Jesus is Building His Church

Jesus promised that he would build his church, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).

This is a powerful promise. Whenever God promises to do something, he will do it. All authority in heaven and earth is given to Jesus Christ.

Jesus is currently in the process of building his church. He is sitting on his throne in the highest heaven, pouring out his Spirit into the earth to build his church. Someday the church will fulfill its glorious purpose – she will be filled with the fullness of Christ and radiate his glory into the world. 

The church is being built according to the pattern given through the apostles in the New Testament. Jesus builds his church through his people by the power of the Holy Spirit. As the Holy Spirit inspires people to speak the word of God and do the works of God, the church is built.

Jesus says the church is “my church.” The church belongs to Jesus Christ. He owns his church, and he takes care of it. There are many churches in the world today, and a lot of them have deviated from God. Jesus builds his own church, not the churches that belong to people. It is possible to distinguish which churches belong to God and which churches belong to people by measuring them by the word of God.

The gates of hell will not prevail against the church. 

Hell is the place of death. It is the place of the power of Satan, because Satan has the power of death.

The gates of hell are portals of demonic power. There are spiritual attacks against God’s people. Satan is like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). He is tricking and deceiving people like he did with Eve (2 Corinthians 11:3). We must wrestle against the powers of darkness in order to get the victory (Ephesians 6:12). The church is the place of safety against demonic attacks.

Gates are also places of making plans. In the Old Testament, people would gather in the gates of a city to make decisions or consult with each other. People make plans, but these plans often fall apart. The devil makes plans, but these plans will often fail. God’s plans will stand forever. “There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the LORD” (Proverbs 21:30).

Even death cannot stop the church (1 Corinthians 15:51-58).

No matter what the devil throws at her, the church will endure.

The church is an everlasting bulwark against hell.

Everything else will be destroyed, but the church of God will last forever. The church is our place of safety. 

Just like Noah prepared a place of safety, so Jesus is building his church as a place of safety. God is preparing this ark through his people. When difficulties come on the world at the end of the age, the church will be our ark. May we all be eager participants in this glorious work.