I will build my Church
I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).
Acts 13 ends in persecution, and Barnabas and Paul move on to Iconium and the events in Acts 14. Persecution never stopped the progress of the Gospel. We might wonder how young assemblies developed when the apostles were often driven out of cities so quickly. We should never forget the Church belongs to Christ. He loved her and gave Himself for her (Ephesians 5:25). In Matthew 16:18, Peter confesses Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God”. The Lord goes on to say, “On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” In the first missionary journey, we have a glorious example of Christ building His Church. From Pentecost onwards, we see its progression. Its growth could not be hindered, and “the gates of Hades” could not withstand its development.
Christ knows how to nourish (feed) and cherish (care for) His Church (Ephesians 5:29). Many of the first converts were Jews who had known the Scriptures, like Timothy, from childhood. These Christians discovered, like Paul, that the meaning of the Old Testament was fulfilled and came alive in Christ. He was the key which opened their hearts and minds to the Scriptures (Luke 24). The Holy Spirit unfolded the word of God and quickly raised up and equipped spiritual pastors and teachers. The Lord used the apostles to lay the foundation in Christ; then He ensured the young assemblies flourished and grew in their faith in Him.
There were three key aspects to these young churches’ growth seen in Paul’s written ministry: faith, love, and hope. Paul writes about these features in his earliest letter, 1 Thessalonians: “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3). Their faith in Christ was so vibrant. The genuine love they had for each other proved they were Christ’s disciples, and it reached out to others as they shared their faith. Their hope in Christ filled them with joy and shaped their daily living.
The other feature of these growing assemblies was the continuing connection the apostles had with the assemblies God had used them to form. They carried the saints in their hearts and prayers, visited, and sent others to visit. They wrote to centre hearts upon the Person of Christ, to teach and reaffirm the Christian faith, to deal with difficulties spiritual and moral, and to comfort them in their trials. What an example we are given of wholehearted commitment to preaching Christ and caring for His people! It was a commitment that nearly cost Paul his life at Lystra (Acts 14: 19). But it did not stop the ministry of Paul and Barnabas. On their way back to Antioch in Syria, they revisited places where their lives had been in danger, “strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith”. May our lives in Christ be evidenced by a living faith, a life of sacrificial love, and a living hope in the Saviour who never stops caring for His Church that cost His life.
