However, even in the so-called church there is no heading up. Not only the universe and human society are in a state of collapse, but even the so-called church is in the same condition. By God’s grace, we all must say, “Lord, we are here to take the lead to be headed up. Lord, head us up in Christ. We don’t want to remain in the heap of collapse. We have to be rescued from the collapse by being headed up in You.” After you have been brought out of the collapse, you will be above all things. Until this happens, you will not have the confidence to say that you are above the President. It is possible to be saved, but still remain in the heap because you are not headed up. Oh, may our eyes be opened to see the revelation here in the book of Ephesians!
Many Christians are talking about the church, but in their talk the word “church” has become meaningless. In the book of Ephesians, however, the church means a great deal. But if you do not know what it is to be headed up in Christ, you cannot know what the church is. The church is not a heap of fallen people who are still in the collapse. The church is the heading up of God’s chosen ones under the headship of Christ. In contrast to the genuine church, today’s Christianity is a heap. Wherever you go in Christianity, you see one heap after another. The reason there are so many heaps in the denominations or in the independent Christian groups is that, just as in human society, there is no heading up. But in the proper church life we are being headed up in Christ.
It is important to see that the heading up in the church is a matter in life. If we try to be headed up without growing in life, we shall fall into organization. To head up all things in the church without the growth in life is simply to have an organization. The proper heading up is the growing of life. The more you grow in life, the more life you will have, the more heading up there will be, and the more you will be rescued from the heap of collapse. No human hand or organization can accomplish this. No human effort can help the heading up in the church life. I cannot help you, and you cannot help me. The only thing that avails is the growth in life. Oh, we need to grow and help others to grow! We need to minister the supply of life to one another to help one another grow. The heading up in the church life is altogether dependent upon the growth in life.
I would impress you again with the fact that the entire universe is in a state of collapse. We have been saved not only from the fallen, sinful condition, but also from the heap of collapse. Now in order to be delivered from the collapse in a practical way, we need to grow in life. The more we grow, the more we come out of the collapse.
The heading up in the church life also takes place by light (Rev. 21:23-25). This light, of course, is not the light of knowledge, but the light of life. John 1:4 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” The light here shines out from the life in which we grow. When we grow in life, we have the light of life. Under this light, everything is kept in order. If instead of life and light we have death and darkness, we are still in the collapse. Wherever death and darkness are, there is the collapse. All of human society, including today’s Christianity, is nothing but death and darkness and, hence, a heap of collapse. But because we are full of life and are under light, we are not a heap. Because we are in life and because all our movements are in light, there is no confusion. Although today’s Christianity is a heap of collapse in death and darkness, we in the church life are in life and under light. With life and light we are being headed up.
We have seen that the church takes the lead to be headed up in Christ. Eventually, the millennium will come and, following that, the new heaven and new earth with the New Jerusalem. In the new heaven and new earth all things will be headed up in Christ. In the New Jerusalem there will be no death and no night; instead, everything will be saturated with life and be under light. With the New Jerusalem as the center, all things in the new heaven and the new earth will be headed up. At that time Ephesians 1:10 will be completely fulfilled. Then we shall realize that Christ is the Head over all things to the church, His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all. Today we in the church life are taking the lead to be headed up in Christ. For this we need to grow in life and have the light of life.