Read Matt 16:13-19
16:18 - 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.
JESUS: I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH That’s our confidence!
The word CHURCH is used only TWICE by Jesus, and recorded for us only in the Gospel of Matthew.
• One is here in Matt 16, and the other in Matt 18.
• Matt 18:15-17 “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that `every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the CHURCH; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”
By now I believe we do know that the church is not a building. Jesus did not build any building or monument.
• He died leaving behind a group of believers, whose lives were transformed.
• Clearly the church refers to the body of believers. It is not a building, it is not an institution. It is not an organisation.
The church was not even the believers’ idea. They did not come together to form it. It was prophesied by Jesus here. He builds the church.
• The word CHURCH in Greek is ekklesia which means the “called out ones”.
• We are called out from the world by God to live as His people under the Lordship of Christ.
Church is not something we attend; it’s something you are. Church isn’t a place; it’s people.
• We are the church. You are the church. We don’t need a building to exist.
• In fact, for the most part, the first church in ACTS do not have a building. They met most of the time in homes.
When Peter eventually understand what CHURCH means, he describes it in 1 Peter 2:9-10 “…you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
• That’s the church. The people of God. We are the church.
Where we are, that’s where the church is.
• The church does not come to life only on Sundays. It is the living Body of Christ and is capable of expressing the life of Christ every day, everywhere.
• We worship Him every day, not just on Sundays. The difference is worship is more prominent on Sundays because we congregate in large numbers.
In fact, the first church meets every day. Acts 2 tells us. They meet to praise God, learn His Word and in meeting one another’s needs.
• The coming together of the believers is not by accident. Jesus says He will BUILD His church. It is clearly intentional and planned for.
• When this was finally fulfilled in ACTS, we come to understand WHY.
GROWTH COMES THROUGH THE CHURCH
God designs it for our spiritual growth and support. This community therefore is indispensable for the believers.
• It is where we can be encouraged and strengthen in their walk with Jesus.
• Hebrews 10:25 “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” It is clear Paul is making an emphasis here.
Can I be a believer and not go to church? (I’ve been asked this a few times.)
• You will not lose your salvation in Christ because you are not a church-goer. Going to church will not make you a Christian.
• But skipping church will mean you will be deprived of many things you need for your growth, because God has designed this community to provide those needs.
• You lose the protection and support that can only come through the Body of Christ.
The Bible has no concept of individual spirituality. Christianity is not something personal that has nothing to do with anyone else.
• Almost all the writings in the NT are done in the plural, addressing to the churches and hardly to individuals. (Greek distinguishes between singular and plural ‘you’.)
• The Christian life is not meant to be lived solo. As Christians, we are members of God’s church and brothers and sisters to one another. It’s a spiritual family.
It is near impossible to live a Christian life alone, it runs counter to everything God says. I doubt if anyone can grow healthily, spiritually, apart from this community.
• All the “one another” experiences taught in the Scriptures will not apply to him.
• If a person is sick or in a very difficult situation and cannot find the means to go to church, then he has no choice. We have to visit him more often.
• But when there is a choice, we need to be a part of God’s church.
We do not need to think about what great contributions we can offer. Start with something as simple as being present.
• Our presence makes a difference. Our presence itself is an encouragement.
Have you ever attended an event, not because you like it but because your presence matters to someone? Like going for a movie. You don’t like the movie but your good friend is organising it and few can make it. You turn up because you wanted to give her some encouragement or moral support.
I believe you have done that many times. You sit through an event, not because you need to or interested, but because you want to be an encouragement to the group. You are thinking NOT of self, but the needs of others.
I’ve learnt over the years, that when you do something, not so much for self but for the greater good of the others, that blessing is often returned. You end up happier and getting blessed in return. God blesses you in return.
Jesus says it right, it’s more blessed to give. Prov 11:25 “…he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”
This leads me to the last point – you can make an impact in your world.
THE CHURCH WILL MAKE AN IMPACT
It is not maybe, it will surely happen. Jesus prophesied it.
• It is not about what we can do but what Christ can do through us, if we are willing to let Him.
• After saying I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH, Jesus says AND THE GATES OF HADES WILL NOT OVERCOME IT.
To the Jewish people, they would understand the ‘gates of hades’ to mean death or the power of death. The gates lock the dead in.
• Yet Jesus says the gates of hades will not be stronger than the church, likely referring to the church’s power to liberate people from the bondage of death.
• Jesus went on to tell Peter, that is, the church that he represents, that he will have the keys to the Kingdom of heaven, referring to the authority to bind and loose lives through the proclamation of the Gospel.
• And verse 21 says, “From that time on Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Sin will be dealt with. Death has no power to hold us bound because it has no power over Jesus.
• He will soon die to free man from sin and death, and be raised on the third day.
• The gates of hell cannot keeps man bound because the Gospel, to be proclaimed eventually by the church, will set him free.
• Rom 1:16 says the Gospel “is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes...”
The church has the power of the Gospel and it’s stronger than the gates of hell.
• This power is now entrusted to the church - not the institutional church but the Body of believers, who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ.
• We are entrusted with the Gospel, the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. We can make an impact.
When Jesus wants to touch someone and frees him, He does it through you and me, the church.
• Lives will be touched and changed, because we bring to them the presence of Jesus Christ.
• I am happy to hear about Wendy calling her colleagues together for a dinner gathering and taking the chance to share her testimony. And Michael organising the Alpha in the Workplace and reaching out to the colleagues. Someone came to Christ last week.
• That’s BEING THE CHURCH. We are the CHURCH of Jesus Christ.
I just finished reading this book THE CHURCH THAT NEVER SLEEPS by Matthew Barnett. Very blessed to know of such a ministry.
Matthew Barnett went to the inner city in Los Angeles to minister to gang members, drug addicts, prostitutes, unwed mothers, orphans and the homeless. It started in 1994 when he was 20 years old, and the church now runs over 180 ministries and houses close to 500 homeless people.
This is what he says: “When I was in love with the idea of building church attendance, nothing worked. The church didn’t grow. When I fell in love with people and meeting their needs, everything prospered and grew. Better than having ideas, better than coming up with church growth concepts, getting out there in the trenches, giving your life for people, is the best seed for a harvest.” (p.33)
Put yourself in another man’s world. Look everyone in the eye and you’ll see a need you can meet.
The story of ACTS continues today, through you and me. God continues to write the pages of His redemption stories through you and me.
• So don’t just go to church. BE THE CHURCH and touch lives.
[Videoclip: This is Church – Be the Church]
