I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH
Following Peter’s confession, “You are Christ, the Son the living.” Jesus said, “….I will build my Church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” [Matt. 16:18]. The statement means the Church is built by Christ through his life [death and resurrection]. The Church does not belong to the Pastor [or Board of Trustees]; he is only an undershepherd. Similarly, the Church does not belong to the congregates. It does not matter what position one holds in the Church. By sacrificial death and resurrection, Jesus became the Lamb of God and through Him both the Jews and Gentiles have access by one Spirit to the Father….; Jesus Christ, Himself being the chief cornerstone [Eph 2:18-20; Heb. 3:1;Matt 21:11]. Jesus Christ is also the Shepherd [Overseers of souls] and a Rabbi meaning Teacher [1 Pt 2:25; Jn 3:2]. Jesus had laid the foundation with His body and life [Lk 1:32-33].
The Church is not a material building, not an organization or denomination but a Spiritual organism; borderless community of believers. Believers are Christians who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. We should carefully note that Jesus said My Church, not my Churches; neither the Pastor’s nor overseer’s Church but solely Christ’s. It’s possible for someone to register a non-profit business that suggests he/she has a business enterprise but the mere fact he/she names it a Church gives God the ownership. A couple of these denominations are led by people [zealots, if you don’t mind] who are not afraid to call Christ Church, “my Church.” They have reduced Christ Church into personal enterprise for them and family.
Just like you become a member of your human family through physical birth [or adoption], you become a member of God’s family by Spiritual birth – being saved or born again [not born against]. It’s God’s pleasure to bring us into His family, so He designed a plan which accomplishes that through new birth. By the same token, every human being is created by God but not everyone is a child of God. You become a child of God through putting faith in Christ Jesus [Gal.3:26]. God becomes your Father and you become His child. Other believers become your brothers and sisters [Matt. 12:49-50]. The Church becomes your Spiritual family [Eph.1:5;1Jn. 3:1]. The best thing you ever done in life is to choose to be a Christian; member of God’s family.
The Church is the only thing God ever had to buy. God paid in full for the Church through His son [Jn 3:16].The Church cannot be shaken [the gate of hell cannot prevail against her] because Jesus is building His Church. The Church is built on message, not on man. Men live and die, succeed and fail but the true revelation of Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Church [Matt. 16:16] – ‘Thou are Christ.’ A Church is built on the blue print of God; not on membership constitution and bye laws drawn by human beings along side secular unions. Jesus ministry is all about teaching and doing [Acts 1: 1 ; James 1.22; 1 Tim. 4:16]. Now is the time to restore the glory of God’s House by returning to worship God in Spirit and truth [Jn 4:23-24]. Becoming a member of Christ Church is the highest honor and the greatest privilege you will ever receive.
Reach: Evangelist Ogbonnaya, Godswill at: weefreeministries@yahoo.com or P. O. Box 720035, Houston, Texas, 77272.