Growing in Christ by Acknowledging His Headship and by Allowing Him to Increase in us

In order for God to head up all things in Christ at the fullness of the times (Eph. 1:10) we today as the church need to hold to Christ as the Head and grow up into Him in all things (Eph. 4:15).

We need to allow the Lord to grow in us by cooperating with Him in our daily life so that in big things, small things, and in all things He may increase in our being.

Many times we hide from God, we keep some areas of our life away from Him, and we don’t allow Him into certain things and situations in our living. But the Lord wants to come in and fill our inner being, saturate all the inward parts with Himself, and make His home deep down in our heart so that He may have access to all areas of our being and living.

As we enjoy Him, open to Him, and exercise our spirit to touch Him and drink Him in His word, we will spontaneously allow the Lord to make His home in our heart, and we will take Christ as the Head.

We grow up into the Head, Christ, by acknowledging His headship, that is, by always consulting with Him, giving Him the first place in all things, and seeking His counsel and feeling concerning everything.

Christ is the Head of everyone, the Head of the church, and the Head of all things; when we acknowledge His headship and authority, we grow into Him in all things.

The best way for us to grow into Christ in all things is by knowing, using, and exercising our mingled spirit. We need to pray that the Lord would give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation to fully know Christ and God’s economy (Eph. 1:17).

We are built together with the saints in spirit as we exercise our spirit to be God’s dwelling place (Eph. 2:22). We can see the mystery of Christ by exercising our spirit and being in spirit, and Christ can make His home in our heart when our spirit is strengthened with power by the Father through His Spirit (Eph. 3:5, 16).

How much we need to be renewed in the spirit of our mind (Eph. 4:23) and to be filled in spirit (Eph. 5:18)! For this, we need to pray at every time in spirit and watch unto this in all perseverance (Eph. 6:18).

Oh, may we be those who know their spirit, use their spirit, and exercise their spirit to allow the Lord to make His home in our heart so that we may be headed up in Christ as the church!

Growing up into the Head in All Things by Acknowledging the Headship of Christ

God’s purpose to head up all things in Christ through the church is being fulfilled as all the members of the Body grow in life and are built up in Christ.

We can grow in life by holding to truth in love so that we may grow into the Head, Christ (Eph. 4:15). We grow in life with the growth of Christ in us; our growth is Christ’s growth, and He wants to grow in us to the point that we say one with Paul, It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me (Gal. 2:20).

For this, Christ must increase in us and we must decrease. Christ must grow in us in all things: in big things, small things, in daily things at school, at work, at home, on the street, and wherever we may be.

In our daily life and in our work we need to practice to be one spirit with the Lord and consult Him in all things. The Lord doesn’t despise the day of small beginnings (Zech. 4:6, 10); when in small things we consult the Lord and fellowship with Him, we grow up into the Head, Christ, and we acknowledge His headship (see Joshua 9:14).

It is of God that we are in Christ Jesus; we simply need to remain in the organic union with Him as we do this and that, and we will take Him as our Head.

As the Lord grows in us through our constant fellowship with Him in all the things in our daily life, we decrease and He increases. As we give the Lord the first place in all things, not rushing to do this or that but fellowshipping with Him first and calling on His name, we acknowledge His authority over us and take Him as the Head.

Too many times, however, we forget about the Lord as we do our shopping, go to eat out at a restaurant, go on holidays, watch TV, play sports, read a book, and do other things.

We need to practice to give Him the first place, take Him as the Head, and give Him the preeminence in all the things in our daily life by opening to Him, calling on His name, asking Him about things, consulting with Him, seek His advice and feeling, and remain in prayer before Him.

We need to give the Lord more ground in our being and hold nothing back from Him. We shouldn’t reserve any part for ourselves or hold areas of our being back from the Lord, but allow Him to grow in us and spread into every part of our inner being.

Christ is the Head of everyone (1 Cor. 11:3), He is the Head of the church (Eph. 5:23), and He is the Head of all things (Eph. 1:22, 10). We need to take Christ as the Head in our personal life, church life, family life, work life, and every aspect of our life by allowing Him to be the Lord in our attitude, speaking, and doing.

Lord Jesus, we open our entire inner being to You. We take You as our Head and Lord in our work life, our church life, our family life, and in every aspect of our life. Lord, keep us coming to You in big things and small things to consult with You and have Your feeling about everything. We acknowledge Your headship and authority not only in the universe and in the church but also in our personal life and family life. Lord Jesus, we love You and we take You as our Head and Lord!

Growing in Christ by Allowing Him to Increase and Grow in All the Inward Parts of our Being

When we receive the Lord Jesus into us at the time of our regeneration, He comes into our spirit to bring His divine life into us and make us children of God.

