2026-08-02 Renew Together 3 - Building Church

Arotahi reminds us that for over 140 years, NZ Baptists have partnered with God to build His Church. What began small in Tripura has grown into 1,000 churches and over 100,000 baptised believers. One act of obedience has impacted generations. God has a similar story of building His Church at OTBC. More than 114 years ago, people were sent to plant Linwood Baptist Church, later St Albans Baptist Church, and in 1967, Avonhead Baptist Church. Now, more than 50 years later, God is inviting us to continue that sending legacy. 

Earlier this year, God sent me a dream. I saw myself inviting an Indian man into a church building, not this one, I was ministering there, and I sensed God was beginning His vision for church planting. Since then, He has confirmed that calling step by step. Today's theme is: Building Church. Let's read Matt 16:13-20, 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.” 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 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. 18 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. 19 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.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

1, Jesus Builds His Church. (Matt 16)

This passage begins with Jesus asking His disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" Then asking Peter: "Who do you say I am?" That is a question that every believer must answer. Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus wasn't just another prophet or teacher. He is the Son of God, the promised Saviour. Peter was blessed because the Father revealed this to him. When we truly know who Jesus is, it changes how we face every storm in life. 

7 years ago, just before the pandemic, I received news that my father was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer. Fear and panic immediately flooded my heart. Then I said to my heart, "Stop. That's enough." I prayed Col 3:15: "Let the peace of Christ rule in my heart…I nail all my fears on the Cross with Jesus…coz He is the King over all" As my heart became still, I sensed the Holy Spirit says, "a test of faith." I told some people from MOLC, "this is a misdiagnosis." They found that hard to believe. 

Long story short, it was a misdiagnosis. Today, my father is 93 years old and still healthy. My point is this: when we truly know who Jesus is, the first miracle we experience is that He replaces our panic with His peace. That is true blessing. Then Jesus said to Peter, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” Notice, Jesus doesn’t say, “Peter, you will build the Church.” He says, “I will build My church.” The Church belongs to Jesus. He is the Builder, the Architect, and the Owner. Heb 3:4 says, “for every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 1 Cor 3:9, says, We are God's fellow workers. We are not building our own kingdom; we are joining Jesus in building His. We see this clearly in the book of Acts. Before ascending into heaven, Jesus promised, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses."

In Acts 2, while 120 believers were praying, the Holy Spirit was poured out. Peter, once fearful, preached boldly, and three thousand people were saved. Who built that church? Peter preached. The disciples prayed. The people responded. But Jesus built His Church through the Holy Spirit. The same pattern continues throughout Acts. Persecution scattered the believers, but the gospel spread. Paul and Barnabas were sent, churches were planted, leaders were raised up, and elders were appointed. Yet behind it all was the risen Christ, fulfilling His promise. And today, Jesus is still building His Church. He invites ordinary people like you and me, filled with His Spirit, to join Him in His work. The question is: Will we join Him?

2. Jesus builds through His people. (v.18)

Eph 2:20 says, Christ is the cornerstone, and we are the living stones that God uses to build His Church. Jesus chooses to build through ordinary people who simply respond to His call. That is exactly what we see in Nehemiah 3. Have you ever wondered why God devoted a whole chapter listing all these names? "Eliashib the high priest rebuilt the Sheep Gate... the men of Jericho built the adjoining section... Zaccur son of Imri built next to them..." At least 75 individuals are mentioned. To us, it may seem boring, and we may quickly skip over the chapter because we don't understand why God included such a long list of names. God knows us by name. Every one of those ordinary names is precious to Him, and He chose to record them in His Book forever. God remembers those names. Why? Because after Nehemiah received God's vision to rebuild Jerusalem's wall, he couldn't do it alone. He shared the vision, and the people didn't sit back, avoid the risk, or wait for someone else to build a secure city. They stepped forward, accepted the challenge, and joined God's work. 

What about us? God is still building His Church today. The gospel doesn't advance because one pastor works hard. The Church grows when every member of the body responds to Jesus and plays their part. During the week, who is praying for the weak, the lost, and for God's purposes to be done on earth? Who is investing their time, energy, gifts, and the resources God has entrusted to them by cooking, teaching, discipling new believers, visiting, leading worship, opening their home, giving generously, or serving behind the scenes? God sees, and your name, your particular name, is being recorded in God's book. One day, everything else will fade away. But if our choices are made in response to God's calling, they’ll have eternal value. Jesus builds His Church through people who say, "Yes, Lord."

3. Jesus Builds His Church by Giving Authority to His People (Matthew 16:18b–19)

Jesus says, "The gates of Hades will not overcome it." Gates don't attack; they keep prisoners in. Behind those gates are people bound by sin, fear, addiction, shame, and hopelessness. Jesus came not simply to make bad people good, but to set captives free. Through His death and resurrection, He defeated sin, death, and Satan. Now He sends His Church into enemy territory through evangelism, baptism, healing, deliverance, and church planting, to rescue people from the gates of Hades and bring them back into God's Kingdom.

