"My Daddy Says You Are Fired"

Thursday - May 5th

Scripture to Read Today: Ephesians 1:15-23

Head of the Church: God the Son gives the orders by which the rest of the body (the church) lives

The Names and Attributes of God

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God placed all things under his feet

and appointed him to be head

over everything for the church.

Ephesians 1:22

The great delight of my ministry life has been to serve two wonderful churches as their Senior Pastor. From 1997 to 2008, I was blessed to be the pastor of Bible Center Church in Charleston, West Virginia. Since the time I left there, I have been blessed to be the pastor of Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village, California. In both churches, God surrounded me with outstanding elder boards and gave me the privilege of serving alongside incredible pastors on our leadership teams.

Each of my three children figured out that I was each church's point leader at different stages in their development. Our youngest, Megan, fired a couple of pastors without completely knowing what firing someone actually meant. One Monday, during a leadership team meeting, our children's pastor asked me an odd question. He wanted to know what we were saying at home about him and his role on our pastoral team. When I inquired why he asked that particular question, he had a quick response. "Yesterday, during children's church, your three-your-old daughter, Megan, told me I was fired and when I asked her how she knew that, she told me her daddy said so at home." Our whole team laughed hard and for a long time after hearing what Megan told him.

It turns out that Megan did not understand my leadership level or role on the church's pastoral team. When the children's pastor frustrated her because he corrected her behavior, she just blurted out that he was fired. She thought her dad would be the best authority to cite as she announced his termination. Later she would even say that she was glad her daddy was in charge of the church. He could do whatever he wanted. She thought that meant good things for her. While Megan's bossiness provided a good laugh for our team, she did misunderstand my role as the human point leader.

The Scriptures describe the church as a living organism - a body. That body contains many parts. Every follower of Jesus Christ is a part of that body. We all have various talents and gifts, but we all fit into the body. In Ephesians chapter one, we learn there is ultimately no point leader higher in authority in the church than Jesus Himself. He is the head of the body. He makes the decisions. He sets the direction.

While I served as the human point leader for Calvary as the lead or Senior Pastor, Christ is the leader, the shepherd, and our local church's head. We seek to follow His leading and do His will. We strive to live, love, and lead like Jesus. Make no doubt about it. Christ is above all and over everything. We are His body. We are His church.

We should find comfort together in knowing Christ is the head of the church worldwide and that He is head of both Bible Center and Calvary. He may use any of us in any way He sees fit.

Jesus gives the orders by which the rest of the body (the church) lives. Look to Him for hope in your life today!