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Matthew 16:13-19. 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" 14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.". Matthew 16:13-19.
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Matthew 16:13-19 13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" 14They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
Matthew 16:13-19 15"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Matthew 16:13-19 17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And 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.
Matthew 16:13-19 19I 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."
God Has No Grandchildren Matthew 16:13-19
The religious leaders of Jesus' time thought they had a special "in" to heaven because they were Abraham's "grandchildren."
With the imprint left by Constantine, however, this vision for the church faded and a new imprint has impacted us for the last 1700 years.
Along the way in Christian history the church changed into something more like a business enterprise than the dynamic living, breathing Body of Christ in the world.
Restoration is a word which I hope has popped into your mind in the last three weeks. • Roman Catholics – an attempt to return to the rigid, dogmatic Catholicism of the 1960s. • Mormons will tell you Joseph Smith began the restoration in 1830. • Barton Stone wanted to restore the “life of the Spirit” as witnessed by the fruits of the Spirit.
Alexander Campbell wanted people to take a more rational approach in an attempt to do away with denominational divisions. • Restoration in the Old Testament refers to the restoration of Israel following Babylonian captivity. Deut. 30:3; Jeremiah 16:15
Restoration is God’s work; it is what He has done and what He has intended to do from the beginning of the world. Eph. 1:4 • Brothers,if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Gal.6:1
A Fresh Look at “Church” • Some will see building. • Others will visualize an assembled group of people, most likely in a church building. • Still others will think of a religious belief system.
Uses of the words church and kingdom: Matt. 16:18,19 “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.I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…” -“Kingdom” is found 147 times in NT. -“Church” is found 104 times in NT. - Jesus uses these words interchangeably.
Identifying traits of that kingdom • Citizens believe that they have a mandate from their King and that mandate is the Bible. • Citizens believe it is their ongoing responsibility to restore the principles and teachings laid down by Jesus and the Apostles.
Citizens of the Kingdom have a special relationship to the King. • Citizens of the Kingdom sound like, look like, act like and live like their King. • The Kingdom is a body. Eph. 1:22-23 • The Kingdom is a family. Gal. 3:26-27 • The Kingdom is a bride. Eph. 5:22-33
Jeff Garrettand Alcoholics Anonymous • Marnie Craig Ferree • Dan Spann