“Who do men say that I am?” Jesus posed that loaded question to his followers. Peter jumps in and says some say John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.
Then Jesus looks deep into them and responds with “but who do you say that I am.” Peter’s answer is direct, plain, and world changing; “you are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (read Mt. 16:13-19).
What is Peter saying by this affirmation? By saying He is the Christ, he is recognizing the spirit of the true God on Jesus. Many false messiahs had come and gone and yet Peter perceives that Jesus is the real thing.
What is working in Jesus is truly God’s spirit; He is the “anointed one.” The ramifications are that Jesus will be the one to crush Satan (Gen. 3:15) and the seed to bless the world (Gen. 12:3).
Peter also proclaims He is the Son of the Living God. Not only does Jesus “have” the Spirit of God, He has “come out from” the Spirit of God. He is the outshining of His presence and very being. This makes Jesus absolute authority in the Earth. There is not another Son of the living God.
Jesus’ reaction to Peter is stunning and declares four things about what Peter said:
No. 1 — Peter’s revelation of who Christ is, is from heaven. Jesus said Peter did not get this from a flesh and blood person but from God himself.
No. 2 — Jesus said I will build on this. Build on what? He will build the church on the revelation that Jesus alone is the one with God’s spirit on Him and that Jesus alone is the Son of the living God.
No. 3 — Jesus then pronounces that this kind of perception will create a powerful group of people. They will have the keys to the kingdom. Keys represent authority; they open things and lock things. In this case, the church that has a revelation of Jesus, has the authority to unlock the treasures of heaven. They can ask for heaven to move into the earth and for the will of God to be done in the earth like it is in heaven.
No. 4 — Jesus then triumphantly asserts that the gates of hell will not win over these people.
The church in America has little of this. The church, in order to be the church, has to have a real “spirit-seeing” revelation of Jesus.
This is not just some declaration in a dusty theological book or articles of incorporation of a local church. This has to be a real knowing of Jesus and who He is.
This only happens by the Spirit of God in a person; not just a tenet of faith on page 14 in the book of “What We Believe.”
This was a reality in Peter and it alone causes the church to be the church. It brings adoration to the one to whom the kingdom is about. It is apparent in much of the church today that little is really about Him. Church in America is more about us and how big we are, how much money do we have, our church is better because we have better donuts and coffee, more comfy seats, and more beautiful windows, our children’s programs are better because...and the list goes on and on.
What about a church where the real presence of God shows up and does things only He can do? Most of us know how to do church whether God shows up or not. We know how to sing songs, play music, do Sunday School, pray prayers, preach sermons, read scriptures, and make recitations even if there is no Holy Spirit.
Surely, if God really came Sunday morning, there would be something other than the usual fifty five minutes printed in the bulletin.
Surely, if there is a longing for Him to be the Son of the living God in our midst, that there will be some keys in our hands to unlock something of heaven to come in among us. Surely, if He really is the Christ, the absolute authority of God, and He is with us, that the gates of hell will be pushed back better than they are now.
God is looking for some hungry people who want Him more than life itself. He is looking for a group that knows, by the Spirit of God, that He is unquestionably the king of all and want Him to do uncontestable things in their gatherings.
Now that would be church when God has come down among His people and hell cannot stop it. He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Who do you say He is?
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“Who do men say that I am?” Jesus posed that loaded question to his followers. Peter jumps in and says some say John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.
Then Jesus looks deep into them and responds with “but who do you say that I am.” Peter’s answer is direct, plain, and world changing; “you are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (read Mt. 16:13-19).
What is Peter saying by this affirmation? By saying He is the Christ, he is recognizing the spirit of the true God on Jesus. Many false messiahs had come and gone and yet Peter perceives that Jesus is the real thing.
What is working in Jesus is truly God’s spirit; He is the “anointed one.” The ramifications are that Jesus will be the one to crush Satan (Gen. 3:15) and the seed to bless the world (Gen. 12:3).
Peter also proclaims He is the Son of the Living God. Not only does Jesus “have” the Spirit of God, He has “come out from” the Spirit of God. He is the outshining of His presence and very being. This makes Jesus absolute authority in the Earth. There is not another Son of the living God.
Jesus’ reaction to Peter is stunning and declares four things about what Peter said:
No. 1 — Peter’s revelation of who Christ is, is from heaven. Jesus said Peter did not get this from a flesh and blood person but from God himself.
No. 2 — Jesus said I will build on this. Build on what? He will build the church on the revelation that Jesus alone is the one with God’s spirit on Him and that Jesus alone is the Son of the living God.
No. 3 — Jesus then pronounces that this kind of perception will create a powerful group of people. They will have the keys to the kingdom. Keys represent authority; they open things and lock things. In this case, the church that has a revelation of Jesus, has the authority to unlock the treasures of heaven. They can ask for heaven to move into the earth and for the will of God to be done in the earth like it is in heaven.
No. 4 — Jesus then triumphantly asserts that the gates of hell will not win over these people.
The church in America has little of this. The church, in order to be the church, has to have a real “spirit-seeing” revelation of Jesus.
This is not just some declaration in a dusty theological book or articles of incorporation of a local church. This has to be a real knowing of Jesus and who He is.
This only happens by the Spirit of God in a person; not just a tenet of faith on page 14 in the book of “What We Believe.”
This was a reality in Peter and it alone causes the church to be the church. It brings adoration to the one to whom the kingdom is about. It is apparent in much of the church today that little is really about Him. Church in America is more about us and how big we are, how much money do we have, our church is better because we have better donuts and coffee, more comfy seats, and more beautiful windows, our children’s programs are better because...and the list goes on and on.
What about a church where the real presence of God shows up and does things only He can do? Most of us know how to do church whether God shows up or not. We know how to sing songs, play music, do Sunday School, pray prayers, preach sermons, read scriptures, and make recitations even if there is no Holy Spirit.
Surely, if God really came Sunday morning, there would be something other than the usual fifty five minutes printed in the bulletin.
Surely, if there is a longing for Him to be the Son of the living God in our midst, that there will be some keys in our hands to unlock something of heaven to come in among us. Surely, if He really is the Christ, the absolute authority of God, and He is with us, that the gates of hell will be pushed back better than they are now.
God is looking for some hungry people who want Him more than life itself. He is looking for a group that knows, by the Spirit of God, that He is unquestionably the king of all and want Him to do uncontestable things in their gatherings.
Now that would be church when God has come down among His people and hell cannot stop it. He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Who do you say He is?
