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 will not overpower it. (Matthew 16:18 CSB)

Do you go to church? Or maybe you are more informal and meet to have “church” with a small group. I find it humorous that the word “church” has also been adopted as slang for a form of approval.

But, we denote “church” typically to mean a house of prayer and meeting. Somewhere to go to hear some singing and a sermon. But the church referred to in our scripture is a much broader term. It refers to the body of Christ, to all believers. It is less a place and more the broadness of all believers all over the world.

I know there are many who have been “church hurt”. They experienced some form of hypocrisy or felt shunned in some way. I know if I roll into some churches with a group of bikers fresh off the road we can get some long looks. Probably why many of us have a patch that reads “these are my church clothes”.

The “church”, the body of Christ was meant to be, much like the twelve, travelers seeking to fulfill the great commission. Taking the Word to all corners of the earth.

We each may do this in our own way, but the commission still stands for us all. So consider when you meet up with anyone to speak about Christ that you are the church, fulfilling the commission.

And the gates fo Hades will not overpower it.