Morning Thoughts - by Elder Philip Conley

Morning Thoughts

Colossians 1:18, "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."

This morning, there are many that seek positions of authority and lordship. It appeals to the natural man to have power, influence, and control. Most men spend the course of their natural lives trying to move up in the world, and as a result, have more people seek them for guidance and permission. Unfortunately, such can also be the case in the church from time to time. I have seen churches reel to and fro from power pulls by the pastor, deacons, and sometimes even an old sister. Brethren, these things ought not so to be.

There is only one head of our church. Some folks like to ask, "So where are the Primitive Baptist's headquarters?" My response is, "In heaven." We have only one Head, for we have only one Mediator. If our Mediator is in heaven, then that must be where our headquarters are. Christ is the head of the church, and He is the head for a specific reason. The reason that He is the head is that He bled and died for her. On top of that, He is called the firstborn of the dead, firstfruits of them that slept, and THE resurrection and the life. If He died for her, then He arose for her as well. Because He lives, we shall live also.

The power of His resurrection is what gives Him the authority to be her head. That authority was given to Him by the Father. Therefore, there is not a man that can claim any lordship over the flock of God. Many try to follow preachers, but Paul plainly told the Corinthians that God gives the increase no matter who plants or waters. (I Corinthians 3:6) Without the grace of God, all of our efforts are for naught. So, the power of the resurrection of Christ makes Him the head of the church. He is also the beginning. He is the Rock on which the church is founded. He declared that plainly in Matthew 16. Christ is the foundation, the chief cornerstone, and the Truth from which we draw our strength.

So, if Christ is the foundation and the head, what right have we to glory in ourselves? Where is glorying then? If we are not the head, the foundation, or the root of the tree, we can ONLY glory in the One that is those things. He that glorieth, let him glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth GOD. (Jeremiah 9:24) All of our glorying must be in Him, or it is vainglory. He has the preeminence, and that means He comes before anyone else in the kingdom. The King must come before all of the servants. Many times, I am blessed to be at a good meeting, and I get to hear some good preaching.

However, many times, I also have to hear someone after church say, "Boy, he sure is a good preacher, and he did such a good job today." Now, there is nothing wrong with encouraging a preacher, but when the glory given to God is absent entirely from the encouragement, there is something wrong. Perhaps the best thing someone ever says to me after one of my efforts is, "I thought the Lord was with you this morning. He blessed the message in a powerful way." That is encouragement to the preacher, but it focuses the attention on the One that did the blessing. Any "good" preacher is not that way of himself. He is a "blessed" preacher because God blesses Him, and he is utilizing the talents that the Lord gave him.

So, let us always keep the main thing the main thing in the kingdom of God. The main thing is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. If there is any other focus in the house of God, it is out of focus. Sometimes, when we think we are in focus, a step back will show us what everyone behind us sees. It may be that we are focusing too hard on something and missing the big picture of Jesus Christ.

In Hope,

Bro Philip