Wednesday, 26 January 2011
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Upon this Rock: God Uses Us in our Imperfection
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Matthew 16:13-20 (NIV)
Lately in life I've been struggling with a lot of regrets I had in the past, feeling ashamed for mistakes I've made in the past -- and this has hindered my ability to hear God. I began to meditate intently seeking some kind of vindication in my life for the flaws in me; and this passage was brought to my attention. As I began to study the significance of this verse it became astoundingly clear exactly what Christ was saying, and how radical it was for the time.
First, lets take for a moment and think. Nothing in the bible is written as "fluff"; every word holds meaning and revelation -- so let's start in verse 13: When Jesus came to the region of "Caesarea Philippi" -- stop. Right off the bat we see that "When Jesus came" -- He was intentionally going to a place of significance before he questioned His disciples. That place was Caesarea Philippi; long story short it was a giant rock or cliff where pagan religions would hold orgies, mass suicides, sacrifices to their idols and false gods, etc. This was a biblical day Las Vegas. A pit of evil and vile practice. Tangible sin.
When He called to Simon and said, "I now call you Peter" (Peter is the Hebrew word for "Rock") This was in no way a compliment. He was comparing Simon Peter to the rock on which they stood. He was saying, "Hey Simon, you're a sinner. The biggest sinner here. And it's your sin that will be the driving force behind your ministry here on earth."
It asks in the bible, who loves Christ more: The person who has lived devote his entire life and has never committed more than a minor transgression; or the man who was lost in his way and needed to be ripped from them, and saved -- forgiven from an abundance of bad-doing.
If we never sinned, we wouldn't appreciate the sacrifice Christ made for us. Peter loved Christ more than any of the other disciples because he was saved, rescued, from the worst junk. He made the biggest mistakes, and he needed a savior more than he needed air to breathe. When Christ said to him, "Upon this rock I build my church" it wasn't resting on Peter's shoulders. No; He was saying that it was sinners that would come to spread His gospel. That it was the pagans, the atheists, the non-believers that would come to know Him as Lord and Savior.
The next time you find yourself lost in self-pity, or self-doubt -- the next time your laying around distraught over all the things you've done wrong in life and wished you could change -- just remember that it's those imperfection and flaws that make you a suitable vessel for the spirit of God to move. It's your testimony that holds power. Your witness that gives you the ability to lead others through their circumstances and through the storms that they face in life.
May you be blessed in your mistakes, may you find forgiveness in Christ, and the strength to forgive yourself -- to openly admit the wrongs you have committed in order to bring others closer to God. May you be passionate, and may you be the rock upon which Christ church is built.
When has God used your imperfections as a catalyst for doing His work in the world? Is it comforting to know that Peter -- the rock -- was also just as imperfect as you?
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Comments (7)
Yes, in fact, our imperfections are essential to evangelism. If we appear perfect, the whole purpose would have been defeated already.
This passage you mentioned had one meaning when it was spoken, the Christ's Church would be build on the statement Peter made: "you are the Son of the living God". The church was not "build on Peter's sin" it was built on the statement that Jesus is who He says He is. When something is written in the Bible it doesn't change to suit what ever we are going through. The author had one thing in mind when it was written as with all scripture it had one meaning at the time and still does today. If Mr "Greatestguyever" is right about this passage then John BUNYAN, Martin LUTHER, John CALVIN, John FOXE, the list goes on and on....and add to that every historic protestant church Leader worth his salt who I know of for the last 400 years had it wrong.
If the passage is speaking to your circumstance thats fine, you can twist it to meet your needs but don't twist it to say something its not. The rock that they were standing on had a minor significance if any at all to the story.
This passage is also taken by Catholics to give ultimate authority to the Pope. This is actually more reasonable than what is posted on this blog.
And if I am what the Church is built on along with any other sinner then we are all in serious trouble, you are not the Gospel, you are not the message, the Gospel is greater than you or I, and the Church is not founded on Sinful people. Its built on knowing that Jesus is "the Son of the living God" and thus I can put my faith in Him.
I'm not sure God has used my imperfections as a gateway to doing His work. Maybe it's just not the time yet, or I'm not getting His message.
@DavetheKermodie - "you can twist it to meet your needs but don't twist it to say something its not"
I've never heard it put quite like this, haha, but I do like it.
As for the rest of comment I will have to disagree. First off, it is our sins that created a need for Christ in the first place - so it is because of our sins that He came, that He died, and that His church continues today.
Proverbs tells us that "The zeal of the Lord accomplishes much." That zeal, energy, or excitement - comes from a place of gratitude and relief. The gratitude you experience when Christ forgives your sins. Obviously THE ENTIRE CHURCH is not built upon one man (Peter) but the church IS built upon people. It's people that do the work of the Lord, and it's people that minister unto one another. "Just as iron sharpens iron, Man sharpens Man" - Anyways, all men are sinners, and it's God's spirit who moves through us in-spite of our sin - so it's not really anyone's situation or circumstance that defines the state of the church, the real message here is that no matter how bad you may feel about yourself - or no matter how big of a mistake you made, God uses those experiences (even if just by forgiving them) To fuel and motivate you in furthering His cause.
@GreatestGuyEver@xanga - You know I'm not trying to discourage your enthusiasm or anything, but you seem like a real deep thinker and I don't want to put out your fire but the passage (Matthew 16:13-20) you quoted from, you are taking it out of context. I'm not saying your viewpoints on the Church or sinful man are wrong, I want to talk about the section of scripture. I would suggest you get a good Bible commentary or just some more research may give you some broader perspective on what these verses mean. I suggest you ask your Pastor. In fact many men have been burned at the stake for what this section of scripture has been interpreted as. Church history says that the Catholic viewpoint is that from this verse Peter is the man the church will be built on and every one (the Pope) who sits in the "seat of Peter" has the authority of Peter that Christ gave him. I am not Catholic and do not support that view point. The Protestant view is that the Church is built on the statement Peter made, its that simple.
Many Protestants were burned at the stake for refusing to accept the authority of the Pope and the authority of the Catholic Church (See John Foxes book of Martyrs for the stories of these brave men and women).
Like I said, I would never want to put "out your fire" and I am not trying to have the final word here, but this part of scripture has a historical reverence that Protestant Church fathers (and mothers) have died for and been jailed for. They are the ones who stood up for the truth of what this passage was saying, and they gave their lives for that truth! I feel that we do not honor these men and women by changing what this verse means and what these martyrs died and suffered for most important we do not honor what Christ says.
If you think I'm wrong here is what John Macarthor says about the verse (I hope you know who John Macarthor is):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T0E7BSFmv8
@DavetheKermodie - no worries, you're not "putting out my fire" so to speak - and I'm not trying to "change the meaning" of the scripture, simply gain insight through finding a deeper meaning. As with any scripture there are many levels or depths of which you can take it.
I admire your reverence to those who gave their life in honor of the truth and their faith - I do not wish to take away from that or play it down at all - but a very common stumbling block in many believers lives today is, "How can I serve God after what I did?" I believe that this passage was not only a declaration of who Christ was, but also the moment of which Peter found his salvation or "got saved" - it was when he decided within himself and through the help and recognition of Christ and Christ's identity that Peter was finally able to forgive himself for the things he had done in his past and give his life over for the purposes God had for him.
On another note, I enjoyed the video - and agree with your viewpoints of the Catholic Doctrine - I also appreciate you challenging my views on this passage - whether either of us are right or wrong, it's always pleasant to explore scriptures with the perspectives of other believers.
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