In Matthew 16 Jesus says he will build his church on the apostle Peter and the gates of hell will not overcome it.
Remarkably, Jesus is teaching us:
- the church belongs to Jesus – it does not belong to the members of a congregation, or a minister, or a parish council, or a diocese
- the church is built by Jesus – while he does use us as his instrument, it is Jesus that builds the church. How could it be otherwise? It is miraculous when anyone turns to Christ and joins the church.
- the church is built by Jesus on the foundation of the apostolic witness. Jesus keeps building the church as we stick to the gospel message given to us by the apostles.
- the gates of hell won’t defeat the church – church may look frail and powerless and beaten – but Jesus will build it and protect it. Seeing the church built by Jesus is an exercise in spiritual warfare which he has promised to win.
Let’s pray that Jesus will build his church in and through us.