Matthew 16:18 (KJV) And I say also 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.
When you hear the
word ‘church,’ what comes to mind?
• A white weatherboard building with a
high steeple with a cross at the top?
• A basilica or cathedral with
magnificent architecture and stained-glass windows?
• A building with a large pipe organ that
belts out traditional music?
• A denomination?
• A building with a cross?
• A set of doctrines?
• A group of Christian meeting together?
In other words,
what on earth, is the church?
Background to An Important Announcement
Jesus and the
disciples were in the vicinity of a thoroughly heathen Gentile city of Caesarea
Philippi, now known as Banias at the foot of the Golan Heights. It was only 6
kilometres away from an equally heathen Israelite city called Dan. Micah’s idol
was installed at the founding of the city (Judges 18:14-27; 30), and Jeroboam
built an altar to the golden calf at Dan (I Kings 12:28-30). This sin resulted
in the eventual demise and deportation of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Could
this be the reason Dan is not even mentioned in the list of 12 tribes found in
Revelation 7?
Yet where the night
is darkest, the light shines brightest. It was in this ungodly region, not in
the precincts of Jerusalem, or among the religious elite of Israel, that a most
transforming revelation and proclamation was made.
Jesus asks His
disciples a telling question: Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? (Matthew
16:13).
There was a
variety of responses: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the
prophets.
Then Jesus turns
His attention to the ones who should known Him best - the disciples: But
whom say ye that I am (verse 15).
Without
hesitation, Peter answered Jesus: You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God (Matthew 16:16).
Jesus the Christ
Before we can
understand the nature of the church, we need to know about its Founder. Knowing
the real Jesus helps us to appreciate church more.
The Founder of the
church is Jesus of Nazareth. The New Testament teaches He is the ‘Christ,’ Χριστός Christos, Greek for ‘Messiah’ (mashiyach),
which means ‘The Anointed One.’
What is Messiah?
It comes from the promise God made to David, known as the ‘Davidic Covenant,’ (II
Samuel 7:1-17; I Chronicles 17:1-15). Tenets of the covenant are simple yet
powerful:
1. God said he would give David a son and
heir;
2. David’s son would succeed him to the
throne;
3. David’s son would rule from His throne
forever (I Chronicles 17:12, 14; Luke 1:33) and;
4. David’s son would also be God’s Son (I
Chronicles 17:13).
So ‘Messiah,’ ‘The
Anointed One,’ would simultaneously be ‘son of David, Son of God.’ He is the ‘anointed
of the anointed,’ just as He is the ‘King of kings and Lord of Lords’ (Titus
6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16).
Next time, we will see how church is
defined.
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