After being regenerated we need to grow into Christ, the Head, in all things by allowing Christ to increase and grow in all the inward parts of our being. Christ must spread from our spirit into our mind, emotion, and will, and eventually He will saturate our mortal body with His life.

The key to growing in life is our mingled spirit, our spirit mingled with the processed and consummated Triune God as the all-inclusive compound life-giving Spirit.

In order for us to grow in life, we must know our mingled spirit, we must use our spirit, and we must exercise our spirit. As Paul was unveiling the mystery of Christ and the church in Ephesians, in every chapter he mentions the mingled spirit as the key:

• Eph. 1:17 shows that we need to pray for a spirit of wisdom and revelation to fully know Christ and God’s economy. In order for us to know Christ and see God’s economy, we need to pray for a spirit of wisdom and revelation. If we pray back to the Lord these verses with the exercise our spirit, we will really touch the Lord in spirit.
• Eph. 2:22 says that all the believers are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit. At any moment that we are in spirit, we are in God’s dwelling place, the church. How can we be built up with other believers? By exercising our spirit and being in spirit.
• Eph. 3:5 says that the mystery of Christ has been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in spirit. It is a mystery that we are the church, the Body of Christ; this mystery can be revealed to us at the last times in spirit, as we exercise our mingled spirit.
• Eph. 3:16 shows that we need to pray to be strengthened into the inner man, which is our regenerated spirit with God’s life as its life. The secret of our mind, emotion, and will to be headed up in Christ is being strengthened into our inner man and allowing Christ to make His home in our heart. He will saturate and permeate us for the heading up of all things in Christ.
• Eph. 4:23 tells us to be renewed in the spirit of our mind. We need to be so exercised in our spirit that the spirit would have a way to invade our mind and become the spirit of the mind. We need an invasion of our mind by our mingled spirit. The more we are exercised in spirit by calling on the Lord, singing to Him, praying to Him, pray-reading His word, and fellowshipping with Him and with the saints, the more Christ is able to invade our mind and make home in our mind.
• Eph. 5:18 tells us to be filled in spirit. We should not be filled in body with wine, in mind with knowledge, or in emotions with all kinds of feelings, but we should be filled in spirit! Our spirit needs to be filled with the processed Triune God, the transcendent Christ, and the consummated Spirit. When we are filled in spirit, we are full of praises, singing, and speaking to one another. The way to practice being filled in spirit is by praising the Lord and by speaking hymns  and psalms and spiritual songs to one another. When we are filled in spirit in such a way, we will spontaneously be submissive to one another, we will have a proper order, and there will be no more quarrelling, complaining, or murmuring.
• Eph. 6:18 tells us to pray at every time in spirit. We need to take the word of God by means of all prayers and petitions, and watch unto pray-reading the word of God together with all the saints. When we pray at every time in spirit we are one with the Lord as the Undefeated Warrior and as the One who can overcome the evil one and subdue the enemy.

Also, in order for us to grow in the divine life, we must feed on the milk of the word, longing for the guileless milk of the word (1 Pet. 2:2) and eat the solid food in the word of God (Heb. 5:13-14).

May we practice day by day to be one spirit with the Lord, exercise our spirit, be in spirit, and feed on the Lord in His word so that we may grow into the Head in all things for the heading up of all things in Christ.

Father, give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of You and of Your economy. We exercise our spirit to touch You, enjoy You, and be built up together as Your dwelling place in spirit. Strengthen us with power through Your Spirit into our inner man so that Christ may make His home in our hearts. Lord, strengthen our spirit and spread from our spirit into our mind, emotion, and will. Renew our mind and fill us in spirit as we practice to praise You, pray over Your word, and speak with psalms and hymns! Praise the Lord!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Dick Taylor’s sharing in the message for this week, and portions from, The Issue of the Dispensing of the Processed Trinity and the Transmitting of the Transcending Christ (ch. 6), as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Vision, Practice, and Building up of the Church as the Body of Christ, week 3 / msg 3, God’s Purpose for the Church (3) – To Head Up All Things in Christ.
• Picture credit for 1 Cor. 11:3 and more spiritual quotes via, Christian Pictures Blog. Note: all verses are via, Recovery Version Bible.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Holding fast the Head, and growing / With His increase, in His way, / By the joints and bands supplying, / Knit together day by day. (Hymns #840)
  # Lord, deeper make Thy home in me / ’Til ev’ry room belong to Thee, / That Thou might fully make me Thee / And so full rest Thou have in me. (Song on the Lord making His home in us)
  # As the center, as the kernel, / Of God’s plan our spirit is; / Calling on the name of Jesus / Makes our spirit one with His. / From the center to circumference / God would saturate each part; / Feeling, mind, and will renewing, / Making home in all our heart. (Hymns #1325)