From the desk of Pastor Ben

The Certainty Of The Church

“I will build My church.”         (Matthew 16:18a)

With this brief statement, Jesus points to the certainty of His church. It is the divine promise of the divine Savior, therefore it will be built. Only the Father, through His Son, can produce the godly results that equal the church.

When believers study and obey the Word, walk in the Holy Spirit, and produce the fruit of the Spirit, they can be certain they are where Christ is building His church. They are not the ones who ultimately build the church, but Christ ministers through them to build his church. The true church is always “under construction,” even if Christians in certain local assemblies become complacent or disobedient.

The New Testament clearly asserts the certainty of Christ building His church. He told the people, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me” (John 6:37). Peter told the crowds at Pentecost that the Lord adds to His church “as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself” (Acts 2:39b). When the Gentiles do Antioch heard Paul and Barbara’s, “they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region” (Acts 13:48-49). God’s sovereign choice of those who believed ensured the building of Christ’s church.

Ask Yourself:
How can you attest to the fact that Christ is building the church where you worship and serve on a weekly basis — that it’s not the work of man but the work of God? What have you seen Him do that couldn’t be attributed merely to good planning, hard work, and follow through?