When you hear the word church, what picture comes to mind? For some, it is a stone building with a cross on the roof, pews inside, and stained glass windows. For others, it is a Sunday gathering with music, preaching, and fellowship. These images may reflect part of the story, but they are not the whole. When Jesus first said, “I will build My Church” (Matthew 16:18), He was not speaking of buildings, programmes, or even weekly gatherings. He was speaking of something eternal, something only He could create through His death and resurrection.
Matthew 16:18 (AMP)
And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades (death) will not overpower it [by preventing the resurrection of the Christ].
The Historical Setting of Matthew 16 #
To feel the weight of His words, we need to enter the scene. Jesus had taken His disciples to Caesarea Philippi. This was a region famous for its pagan shrines and idol worship. Temples stood there in honour of false gods. It was a place soaked in man-made religion and superstition. It is here, with idols in the background, that Jesus asked His disciples the most important question: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15).
Peter answered with Spirit-given clarity: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus confirmed that this revelation came not from human thought but from the Father. On that rock, the truth of His identity, He promised to build His Church.
The word ekklesia meant “called out ones.” In the ancient world, it referred to an assembly of citizens gathered for a purpose. Jesus filled the word with new meaning. His Church would be a people called out of sin, death, and the old Adamic order. They would be joined to Him as one body, filled with His Spirit, and shaped into His likeness.
Peter’s Later Understanding: Living Stones #
At the time, Peter did not fully understand. Soon after this moment, he even rebuked Jesus for speaking of His death (Matthew 16:22). But after the resurrection, the Spirit opened his eyes. Later, he wrote with new understanding:
1 Peter 2:4–5 (AMP)
Come to Him [the risen Lord] as to a living Stone which men rejected and threw away, but which is choice and precious in the sight of God. You believers, like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house for a holy and dedicated priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.
Now Peter saw the truth clearly. Christ is the Cornerstone, the foundation stone on which everything rests. Believers are living stones, shaped and fitted by His hand into a spiritual house. The Church is not an organisation, a programme, or a building. It is a people built together in Christ, where God’s Spirit dwells.
This truth brings comfort when faith feels fragile. We may feel like broken stones, small and weak. Yet the house does not rest on our ability. The Cornerstone is secure. Even when we tremble, He holds us firm.
Paul’s Understanding: The Dwelling of God #
Paul expanded this vision in his letter to the Ephesians. He wrote:
Ephesians 2:19–22 (AMP)
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are members of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief Cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together, and it continues to rise [grow, increase] into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, set apart, and sacred to the presence of the Lord]. In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
The Old Testament showed God’s presence in tents and temples. But Paul declared the fulfilment: God’s dwelling place is no longer a building of stone but a people filled with His Spirit. We are citizens of His household, joined together into one holy temple.
This truth gives strength when life feels scattered. We may feel like fragments, misplaced and forgotten. Yet in Christ we are joined together, fitted into His temple, and made whole by His Spirit.
Christ the Builder #
When Jesus said, “I will build My Church,” He made Himself the builder. The weight does not fall on us, on committees, or on human strategies. Men can build organisations, but only Christ can build the true Church.
Acts 2:47 (AMP)
And the Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were being saved.
The Lord Himself added to their number. Growth came not from human effort but from His risen life at work. This is still true today. We may feel pressure to make things succeed, but the responsibility is His. Our task is to yield as living stones. His task is to build and to add as He wills.
This truth steadies us when church life feels messy. Congregations may face loss, conflict, or decline. But the promise remains. When Jesus first spoke these words, the Cross was still before Him. Yet He spoke with certainty, looking through death to victory. If death itself could not stop Him, neither can today’s storms. His Church will endure because He builds it.
Old Testament Shadows #
The Old Testament prepared the way through types and pictures.
- The tabernacle in the wilderness revealed God dwelling with His people.
- The temple in Jerusalem became the centre of sacrifice and worship.
- Israel, as a covenant community, foreshadowed God’s true family in Christ.
These were shadows, pointing beyond themselves. Christ is the substance. He is the true temple, and His people are His dwelling place. The Church is the fulfilment of every picture: a Spirit-filled people alive in Him, carrying His glory wherever they go.
This helps us when we are tempted to cling to rituals or traditions. Shadows may be familiar, but they cannot give life. Christ calls us to walk in the reality. He is not found in lifeless forms but in a living people joined to Him.
What This Means for Us #
If Christ is the builder, what does this mean for our lives today?
It means rest. The pressure to make the church succeed does not rest on us. We rest in His promise.
It means focus. Numbers, buildings, and outward success may impress men, but Christ seeks hearts formed into His likeness.
It means courage. He promised that the gates of Hades would not prevail. No scheme of death can undo what He builds.
Peter called believers a holy priesthood. This means we carry a priestly call in daily life — to worship, to serve, to intercede, and to love. Church is not a weekly meeting. It is a Spirit-filled life. We are priests in our homes, workplaces, and neighbourhoods, carrying Christ wherever we go.
This is encouragement for hard times. When trials shake us, His house stands firm. When the enemy attacks, His victory holds. When we feel overlooked, we remember: we are living stones joined to the eternal Cornerstone.
The Church is not our creation. It is His. It is Christ who gathers, shapes, and fills His people. He declared: “I will build My Church.” That promise has never failed. And it never will.
A Living Example #
In parts of the world today, believers meet in secret. They gather in homes, caves, or small rooms with no sign outside that says “church.” Some have no building at all, no sound system, and no stained glass. Yet Christ builds them. His presence is with them. His Spirit makes them strong. Even when persecution comes, they endure. Their faith shows us that the Church is not made of stone walls but of living people joined to the living Christ.
This is the encouragement for us. Whatever storms we face, whatever trials shake us, His house cannot fall. He is the builder, and His word still stands: “I will build My Church.”
In Christ,
Godwin.
