The Gates of Hell
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.”
Some of you may be very familiar with this passage in Matthew chapter 16, while others could be hearing it for the first time. Either way, the passage often brings with it many questions.
What does this mean?
How can we apply this to our lives today as Christ followers?
Do these words hold any relevance within the body of Christ, now that the church has been built?
Investigation is how we learn, grow and develop understanding. I love digging into information to gain better understanding and clarity. As you study scriptures, become a detective. Ask good, detailed questions, seek out commentaries, use a concordance, and/or ask a trusted friend or pastor to help you when studying the Word of God. This scripture is a great example of one that you should take some time and chew on a bit.
The above dialogue is between Jesus and, you guessed it, Peter. The disciple, in a few verses prior, just declared his Rabbi to be the long, awaited Messiah. Christ replied with affirmation of the statement and then proclaimed the big “C” church, will be started by Simon, whom the Lord renames Peter, which means “rock”. This is the first recorded statement we have regarding the future of the Bride of Christ.
Now, let’s travel to the book of Acts, where we find in chapter 2, verses 14-41, the first recorded sermon by Peter on the day of Pentecost. One hundred and twenty disciples were gathered in the upper room waiting for the promised Holy Spirit, when it happened. Rushing wind, tongues of fire and languages they had never spoken before, came pouring out of that house. People outside the home stopped and took notice.
As a crowd gathered due to the commotion, Peter stepped up and delivered a powerful, gospel message. Because of his obedience and boldness, three thousand men, woman and probably even some children, became believers that day. The church, the Bride of Christ, was taking shape.
According to a census report by Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, there are approximately 2.6 billion Christians around the globe currently, placing it as the top religion of the world. In light of this tremendous number, I have a new question.
With such a large population of individuals who claim to follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, why does it appear our days are getting darker and society is spiraling down into a deep, black pit?
“And all who believed were united and they had everything in common.” (Acts 2:44)
“And day after day they regularly assembled in the temple with united purpose.” (Acts 2:46a)
“And when they had heard it, lifted their voices together with one united mind to God.” (Acts 4:24a)
“Now the company of believers was of one heart and soul.” (Acts 4:32a)
We are living in a divided society. Politically, personally and spiritually. Daily, it seems to me, the divide continues to widen and the church is no exception. We are fighting over social issues, governmental party lines, morality, theological ideology and the ever popular- “Well, they are just not playing the songs I like during worship.”
We whine like toddlers. Pout when the Sunday service is not set up to meet our expectation or accommodate our growing list of demands, while looking at our cell phones, wondering how much longer before we can jet, so we make it to lunch on time. And heaven forbid we collaborate with the believers around the corner. What are we doing, church family?
In contrast, the early church was growing by leaps and bounds. There was boldness when preaching the gospel of Christ. Fearlessness when confronting the religious leaders of the day who told them to stop proclaiming the name of Jesus. This young body of believers worked and moved in power, and many souls were saved because of their efforts. They met daily, fellowshipped with joy and gladness and worked diligently to take care of one another. How did they accomplish this? Unity
When Jesus Christ said of the church, “the gates of Hell will not prevail”, He had unity on His mind. As you saw from the above scriptures in Acts, oneness within the body is a powerful and vital weapon when furthering the message of the gospel.
Think about it- If you have brothers and sisters, who are not in lock step with one another, everyone is going to head off and do their own thing. We begin to look like tiny ants who have lost the line, running around in all directions in total chaos, as nothing of real value is actually accomplished. Disorder, dear friends, is the perfect plan of the enemy.
Our churches have become “me-centric” instead of “God-centric”, shifting the focus inward. Bigger, better programs, lighting, tub slides for the kid’s ministry, fog machines, props, the list grows quickly, and even though none of these things are inherently bad, it is not the focal point we are to be united around.
We are called to go, into all the world and share the gospel, making disciples in all nations. The Great Commission, cannot be fulfilled by spending our time arguing what design we should have on the bulletins or worrying about if the nursery has plenty of goldfish crackers.
In case you haven’t noticed, there are bigger problems plaguing our world. Sex trafficking of women and children, pornography addictions, drug and alcohol abuse, marriages in shambles, anxiety and depression are off the charts, gender confusion, greed, food scarcity, violence, wars, rage filled outbursts are common and acceptable, gossip, slander, irreverence of authority- need I continue?
A divided church, is a weak church, easily destroyed by the works of darkness. It is also ineffective at actually producing much fruit, outside of the four walls people filter through each Sunday. If we want to see revival, if we desire to push back the dead things of this world; we HAVE to stand, hand in hand, arms linked, locked in and focused in perfect oneness to what we have been called to do. This is what makes the Bride of Christ unstoppable, and where the devil spends most of his energy, trying to dismantle what God ordained.
I challenge you to pray for unity among the body of believers, first in your home church and then for others. I encourage you to pray for oneness of mind and the will of the Father to be completed among your local congregates. Even Jesus prayed for His followers to be united, and to live and work as one. (John 17:21) We must put aside our fleshly desires, which are evil, die to self, and rally together with other Christ followers to be about the Father’s business.
I know the gates of Hell will never defeat the Church, but I’m really tired of feeling like we are constantly getting our butts handed to us on a platter. I’m ready for a shift. Who wants to lock arms and join me?
“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)