Matthew 16:18 (ESV)
¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

There are several impactful facts stated by Jesus in this verse.  It begins with the promise that He will build His church.  The word “church” is from the Greek word “ekklēsia.”  It is a compound word made up of the words “ek,” meaning “out,” and a derivative of “kaleo,” meaning “called.”  The word church, then, refers to a called-out assembly of people.  It is not in itself a religious word but when Jesus attaches the word “my” to it, it refers to a special group of people who belong to Him.

The church began to be built on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2).  Up until this point, the church was always referred to as something that was coming, generally referred to as the kingdom of God, but sometimes as the house of the Lord (Isaiah 2:2; Daniel 2:44; 7:13-14).  After Pentecost, the church is always referred to as something that is in existence.  It will remain until Jesus comes back to get it and deliver it to God (1 Corinthians 15:24).  This church is made up of all the saved.  When one obeys the gospel of Christ, he is immediately added to the Lord’s church, the only place where the saved can be found.

 Acts 2:47 (NKJV)
⁴⁷ Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Jesus tells us that His church would be built upon a rock.  The question is, what is the rock upon which the church would be built?  Most people mistakenly believe the rock is Peter.  Catholicism teaches that Peter is the rock in this passage, making him the first pope.  Jesus, however, was not speaking of Peter when He referred to the rock.  The word “rock” is “petra,” a feminine noun, while Peter’s name is “Petros,” a masculine noun.

In this passage, the rock to which Jesus was referring was the truth that Peter just confessed—Jesus being the Christ, the Son of the living God.  This confession would be necessary for a person to be saved (Romans 10:9-10).  As more and more people believed in Jesus when they heard the gospel, repented of their sins, and were baptized into Christ, the church continued to expand, and it continues to do so today.

The one thing that could stop the church from coming into existence would be Jesus remaining dead.  Jesus knew, however, that the gates of Hades could not prevail against the church.  He would be raised from the dead by the power of God.  This great truth became the theme of apostolic preaching.

Acts 2:22–24 (ESV)
²² “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—²³ this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.  ²⁴ God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

Matthew 16:18 continues to be impactful because it tells us of the good news of Jesus being raised from the dead and the church being established.  If you want to be a part of the saved, obey the gospel of Christ by believing in Jesus and being baptized (Mark 16:16), and the Lord will add you to the church.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.