Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”. . . And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:16,18)

When asked the personal question by Jesus, who do you say I am? Peter would respond with an answer which Jesus said, “was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17b) From the first time while performing his vocation as a fisherman, Peter had heard, “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” (Matthew 4:19) Through the years he had seen Jesus heal the sick, forgive sins, cause the lame to walk, cast out demons, open the eyes of the blind and proclaim the Kingdom of God. Now he had come to know that Jesus is the Son of God, the promised Messiah and now asked the question, “Who do you say I am?” He stated what he knew was true. He had seen Jesus and now knew the revelation of God.

Jesus would announce this confession of belief; would lay the foundation upon which the church was founded by Himself, would be built. Peter would go on to preach the first message, after the resurrection; and thus the beginning of the church. “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” (Acts 2:41) In the days following, “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47b)

The Church, founded by Jesus Christ, includes all those who confess to whom Jesus is and what He has done for them through the Cross and the Resurrection. This is the church. This is the Bride of Christ, the New Jerusalem, the Holy City, where God will be with His own for all eternity.

“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” (Revelation 21:2-3)

Until then, the church was groups of believers who sought to follow Jesus in a localized place. The New Testament is filled with books used by all the churches, but was written to specific churches in the days after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension back to the Father. These are the epistles written to places like, Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Colosse, Philippi, or Thessalonica; or even groups of churches in regions like Galatia, or even to an unknow church like the book of Hebrews.

As the church builds on the foundation of the confession, it is like Peter who would grow in Christ. He would make mistakes, even denying the Lord. He would have disagreements and more learning experiences. However, he would keep telling people of His Lord, and would write two of our books in the New Testament. His confession would hold true till his death.

Like Peter, those in the church today are people who make mistakes, disagree, and have those learning experiences. The challenge for us is to grow and continue to tell others of Jesus, is from our own confession in who Jesus is and what He has done for us. To help us grow, we need to look at the basics at the beginning of the expansion of the church after Peter’s message.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)

The basics are the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship and prayer. The apostles’ teaching, we have in the Bible. They were devoted to the reading, studying, memorizing of the teaching based in the Old Testament, then written in the New Testament.  Devotion was made toward all those who had professed faith in Jesus Christ. They were devoted to each other. This was part of what Jesus had taught the disciple as a new commandment. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John13:34-35) Part of the fellowship was the breaking of bread. This has been used in two ways of the years since the apostles. First, this is the eating of a meal, their fellowship was around the table. Second, It has also been used as the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, which He had given to the disciples and the meaning of the Passover meal, which was now about the body and blood of Jesus upon the cross. It was a time to remember the cost of our salvation. Either way their fellowship is based in their relationship with Jesus. They were also devoted to prayer. Constant and consistent communication with God, both individually and collectively.

Today we join in local churches with the anticipation of the day the whole church will be together in the presence of God. Till then, let us follow the direction of the writer of the Book of Hebrews. “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrew 10:23-25)

In the Love of Jesus,

Michael Block