The Building of God

By Lee Carter Maynard

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     "Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).

     These are familiar words of our Lord, but there is much disagreement among his disciples as to what he meant. Some have thought he promised to build a great organization to continue until the end of the world. Others have thought that each congregation was the church and the enemies of righteousness could never prevail against it. There is nothing in the scriptures about Jesus ever constructing a building or an organization. We have seen many church buildings vacated because the congregation had gone elsewhere.

     This makes us wonder what Jesus was proposing to build and what it was that was trying to prevail against it. We admit that it is a matter of interpretation. My personal opinion is that he was not talking of any of the above. I believe he was telling his disciples he would soon be ending his earthly ministry. He would be betrayed, forsaken and condemned to die on a Roman cross. He would be buried, the disciples would be despondent, their hopes blighted and blasted, and the enemies would celebrate their victory. The forces of evil, the gates of the tomb, and the unseen, would not prevail against him or his building program. He would come forth on the third day, victor over death, hell, the grave, and all of the forces of evil. After forty days he would return to the Father, and after ten days more would send the Spirit, and his building foundation would be laid, and the superstructure would grow upon it.

     Jesus builds a divine fellowship. His is community of the saints. It is his body, he is the head and his followers the members. It is world wide. It knows no face, race, or place. Whosoever will may come. The members believe, repent, love, forgive, pray, confess and obey his voice. All who are in Christ are in his body, the church, the fellowship of the saints. Their names are recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life. They are saved, redeemed, born again, ransomed, converted, justified and forgiven. To be a member of this fellowship is the greatest privilege accorded to a mortal.

     Jesus indicated that only a few out of the multitudes would he willing to forsake the old life and be true followers. They would have their problems, but the gates of hell would not prevail against them. The gates of the unseen did not prevail against the building of the church by our Lord.

     Christ is building his church and men are building their congregations. It is strange that men will proclaim one church and in the next breath tell of building a new church in some location where their doctrine has not been known. God adds to the church and men add to the congregations they build. In the church of the first century there were thousands of converts. They came together in homes, synagogues, upper rooms, by the riverside, and any other place where meetings could be held. Their fellowship and membership was with one another only as it was in Christ the Lord.

     They had no title deeds to property. They had all things common. They went from house to house, meeting together,

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praying together, and observing the Lord's Supper. The congregations were not an organized society. Their meetings were open. The congregations were composed of those who had become members of the body, the church. They had no roll of congregational membership so far as any record is concerned. There is no mention of trustees, secretaries or resident ministers. There were no choirs and no mention of congregational singing. They had no Bible schools, orphanages or homes for the aged. There is no record that any of them tithed. In fact, there is no record of an offering being taken at any of their meetings. (Read 1 Cor. 16:1-4 carefully). They had no written creed and no bylaws. There were no instruments of music, no tuning forks, baptisteries or air-conditioners. There is no record that they had the New Testament scriptures for years after Pentecost. They had no church papers or certain names to identify themselves and their congregations. They were called brethren, saints, friends, disciples or Christians.

     Paul and Peter might have difficulty recognizing our modern congregations so far removed from the groups they knew. You may think I am finding fault with the extra-curricular things you have. God has left us specific instructions on gaining admission into Jesus Christ, his church, his body. But he has not provided a model or pattern by which to build and regulate a congregation. If we are filled with the Spirit, and love one another as he loved us, we will have the things needed to suit our welfare and program. We will be agreeable, kind, gentle and united. The Spirit will not put anything into our minds which will deny the truth of the gospel, or that will cause our brethren to divide and quarrel. To go along with others does not mean that we sanction all they say or do.