Upon This Rock

The Bible speaks about building our lives on a strong foundation, a foundation that is centered on the truth of the Scriptures and person of Christ.  What flows from that foundation is addressed in 1st 
Corinthians 3:
11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
13 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; 
and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.
14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

We can consider whether or not we have built and are building our lives on that firm foundation.  If we have professed faith in Christ yet continue to be reliant on the world's systems and ideologies to govern our mindset and behavior, then we are not exhibiting the consistency that God would want for us. In a shifting culture, where the attempt is to adapt our practice of Christianity to the ways of the world, we have to remain tightly tethered to the ways and words of our Savior.

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In Matthew 16, we find that Jesus had traveled with His disciples to Caesarea Philippi, and asked them who people had said He was - the answer: perhaps John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or some other 
prophet. But, Jesus honed in on the truth; on a central principle that unites us as believers; we can read:
15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Hundreds of years after this declaration, according to a recent report, there may have been people who responded by building a literal church.  That's the word from a Christian Post article, which says:

The Times of Israel reports that the church might have been built in the area once known as Caesarea Philippi to commemorate the events recorded in Matthew 16.

Ruins of what is believed to have been a church building were recently found in Northern Israel "at the foot of a waterfall in the Banias Nature Reserve."

The Post relates:

University of Haifa Professor Adi Erlich, who announced the find in a Hebrew language video, noted that the area was also the site of an earlier temple to the pagan god Pan.

Erlich described the site to Haaretz as having “a continuity of holiness,” which involved “converting a site” from “one religion into one of another religion.”

He noted that, based on history, "When Christianity rose to power, they didn’t look for a new site, they converted a pagan site into a Christian site."  The Christian Post also says that, "Among the ruins was a large stone that had several small crosses etched into it, most likely from Christian pilgrims to the site who wanted to note that they had been to the church."

This discovery came through archaeology, through the study of what was left behind. They found that a church was likely built on the site where Jesus declared, "I will build My church."  We can consider what we are leaving behind...the Bible tells us to strengthen what remains, and relates to us about the importance of building on a strong foundation. 

So, what is that foundation? Let's look at the Scripture. What was the truth that "flesh and blood" had not revealed to Peter? "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  That's it!  The Son of God, who would die and rise from the dead, would build an everlasting Church on that foundation, on the foundation of His triumph over sin and death.  And, our lives are built on "the rock," His firm foundation.  Not altered by shifting cultural trends, social upheaval, political changes, or even a worldwide virus.

In the midst of a world that is characterized by shift and instability, there are certain principles for the believer in Christ that are unchanged.  For one thing, our mission is unchanged - and by holding on to that mission, we can prevent the work of the Church in our communities from becoming a relic.  The Church will last forever, because Jesus will not abandon His Church; but, we have to remain connected to its work.  The Church will live because Jesus is alive.