Understanding the True Foundation of the Church

You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”  Matthew 16:18 

There has been much discussion about what Jesus meant when he made the statement to Peter about the building of his church. My personal opinion is, Jesus is proclaiming He will build his church on the basis of Peter's confession made a few verses earlier. Let's explore this a little. 

In a conversation with the disciples Jesus asked them about what other people were saying about his identity. The disciples listed a few responses they had heard from others. Then Jesus made his inquiry more personal: 

“Who do you say I am?” 

 after which Peter blurted out:

“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

For this he is commended and reminded that his response did not come from within himself but rather had been revealed to Peter by the Father. 

I believe Jesus is saying: I will will build my church on myself. I will build my church on my identity as Messiah. I will build my church on who I am - Son of God. We get a further clue to Jesus being the foundation of the church when He is referred to as the "cornerstone."  I found nine times in Old Testament prophecy and New Testament quotations of those prophecies where Jesus is referred to as the cornerstone the builders rejected. 

Too often we refer to the church as a building. It would be more correct to say the church meets in a building. The building is not the church. The church is made up of people who embrace the cornerstone - Jesus. People who build their lives on what Jesus has said and commanded. 

A few years ago church buildings were closed by governments who insisted that people not meet together for fear of spreading a virus. Today 10,000 churches in Rwanda have been closed. Some for very minor building code violations. We have seen how easy it is to shut buildings. It is therefore important to remember, when Jesus proclaimed He would build his church on himself there was no hint that He was talking about buildings. His church is all about him and the people who follow him and not about the places where the people meet.  

How do the people, who are Christ's church, prepare themselves for the next time the places they gather for worship are closed down? 

The answer is, Jesus followers need to be equipped as disciple-makers. When Jesus launched his church there were no buildings. The early Jesus followers met in homes, or rented spaces or even in the open country. 

Disciples listened to Jesus and did what Jesus asked them to do. One of the things He has asked of his disciples is to make more disciples.