I Will Build My Church - Part 9 (8/29)

29 August 2014 - I Will Build My Church - Part 9 – Manna by Dorothy Callies

Matthew 16:18 KJV, “And I (Jesus) say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

In these words Christ promises to build His church on the truth of Peter’s and the others disciples’ confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. On the day of Pentecost when 120 disciples were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, and Peter stood up and preached the first Gospel of Jesus Christ. The first church Jesus ever build was 3,000 souls who believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Do you realize that all the focus of worship from Christians was changed from the Temple to Jesus Christ Himself? He, not the building of the Jewish Temple, now represents God’s presence among His people. “He is the head of the body, which is the church. Everything comes from Him. He is the first one who was raised from the dead. So in all things Jesus has first place. God was pleased for all of himself to live in Christ” Col. 1:18-19 NCV.

“And that whole building is joined together in Christ. He makes it grow and become a holy temple in the Lord” Eph. 2:21 NCV. Just as in the Old Testament where God would not tolerate (accept) any defilement of His temple, so He promises to destroy anyone who defiles His church. Not only is the Holy Spirit living in the church, but also in individual believer as His temple (1 Cor. 6:19).

“The believers met together in the Temple every day. They ate together in their homes, happy to share their food with joyful hearts. They praised God and were liked by all the people. Every day the Lord added those who were being saved to the group of believers” Acts 2:46-47 NCV. “… Peter and John went to the Temple at three o’clock, the time set each day for the afternoon prayer service” Acts 3:1 NCV. The early church in Jerusalem often entered the Temple at the hour of prayer.

Jesus had predicted that the beautiful Temple would be destroyed. God allowed His Temple to be destroyed because He, Himself, no longer lives in the building as the Jews would believe it so. Stephen, and later Paul, witnessed that the living God could not be confined (become prison) to a Temple made by human hands.

Stephen said, “But the Most High does not live in houses (temples) that people build with their hands. As the prophet says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. So do you think you can build a house for me? Says the Lord. Do I need a place to rest? Remember, my hand made all these things!’” (Acts 2:48-50 NCV)  

Paul said from Acts 17:24, 28 “The God who made the whole world and everything in it is the Lord of the land and the sky. He does not live in temples built by human hands.  28) ‘We live in Him. We walk in Him. We are in Him.’ Some of your own poets have said: ‘For we are His children’ NCV. Awesome God! From the Old Testament to the New Testament, God revealed His great plan for His people, a Glorious Church! To be continued!

A Glorious Church, chorus: ‘Tis a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle, Washed in the blood of the Lamb; ‘Tis a glorious Church, without spot or wrinkle, Washed in the blood of the Lamb.’ Words by Ralph E. Hudson, Sing His Praise.