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The ABCs of Church

Ben Stuart

5 Days

The Church Continues

Day 5

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Every organization you will ever join; every team, every company, every fraternity or sorority, every club, group, or party will stop at the gates of death…

…except one.

Today, on our last day journeying together on this track, Pastor Ben Stuart encourages us around the shockingly simple but eternally significant truth that there is only one cause we can commit to, which does not end, which in truth only continues, even when we pass through the gates of death.

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 16:17-18

Summary

This section of Matthew chapter 16 is incredible. Look again at the text and the way that Jesus firstly states that death itself will not stand against His church, and secondly, that the time had come for Him to pass through those gates. At first glance, this could seem bewildering, how could you then have hope in Jesus if even you are going to be mocked, beaten, and killed?

Christian, our confidence comes from the continuation:

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer man things at the hands of the elders, the chief preists and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Matthew 16:21

Don’t let it pass you by today, no matter how many times you have heard it before, that death itself could not hold Jesus, and because it could not, it cannot hold those of us in Christ either.

Why should this encourage us? Because we are a part of something larger than ourselves, a movement of God built of Jesus and continuing His work. We are witnesses to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, ambassadors of reconciliation in a world in search of destiny. We are the Church, and we must continue the work. Where the head (Jesus) goes, we must follow.

Will there be opposition on you today? Yes. Does it have the power to snuff out the light in you and, therefore, one by one extinguish us as the Church? No.

Take heart, brother, take heart sister; press on. Do not be quick to discouragement. We are people who will stumble and fall. Do not pass judgment in haste, for we are imperfect yet knitted together with the perfect one. Do not fear, the grace of God covers you today, lifting you up, dusting you off, and moving you forward.

What's Next?

As we finish our track, let’s take stock of our lives. What have you committed yourself to? Make a list! What opportunities, operations, or organizations have you extended effort towards? Odds are there is nothing wrong with being a part of these teams; however, the question we want to ask ourselves today is one of prioritization. Are you actively prioritizing the things of eternity over the finite? Today is another chance to right-size your relationship as a son of daughter of God and to see all other opportunities through that lens, not leaving behind your focus on God but instead asking God to help you focus on those things through His lens, always asking Him how He wants to use you in those places, and among those people.

Give yourself grace today, but be honest. Where have you settled for lesser things? Where have you compromised?

Scripture References

13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,

“Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?”

he asked.

“Who do you say I am?”

16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17Jesus replied,

“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

And I tell you that you are Peter,

and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades

will not overcome it.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be

bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be

loosed in heaven.”

20Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

16For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,

20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household,

20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.

22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.

24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.

24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,

27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

29After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—

30for we are members of his body.

16For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,

20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

4As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—

5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

6For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,

a chosen and precious cornerstone,

and the one who trusts in him

will never be put to shame.”

31Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

41He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.