City Life Starter

I.​The Word: Matthew 16:15-18 

15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are athe Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 I also say to you that you are aPeter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

 

II.​Reflection Questions:

 

1.​Do you believe the Church will lose in history?

2.​If so, has what you believed affected what you are willing to sacrifice?

 

I played basketball at a large high school in Dallas. My junior year we were expected to be a mediocre team, but we got off to a good start. As we continued to find ways to win games, something interesting happened. As the players realized we had the opportunity to win district they began to sacrifice more for the team. We ended up winning the district and went on to play in the state tournament.

 

My senior year, we had many of our best players returning and were picked to win district. We won our first few games but then lost some we should have won. When we saw we were not going to win district, we began to make decisions in games that benefited us individually to the detriment of the team. It probably wasn’t intentional at first, but by the end of the season it was obvious. We took shots we shouldn’t have, didn’t pass when we should have, and didn’t give the extra effort needed on defense. Needless to say, we did not win our district and did not go to the state tournament.

 

When Jesus stood in front of the pagan temple at Caesarea Philippi, He told his disciples the Gates of Hades would not prevail against the Church. If you have been on the CLC trip to Israel, you know by “Gates of Hades” Jesus was probably not referring to Hell but the gateway to the pagan underworld that was supposedly located there behind the pagan temple in Caesarea Philippi. In other words, Jesus was saying the Church would prevail over paganism in the Roman Empire.

 

After Jesus’ resurrection, Christianity began to spread throughout the Roman Empire. By the time Constantine became emperor, some believe nearly 50% of the empire consisted of Christians. Then in 312 A.D. Constantine had a vision at the Milvian Bridge that led to his conversion, and he became the first Christian Roman Emperor. Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled; Christianity prevailed over paganism in the Roman Empire.

 

Jesus said the kingdom of God was like a mustard seed, which starts small, but when it is full-grown becomes like a tree, and the birds nest in its branches. See Matthew 13:31-32. If you look at the Scripture Jesus seems to be referencing, the message appears clear: the kingdom of God will continue to grow until it is so prevalent even non-Christians would enjoy the blessings of the shade of its branches. See Ezekiel 31:5-6; Daniel 4:11-12; Ezekiel 17:22-23. Jesus also said the kingdom of God is like leaven put into a lump of dough (the earth) that spreads until it permeates the dough until it is all leavened. Matthew 13:33.

 

God’s kingdom prevailed over paganism in the Roman Empire and has been expanding ever since. What Jesus described in each of these three examples is very different from, “I’ve read the back of the book and we win in the end,” which often implies the Church will lose ground—a reverse permeation—until Jesus returns to impose His will on the world.

 

I wonder how my teammates would have responded my junior year in high school if we had been told we would continue to lose games but “Don’t worry, at the end of the season all the other teams will be disqualified and you will get the trophy.” My guess is they would have responded much like they did my senior year. After all, why polish brass on a sinking ship?

 

What we believe about the Church’s future affects the Church’s present because it affects the way we act now. No one wants to give himself or herself to a losing venture, and no one wants to sacrifice their own dreams for something that will fail. Fortunately, we are not asked to do that.