2. 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

3. 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered 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 tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

4. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. - Matthew 16:30-20

6. 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” – Acts 1:6-8

7. Church = ekklesia

8. Ekklesia = a gathering or assembly of people called out for a specific purpose.

9. “I am going to build my own assembly of people – and the foundation will be me!” - Jesus

10. A.D. 313

11. “You can lock the doors of a kirche but never the ekklesia of Jesus Christ.”

12. What began as a movement, dedicated to carrying the truth of Jesus Christ to every corner of the world, had become an insider-focused, hierarchical, ritualized institution that bore little resemblance to its origins. This shift led to an era of church history that can only be described as horrific.

13. The atrocities carried out in the name of the church would be considered terrorism by modern standards. Cruelty wore a cross around its neck. Hypocrisy draped itself in priestly robes. Torture and murder were justified as rites of purification. The church grew rich and powerful. Kings were beholden. The people lived in fear of excommunication

14. While it’s amazing that the church survived the persecution of the first century, it may be more amazing that it survived the institutionalism and corruption of the centuries that followed. But it did survive. Jesus promised it would. – Andy Stanley

15. WHAT IS JESUS’ RELATION TO THE CHURCH?

16. 1. Jesus is the leader who builds the church (Matthew 16:18)

17. WHAT IS JESUS’ RELATION TO THE CHURCH? 1. Jesus is the leader who builds the church (Matthew 16:18) 2. Jesus is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22)

18. WHAT IS JESUS’ RELATION TO THE CHURCH? 1. Jesus is the leader who builds the church (Matthew 16:18) 2. Jesus is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22) 3. Jesus is Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4)

19. WHAT IS JESUS’ RELATION TO THE CHURCH? 1. Jesus is the leader who builds the church (Matthew 16:18) 2. Jesus is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22) 3. Jesus is Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4) 4. Jesus is present with the church (Matthew 28:20)

20. A lot of people really LIKE Jesus – but don’t necessarily want to BECOME like him.

21. A lot of us think that Jesus is a great SAVIOR but not a great ROLE MODEL

22. The supreme purpose and motive of every individual believer and every body of believers is to glorify God, and the supreme way in which God chose to glorify Himself was through the redemption of sinful men and women. It is through participation in that redemptive plan that believers themselves most glorify God. – John MacArthur

23. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” – Luke 19:10

24. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” – Luke 19:10 “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” – John 20:21

26. If you’re playing football and no one is hitting you, you might want to check to see if you’re on the field.

27. “Do you want to be safe - or do you want to be brave?”

28. One cannot love the God who loved the world so much that He sent Jesus Christ unless one also loves the world into which God sent Jesus Christ.

29. “When we assign ourselves spiritual merit for merely thinking about serving others, we are vulnerable to a dangerous form of hypocrisy that is difficult to confront because the self- righteousness is dressed up in good intentions.

30. We view ourselves as active participants in the he life and body of the Church when others know we are merely passive observers. This is a self-awareness gap. We think we are mature, balancing knowledge with obedience, but we are not.” - Steve Moore

31. Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? – James 2:14

32. PCC VALUES WE ARE DOOR-DARKENERS: Instead of solely expecting others to "come and see" we pledge to be present and active in our communities - living out the "Great Commission" and "Great Commandment" wherever we are.

33. “Jesus’ world seemed over peopled with outcasts. Jesus’ table fellowship with real-life low-life’s outraged the pious among the people of his day. An authentic biblical table culture will similarly outrage the pious of our day, especially when the church starts imitating Jesus and "throws parties" for those not yet "worthy" of having parties "thrown" for them.” - Leonard Sweet

34. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:30-31

35. “If Poplar Creek were to evaporate tomorrow- would Bartlett miss us?”

36. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” – Acts 4:29-30

37. “Do you want to be safe - or do you want to be brave?”

38. PERU TEAM