“First apostles, then prophets…” 1 Cor. 12.

Many good saints have left the church. Many Christians have become disillusioned with the state of Christianity in the west. Many good saints are concerned, but holding on attempting to be the change. Others have found measures of peace in washing their hands of the whole thing. The new state of affairs is one of disruption, disrepair and disorganization. The body of Christ, the one which will display his Life to the angels, will be a coordinated vessel. It will have structure. It will have submission. It will have appearance. It will have a place for all saints. It will be vigorously opposed to the flesh in leadership and it will not suffer Satan, sin, or sedition. In a word, it will be glorious. But, this goal is not going to be achieved without some frank admissions.

First, the saints who left. I too am in a form of disconnected wilderness in my home. Our danger is independence. Jesus will not be able to use the separated saints who think their private garden with the Lord is pleasing to him. Yes, time with him in the garden alone is awesome. But if we can’t submit to his vision for a corporate body we will be left out, and he won’t look back. We choose to submit to others and open ourselves up to them. This is his way.

Second, the saints who are holding on seeking to change Western Christianity. Ask yourself this question. Who is the spirit in charge? You are concerned with what you see, so it is not the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is not in charge, what exactly is your plan since you are not an apostle or a prophet? No, it is time to go.

Third, the saints who are disillusioned and left everything. God loves you. He doesn’t love what people did. But if you will stand down on your love for your wounds, he will heal and free you from them. Then if your pride can be erased he will add you to his body. His corporate body made up of vessels of himself. This goal is worth relaxing for.

Finally, many will believe Christianity is doing fine. Everything is pretty good. Nothing to worry about here. To that we ask the question of headship. Who is the head? Without headship there is no body for Christ. First the head, then the body. First the apostles and prophets, then the body. If our apostles and prophets are still preaching miracles and great moves, but cannot preach Galatians, they are not from the head. They are no head. Without fullness of Christ the lamb, there is no preaching of Christ the Lion. Speakers who can preach the lion but not the lamb are false because they do not know the Lord fully, and cannot produce his fullness. Headship is proven in lamb, not in Lion. It is the Lord’s way. “Anyone who does not take up his cross…” is not His disciple. No lamb, no microphone. Most of Christianity needs to shut in an upward direction for no other reason than it cannot express the fullness of Christ and cannot hear when the few do so. And so God will assemble his body in the wilderness.

We don’t love the wilderness. We don’t love our independent lifestyle. We love God. And in loving God we love what he loves, which is a body, which is the love of the brethren. And if we can’t be with the brethren and share our lives there, then there is no body and there is no glory. But first the head, then the body. May God restore headship among the brethren again and gather his submitted ones.