The Church Christ Established

Does Christ have a church, or is the whole idea of a religious organization just a human invention? Jesus answers:

“On this ROCK I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it.”
—Matthew 16:18, margin.

Jesus is the anchoring Rock, the Cornerstone, of His church. What group formed a part of the foundation?

“Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”
—Ephesians 2:20.

What did the Lord accomplish when the gospel was preached?

“And the Lord added to the CHURCH daily such as should be saved.”
—Acts 2:47, KJV.

When Jesus established the church, He promised that “the gates of hell will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18), and the Christian church still endures. It has had extremely powerful enemies—from Roman emperors to communist dictators—but the blood of martyrs has only caused it to grow stronger. When one Christian was burned at the stake, or tossed to the lions, several others sprang up to take his or her place. The church has often been driven into hiding, but it emerges from the deserts and caves somehow stronger than ever. Skeptics have done their best to reason the Christian Church away and have often predicted it would disappear with other “superstitions.” But Christian truth competes more eloquently than ever in a scientific, secular age.