He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:15-18)
The church of Christ was not an afterthought in the mind of God. The church was not built upon Peter or any other man, but upon the foundational truth Peter confessed; Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God”. Jesus Christ is the foundation upon which His church rests (1 Cor. 3:11). The church is important because Jesus purchased it with His blood (Acts 20:28). The strength of the grave could not prevent Jesus from building His church. Do not cheapen the church of the Lord by turning it into a social club, a political action committee or a creed-driven agency of human wisdom. The church is the body of Christ and He is its head (Eph. 1:22-23). The church and salvation are inextricably linked since the church is His body and Jesus is “the Savior of the body”. The church Jesus built is composed of souls saved by His gospel. He continues to add saved ones to it (Acts 2:47). We know the church is valuable to Christ. How valuable is the church to you?
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