GOD'S PURPOSE IN BUILDING IS TO DEVELOP HIS PEOPLE

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GOD'S PURPOSE IN BUILDING IS TO DEVELOP HIS PEOPLE
NEHEMIAH 1:4; 2:18-20; 4:6; 4:20-23; 6:3
[SCRIPTURE READING IS ONLY 4:6]
(PAGE 714 COME ALIVE BIBLE)
JESUS CHRIST said, "I will build My church, and the gates of
Hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16: 18).
"Gates" of cities in the day of Christ were the sight where the
elders of the cities gathered as an unofficial city council to
plan the operation of the city. The elders were considered the
wise men of the city. Therefore, Christ was saying, "Let the
devil and all of his demons gather and plot as to how to stop me
from building My church and they can't."
What is Christ talking about? Remember, in our day the word
"church" has more than one application. It often refers to a
building, literally, "the church building." Also, it refers to
the people who gather in such a building. Thus, it is the body
of believers called out to serve Christ.
When Christ said, "I will build My church" He wasn't referring
to a building. He was declaring He would develop His people.
That is what Christ is about perpetually in the life of every
individual believer and all collective bodies of believers.
Often He uses the construction of a building as an occasion to
build up His people in the faith and make them cohesive.
He chooses such a project because it is demanding. Only a few
years ago my wife and I had the opportunity of building and
owning our own home. We were married over 25 years before
weowned our first home. Through the genius and genero ...

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