Have you heard that the rock of the church is Jesus Christ? Our faith and belief in Jesus is the foundation of the church, our faith, and all that is good and holy. So what do we do with this knowledge as Christians, and where can it take us? This podcast explores the truth of Christ’s teaching and the importance of evangelizing by example.

The Rock – Christ Our Lord ~ Episode 326

Have you seen a theme in the podcasts this year? If you said “evangelization,” you are correct. If we have the gift of faith, we must nurture it through prayer, study, listening to good things, and focusing on those who encourage us along our faith journey. However, once you’ve reached the point of having a solid faith, it is time to share the good news with others. One way is to share this podcast.

[Thanks to our sponsor NOWPrograms. Their philosophy is don’t accomodate, remediate. And it really works.]

The Rock Of The Church

If you are listening to this podcast I’m going to assume you have faith. Where have you built this faith? Think about this.

I grew up Catholic, with a strong faith in God. I knew Jesus and loved Him. I thought about God and His teachings. But as a child, I remember a traumatic time when we were moving away from family in New York and traveling to a foreign land. Canada! Looking out the window, I was upset and wondered if God was there. So, I decided, in my naivety, to test God. I was thinking about the verse in Matthew. Matthew 17:20: The verse reads,(read on air).

I asked the Lord to move the mountain. I said, “Lord, I have faith; it is greater than a mustard seed. Make this mountain move.” This was as we were traveling down an interstate, and as far as I could tell, the mountain didn’t move. At this point, my faith was fledging, and it was that of a child. Years later, I realized that testing the Lord was unwise. When we doubt, it shows we are struggling with our faith. And, yes — we all have times of doubt.

Yet, situations in our lives cause us to struggle, allowing thoughts to become doubtful and to build up without placing our trust in God. This can hurt our relationship with Him. When we turn away from God, the human heart has no boundaries. It becomes weak. It allows the enemy to creep in and sow doubt. Through the scriptures, if you’ve ever studied them, you will see time and time again that the Lord gives multiple chances to change, and yet, so many times, people turn their back on God.

Read the book of Romans, chapters one and two. It is depressing, to say the least. Some people lived at the time or shortly after the Lord lived upon the earth. They either witnessed or heard about the great things of God, and yet they decided to stay with their sins. How can we prevent evil in our hearts if our minds are not turned toward God? Our intellect will be dimmed and darkened further if we turn away. Many of us are committed Christians, so the gospel is for those of us, and we have no excuse. We either believe or we don’t. Is God the rock on which the church was built? If so, how do we proceed?

Matthew 7:24-26 (read on air).

This verse places Peter at the head of the church, yet the rock of the church is Christ. Without the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, there is no forgiveness of sins; there is no church, and the gates of heaven would remain closed. Yet, God gave his only Son so we could have everlasting life. This is an honor and a privilege, wow!

Jesus spoke in Aramaic and the word for “rock” is Kepha. So Jesus actually said, “You are Kepha, and upon this kepha, I will build my church.” Later we read in John 1:42. (Read on air.) The footnote in regard to where it says “which means Peter” states: “From the word for rock in Aramaic and Greek, respectively”

Where is the reference to Peter as the rock in scripture?

Kepas or Cephas both mean rock and refer to Peter. Other verses also point to Peter as the rock:

1. 
   
2. 1 Corinthians 1:12
   
3. 1 Corinthians 2:33
   
4. 1 Corinthians 9:5
   
5. 1 Corinthians 15:5
   
6. Galatians 2:11
   
7. Galatians 2:14
   

The Bible continues to show us how it is an integrated puzzle. Sure, some verses take studying and research, but it is wonderful to see it repeatedly! If you have ever wondered where Catholics get the primacy of the Pope from it is those verses.

Let’s get excited about God; if we are, we will be excited about all he can do for our lives and share the good news with others! We can be a hearer (wow, that’s nice, and go on with our lives) or a doer…that’s amazing, and I want to tell everyone I know about the Lord!

This next verse is strong, but hopefully, it wakes all of us up!

Matthew 7:23-25 (read on air).

Is that us? Are we building our lives and our faith upon the true rock of Christ? Are we prepared? Are we ready for the unexpected? Wherever we go, we take Christ in our hearts and know intellectually that God is everywhere; He is always present. Remember that the Lord wants to bless us and give us good things, but we must also be ready for the times when things don’t turn out as we expect. When there is a tragedy, when there are hardships.

Think and pray about this.

I read something that said, “The sincerity of a husband is known during the sickness of his wife. The sincerity of a wife is known during financial difficulties of her husband. The true love of a child is known during the old age of their parents. The true nature of siblings is known during the sharing of inheritance.” and it goes on until the end where it states: “A true believer is known during hardships.” (Source unknown.)

Where have you built this faith? I asked you this question at the beginning of this episode. If we’ve built our faith on people, things, and things that do not matter, we will often be disappointed in this life. Yet, if we build our faith in the Lord, He will never disappoint us.

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