Jump Start # 2997

Matthew 16:18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.”

Here is something to consider. The Lord changes the name of Simon to Peter in our passage today. The name ‘Peter’ stands for rock, not THE rock, that’s Jesus. Peter is a stone, a pebble, a piece of gravel, nevertheless, a rock. He’s not dirt, a leaf or a twig. The church is built not upon the bumbling, clumsy, out spoken, misspoken, more times wrong than right Peter. What a messy foundation that would have been. The church is built upon the confession that Peter made, that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. Eternal. Enduring. Powerful. Holy. Perfect. Sinless. That’s Jesus. That is THE ROCK. That’s what the church is built upon.

But do your realize, other than here in our passage, the Lord calls Peter ‘Peter’ only one other time? The text will tell us that it’s Peter speaking or that the Lord said to Peter, but actually saying this new name, Peter, that only happens here and in Luke 22:34. There, the Lord tells Peter that he will deny the Lord three times before the cock crows. Jesus calls the disciple, ‘Peter.’ Be a rock. Be strong.

The rest of the times Jesus uses the name ‘Simon.’ In the garden, Jesus said, “Simon, are you asleep?” In Luke’s Gospel, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat.” At the end of John’s Gospel, Jesus says, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”

How interesting. Your name is Peter, but most times I’m calling you Simon. Now, was that because Peter was accustomed to the name Simon? He had grown up with that name. Or, was it because Jesus hadn’t changed any of the other names among the apostles and He didn’t want to cause some problems with jealousy and envy? Or, was it that using the name “Simon,” was a subtle reminder that he wasn’t acting very strong at the moment. You are not being a rock. You are being Simon.

We are not told why Jesus refers to the name “Simon” more than “Peter.” After the Gospels, his name is consistently known as Peter. Throughout Acts, it’s Peter. If the preacher was to say, “Open your Bibles to the book of First Simon,” most of us wouldn’t know what he was talking about. I wouldn’t. We know him as Peter. Peter who was bold in Acts. Peter who confidently stated that he will continue to preach the name of Jesus. Peter in prison. Peter going to Cornelius. Peter writing two epistles. Peter…Peter…Peter. Yet, most times, Jesus called him Simon.

Here are some thoughts for us:

First, like Peter, or Simon, our faith has to grow. In those moments when our faith is young, undeveloped and immature, we make a lot of mistakes. We say things backwards. We make choices that are safe, selfish and not fully thought out. We act like Simon.

It takes both time and effort for faith to grow. There are some positive steps we can take that will accelerate that process. The more one attends, the more one engages in Bible classes, the more one is reading God’s word on his own, the more one is purposely putting the kingdom first the faster his faith will grow. Some have been Christians for decades, yet their faith remains in the second grade. They have not move beyond the basics. And, in their walk in life, they have many “Simon” moments. Simon denying. Simon grabbing a sword. Simon not understanding.

Second, Simon’s name doesn’t remain Simon throughout the Bible. We know this disciple as Peter. And, it is the inspiration of God that led Luke to refer to this disciple as Peter in the book of Acts. He changed. He grew. He became courageous, bold and active. He was no longer sleeping on the sidelines of life. And, like that, we too change. Some will call us Simon the rest of our lives. Some will not allow us to be who we are today. But God knows.

Third, the good that we can do comes from a heart that is set on the kingdom of God. It is Peter who tells Christian wives how to win their unbelieving husbands. It is Peter who warns of false teachers. It is Peter who tells us what happens when Jesus comes. It is Peter who displays the role of the shepherd in the church.  What is commonly called the “Christian Virtues,” comes from Peter. It is in Peter’s letters that we understand that Paul’s writings were considered “scripture” long before any council made that decree.

Peter the rock. Peter the courageous. Peter, a long way from that man Simon. God saw something in that disciple. Jesus knew what He was doing when He called Simon, “Peter.” And, as you and I continue our journey with the Lord, we ought to put some distance away from the times we were “Simon.” It is time for us to be strong, courageous, confident and busy in the kingdom. The call is not for more Simons, but more Peters.

You are Peter. You are Peter, now act that way. You are Peter, now believe that. You are Peter, because I have called you that.

Simon-Peter…interesting thought, isn’t it?

Roger

Jump Start # 2334

Matthew 16:18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.”

This is a powerful verse. It establishes that the church, or saved people, belong to Jesus. Church here is singular and possessive. It also shows that the rock points not to Peter but what Peter had just confessed. He said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (16). That’s the rock. That’s what the church is built upon. The rock isn’t Peter. He demonstrates trouble and fear just a few pages later in the Gospels.

