Revelation Builds the Church

He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:15-19)

Jesus asked His disciples a question that every believer eventually has to answer for themselves. This is - not who do people say that Jesus is, but who do you say that He is. And Peter, in one of the greatest moments of his life, got it right. He said Christ is the Son of the living God.

Jesus then told him that his natural mind had not figured it out. His education did not produce it. It was only God who could reveal that to him. Then Jesus continued, saying that upon this revelation of Jesus as the Son of God, He would build His church. And the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Notice what Jesus did not say. He did not say the gates of hell would not prevail against the church with the best programming. He did not say it would not prevail against the church with the most talented worship team or the largest budget. He said the gates of hell would not prevail against the church that operates from revelation.

There is a difference between information and revelation, and most of the church is living on the wrong side of that line. Information sits in your head. You can quote it, debate it, and even preach it, but it will not change people. Revelation gets into your spirit and rewires you from the inside out. When something is truly revealed to you, it changes your whole life. It changes how you talk. It changes how you walk. It changes how you respond to pressure, people, and problems.

Practical Application

Revelation does not come from hearing something once. It comes through meditating and spending time with the Word. It comes through time. There is simply no shortcut.

Matthew 18:18; John 20:23