What Is The Church - Part 01

Matthew 16:18 (KJV) 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.

When you hear the word ‘church,’ what comes to mind?

•   A white weatherboard building with a high steeple with a cross at the top?

•   A basilica or cathedral with magnificent architecture and stained-glass windows?

•   A building with a large pipe organ that belts out traditional music?

•   A denomination?

•   A building with a cross?

•   A set of doctrines?

•   A group of Christian meeting together?

In other words, what on earth, is the church?

Background to An Important Announcement

Jesus and the disciples were in the vicinity of a thoroughly heathen Gentile city of Caesarea Philippi, now known as Banias at the foot of the Golan Heights. It was only 6 kilometres away from an equally heathen Israelite city called Dan. Micah’s idol was installed at the founding of the city (Judges 18:14-27; 30), and Jeroboam built an altar to the golden calf at Dan (I Kings 12:28-30). This sin resulted in the eventual demise and deportation of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Could this be the reason Dan is not even mentioned in the list of 12 tribes found in Revelation 7?

Yet where the night is darkest, the light shines brightest. It was in this ungodly region, not in the precincts of Jerusalem, or among the religious elite of Israel, that a most transforming revelation and proclamation was made.

Jesus asks His disciples a telling question: Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? (Matthew 16:13).

There was a variety of responses: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.

Then Jesus turns His attention to the ones who should known Him best - the disciples: But whom say ye that I am (verse 15).

Without hesitation, Peter answered Jesus: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16).

Jesus the Christ

Before we can understand the nature of the church, we need to know about its Founder. Knowing the real Jesus helps us to appreciate church more.

The Founder of the church is Jesus of Nazareth. The New Testament teaches He is the ‘Christ,’ Χριστός Christos, Greek for ‘Messiah’ (mashiyach), which means ‘The Anointed One.’

What is Messiah? It comes from the promise God made to David, known as the ‘Davidic Covenant,’ (II Samuel 7:1-17; I Chronicles 17:1-15). Tenets of the covenant are simple yet powerful:

1.     God said he would give David a son and heir;

2.     David’s son would succeed him to the throne;

3.     David’s son would rule from His throne forever (I Chronicles 17:12, 14; Luke 1:33) and;

4.     David’s son would also be God’s Son (I Chronicles 17:13).

So ‘Messiah,’ ‘The Anointed One,’ would simultaneously be ‘son of David, Son of God.’ He is the ‘anointed of the anointed,’ just as He is the ‘King of kings and Lord of Lords’ (Titus 6:15; Revelation 17:14; 19:16).

Next time, we will see how church is defined.