Embedded Files
"And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
message summary
Scripture: Matthew 16:18-19
Context:
Jesus speaks to his disciples in Caesarea Philippi, a Northern city in Israel. The region was the birthplace of the Roman god Pan. Large crowds of idol worshippers at the time come to worship these false gods. Jesus asked the disciples who does the people say he is? Peter answered “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (v16).
In v18 - Jesus reveals to Peter and to the disciples His divine plans for the Church. This was the first mention of word church is used in the bible. Ekklesia in Greek is commonly translated to English word church.
Jesus describes the essence of the Church - He said "on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."
"I will build" - Jesus brings His people together in common
"On this rock I will build" - Jesus builds on a firm foundation.
"My Church" - Jesus is building something that belongs to Him. He is taking ownership.
"The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" - Jesus's church will become a stronghold not even Hades will bring it down.
Application:
When we read this passage, we see how Jesus want His church to be built. We see that Jesus is the builder, He is the master planner and He is the head.
Paul referred Jesus as the "head of the corner" and is the "Chief Cornerstone of the Church". Jesus gives us a promise that nothing can overcome His church.
In our minds we all know what a church is supposed to look like and what it should be doing...but in reality, does our church match with what Jesus describes in this passage? if so, why not?
The bible paints the true picture of church and as disciples of Christ need to do our best to aim for it. We need to be challenged to become more and more like it.
Piece by piece, we all play a part in becoming the true church of Christ.
Chances are that if you're reading this you have connections to or are already part of a Jesus centred community. At first glance you may think there's nothing particularly remarkable about it, but stick around long enough, get to know some of the people Jesus has invited and you will find that it's unlike any other community on earth.
You see when we let Jesus build his church, his way, we will start to notice that he is bringing together people who would never normally live in community with one another. On top of all that, you'll discover that these people, despite their differences, despite their lack of common interest, they gather together, all the time. They choose to meet meet and are intentional about loving each other in real ways.
Spiritual practice - standard
step 01
find 2 or 3 Christian friends who will commit with you to do this practice, each week, for the next 5 weeks
(if one of you misses a week it's okay, the main thing is that you all decide to try your best)
step 02
decide a time and place to meet
(you'll need a minimum of 15 minutes and can meet anywhere from a group call, to zoom, to discord or maybe even in person)
step 03
meet!
recognise that the people with you are there because
Jesus wants you to enjoy his gift of Christian community (a.k.a. fellowship)
each person is encouraged to share with the group each week using one of the prompts below as a guide:
- describe how Jesus has brought you into this community -
- share something significant that Jesus has done in your life or in the lives of others that has impacted you -
- describe what being a follower of Jesus has been like this past year -
- describe one relationship you have gained since becoming part of Jesus' church -
- share about one person you think who you really want to become a follower of Jesus and part of this community -
- have you ever thought about leaving a church community? -
- describe what makes a good fellowship -
step 04
end with a prayer of gratitude
Spiritual practice - reach
step 01
find 2 or 3 people in this community who you don't know well
who will commit with you to do this practice, each week, for the next five weeks
(if one of you misses a week it's okay, the main thing is that you all decide to try your best)
step 02
decide a time and place to meet
(you'll need a minimum of 30 minutes and can meet anywhere from a group call, to zoom, to discord or maybe even in person)
step 03
meet!
recognise that the people with you are there because
Jesus wants you to enjoy his gift of Christian community (a.k.a. fellowship)
each person is encouraged to share with the group each week using one of the prompts below as a guide:
- describe how Jesus has brought you into this community -
- share something significant that Jesus has done in your life or in the lives of others that has impacted you -
- describe what being a follower of Jesus has been like this past year -
- describe one relationship you have gained since becoming part of Jesus' church -
- share about one person you think who you really want to become a follower of Jesus and part of this community -
- have you ever thought about leaving a church community? -
- describe what makes a good fellowship -
step 04
end with a prayer of gratitude
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