I will build My Church

Christians kneel in the rubble of their place of worship.
Photo: ChinaAid

If you've been to Christian services on even a semi-regular basis, you likely recognize the quote, "...I will build My Church..."

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
(Matthew 8:28 ESV)

It's that time of the week when I put together pictures for VOMC's weekly email to hopefully provide some extra motivation to pray for our Christian family. I sat and studied the picture of these Chinese believers for several minutes. They're kneeling, possibly in prayer. Many of them are sobbing. Men and women alike are wrapped in grief, dealing with the blatant rejection of the Chinese government.

I could say that their church was destroyed. Look again. They are kneeling where the building once was. The complete demolition of their building did not stop them from running to their Saviour for comfort. The caption to this image will not say that the church was destroyed. Simple semantics? As we define "church" in our culture, maybe; but the Bible refers to the "Church" as those who have turned to God for complete forgiveness and spiritual cleansing through the blood of Christ's sacrifice. The Church is still there! Do you see it? Every member of that Church still kneels before the Heavenly Father. As long as there are people who have surrendered their lives to Him, there is the Church.

There's another element of this image that makes my heart ache and rejoice all at once. See those little feet running through the rubble? She's learning from early childhood what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Look through the congregation, and you see other little ones taking it all in. These parents did not shield their children from the harsh reality that much of their culture rejects them. Some of the children may well face more persecution in their lives. I ache at the pain they will endure. The parents knew this when they chose to bring their children into this scene of the suffering Church. They are being discipled. The Church is continuing to the next generation - and in that, my heart rejoices!

"I will build My Church!" The risen Lamb continues to work through the Holy Spirit in constructing that Church that no force can demolish. It is eternal. His promise is being fulfilled. I pray that they find comfort in the fact that He is there, in their presence, feeling every bit of their pain... and in the fact that they are proof of the promise.

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I recognize that I have not addressed the all of the verse. I am most happy to do that and have been deeply blessed by the entire verse. I chose to focus on the promise of Church building for this blog entry.