Two-Headed Cows?

            The dear old saint that first told me that “God never made no two-headed cows” loved the Lord dearly and is undoubtedly in His presence now. She loved the Lord, and just wanted me to get in line with the pastor's vision rather than hearing from God on my own. I must confess, though, that at first I just didn't get it. "What do two-headed cows have to do with anything?" I asked myself.

            Being a new believer, I searched my concordance looking for Scriptures referencing two-headed cows! I thought she was quoting Scripture, after all I had only recently discovered that Jesus is the Lamb of God and what that meant. (Just kidding, I was pretty sure she wasn't quoting Scripture but I did look it up just to double-check.)

            I eventually realized that she was saying that the pastor was the head of the church and that God only gave the church one head -- the senior pastor. The problem was that I couldn't find that in Scripture. I did find that Jesus is the head of the church and that each church was to be led by a group of elders made up of apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers, but I couldn't find one reference to a senior pastor or priest being the head of the church. And, even though there are no references to two-headed cows in the Bible, I still heard that saying repeated several more times by well-meaning saints.

            Well-meaning or not, these sincere saints, who sincerely believe that only the senior pastor can receive the vision for the church, are sincerely wrong. The clear message of the New Testament is that Christ is the head of the church and each believer is a member of His Body. Each believer can receive vision, direction, and instruction from the Head of the church – Jesus!

            In fact, contrary to those who tell us that only the senior pastor can receive vision and direction for the church, we are warned in Colossians 2:19 to not follow domineering puffed-up church leaders who have lost connection to the Head. Instead, all believers (not just pastors) are to stay connected to the Head (Jesus!) for it is when the members of the Body are not connected to the Head that the problems start. Think about that for a minute. If your legs were not properly connected to the head, if they couldn’t receive the proper messages from the brain, what would we call that? Paralysis! They wouldn’t move. Or, if they got the wrong messages and began moving on their own, what would we call that? A seizure!

            Let’s take that a step further and ask ourselves a question: Is the Body of Christ in America today healthy or is it somewhat paralyzed and dysfunctional? An honest analysis would affirm that many members of the Body of Christ today are inert and motionless, relying on other parts of the Body to do the things they should be doing themselves.

Dysfunction in the Body of Christ is not something new, however. The Apostle Paul addressed some dysfunctions in the Body in the church at Colossae, Corinth, and other places, which makes one think a bit. What would Paul write about the church in America today? Would he address the 80% or more of the Body of Christ who don't really do anything much except come to a Sunday morning meeting once in a while? Would he call them paralyzed and tell them they have lost connection with the Head?

            I think he probably would! Many members of the Body of Christ in American churches today have become spiritually weak and ineffective if not completely paralyzed. Could it be that this is why so many churches are so weak today? Could it be that we have slipped into a paradigm where we don't expect God to speak to every believer nor use every believer to minister to others? Could it be that we have bought into a system that exalts only a few to minister status and declares that only a select few can hear from God and give direction to others?

            Many have bought into this kind of thinking hook, line, and sinker without even realizing it. Sure, intellectually we know that the church is the Body of Christ and we are well-versed in the New Testament. But when it comes to living it out, some of us leaders insist on preaching every Sunday, leading every meeting, praying every public prayer, and even cleaning up and locking up after every potluck. We don't see the church as a body that is better off when it is being exercised. Instead, we see it as “our church” and when someone else serves they are doing it to do us a favor. And if someone else ministers effectively or perhaps even better than we might, then we become insecure and worry that we might lose our position or the favor of the people.

            God help us to see the Body of Christ as He sees it – full of potential and full of healthy members who are just waiting to serve, pray, teach, and minister in all sorts of ways. May He give us the courage to allow others to teach, lead, and minister. May He give us wisdom as to how to structure our weekly meetings so that everyone has a chance to pray for others, encourage the saints, share a testimony, lead in worship, and bring teaching and instruction to the Body. May He teach us how to lead the Body into doing everything we need to do to become strong and stay strong in accordance with 1 Corinthians 12-14 and the rest of the New Testament.

Let's Pray Together: Lord, I'm familiar with what the New Testament says about the church being Your Body, but I confess that at times I have not played my part or I have gone the other way and done not only my part but the parts of many others who have remained on the sidelines while I do everything. Help me to stay connected to You and to do just what you want me to, no more and no less. Help me to encourage others to step up and do their part. Give me wisdom in how to talk to everyone, whether they might be doing too much or not enough. Help me in this, and lead me as I pray for those you put on my heart... (Continue praying as you feel led)

Scriptures to Study: Ephesians 1, Ephesians 4, Colossians 2, 1 Corinthians 12-14, Romans 12

This devotional is authored and published by Randy Brockett. All publishing rights are reserved but readers are encouraged to repost (please include this copyright info) or share his insights with their family, friends, and congregations. For other devotionals by Randy, see www.blesseddisciples.com, www.dwellinchrist.com, and www.discoveringbiblicalchurch.com.