Then He says, "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." What are keys for? They open doors. In Isaiah 22, keys represented authority entrusted by a king. Jesus is the King. And He delegates His authority to His Church. Binding means restraining what opposes God's will. Loosing means releasing what God desires to bring, freedom instead of bondage, forgiveness instead of guilt, healing instead of brokenness, hope instead of despair.

Every believer has given the privilege to exercise the Kingdom authority, to confront spiritual oppression, and break bondage over people’s lives through prayer in Jesus’ name. But Kingdom authority isn't magical power. In Acts 19, some men tried using Jesus' name without obeying Him, and the evil spirit replied, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?" Authority flows out of obedience and remaining connected to God. Before we can exercise the King's authority, we must first live under the King's authority, just as Jesus lived, "Not My will, but Yours be done." If we refuse to forgive because we feel hurt, speak or act according to our own reasoning instead of faith, believe lies because of our own assumptions, or remain trapped by bitterness, fear, pride, or sin, how can we help set others free? 

Last year, one night I dreamed a dream, in which I saw many young people in Addington trapped in alcohol, drugs, and other addictions. So I researched it, I found Christchurch has a higher-than-average demand for alcohol and drug support services. Behind the statistics are real people imprisoned behind the gates of Hades. God loves them and longs to set them free. 

You may think, "This has nothing to do with me." But what if these struggles affected your own child, your grandchild, your neighbour, or your friend? Wouldn't that break your heart? It breaks Jesus' heart. Life is actually very simple. Don't live for what won't last. Live for what will last forever. 140 years ago, NZ Baptists stepped into unfamiliar places to join Jesus in building His Church. Today Jesus is still calling, "Who will join Me in prayer for them? Who will go with Me to tell them that I love them? Who will go with Me to set them free? Will you join Me in building My Church by taking the hope of the gospel to them?”

Prayer:

Yes, Lord Jesus, thank You for the blood. Thank You for defeating sin, death, and Satan, forgiving our sins, washing us clean, and giving us the hope of eternal life. Thank You for calling us Your own. 

Today, as we come to Your Communion table, we remember that You gave Your body to do the Father's will, building Your Church from every nation, tribe, and tongue who belong to You forever, and inviting us to be Your hands, feet, and voice in building what will last forever.

As you sit around the table, there's a piece of paper in front of you. Please take a moment to read it and make this prayer personally before the Lord:

"Lord, search my heart. Is there any sin I need to confess? Any bitterness or unforgiveness I need to release? Any fear or pride keeping me from surrendering to You? Any love of self that has kept me from obeying You? Have I become indifferent to those who are lost, broken, and trapped behind the gates of darkness?

Forgive me for the times I have cared more about my own life than about what breaks Your heart. Lord, I don't want to become indifferent. I don't want to see my children, my grandchildren, my neighbours, or my friends trapped behind the gates of Hades. Break my heart with what breaks Yours.

Lord, if there is bitterness in my heart because my expectations have not been met, I choose to let it go. I choose to forgive as You have forgiven me. I lay my unhealthy expectations, my pride, my fear, my comfort, and my self-will at the foot of the cross. I choose to live under the authority of my King, so that I may faithfully carry the authority You have entrusted to me. Fill me afresh with Your Holy Spirit. Give me eyes to see the people You love, a heart of compassion, and the courage to share the hope of the gospel. Amen."

Now continue to pray quietly. Pray for your family, your neighbours, your friends, and especially for the young people in our community, that they would come to know the freedom and hope found in Jesus Christ.

Those serving Communion, please come forward. We will receive the bread and the cup together once everyone has been served.

Now, as we take the bread, we remember that Jesus willingly gave His body to do the Father's will, so that we might become His body on earth, saying "Yes, Lord," and joining Him in building what will last forever. 

Let's take the bread together.

After supper, Jesus took the cup; as we drink it, we remember that His blood defeated sin, death, and Satan, forgave our sins, and empowers us to join Him in building His Church.  Let's take the cup together.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for renewing our love for You. Fill us afresh with Your Holy Spirit. Strengthen us to follow You wholeheartedly and to love one another deeply. Give us the courage to join You in building Your Church by taking the hope of the gospel to those who are still waiting to hear the good news. 

In Your precious name we pray. Amen.

A small piece of paper: 

  Sin that separates us from God. 

  Bitterness and unforgiveness that keep us in bondage. 

  Fear that keeps us from obeying God's call. 

  Pride that resists God's authority. 

  Comfort and self-centred living that make us build our own lives instead of God's Kingdom. 

  Unbelief or believing the enemy's lies instead of God's truth. 

  Self-reliance instead of dependence on the Holy Spirit. 

  Indifference toward those who are lost and trapped behind the gates of Hades. 

  A lack of compassion for people who are hurting. 

  A reluctance to say "Yes" when Jesus calls us to go.

Small Group Discussion

1, What challenged or encouraged you most from today's message?

2, What does "building God's Church" look like in your everyday life?

3, Who is one person in your family, workplace, neighbourhood, or friendship circle that God may be asking you to pray for and share His love with?

4, What might God be calling you to step out in faith to do? Is there an unfamiliar place, a new opportunity, or a simple act of obedience He is inviting you into? 

5, How can our small group pray for and support one another in joining Jesus' mission to build His Church?