#12 NOT ABOUT YOU

One of the most controversial Scriptures in history has been Matthew 16:18. After Peter makes the Great Confession, Jesus says, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” The point for this lesson is solely this: Jesus intends for his followers to be a church, an assembly, a community. A community so strong that the gates of Hades will not overcome it. One of the first observations God made about mankind is found in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” Historically, people knew it was better, both physically and emotionally, to be part of a community. People wanted to be part of a family, a clan, a tribe, a village, a city, or any other kind of binding community. It was considered a little suspect to be a loner, a hermit, or any person who wanted to be alone. In fact, one of God’s first punishments was not sending Cain to hell, but sending him out to be a restless wanderer. Americans have always been individualistic but the desire to be that way seems to have started increasing in the 1950’s as indicated by movies such as “Rebel Without a Cause” and books such as “Bowling Alone.” The internet and smartphones enabled the rise of so-called “social media” such as Facebook and Instagram. These have had a tendency to develop relationships described as “a mile wide and an inch deep.”