And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the church. Ephesians 1:22
There is a particular group of assemblies of Christians (or at least they claim to be Christians), who claim to be functioning according to New Testament principles, with one significant difference between those assemblies and the ones that you and I are gathered with. That group has a leader who supposedly has received the position as a successor to the apostle Paul, and, as such, has the authority to make decisions and interpretations of Scripture that apply to all members of his assemblies. This man exercises absolute control over his flocks, forbidding members from eating meals with anyone who is not part of their congregations, forbidding members from attending university, forbidding members from taking vacations away from their home areas without permission (and permission is rarely given). This leader enforces rigid dress codes and behaviour codes, and exacts harsh discipline against anyone who steps out of line. This group certainly qualifies as a cult, and has drifted far away from many of the plain doctrines of the Word of God. All because of the authority it has invested in a mere man. In contrast, our Assemblies must take their authority from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our text uses the word ‘head’ to indicate authority, making it clear that God has placed His Son as the authority in our Assemblies. This authority is not limited in any way, but applies, as our text declares, to ‘all things’. There is nothing about our Assemblies – the doctrines we hold, the meetings we convene, the practices we follow, the relationships that we maintain – that fall outside of His authority. This places a great burden on the overseers in each Assembly to know, practice, and teach the truths of the Word of God as it applies to our gatherings. This leadership will ensure that our Lord is always given His place as the head of all things to the Assembly.
As godly order is maintained in each Assembly, with each Assembly submitting to the lordship of Jesus Christ, cordial and strong relationships will be forged with other Assemblies. Scripture makes it absolutely clear that each Assembly is autonomous in its responsibility before God, and has no control or authority over any other Assemblies. But as each Assembly observes the doctrine of submission to the headship and lordship of Jesus Christ, these Assemblies will find themselves in harmony with each other. That is why, without any earthly organization or formal relationships, our Assemblies can have fellowship with each other, including the convening of conferences and the sharing of the efforts of commended workers among us. Such fellowship is unknown outside of our Assemblies, either in the world or among other groups of Christians.
As Jesus Christ is given headship in all things, our fellowship with others who acknowledge His headship is extended to all things -Jim MacIntosh