“And he said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you… and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…’”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16:15–19

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In this Sunday’s message, Kathryn Myers calls us back to the foundation Jesus Himself laid not a human strategy, not a cultural ideal, but the living confession of Christ. The Church is not a brand, a building, or a community project. It is the people called out by Jesus, anchored in His identity, shaped by His grace, and commissioned with His authority. To be called out to love means learning how Jesus builds His Church, how He forms His people, and how He teaches us to love the way He loves.

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Jesus Establishes His Church, We are Given Authority

• Jesus begins with a question of identity not who others say He is, but who you say He is. From that confession, He establishes His Church on a foundation that cannot be shaken.
• Hearing and practicing His words is the difference between a house that stands and a house that collapses. (Matthew 7:24–25)
• Christ alone is the unchanging foundation. (1 Corinthians 3:11)
• To be rooted in love is to be rooted in Him. (Ephesians 3:18)
• Authority flows from revelation.
• Peter didn’t guess; he received and from that revelation Jesus hands keys; access, binding, loosing, partnership in heaven’s agenda.
• He establishes, and we respond, He reveals, and we build on what He says, He names and we walk in what He gives.
• Authority is not dominance, it’s alignment.

Jesus Builds His Church, We are Given a Ministry

• Christ does not merely gather people; He equips them.
• The gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are not spiritual résumés they are the tools Jesus uses to shape maturity in His people.
• Ministry is formation toward unity and the full measure of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11–15)
• You are His workmanship, prepared for good works long before you breathed your first breath. (Ephesians 2:10)
• Through the Church, God displays His wisdom to realms seen and unseen. (Ephesians 3:10–11)
• Ministry is not self-appointed, calling is not self-created and purpose is not self-generated.
• We don’t build the Church for Him; He builds the Church through us.
  

Jesus Loves His Church, We Must Grow in Love

• Love is the metric, not gifting, not insight, sacrifice or power.
• Christ’s love for the Church is not abstract, it's embodied, sacrificial, cleansing, sanctifying, transforming.
• He loved the Church by giving Himself up for her. (Ephesians 5:25–27)
• Without love, all gifts become noise. (1 Corinthians 13:1–3)
• Returning to first love is a command, not a suggestion. (Revelation 2:4–5)
• Love is not simply what we feel it’s what we’ve been formed by.
• To grow in love is to return to Jesus again and again, letting Him confront the numbness, heal the distance, and restore devotion.
• The Church Jesus loves must become a people who love like Him.
  

Discussion Questions

• Where is Jesus inviting you to stand on the rock again instead of relying on your own understanding?
• How does knowing Jesus builds His Church change the way you think about your calling or ministry?
• What would it look like this week to love the Church the way Christ loves her?
• Where can you see Him growing you in love, returning you to first devotion, first obedience, first affection?

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