I Will Build My Church
Bible Study
August 20, 2022
The Title of todays message is: “I Will Build My Church”.
There are many churches aeound this world. Are they all “God’s” churches? Is God building many churches? Or is there only one true church?
And if only “one” how can we know which one it is, and how can we find it?
Some keep Sunday, some keep Saturday, Some even keep Friday as the Holy day. But which is correct?
How can we know for sure which church is God’s True church?
In (Matthew 16) we read that our Lord was going to build His “church” upon a “Rock”.
Well which “Rock” is He talking about?
Lets look at that verse and understand it.
Matthew 16:18: “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.”
First let us notice that He said He was going to build His “Church” (That word “church” here is singular. There is only one True church that He is building, not “many” churches.
Let us also notice that that word “Rock” used here (the rock that He was going to build His church on) means “Massive Rock”.
Some think that the Apostle “Peter” was the rock that Christ would build His church upon, because the name “Peter” also means “rock”. . But the name Peter means: “a piece of rock”, or a “small rock”.
The “Rock” that Jesus was going to build His church upon was a “Massive” Rock.
That “Massive” Rock is Christ Himself. Let’s see that in Scripture.
(1 Corinthians 10:1-4) “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ”.
Now let’s understand something else that is very important about the “one” true church that our Lord is building.
The Apostle Paul, in a letter to Timothy, defines the church. Yes Paul gives us the definition of the church, or identifies it.
(1Timothy 3:15) “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
(Yes, the church is the “Pillar and Ground of the Truth”.)
If you want to find the one True church, you have to find where the Truth is being preached, because “Truth” and “Church” are the same.
Now is you want to find Truth, there is only one place where it can be found.
(John 17:17) “Sanctify them thru thy truth: thy word is Truth”.
Truth is in the Bible, the Holy Scriptures. If you want to fetch water, you have to go to the river. If you want to fetch fire wood, you have to go to the forest. If you want to fetch Truth, you have to go to the Bible. And you have to read it and study it.
(2 Timothy 2:15) “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word f truth”.
Now concerning which “day” is the correct day to keep. That is very clear throughout the Scriptures.
Let’s see what it says in Exodus 31.
(Exodus 31:13) “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep:for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.”
Yes, the 7th day of the week, “Saturday” is the true Sabbath.
So why do some churches keep Sunday? Because the Pope changed it, even though he had no authoeity to do so.
Truth is very impoerant, our Heavenly Father wants us to worahip Him in Truth.
(John 4:23-24) “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Fatherin spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth”.
Let us understand something else concerning God’s church. The church is not the building where we congregate. The building is just “shade” to protect us from the elements the hot sun, and the rain.
When our Lord said: “I will build my church; he was talking about the brethren. The brethren are the church.
The word “church” in the Greek (The language the New Testament was written in) Is: Ekklesiameaning “Called out ones”.
It is “us” the members of His church that He wants to build, He want to build us in “morals” He wants us to be better people, commandant keepers. He wants us to walk “upright”.
Yes, the church is the members. And if one wants to be part of God’s church, there is a procedure.
That procedure is the same today as it was 2,000 years ago when our Lord first began to build His church on the day of Pentecost.
(Acts 2:38-39) “Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall received the gift of the Holy Spirit”.
(Verse 39) “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are a far off (that’s us) even as many as the Lord our God shall call”.
And understand that to be baptized, one has to be put completely under the water. The word “baptism” itself means submerge.
And to receive God’s Holy Spirit one has to have the “laying on of hands” that is how God gives His Holy Spirit.
You can read about that in (Acts 8:18)
Let us be part of God’s one True church, and let us keep His Sabbath because it’s a sign of God’s people, and it’s one of the Ten Commandments.
(Exodus 31:12-18) (Exodus 20: 8-11)