from the church of Christ. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heav- en” (Matt 16:18–20). But we are often inclined to look to self, in our pride and self-reliance. Martin Luther shows us our pride when he wrote: “Did we in our own be losing; were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing: Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he; Lord Sabaoth, his name, from age to age the same, And he must win the battle.”
The Church belongs to Jesus building the church. He goes on to proclaim that the church belongs to him when he states, “I will build MY CHURCH!”
Jesus prays to the Father in John 17:2 and speaks of himself saying, “For you granted him [Jesus] author- ity over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.” For according to Ephesians 1:4, God “chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” And he will make them a king- dom and priests unto God. And they shall reign on the earth (Revelation 5:9). They will be his church. They are not their own. They are bought with a price 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). They are his. He will gather them. And build his church.
All these passages point to the as- pect that the church built by Christ is owned by Christ. It did not belong to Peter, the apostles, a denomination, or any human institution. It belongs to Jesus which he bought with his own blood as Paul said to the Ephe- sian elders by declaring, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained
with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). Therefore, Christ alone has the right
Christ loves his bride In addition, by saying “my church,”
- ship with his people. Like a husband - ing affection and covenant commit- ment as found in Ephesians 5:25–27: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splen- dor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” This gives all be- lievers comfort and assurance know- ing we are not just part of an organiza- tion, but a people Jesus deeply loves and personally claims as his own. The Lord possesses a special love for his church: we are the apple of his eye. And he promises to do great things through the church, the special instrument by which he displays his saving power in the world. He sends his church into the world with the message of the gospel, gathering ev- ery last sheep into the fold through her ministry. He promises to accomplish great things in and through his church. These many promises give us ev-
of our churches and the work of - tation of the Lord’s blessing. For the Lord promises to build and gather the church, and he promises to dis- play his glory through the church.
Our submission to Christ our head The “my church” declaration by Je-
church. He isn’t just a founder; He is the Head and Lord of the church (Co- lossians 1:18). “My church” means he functions, worships, and grows. The church must submit to Jesus’ teaching, not to culture, tradition, or personal
preference. His Word sets the standard. This is part of understanding what it means to be confessional. We are committed to all matters that Jesus stated in his Word. The church is to confess and declare a clear and right understanding of God, man, sin, sal- vation, and the Christian life. We also confess a high view of the
church, sacraments, and ministry. Our churches and we pastors can fall into the temptation of assuming that our confession, our understanding of Scripture, the Christian faith, and Christian practice are beliefs we only have no bearing on the type of church ours has become. In short, there is re- ally only one view that Christ gave us in the ARP: a biblically confessional presbyterian congregation which will engage in reaching the lost and dis- cipling those reached according to Scripture as we confess it. This means that we are committed to preaching the gospel, to nurturing covenant families, to showing the love of Christ to the congregation by meeting needs of the saints.
A few questions
What is your church trusting in to grow your church?
In what ways is Jesus known by all to be building your church?
Do you believe and act that Jesus loves your church more than you do?
for his church inform your prayers?
However many challenges there may be, the work of the church and church planting will always be neces- sary and will always be worth the ef- fort. Be encouraged: Jesus has prom- ised: “I will build my church!”
Planting, Strengthening, and Evangelizing July/August 2025 13
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