“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona; 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 (Matthew 16:17-18).
Today’s passage generates much debate. In previous verses, Christ posed the question, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? The disciples gave various answers; then Christ turned to Peter. In Matthew 16:16 we find the one who answered best. “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God..” Many believe that Peter’s confession, which was revealed from Heaven, may have been the “rock” mentioned in today’s verses. Peter knew Christ and had experienced His grace. Thus his answer wasn’t revealed by “flesh and blood.” Because the name Peter means stone, we can assume that his testimony would be one the stones of the foundation of the Church. Christ is the chief Cornerstone and all the forces of evil will never be able to destroy the Church. This is true because of its firm foundation.
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said—
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
The soul that on Jesus doth lean for repose,
I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.
Sue Winchester
Missouri
PRAY TOGETHER: Praise God for the safe arrival of Aly
Sue Winchester
Missouri
PRAY TOGETHER: Praise God for the safe arrival of Alyssia Jolyn Teague born May 30 to Joel and Lydie Teague (FWBIM, France). Pray especially for Lydie as she adjusts to life with both a toddler and a newborn, and prepares to speak at the WNAC Convention morning worship in Tampa.
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