Jesus Is Building His Church

This past Sunday, we began our new Kingdom Foundations series with a message titled “Jesus Is Building His Church.” It was a timely word for where we are as a church because we are in a season of planting, building, and laying foundations. In a season like this, it is important to remember who is really doing the building.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Those words should give us both confidence and peace. Jesus did not say, “You will build My church.” He said, “I will build My church.”

That does not mean we sit back and do nothing. We still serve, pray, give, invite, disciple, and obey. But it does mean that the pressure of building the Church does not rest on us alone. The Church belongs to Jesus. He is the architect. He is the foundation. He is the One who gives growth.

That truth matters deeply in a church plant.

When you are starting something new, it is easy to measure progress by what you can see. Attendance. Space. Resources. Equipment. Programs. All of those things matter, but none of them are the foundation. A church can have a full building and still have a weak foundation. It can have excellent programs and still miss the presence of God.

Jesus is not primarily building buildings. He is building people. He is building faith. He is building character. He is building unity. He is building a people who understand His Kingdom and are willing to live under His rule.

That is the foundation we want at Kingdom First Church.

The Church is not built on personalities, preferences, or popularity. It is built on the revelation of who Jesus is. In Matthew 16, Peter declared, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responded by speaking about building His Church. That connection matters. The strength of the Church is directly connected to our understanding of the King.

If Jesus is only an addition to our lives, the foundation will always be unstable. But when He becomes the center, everything else begins to find its proper place.

This message was also a reminder that opposition does not mean failure. Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church. He never promised there would be no resistance. He promised that resistance would not have the final word.

There will be challenges in building anything for the Kingdom. There will be moments of uncertainty. There will be seasons that stretch our faith. But the confidence of the Church is not that everything will always be easy. Our confidence is that Jesus is still building.

That changes how we approach this season.

We do not have to force something God has promised to build. We do not have to compete with other churches. We do not have to imitate what everyone else is doing. We simply have to stay faithful to the assignment God has given us and keep Jesus at the center.

As Kingdom First Church moves forward, my prayer is that we never become so focused on growth that we forget the foundation. I would rather build slowly on Christ than quickly on something that cannot last. Healthy foundations matter because what God intends to build upon them matters.

This is a planting season, and planting requires patience. Before there is visible growth, there are roots being established beneath the surface. Before a building rises, a foundation must be laid correctly.

That is where we are. We are planting. We are building. We are seeking the Kingdom first. And above all, we are trusting Jesus to do exactly what He said He would do.

He will build His Church. And the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

With faith for what God is building,
Pastor Chris Tullis
Kingdom First Church
“Seek First The Kingdom”