But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Ephesians 4:15

For, God has made Christ the head of all things for the church.  He is above everything of this natural order, higher than every name, title and authority that can be given.

The foundation of God’s throne is righteousness and justice, and as God has ordained that this world be governed by kingdoms, the basis of all real things is done through the nature of authority and responsibility.

There is no basis for any gifting, natural or supernatural, or any ability or authority in heaven or in Earth outside of either God or the enemy.  Yet, Jesus said that His Father was His “Abba”, daddy.  He said, that to follow Him, is to be a like a child.

[N]o man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 14:6 (portion)

Jesus said, in Matthew 7:21, that no one would enter the Kingdom except those that do the will of the Father.  As we see in the chapters leading up to the crucifixion in John’s Gospel, and elsewhere, the greatest summary of this command of the Father was to love, even as Christ has loved them.  Yet, in order to do this, we must see the Father, know the Father, and hear the Father, who is Spirit.

Jesus said that He was the only way to the Father.  Whenever church is elevated, whenever platform is idolized, and whenever even someone wants to look good in their own disposition as a minister or a deacon or an elder, we have come in the way of Christ, we have obstructed people from coming to know Jesus, and we, therefore, inadvertently or not, because of our own soulish pride and selfishness, steal from them the greatest thing outside of this world, the Father.  For, again, no one can come to the father through us.  Through you, or me, or anyone else, but only through Christ.  For, He is the only door, and He is the only Way, Truth, and Life.  No one comes to the Father but through Him.

If we bind people to ourselves or institution, and not to Christ, we have blinded them from the Father.  If we lead them in mixture, half showing them Christ but half keeping them looking at the church, which cannot save, we only guarantee that half will fall away (or probably more), for it is only in Christ that we find Father, and listen to what Jesus Christ Himself said.

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

John 17:3

If we bind them from the Father, we have bound them from life.  If we, instead of giving them Jesus through the Holy Ghost, attempt to make our institution or organization “function”, we have failed to be ministers, and are blind leading the blind.

Consider even the Apostles.  When the issue of minding the tables was brought up, they decided then to raise up elders, one of whom was Stephen, to look after the tables.  They themselves stayed in the ministry of the Word, even Christ.  It was not to form structure that they did this, but simply to facilitate need.  The eldership was not the necessity, the people were, and firstly, only in the ministry of Christ.

Like little children!  If we form committies and bodies and structures, and keep them for the structure sake and not the Gospel’s sake, not the church, the Gospel, then the church will always be a lifeless, dead, demonic structure, capable only of blinding its members from the true light of Christ, the true Holy Spirit, and blocking them, rather than helping them, get to the Father.

Ye heard how I said to you, I go away, and I come unto you.  If ye loved me, ye would have rejoiced, because I go unto the Father: for the Father is greater than I.

John 14:28

Who is greater than Jesus?  Only the Father.  For even Jesus, at the end, will turn all over to the Father, and all will be complete.

This is life, that we may know Him, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.

Yet, Christ is our head, the head of every man.  Not institution, not church politics, not anything else in all of creation, simply Jesus.

And, as we come to Him, and like babes keep and obey His sayings, we have life, and we live forever.

Everything else is but a shadow compared with Christ, for when we know Him, when we see Him, all else is loss.