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An Unshakable Church

Matthew 16:18 – “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

            Jesus assures us in Matthew 16:18 that we are part of an unshakable church. Francis Dixon writes, “In this amazing statement the Savior was assuring His disciples that the Church is built on the solid foundation of His person and His work. There is no other foundation.” I Corinthians 3:11 says, “for no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”[I]


            The church is not a denomination nor is it a building. Dutch Sheets writes, “When Jesus used the word church (Greek: ekklesia), the disciples weren’t hindered by our contemporary preconceived ideas as to what it meant. To us today it is (1) a worship service; (2) a building used by Christians; or (3) a local congregation of Christians.” To the Greeks in Christ day an ekklesia was an assembly of people set apart to govern the affairs of a state or nation – a parliament or congress. To the Romans, it was a group of people sent into a conquered region to alter the culture until it became like Rome. When Jesus said He would build His church, He was without question speaking of a body of people who would legislate spiritually for Him, extending His kingdom government (rule) over the earth.”[ii]


            When we are born again, we become members of the true church. John 3:3 says, “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Frances Dixon writes, “Today churches, organized assemblies or communities of professing Christians, are being shaken on every hand; but the Church, which is the Body of Christ, cannot and will not be shaken. The visible church will be shaken but the mystical Church cannot be touched. The true Church is secure, permanent and abiding.”[iii]


            Everything around us is being shaken, but we rejoice because we are part of an unshakable church. We are the body of Christ, and we stand in faith on the promises of God’s Word.


[i] Dixon, Frances, Bible Study Notes, Series 10, Study 60, Words of Life Ministries, https://www.wordsoflife.co.uk.

[ii] Sheets, Dutch, Authority in Prayer, Bethany House Publishers, Aida, MI, 2007, Page 61.

[iii] Dixon, Frances, Series 10, Study 60.

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