Matthew 16:13-18 ESV: 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?" 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."

Statements Jesus made about the gospel and the church:

1. It would spread like yeast in dough.
2. It would grow to be the largest of all trees.
3. We are the salt of the earth.
4. We are the light of the world.
5. We are like a city on a hill.


Three things we must commit to in order to build the kind of church that impacts the world:

1. We must commit to being a SALTY church.

• Matthew 5:13 ESV: "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet."
• Blending with culture doesn't produce the health or growth Jesus envisions.
• Are we shaped by "group think" or societal norms, or are we shaped by the Word of God?

2. We must commit to being a SACRIFICIAL church.

• The idea that Christianity comes with no sacrifice is not biblical. In order for us to see what we all desire to see, there must be sacrifice.
• Luke 14:25-28 NLT: 25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 "If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else-your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. 28 But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?"
• Sacrifice is when you give something that is valuable to someone or something that you deem more valuable.

3. We must commit to being a SHINING church.

• Society and culture are always shaped from the top down.
• There are eight major spheres of influence in our society.
  • Government
  • Media
  • Sports
  • Arts
  • Education
  • Faith
  • Business
  • Healthcare
• Christ did not come to impact only the faith bubble; He wants all of the dough impacted by the gospel. He wants to use you.
• Peter was named a pillar of the church. What does Christ name you?