The Kingdom of God IS the Gospel/Good News, and it is what we are called to join, advance, and participate in. Jesus said that the foundation that He would build his house and assembly on, was that Jesus was the anointed King (Messiah/Christ) as revealed to Peter by God (Matthew 16:16-18). Putting any other person as leader of The Assembly is anti-Christ.

The scriptures below were written after Jesus was crucified, resurrected, and then ascended into heaven. Jesus was no longer walking among them in a physical body. Yet, Jesus previously said in Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three gather together (assemble) in My name, there am I with them.”:

Ephesians 1:22 and He put all things under His feet, and gave Him—head over all things to the Assembly,

Colossians 1:18 He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

A Pastor (shepherd) is there to protect the flock, and the liver is there to protect the body. But the hands and feet never ask the liver what they should be doing at any given time – they are directed by the head!

Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ also is the head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the body.

1 Corinthians 11:3 But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. 

Since the husband is the head of the wife, who should the wife go to or listen to for instructions about conducting the affairs of her home and family? The neighbor? The postman? The Sheriff? Why then do we think we should repeat the sins of Israel who rejected God and asked for a human King?

Every Protestant preacher will reject the Papacy and yet they often see themselves as the rudder who is steering their congregation. I tell you the truth, the congregation (the assembly) must look to Jesus the King to be the General of the army; the Conductor of the orchestra; and the CEO of the company.

God is spirit and must be worshiped in spirit and in truth.

When you pray to your King, are you praying to God, or to the people that can hear you? When you sing a song of praise and worship, are you doing something more than just enjoying the feeling you get when you are in a large group of singers? Is it anything different than if you were all singing “Lean on me” by Bill Withers, or Francis Scott Key’s “The Star Spangled Banner”? Do you sing to the person of God? You must sing to the person of God with true confessions of His greatness and glory if you are to worship in spirit an in truth. But this is not even our primary way of worship.

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

So, in all you do as you live your life, let the person of Jesus be your King and commander; Him and no other! Not in service to a person who is God’s servant, but to God Himself!
Jesus is not just the head of the Assembly, but the Lord of each member of the Assembly.
Pastors and Elders often put themselves in the place of the head, and they are frustrated that “their congregations” aren’t doing things for the Kingdom. They have trained the congregation to look to them as the General of the army. But, they rarely have any plans to win wars or take ground against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Government of The Assembly

At the time that the nation of Israel rejected God as their King, God had already given them Judges to settle disputes, Prophets to speak His words, and the Law (through Moses) to tell them how to live. Today Jesus gave us the same things: Elders to settle disputes, the Bible is the words of the prophets, and we have been told how to govern our congregations through the 12 Apostles who were acting as Prophets like Moses did.

Ephesians 4:11-13 And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ.

And this is the way those leaders are assigned by our King to perform their duties:

Matthew 20:25-28 But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Think about the Speaker of The House: he governs the House of Congress during congressional assemblies. He makes sure there is order and that all members of the assembly obey the parliamentary rules that the assembly agrees to, and also that everyone obeys the law of the US constitution, and other laws that they have passed. The Speaker of the House is like the local Elders and Pastors in an assembly of Saints. None of them gets to do whatever they want. Their specific authority has to do with maintaining order, not controlling the content of the sessions or the agenda of the assembly.

1. Christ is the head of The Assembly
2. The teaching of the apostles
3. Fellowship – Breaking of Bread
4. Prayer
5. Civics in The Kingdom
6. How do I find an assembly?