Our attention is drawn to the final statement, “the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.” Old translations never used the word hades. Instead, the word Hell was used. So, in Acts 2, rather than stating that the soul of Jesus was not abandoned to Hades, these translations say Hell. Jesus had told that penitent thief that he would be with Jesus that very day in Paradise. Hell may be many things, but Paradise wouldn’t be one of them. Jesus didn’t go to Hell. In Luke 16, when the rich man died, in hades he lifted up his eyes being in torment. Again, those older translations use the word “hell.” Hades is the place that the dead go until the final day when all are resurrected, a judgment takes place and then the eternity of Heaven and Hell is realized.

Our verse today is talking about death. Death will not overpower the church. When people die they go to Hades. Hades doesn’t win. Death doesn’t win.

Death is all around us. I need to go to two funeral homes on Thursday. Don’t think I can make both. Death ends things. There are books that were never finished because the author died. There were symphonies that were never completed because the composer died. There were movies that had to be changed because an actor died before the filming was completed. Death leaves an empty chair. Death doesn’t wait until we have finished all that we had planned. It doesn’t wait until we are ready. It doesn’t wait for us to get our finances in order. It doesn’t wait for us to retire, finish school, or even see the grandkids. Death comes, whether we are ready or not.

But here, Jesus is saying, not even death can change the church. That is most remarkable. In everything else, death stops and ends things. Death ends a marriage. Death ends parenting. Death ends the reign of a king or queen. Death seems to stop all things, but one. God’s church is not touched by death.

The death of John the baptist must have made Satan rejoice. The death of Stephen, a good day as Satan looks at things. Antipas, the apostle James, and so many others. Kill them. Crush them. Silence them. The thought of Satan is that destroy the people and you destroy the kingdom. But, it doesn’t work that way. They are not destroyed. They are not “gone for good.” They remain in the kingdom. They will reign with Christ. They are viewed by Heaven as being victorious. A crown of victory, a reward, a gain, better off, those are not the words we would use of one that was crushed, defeated and destroyed. Yet, those are the very words God uses for His righteous ones. Death is nothing more than moving from one room to another in God’s house. And, more than that, after death, Satan cannot touch these righteous ones ever again. He cannot tempt them. He cannot discourage them. He cannot accuse them. They are home, safe and sound.

When my kids lived at home and they were out with friends, I often lay in bed half awake, listening for them to come in. Once they were all in, safe and sound, it gave me wonderful relief and peace. Is it any different with God? He wants us to be safe and sound. While here, we are engaged in battle. We fight the good fight of faith. But once we have made it safely home, where we belong, all is fine.

The gates of hades shall not prevail. Paul tells the Corinthians that we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. That sleep there refers to the death of the righteous. Paul is saying that we, we Christians, shall not all die. Some will be alive when Jesus comes. There won’t be a meteor smacking the planet and wiping out all of life. Global warming will not kill us all in twelve years. Christians will be alive on the planet when Christ comes.

Sometimes we can feel like we are losing the battle. More bad than good. More people are becoming indifferent, secular and careless about spiritual things. Too much sin. Too much filth. Too much blasphemy. Satan wants you to believe that it’s a losing cause. He wants you to think that there is no hope. The odds are against us. There are too many on the other side. Satan wants you to just quit trying so hard and join up with him. Have fun, is what Satan wants you to believe. A little sin never hurt anyone, is what Satan says. Life is short, enjoy it. You deserve it. And, with all these false messages, comes one powerful truth from Heaven. The gates of Hades shall not prevail. Satan loses. Those walking with him will lose.

Satan’s greatest pitch is death. And, Christ hit that out of the park a long time ago. Up from the grave He arose. And, because He is risen, so shall we be some day. What else does Satan have? It’s a losing cause for him. And, the outcome is not yet to be determined. It is determined. We know what will happen. Satan is going to be tormented for ever and the righteous will be gathered around the throne of God. That includes James, Antipas, Stephen, John and you and I some day.

Keep walking with the Savior. Keep your head up. Keep your eyes open. Keep believing. Even the gates of hades cannot prevail.

Good to know and good to remember…

Roger

Jump Start # 2284

Matthew 16:18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.”

I’ve got a book that’s been sitting on my desk for some time. I pick it up once in a while and read from it, but most times it just sits there. The book is written by an elder or shepherd in a church. The subtitle tells it all: “100 tough problems church elders have faced.” And, that sums it up. Each short chapter begins with a difficult situation. From that, the author answers the problem. I assume these were all real problems. Some are not so tough. Others would make a person pull his hair out. Many of these problems and situations I have never encountered nor heard about. It makes a person wonder, what would be the best course of action if this happened.

