Bible Week Booklet Fijian Version BB 2019 English | Page 12

STUDY 5 GOD’S WORD GIVES LIFE
FOR THE CHURCH
Bible Text - Matthew16:15-19
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God.” 17 Jesus 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. 18 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. 19 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. ”
Jesus and Peter had an interesting encounter in these passages of scripture.
When Jesus asked his disciples who they think he is, Peter replied under
divine revelation that “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus commended Peter for that revelation and went on to say, “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.”
There are a few interesting insights from these passages we can reflect
on in light of the Word of God and the church:
a) Jesus Christ is the Word Incarnate! He is the Word who became flesh
and dwelled among us (John1:1 – 14). Without Jesus Christ, there is no
church.
b) In Jesus was life and that life was the light of mankind (John :4). The
life of the church is in the Word, which is Jesus Christ himself.
c) Jesus Christ is building his church. It is His church; not ours! He is
building it; not us! This has to be made clear. So, we must let the church
be the church that Jesus Christ wants it to be.
d) There is no power on earth that can destroy his church. The reason is
because, He, Jesus Christ, the Word, the Life of the church is building it
and he will guard it.
e) Jesus Christ is building His church on the Rock! He himself
is the ROCK and anything built on the foundation of solid rock can
never be moved nor shaken (Matthew 7:24-27)
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