The Church of Jesus Christ

The Lord Jesus when He was here on earth on one occasion asked His disciples “….. who do you say that I am?”  “Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus said to Peter   “……On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it”.  Matthew 16:15-18

Who is this Rock?   The Rock is Christ Jesus. 1Corinthians 10:4  The Lord Jesus was referring to Himself when He answered Peter – “On this rock I will build My church”.
The Church universal is the body of Jesus Christ and it is comprised of all born again believers in Jesus Christ – irrespective of our name tags.  All of us who have been awoken by the Holy Spirit of God, of our sinfulness and of our need of the Savior and has responded by faith to that call, is a member of the church.  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”    We needed the Savior to redeem us to God.  In repentance we confessed Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty of our sin and lives to save us from our sin.     We believe through faith Jesus has pardon us of our sin, and He has risen from the dead and gone to heaven.  Soon He will return to take us to live with Him forever.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”   “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16, 17 

Our Lord Jesus builds the church.  He is the Head of the church.  In Acts 2:47 tell us, “and the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”  It is the Lord Jesus who adds members to His church.  We cannot.  This is why Jesus said in Matthew 7: 21-23 “many will say to me in that day Lord, Lord, have I not prophesied in Your Name,” …… verse 23: …..  “I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from Me,”

“And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”  Colossians 1:18.   We know how that works, having the preeminence.  Whoever is in charge, whoever is the owner gets to give his or her expectations.  Whoever follows is expected to adhere to those expectations.  Employees are to align themselves with the expectations of the employer.  So it is in the church of Jesus Christ.  We are to align ourselves with the will of the Builder – who is the Lord Jesus Christ.  His will is His Word.  The church belongs to Jesus Christ.  He purchased it with His own blood.  Acts 20:28 No one or no group owns the church.
The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church.  This is a fact as well as a promise.  Satan cannot overthrow the church of Jesus Christ.   Jesus suffered severely.  He poured out his blood and died on the cross of Calvary for His church and   God The Father raised Him from the dead.  God will never allow the enemy of our souls to overcome His church.   The enemy may win some skirmishes here and there with some members of the church. However, our Lord Jesus Christ is victorious over the enemy.  His church is a victorious church, and members are being added daily to the church by our Lord Jesus Christ.

I heard a gentleman giving his opinion on the radio on Wednesday regarding Ash Wednesday.  He suggested that Judaism, Christianity and Islam all started in the Middle East and they have some of the same values. 

Jesus said, when He was here on earth, “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.  Jesus is the only Way to the True God, God Almighty, the Creator of the universe and the church is His representative on earth.  Let us represent Our Lord Jesus well.  Let us love what He loves.  Let us hate what He hates.  Let us live as He lived here on earth.  Let us not compromise His values.Let us read the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and learn from Him.  Let us imitate our Savior- The Lord Jesus Christ. 


All Quotes from the NKJV

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