I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH (PART 2 OF 3)
by Tony Nester
Scripture: EPHESIANS 4:11-13, MATTHEW 16:18
This content is part of a series.
I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH
The Church Jesus Envisioned: Part 2 of 3
Pastor Tony R. Nester
Trinity United Methodist Church, Waverly, Iowa
Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 4:11-13
Last Sunday we began to get a glimpse of the church as
Jesus envisioned it. The verse we keyed in on was
Matthew 16:18. You'll find it as the lead Scripture on
today's Scripture insert page. Let's take this one
verse and read it aloud together:
(Matthew 16:18 NRSV) "And I tell you, you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates
of Hades will not prevail against it."
Jesus spoke these words immediately on hearing Peter
words of faith in Jesus in Matthew 16:16:
(Matthew 16:16 NRSV) "You are the Messiah, the Son of
the living God."
Jesus identified Peter's faith in him as the rock upon
which he would build his church. Jesus put tremendous
emphasis what he could do with our faith in him. In
Matthew 17:20 he told his disciples:
(Matthew 17:20 NRSV) "For truly I tell you, if you
have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to
this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will
move; and nothing will be impossible for you."
Those of us who believe in Jesus as our Living Leader
and Lord keep exploring the meaning of this promise.
We don't understand everything about faith. All we
know is that Jesus can take our faith in him and do
more than we know. All things are possible.
On this rock of faith Jesus continues to build his
Church.
That's where we left off last Sunday. Today I want to
explore the second part of Jesus' words to Peter: I
will build my church.
Building is different from dreaming.
I like to dream. Dreaming about what might be is fun
and it's also valuable - it spurs creativity. As long
as you're in the dreaming process you can keep your
hands clean. You don't have to worry about swinging a
hammer or carting cement. There is no sweat and no
pain in dreaming.
But when you begin ...
The Church Jesus Envisioned: Part 2 of 3
Pastor Tony R. Nester
Trinity United Methodist Church, Waverly, Iowa
Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 4:11-13
Last Sunday we began to get a glimpse of the church as
Jesus envisioned it. The verse we keyed in on was
Matthew 16:18. You'll find it as the lead Scripture on
today's Scripture insert page. Let's take this one
verse and read it aloud together:
(Matthew 16:18 NRSV) "And I tell you, you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates
of Hades will not prevail against it."
Jesus spoke these words immediately on hearing Peter
words of faith in Jesus in Matthew 16:16:
(Matthew 16:16 NRSV) "You are the Messiah, the Son of
the living God."
Jesus identified Peter's faith in him as the rock upon
which he would build his church. Jesus put tremendous
emphasis what he could do with our faith in him. In
Matthew 17:20 he told his disciples:
(Matthew 17:20 NRSV) "For truly I tell you, if you
have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to
this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will
move; and nothing will be impossible for you."
Those of us who believe in Jesus as our Living Leader
and Lord keep exploring the meaning of this promise.
We don't understand everything about faith. All we
know is that Jesus can take our faith in him and do
more than we know. All things are possible.
On this rock of faith Jesus continues to build his
Church.
That's where we left off last Sunday. Today I want to
explore the second part of Jesus' words to Peter: I
will build my church.
Building is different from dreaming.
I like to dream. Dreaming about what might be is fun
and it's also valuable - it spurs creativity. As long
as you're in the dreaming process you can keep your
hands clean. You don't have to worry about swinging a
hammer or carting cement. There is no sweat and no
pain in dreaming.
But when you begin ...
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