Our verse has much to do with the concept of this book. Jesus came to build the church, which is people, saved people. The church is a work in progress. We are people on a journey, a journey to Heaven. Building people, like building a house or store, takes time. A new store is being built in the little town I live in. It’s taking a long time, especially with the rain and then mud these past few days. There is finally some lights on the inside of the building. It will be months still before it is opened. It takes time. Building people takes time.

Each of us are unique, and come with our own story, background, issues and experiences. Rarely are two the same. This is why a book like I have on my desk can be dangerous if not understood. It can’t be used as a manual. In this situation, turn to page 45 and this is what we need to do. Can’t do that. While the story may seem the same, people are different and the approach must reflect that. The Gospel isn’t a manual. We come to understand that in the teachings of Jesus. What Jesus did with Nicodemus in John 3 was not the same as the Samaritan woman in John 4. These people both needed Jesus, but they were at different places in their understanding and their background. Jesus always started where people were.

Having a book that works like a manual sounds great, but it keeps us from digging into God’s word. How easy it would be for a group of elders to refer to the manual book rather than the Bible. In time, the manual is more used and referred to more than the Bible. That is the danger of such things. God’s word provides enough situations for us to refer to without needing a manual.

One thing I have found when I have read a few of these situational examples is that I sometimes did not agree with the conclusions that the author came up with. Putting myself in those situations made me come up with different approaches, different passages to use and different ways to bring up conversations. Rather than being useful, I found myself disagreeing with what the author concluded. Now, that creates another situation, which one of us would be right? What the book said, or what I felt?

It also occurred to me that most elderships have enough real problems that they do not have the time, nor heart to read these other problems from this book. Life is real. Things happen. One doesn’t have to imagine what might happen, because they are too busy dealing with what really happens. It’s like laying awake in bed and imagining what would happen if my house burned down. What would I do? What would I grab first? Why go there? Why have such thoughts? The Philippians were told to let their minds dwell upon the things that were lovely, pure and of good repute. Imagining firing the preacher, or the church going bankrupt, or a zillion other horrid thoughts isn’t healthy nor is it where life is. We deal with the present. We learn from the past. We set our course for the future based upon where we are and what we know. A person can dwell upon the “what ifs” in life all day long. What if I was divorced? What if I lost my eyesight? What if I had my car stolen? I doubt the apostles thought, “What if we were in a storm on the sea?” Or, “What if a demon possessed man came running towards us, screaming?” Those things happened. Our faith in Christ is where we live. And, that’s where we must develop our heart and trust in the Lord. Imagining problems isn’t a place where one needs to go. There are enough troubles in a day, is what Jesus said. Don’t worry about tomorrow. And, don’t make up more problems.

I expect most of the grand Bible stories that we love involving people of faith happened without any future knowledge or planning. I doubt Noah thought about living in a boat for a year while the rest of the world died. I expect he never dreamed that would happen. I doubt David ever thought about facing a giant. But he did. Will I face cancer? Will I face the end of my life alone? We build our faith and trust in the Lord and come what may, we face it. We don’t have a manual nor a crystal ball that gives us insight into what we ought to do if this situation arises. What we do know is that we will continue to worship the Lord, trust Him with all of our hearts and know that He is always there for us.

Every church, as is every family, as is every person, faces different things. What you go through in life I may never experience. What I journey through may not be what you experience. My story may not help you. Your story may not help me. But the Lord’s word will help us both, no matter what we face. Strength, faith, ability, attitude, those all factor into how we face problems. Snow storms are not the same as thunderstorms. Tornados are not the same as earthquakes. Loss of job is not the same as loss of a child. Tears over a broken marriage are not the same as the tears over a broken bone. Pain hurts. We all endure pain. I may not understand what you are going through, but I can understand pain. You may not relate to me, but you know pain. And, we also know, the One who loves us, cares for us, and can help us—Jesus.

The best thing is to build that foundation upon the rock. Storms come. That house will stand. That’s the promise of God.

Roger

Jump Start # 1023

Matthew 16:18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

  What a wonderful promise made by Jesus. This is a promise that has been fulfilled and is lived throughout the world, even today. Christ would build His church. Christ would build His church upon, not any rock, but THIS rock. That rock was more than Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Christ, the son of the Living God. That rock is Christ. This is what the church is built upon. Christ is not establishing a hierarchy based upon Peter. Not at all. Christ toppled over hierarchies. The greatest, Jesus said, would be the servant. There was no pecking order among the apostles. There was no succession of rule or power. Those ideas do not come from the Bible.

