Lesson Six
The Church and Her Future

A. Jesus Taught Concerning the Foundation of the Church: 
•	Matthew 16:18
•	Jesus taught three things concerning the church: 
o	The church was still future 
o	The church would be founded upon Peter's confession
o	The church would be permanent and victorious.
Let us carefully examine each of these truths taught here:
•	The church was born into being on the Day of Pentecost.
o	It was necessary for our Lord to be crucified, be buried, arise and ascend, and the Comforter to come before the church could be born. 
o	Here Jesus made it very clear that the church was still future. 
o	"I will build" makes it very plain.
1.	The church's foundation would be the revelation that Peter had received from God concerning Christ's Deity.
•	Jesus did not mean Peter when He said, "Upon this rock".
•	Jesus would build His church "on this rock" (petra, feminine) meaning a huge rock like Gibraltar.
2.	In considering this statement of our Lord that the church would be permanent and victorious, we must understand the phrase "gates of hell." 
•	This may be interpreted in two ways:
•	Gates of Hades (Greek) sometimes is an expression for "Death." 
o	The church would be victorious over death.
•	The gates of Hades may also refer to the powers of the infernal region. 
o	This then would simply mean that the devil and all of his demon forces will never succeed in overpowering the church.

B. Jesus Taught That the Church Would Have Authority: 
•	Matthew 16:19
•	Matthew 18:18
•	Jesus taught that His church would be endued with a definite power and authority.
•	He placed great responsibility upon the church in the binding and loosing of immortal souls.

C.	Jesus Commissioned His Church to Preach the Gospel: 
•	Matthew 28:19
•	Mark 16:15
•	The Great Commission has been studied elsewhere in the Alpha Bible Course, and it should not be necessary to study the nature of the commission here. 
•	This commission was given by our Lord upon at least three occasions and was directed to His church.

D.	Jesus Taught a Vital Union of Himself with His Church: 
•	John 14:20
•	John 15:4
•	The church simply cannot live in separation from Jesus Christ.
•	"Ye in me" and "I in you", if one does not abide in Him, he is cast forth (John 15:6).

E. Jesus Gave Definite Portraits of His Church: 
•	Matthew 5:13
•	Matthew 5:14
•	John 15:5
•	John 10:4
•	Such phrases as "salt of the earth," "light of the world," "branches," "sheep," reveal the fact that the church is not to be a dormant, lifeless body but was to be living with a definite ministry here in this world.
•	Qualities given to the church are qualities possessed by our Lord and transmitted directly to the church. 
•	The church can only be the light of the world as Jesus Christ shines through her.

F. Jesus Taught That the Church Has a Glorious Future: 
•	John 14:2-3
•	Jesus taught very little about the future of the church except to state that he was preparing an eternal home for her. 
•	He makes it very clear that where He is there will the church be also.
o	By studying the book of Revelation we know that this place being prepared by our Lord is New Jerusalem, the city foursquare. 
o	This will be the church's eternal home.

LESSON SIX
SELF HELP TEST 

A.	Explain clearly the two ways Jesus used the word "rock" in Matthew 16:18.
1.)
2.)

B.	Give THREE pictures the Lord gave of His church.
1.)
2.)
3.)

C. Write our TWO Scriptures with references to show that Christ would be dwelling within His church.
1.)
2.)

D. What truths did Jesus teach concerning His church in the following Scriptures: Matthew 16:19 and Matthew 18:18?