Matthew 16:13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 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.
As we saw in the last few days of our Advent study, we are now living in between the two Advents of Christ: His Incarnation to be our Savior, and His Return to fulfill all things remaining. What is His plan for the time in between? Jesus told the disciples and us here: He is building His Church, His Kingdom, His people preparing for His return. We will be looking over the next few days about how He builds His church, but for today we note just one thing: all of Satan's devices will not deter Him from doing so. The gates of the city were the place that people would meet, business conducted, and plans made. The "gates of hell" are where Satan plots and plans His attacks on Christ's Kingdom and people. Just as we saw in our Advent studies that - as bad as things are - "the darkness has not overtaken the light," we also find that as much of a mess as the church can become, Christ's plan will not be prevented. We just need to recommit ourselves to that plan, and let Him use us in His building.
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