Theologians tell us that the first mention of a subject in Scripture is particularly instructive. This is certainly true of the subject of the Church. Matthew 16 records its first mention (v. 18) in the Bible and this passage provides us with many keys to understanding the assembly.
The Lord’s declaration, “I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” must have puzzled those earnest disciples. They of course were Jews, and based on what they knew, they reasonably concluded that Israel’s Messiah was before them and consequently the kingdom soon would be established. What they could not see was the increasing hatred of the leaders of their nation toward the Messiah and their hostile rejection of Him at the cross. But the Lord saw it. And His plan included a wider ministry to even the lost sheep of the house of Israel. It included the whole world “out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” He would call out a people for Himself through the preaching of the gospel. The Jews in their national distinction would be temporarily put on hold until this new body, the Church, would be completed and taken to heaven.
One would be hard pressed to find another movement on earth at this time in history that is more important to the Lord Jesus than His Church. She is His bride, His body, and according to Matthew 16, His building. But it is in this same passage that He also begins to explain another unexpected development–His cross, and ours. Peter recoiled at the idea of a cross for the Lord. But the startling explanation for this revulsion was not spiritual but demonic (Mt. 16:23). Man-made thinking looks for glory without a cross. And that thinking is sown in minds by the enemy himself.
In this context, the Lord states the terms of discipleship to those who would follow Him in this project of building His Church. Assemblies are built by those who are willing to take up crosses.
But what exactly does it mean to take up this cross? The answer is in the next verse (Mt. 16:25-26). Taking up the cross is a choice to actively deny the self-life and to reject all attempts at “gaining the world.”
Sooner or later, commitment to the local assembly will cut into personal plans and ambitions. Decisions will have to be made. Is it the interests of the Lord Jesus that come first or my own interests? It will test us. Exciting plans and business opportunities may appear more interesting or challenging than the simple matters around the assembly. But the Lord’s warning is clear: To save our life is, in the end, to lose it. The gain is only temporary, an illusion. In fact, it is no gain at all.
There is another factor to consider. To invest a life in the local assembly would be an utterly ridiculous idea, if it were not for the fact that there is an eternal dimension to all of this. We are building in light of His coming glory and eternal reign. We are practicing looking after His interests now to prove what kind of disciples we really are. Those easily distracted with petty things are not the kind that can bear rewards in the kingdom and greater responsibilities for Him.
The Lord can use the kind of people that faithfully teach a Sunday School class, make cookies for a fellowship tea, visit the discouraged and lonely, strengthen the weak, study their Bible to help other believers understand God’s Word, spend late nights at elders’ meetings, fix broken buildings, cut grass and weed gardens, drive children and adults to meetings, give out tracts, preach the gospel–and on and on it goes. These kinds of people handle the things of the world lightly. They use them, but are not used up in them. They treat all areas of life “as to the Lord” (Col. 3:23).
The rewards, the crowns, the glory are sure to follow the sacrifice and sufferings associated with the cross. God’s assembly is worth building. In fact, it is the only thing worth building. But it will take cross bearers. Let us take up that cross and build together.