What did Christ build? The easiest answer is to say, “the church.” Right. Now, what does that mean? We use the word “church” to mean three different things. First, we refer to the meeting house as the church. We drive by the church building and we say “that’s our church.” Second, we use the word “church” to refer to worship. Someone asks, “What time does church start?” By that, they want to know when worship begins. Jesus was not referring to these things. He was not talking about church buildings nor the time worship begins. A third way the word church is used, is to describe saved people. Saved people make up the church, the kingdom, the body, the flock and other descriptive terms found in the Bible. This is how Jesus is using this word. Upon this rock, I will build the saved. Jesus is building people. Jesus is saving people.

Groups of these saved believers met in communities that we call congregations. They gathered together every Sunday to worship, praise and encourage each other. Paul mentioned several times that the Corinthians came together. They prayed for one another. They sang together. They fellowshipped. They sensed a belonging and a spiritual connection among each other.

This was a new experience for the first century world. Pagan worship was individual. There was little bonding among the pagans. Even the Jews had a sense of isolationism. In the Temple, there were a series of court yards that limited how far a person could go. Gentiles could not go beyond the court of the gentiles. Women could not go beyond the court of women. Only the priest could surround the holy place. The synagogues were not much different. Women sat in the back and were silent. The men sat up toward the front.

With Christ all of that changed. Moms and Dads, working people, families, single people, widows, those once considered unclean and unfit to enter, would be there, blending voices, praising God, reading God’s word and teaching and preaching. What Christ did was build bridges so all could worship together. Church—it’s God’s idea, not ours.

There is a growing movement today among many younger people who claim to be spiritual but not religious. Those terms are not intended to be opposites, but folks are making them that way. Spiritual, meaning, I have a thing going on with God, often on my own terms, often without all that sticky doctrine. Me and God– praising, laughing, connecting, and making a difference. Not a part of any church. Not governed by any person. Doing my own thing as God leads me. Have you heard anything like this? It’s all over the internet and blogs. It’s the theme of far too many books today. Their fellowship is mankind. Their doctrine is love. All of this sounds pretty cool. I think there was a time in my life when I would have signed up for such a journey. I can see myself dancing to that music. There are a few problems with all of this. First and foremost, it’s not Biblical. It’s not what Jesus came to do. Those poor misguided souls who have bought into this liberal theology fail to see that Jesus had a doctrine. There was much more to it than simply love. My little New Testament is 600 pages long. There’s a lot more in those pages than simply praise God, love everyone and don’t judge. It wouldn’t take 600 pages to say that. There are pages that talk about false teachers. There are pages that discuss how to worship. There are pages about morality. There are pages about discipline.

What Jesus did was build His church, saved people. He wants us together. He wants us connected. He wants us fellowshipping each other. He wants us to want each other. We need each other. We need each other to help us, support us, encourage us and to make us accountable. We need each other to worship together. Jesus didn’t build individuals, but a church—a community of believers.

A congregation is a reflection of the members. A friendly church is the result of friendly members. A strong church comes from strong members. Laodicea, a lukewarm church, had lukewarm members. A dead church, had mostly dead members. A worldly church—worldly members. We often want the church to be different than we are. We want to do whatever we feel like, yet we expect the church to be warm, outgoing, growing and strong. It will never happen until the members are that way.

Each congregation has it’s own personality. Some are laid back and a bit causal about things. Others are very formal about things. Some congregations run like a clock. Everything is orderly, on time and never skips a beat. Others seem disorganized and a bit scattered, but they get things done in their own way.

How important is your congregation to you? It’s important to God. Have you thought about the people in your congregation this week? Have you found a way to encourage someone? Maybe a phone call, a visit or a card sent in the mail? Have you prayed about your congregation this week? What would you do if your congregation didn’t exist? Have you thought about that? The eunuch from Ethiopia, that we wrote about yesterday, may well have been the only Christian in Ethiopia. I expect before long, there were others. I can just see the eunuch telling others about Jesus. But until that happened, he may have been the only one. How hard that would be. How lonely that would be. There is something special about belonging to a congregation. There is a group of people who support you, have your back and love you. They want you to do well. They want you to go to Heaven. The more a person connects with the community of believers the greater his chances are of making it. Hearts become intertwined. Love, care and support flows easily. It’s great to be a part of an amazing congregation. The group doesn’t have to be large, only large in heart and spirit. That’s what matters.

I love the group of believers that I am connected with. They are amazing. They are so busy doing things for others. They love the Lord with all their heart. I wish every person could experience what a church ought to be like—from top to bottom. Leaders who are invested in souls. Deacons who love to serve. Teachers who love to teach. Members who come, packing the building, because they love Jesus and each other. What an amazing group of people. We have in many things in common, but most of all is Jesus. We want to do what Jesus said. We love the Lord and each other.

Those who are trying to fly solo on this journey, miss this. They miss the “one another” that the Bible speaks about so often. They miss the connection. They miss what Jesus was trying to do.

Sunday is gathering time. Will you be there?

Roger