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The Church That Jesus Built |
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Author: Fred Pruitt |
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That Jesus gathered material while on earth,
while in a fleshly body, and built His Church, cannot be
disputed, for we read in Matthew 16:16-18, "And Simon Peter
answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, blessed art thou,
Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto
thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto
thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against IT."
Many look at this Scripture without the Spirit to guide and give
understanding, and conclude that Jesus meant to build His Church
on Peter, but this is decidedly a wrong interpretation of the
Scripture. Jesus was referring to the solid rock-like truth that
He had spoken, which was: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
Living God," and was given him by the Father in heaven, and all
those that believe in the heart (Romans 10:9-10) that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of the living God, become Stones in the
building, His Church, Christ being the Rock, the Chief
cornerstone.
We find by the above Scriptures that His Church was to be so
firm, so strong, and filled with such power that the gates of
hell cannot prevail against her onward march. We find that His
Church was not many, but ONE, spoken of in the singular term:
IT. The prophet Isaiah foreseeing things that would come to
pass, spoke of the beginning of the Church in this manner,
"Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, behold I lay in Zion [a
metaphor for the Church] for a foundation a stone, a tried
stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that
believeth shall not make haste" (Isa. 28:16). The prophet here
was speaking of Jesus as the precious tried stone and said He
was a sure foundation. And Paul, speaking of this foundation,
said, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid,
which is Jesus Christ." (I Cor. 3:11.)
Peter, in speaking to babes in Christ, said, "To whom coming, as
unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of
God, and precious. Ye also, as lively stones [saved men], are
built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God Jesus Christ. Wherefore
also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a
chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on
him shall not be confounded" (I Pet. 2:4-6). This living stone
spoken of by Peter is Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God,
for truly He was rejected of men, despised, abused, slain,
placed in the tomb, and counted by men as an end of Him; but not
so-the gates of hell did not prevail. There was mighty power
with Him. The great stone at the mouth of the tomb could not
keep its place, the governor's seal was not respected, the brave
soldiers that were set at watch did shake and become as dead
men, and Christ the Son of God came forth a living conqueror,
and has become Head over all things to the church which is His
body.
Paul, in writing of and to saved souls, said, "Now therefore ye
are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with
the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief corner stone: In whom all the building fitly
framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom
ye are builded together for an habitation of God through the
Spirit" (Eph. 2:19-22). Paul is speaking here of the spiritual
structure of the Church that Jesus built, and shows that He has
reconciled us unto God in one body by the cross (verse 16). For
all truly saved souls (those who believe from the heart that
Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God) compose the spiritual
body of the Lord Jesus Christ. He, Christ, is our great High
Priest (Heb. 4:14) with all power both in heaven and in earth
(Matt. 28:18), and has become Head over all things to the church
(Eph. 1:22).
Moses was a type of Christ insomuch he was the head of the
literal children of Israel. They are referred to in the 3rd
chapter of Hebrews and the 2nd verse as "Moses being faithful in
all of his house," but the scripture goes on to say that Jesus
was worthy of more glory than Moses, and that Moses was faithful
in all of his house as a servant which testified of things which
were to be spoken afterwards. The Word says, "But Christ as a
son over his own house: whose house are we [saved souls], if we
hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto
the end."
The material that Jesus gathered to build His house, or Church,
was God-fearing men and women that received Christ and fully
accepted His gospel. The apostles whom He chose were foundation
stones, with Christ Himself as the chief corner stone. For three
and a half years He was gathering souls together and building
His spiritual house which Peter speaks of in I Peter 2:5 as
being and are built up a spiritual house, by whom spiritual
sacrifices are offered up which are acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ. On the day of Pentecost they were all together in one
place and constituted His spiritual house or Church He had
built. In sending upon them the gift of the Holy Ghost with the
cleansing fire of the Spirit, the Church of God was set in order
with the various gifts of the Spirit functioning in and through
each member or "lively stone" in the building. When this was
done, the Church was a complete unit, built and occupied. The
Spirit of God began to add to it such as were being saved (Acts
2:47), and the number increased.
