"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."
You know, as I am typing I actually am not on the ball so to speak. I fell as though the gates of hell doth prevail against me. Daily! Jesus was speaking to Peter here in Matthew's gospel and He call's him Petros. Vines New Testament describes this word as a detached stone or boulder. In other sources it can mean small stone or piece of stone. The word used for rock though is Petra. Vines describes it as a mass of rock. I like this contrast. The rock being referred to is obviously Jesus himself. Peter though is being compared to a piece of stone. You see, like Peter, we are a piece of a much bigger stone. The rock of ages, Jesus Christ himself. Alone Peter, you, or me don't stand a chance against the forces of hell. When we are standing on the rock, Jesus, not even the gates of hell can prevail. I like that. This is a promise from Him to us that no matter how bad it gets, we will still win in the end. We are on the winning side. The word used here for church is Ekklesia. It means a gathering, assembly or more importantly a calling out. That's really what it comes down to isn't it. It's not the building we meet in. It's not the service or denomination we belong to. It's a calling out to be separated to Jesus Christ. That's actually the meaning of holiness. To be set apart. All of us are petros. Each and every one of us in Christ. We are part of a much larger stone. The corner stone which the builders rejected. Though the fires of hell may rage and the challenges of this world may come, He is our firm foundation. Be blessed this week.
Bob
will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
You know, as I am typing I actually am not on the ball so to speak. I fell as though the gates of hell doth prevail against me. Daily! Jesus was speaking to Peter here in Matthew's gospel and He call's him Petros. Vines New Testament describes this word as a detached stone or boulder. In other sources it can mean small stone or piece of stone. The word used for rock though is Petra. Vines describes it as a mass of rock. I like this contrast. The rock being referred to is obviously Jesus himself. Peter though is being compared to a piece of stone. You see, like Peter, we are a piece of a much bigger stone. The rock of ages, Jesus Christ himself. Alone Peter, you, or me don't stand a chance against the forces of hell. When we are standing on the rock, Jesus, not even the gates of hell can prevail. I like that. This is a promise from Him to us that no matter how bad it gets, we will still win in the end. We are on the winning side. The word used here for church is Ekklesia. It means a gathering, assembly or more importantly a calling out. That's really what it comes down to isn't it. It's not the building we meet in. It's not the service or denomination we belong to. It's a calling out to be separated to Jesus Christ. That's actually the meaning of holiness. To be set apart. All of us are petros. Each and every one of us in Christ. We are part of a much larger stone. The corner stone which the builders rejected. Though the fires of hell may rage and the challenges of this world may come, He is our firm foundation. Be blessed this week.
Bob
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