And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18.
The word Peter signifies a stone—a rolling stone. Peter was not the rock upon which the church was founded. The gates of hell did prevail against him when he denied his Lord with cursing and swearing. The church was built upon One against whom the gates of hell could not prevail…. The church is built upon Christ as its foundation; it is to obey Christ as its head.
If Jesus had delegated any special authority to one of the disciples above the others, we should not find them so often contending as to who should be the greatest. They would have submitted to the wish of their Master, and honored the one whom He had chosen.
Instead of appointing one to be their head, Christ said to the disciples, “Be not ye called Rabbi;” “neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.” Matthew 23:8, 10.
“The head of every man is Christ.” God, who put all things under the Saviour’s feet, “gave him to be the head over … the church.” 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 1:22.
In the presence of God, and all the heavenly intelligences, in the presence of the unseen army of hell, Christ founded His church upon the living Rock. That Rock is Himself—His own body, for us broken and bruised. Against the church built upon this foundation, the gates of hell shall not prevail….
For six thousand years, faith has builded upon Christ. For six thousand years the floods and tempests of satanic wrath have beaten upon the Rock of our salvation; but it stands unmoved….
The Rock of faith is the living presence of Christ in the church. Upon this the weakest may depend, and those who think themselves the strongest will prove to be the weakest, unless they make Christ their efficiency…. The Lord “is the Rock, his work is perfect.” “Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 2:12.
The Faith I Live By p. 310
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Prayer Requests
—-Please needing prayer for a specific reason. My husband treats me really bad and he acts like he is demon possessed. Please pray for his eternal salvation. The way he treats me is affecting my health in a very bad way from all the stress he puts on me. Thank you for your prayers. Connie
—-A friend of ours is having surgery for a heart transplant. Please pray for well being and good results. Jeanie
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Dear Friends,
When I was a little girl, I loved to go to a place called Deer Forest which had many deer in a large, enclosed area. We could purchase a cone filled with deer feed before entering the area. The deer would come and eat right out of our hand. We could even pet them. It was so much fun!
Years later, my mother and I decided that we would take a drive one afternoon. As we drove along, we realized that we were near Deer Forest. I remembered all of the fun times we had had there. We decided that it would be fun to go and feed the deer and walk along the pathway in the woods just like we did years before.
We purchased our cones full of deer feed and entered the enclosure. But things had changed. Instead of the deer being scattered throughout the woodsy park and leisurely coming to us for a treat, they came at us like a herd of starving creatures. They nearly knocked us over in their eagerness to be fed. We were a little afraid of them as they pushed and crowded and jostled us. As quickly as we could, we left the enclosure. Our good time was spoiled.
How often we are like those deer. We push and we shove and we jostle one another in order to get the best for ourselves. We waste our life competing selfishly for the few “morsels” that this world has to offer. But this is not our Dear Saviour’s way. He desires for us to be loving and giving like He is. He longs for us to be a channel of blessing and helpfulness to those around us. He is our example. “Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” Matt 9:35,36 In His love and care for the people, He “had no leisure so much as to eat.” Mark 6:31 He, Who Created the Universe declared, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” Luke 9:58 Moreover, He gave His life that we might have eternal life. What love! What wondrous love!
Our Loving Redeemer bids us, “freely ye have received, freely give.” Matt 10:8 ” I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” John 15:1-14
Let us lay aside our selfish ambitions and follow our Great Examplar. Let us do unto others what we would have them do unto us. (Luke 6:31) Let us be an ever flowing stream of blessings to those around us is my prayer.
Rose

Built on the Rock