By Greg Laurie
“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
—Hebrews 10:25
The first one ever to use the word church was not the apostle Paul. Rather, it was Jesus Himself. He said, “Upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it” (Matthew 16:18 NLT).
When Jesus walked this earth, He started only one organization, and that, of course, was the church. By stating that the gates of Hell will not conquer His church, Jesus was saying, “Listen, this church is here to stay. Against all odds, it will prevail.”
Interestingly, Jesus made this statement at a place called Caesarea Philippi. We could miss the significance of that altogether. But Caesarea Philippi was a place of paganism and false belief. In fact, the Greeks had dedicated Caesarea Philippi to Pan, one of their gods. And if you were to go there today, you would see what is left of a site dedicated to false gods and idols.
Categories: INSPIRATIONAL DEVOTIONS
Prophecy’s Direct Dial to Jesus
Luke 21:36 "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."