Word. Please join us next time and visit our website at internationalgospelhour.com.
