"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." Mt. 16: 18. Thus we have the promise of our Lord to build a church. A church which was
destined to become the greatest institution on the face of the earth. There are reasons for this, and these reasons
become the basis for our lesson today.
1. The church of Christ was to be Universal.
It was not limited to one nation, color, or sex of people. But all those who rightfully call upon the name of the Lord
shall become a part of it. Many years before its establishment, Isaiah records in chapter two, verses two and three
these words: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established
in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people
shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to ... the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways,
and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."
Another prophecy about the universality of the church is found in Daniel 2:34-35, "Thou sawest till that a stone
was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to
pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like
the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the
stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth."
From the above two prophecies we can see that the Lord's Church was destined to become a universal body. All
nations would flow unto it, and it would eventually fill the entire earth. Therefore, every person without respect to
nationality, color, sex, or financial standing would be welcome within its boundaries. This, of course, distinguishes
the church from organizations who limit their member ships for one reason or another, and from Judaism which
appealed only to the Jews. One of the chief reasons Christ came was to break down any wall of separation so that
all men could become one in Him. All inequities are to be abolished, for God is no respecter of persons. Obedience
shall be the only test of loyalty. Those who obey shall be accepted, without further restrictions.
2. The church of Christ is a Divine Institution.
By this we mean divine as opposed to human. The reasons for its divinity are many. First of all, it is of divine
origin. In Eph. 3: 1 0-11 we read, "To the intent that now unto principalities and powers in heavenly places might be
known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ
Jesus our Lord..." The plans for the church were of eternal origin, taken from the mind of God and executed by His
Son. So different from the shallow schemes of man which have flooded the world with hundreds of religious bodies
all claiming to be the one built by Christ. Secondly, the church is divine because it has a divine builder: Christ, the
son of the Living God. According to His promise in Mt. 16:18, Christ built the church, (Acts 2) making it impossible for
any man-made organization to lay claim to divinity. These human organizations, which exist in abundance, are the
product of man and not of God. Many times they even give themselves away by wearing some human designation,
or by even boldly calling themselves by the name of their founder. Such practices make a mockery of divine
authority. Thirdly, the church of our Lord has a divine head. Eph. 5:23, "For the husband is the head of the wife,
even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body." The readeris also referred to Eph. 1 :
21-22 and Col. 1: 18. All of these scriptures teach that Christ rules over the church as the authoritative head. In
other words, He is the divine ruler, or lawmaker.
All in the Church are subject to Him. Unlike the human denominations that are governed by boards of directors,
committees, creeds, confessions of faith, disciplines, councils, and majority rule, the church of Christ is governed by
Christ and His word. He is the universal head, and besides Him there is no other. He does not have a representative
on earth as some would suggest, but rules the church today through his teachings, the Word of God. Fourthly, and
lastly, the church has a divine mission. This distinguishes her from human sectarian bodies existing in the world
today. Her mission is one of evangelization, ministry, and benevolence. To add to or in any way change this is to
bring divine disapproval. Human churches that operate in the fields of entertainment, money-making, society,
domestic relations, etc. have perverted the true mission of the church. Religion with far too many people has
become a social thing. Subtract the social and entertaining features of religion and many people would immediately
lose interest. Hence, the excuse of modernism that such devices are necessary for a continuation of religion. With
religion this might be true, but it is not true of Christianity. For years Christianity has survived without the aid of such
innovations, and it shall continue to do so.
3. The church of Christ is Glorious.
Eph 5:27, "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing: but
that it should be holy and without blemish." The word "glorious" means held in honor, full of splendor, etc. And this
aptly describes the church. David in the long ago said, "Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers
thereof," Ps. 48:12. To walk about spiritual Zion is one of the most interesting tours one can take. In _uch a walk,
one is stricken with the simplicity of her teachings and the power of the glorious message of salvation. The glorious
beginning of the church attended with demonstrations of spiritual power also impresses one. The glorious salvation
that comes to fallen man also catches the attention of the viewer. One is immediately aware that all this is of
tremendous cost, provided only by the shedding of the blood of Christ. What a glorious and marvelous institution it
is! In comparison to human denominational and sectarian bodies, she outshines them as the sun does the moon. No
wonder the Lord has concern for her welfare, requesting that we lead sober, godly, and righteous lives to safeguard
her influence in this world.
4. The church of Christ is a Saving Institution.
Salvation is the reason for the coming of Christ. Had man not been hopelessly lost in sin, Jesus never would have
condescended. His blessed name was indicative of His mission, Mt. 1:21. To seek and save the lost became the
object of His every act. However, because of His death on the cross, it was impossible for him to continue in bodily
form the work of salvation. Realizing that He must soon return to the Father, He readied the apostles for the great
work of converting the world. This work was to be done in the church. Paul says in 1 Tim. 3:15, "But if I tarry long,
that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living
God, the pillar and ground of the truth." From this we see that it is the duty of the church to uphold the truth to the
lost. And those who obey the truth according to Acts 2:47 are added to the church. We do not claim that the church
saves by itself. It is Christ that does the saving, but it is done in the church. In Eph. 5:23 Paul says,"… He is the
saviour of the body." Thus if I am saved I must get into the body. Frequently I hear people talking about Christ being
a personal saviour. We believe that in a sense Christ is personal to every individual. However, we deny the
assumption that He saves individuals as such. But rather He saves us in .the church. Salvation is in Christ, and to be
in Christ is to be in His church.
5. The church of Christ is Lasting.
We should never forget that permanence is the final test of all values. The fact that the church is lasting should be
of utmost importance to every person today. Practically everything with which we come in contact is fleeting and
dying. Not so with the church. It shall stand forever. The gates of hell shall not prevail against it. It cannot be
touched by death, depreciation, or decay. Paul declares in Heb. 12:28, "Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which
cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear..." This
kingdom cannot be moved. It is stable. Again: Dan. 2:44, "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven
set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." My friend, the kingdom of Christ shall
outlast all earthly kingdoms. It shall stand forever. May I encourage you to diligently seek it today? Where else can
you find the permanence and promises offered in Christ? No wonder the poet so fittingly wrote:
I love the kingdom Lord, the house of thine abode
The church our blest redeemer saved with His own precious blood
I love the church 0 God, her walls before thee stand
Dear as the apple of thine eye and graven on the hand.
God bless the church!
