Clarity: Colossians 1:18-23

And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. (Colossians 1:18-23 ESV)

Preeminent in the Church: We are going to take a trip that begins with Jesus and ends with Jesus.

• the body – created through reconciliation. “that He might create in Himself one new man in place of the two.”
  
  In Ephesians 2:8-19, Paul was explaining the very same concept of reconciled Jew and Gentile to the Ephesians.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,"

• the church – the living organism that is the church was birthed at Pentecost where tousands received the Holy Spirit.
  The first time the word “church” ἐκκλησία (ek-klay-see'-ah) is used is in Matthew 16:18 -
  "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18 ESV)
  The first use of the word by an apostle was James -
  "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord." (James 5:14)
  And then Luke -
  "Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." (Acts 2:47 KJV) Most modern translations translate as “their number” (NASB, ESV, NIV).
  Paul, who’s calling it was to proclaim the reconciliation to the Gentiles, draws an earthly comparison to head of household when describing the qualifications of a pastor.
  "He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?" (1 Tim 3:4-5)

• You! - “he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him” – it all comes back to Jesus!
  Paul reminds us that Jesus has completely changed our lives and reconciled us to God. The false teachers have always been around.
  
  “Every person is a God in embryo. Its only desire is to be born.” – Deepak Chopra
  
  “I have come to the conclusion that whether or not a person is a religious believer does not matter much. Far more important is that they be a good human being." - His Holiness the Dalai Lama
  
  “There is only one security, and when you've lost that security, you've lost everything you've got. And that is the security of confidence in yourself; to be, to create, to make any position you want to make for yourself. And when you lose that confidence, you've lost the only security you can have. ... Self-confidence is self-determinism. One's belief in one's ability to determine his own course. As long as one has that, he's got the universe in his pocket. And when he hasn't got that, not all the pearls in China nor all the grain and corn in Iowa can give him security, because that's the only security there is.”
  – L. Ron Hubbard, Founder of Scientology
  
  "The lower a person feels, the closer he comes to his true state and to the Creator." - (Talmud, Sota)
  I don’t know what ‘Talmud, Sota’ is . . . and I can’t find out because of the next quote.
  "It is forbidden to study Kabbalah for any purpose other than spiritual elevation". - (Talmud, Sanhedrin)
  
  The false teachers will always spin fantastic tales of personal enlightenment through angels and inner energies. Jesus Christ is the firstborn of creation (Col. 1:15) and the firstborn of the dead (Col. 1:18). He was, and is , and always will be, the Head of the church.

“I’m Glad That’s Cleared Up!”: Jesus’ death and resurrection changed everything. Without reconciliation there is no church. He was, and is , and always will be, the Head of the church.