I see the Church of God today as a city set on a hill that
cannot be hid, covered or destroyed. We could think of the
Church today as likened to a man having fifteen sheep, which was
his complete flock of sheep. In the spring there are ten lambs
born, and then his complete flock of sheep would be twenty-five
head. It could be likened to a city whose population is ten
thousand souls. This city has all the officers it needs and is a
complete city within itself. In ten years it grows to be a city
of 100,000, and is still a complete city as it has all the
officers it needs. Jesus built His church, and on the day of
Pentecost he occupied it by the Holy Ghost and set it in order,
and there is no power on earth which can destroy it.
"Hell never can destroy the Church, built by the
Savior's hands;
Upon the Rock, the solid Rock, Christ Jesus, still she
stands.
Despite of persecution's flood, and gates of hell,
forsooth;
She's still the Kingdom of the Lord, the Pillar of the
truth."
We have been considering who built the Church and on whom it was
built and of what and whom it is composed, and now we shall
proceed to find out the proper name of this church that Jesus
built. We shall first turn to John 17:11 and read what Jesus
says to do: "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in
the world [speaking of His disciples] and I come to THEE. HOLY
FATHER, KEEP THROUGH THINE OWN NAME those whom thou hast given
me, that they may be one, as we are." We find by these
scriptures that it was the desire of Jesus that His followers
should be dept in His Father's name and His name is God. There,
the name would be "The Church of God." The word church in the
scriptures does not refer to a building as men apply it today,
but it has reference to an assembly of saved men and women which
constitute "the Church of God" in that locality. In a broader
sense, the Church of God would mean all saved people throughout
the world.
We find that men have built structures that they call
"churches," and are holding them together the best they can
under other names; but on examination, we find that they are
built on sandy foundations and have become cisterns without
living water. They have failed to honor the petition of the Son,
"Holy Father, keep through Thine own name," therefore the storms
and floods have left their houses desolate or real spiritual
life and the habitation of God is with those that are married to
Christ and bring forth fruit unto God (Rom. 7:4). They honor the
Son and call themselves by the Father's name. They are not tied
nor bound by rules and regulations of men, but are free by
belief in Christ, the Son of God (Rom. 8:2), are lively stones
in the building of God that Jesus built )I Peter 2:5).
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government
and peace there shall be no end." (Isa. (:6-7).
In the third chapter of Ephesians, verses 14 and 15, we read
what Paul said concerning the name of God's people: "For this
cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." Some of
the family of God, people of God, or Church of God have gone on
to heaven and the other part are yet alive in the earth, and
Paul, speaking of the Father, said, "Of whom the whole family in
heaven and earth is named," which would be the family of God, or
the Church of God.
Men do not join "the Church of God" as they do man-made
churches, but they are born into it by a spiritual birth just as
children are born into our family by fleshly birth; and we bear
the Father's name as our children bear ours. We will not
dishonor the Father by taking some other name, but are satisfied
and happy to abide free in Him (Psa. 87:5-6). "Marvel not that I
said unto thee, Ye must be born again." (John 3:7).
Paul, in writing to, or of saved people, repeatedly called them
"The Church of God." In Acts 20:28 he said to the overseers to
"Feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own
blood." In I Cor. 1:1-2 he addresses the Church of God which is
at Corinth, directing his letter to the local assembly of the
Church. In I Cor. 10:32 he says to give no offence to the church
of God. In I Cor. 15:9, "I am...not meet to be called an apostle
because I persecuted the church of God." In I Tim. 3:5, speaking
of a bishop or elder, he says, "For if a man know not how to
rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of
God?" These are just a few of the places in Scripture where
saved men and women are called or referred to as "The Church of
God." |
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Printed By: Faith Publishing House,
P.O. Box 518, Guthrie, OK 73044 |
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