I Will Build My Church!

“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.’” Matthew 16:13-19

The late theologian Dr. Francis Schaeffer explains what the role of the church should be in his book The Church At The End Of The Twentieth Century. “Our churches must be real communities. With an orthodoxy of doctrine there must equally be an orthodoxy of community. Our Christian organization must be communities in which others see what God has revealed in the teaching of His word....Unless people see in our churches not only the preaching of the truth but the practice of the truth....they will not listen and they should not listen.”

The mission of the church is to take the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ to all people. As a believer, you are a living part of Christ, called to serve Him and make an impact on others’ lives. The church teaches God’s Word to equip you to share the gospel and disciple others at home, in your neighborhood, at the workplace. This support from fellow believers is essential in helping you seek the Lord consistently.

Your church is your “home base” in a tough world. You witness to others in the way God intends when you are joined with an obedient, loving body of believers.

“Not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25