BUILD TO LAST

By Rev. Dr. Noel Monzon

spachurch.org

Intro: Since COVID hit in 2020, we've seen some mega churches face devastating declines or even shutdowns.

a) Hillsong Church, led by Senior Pastor Brian Houston

b) Gateway Church in Texas, under Senior Pastor Robert Morris 

c) Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago, founded by Pastor Bill Hybels 

d) Harvest Bible Chapel in Illinois, led by Pastor James MacDonald 

No matter what happen to these churches, Jesus gives us HOPE in Matthew 16:18

I. BE ANCHORED IN CHRIST THE ROCK

1. Charles Spurgeon, “A church built on anything but Christ is a house of cards waiting for the wind.” 

2. To make the Church great again and avoid decline, we must anchor everything in the truth that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God; this truth must continually shape our doctrine, decisions, our daily lives and how we RUN our church. (Matthew 16:16-18)

3. Jesus is the rock our lives and our church must be built on.When churches drift from this truth, they crack like those megachurches that fell amid scandals. 

4. Note: Some might say, “We need to tweak our Message and Approach to attract crowds. The truth can be too rigid in today’s world.” Church, adapting without anchoring leads to compromise.

5. True success and endurance come from holding firm to the revelation of Jesus Christ and trusting him to draw people.(John 12:32)

II. SURRENDER TO JESUS THE BUILDER

1. Corrie ten Boom said, “God doesn’t need our PLANS; He needs our SURRENDER.”

2. Making the church great again means fully surrendering to Jesus as the Builder, following his blueprint plan of humility, quiet-time, holiness, discipleship and relying on Spirit-led growth rather than human strategies or egos. (Matthew 16:18)

3. Jesus emphasizes “I will build”, it’s his work, not ours, but he uses surrendered people like peter, who are flawed but faithful, to construct his church.

4. Note: Some might argue, “We need strong, visionary leaders to compete in today’s culture—surrender sounds passive.”Church, true strength comes from active surrender to the Spirit, not self-reliance. (Zechariah 4:6)

5. This verse shows that it’s God’s Spirit, not human effort that builds a church.

III. ADVANCE BOLDLY AGAINST THE GATES

1. Leonard Ravenhill, “The Church advances on its KNEES, not on its laurels (achievements).” 

2. To make the church great again, we must intentionally advance Jesus and his purpose through evangelism, discipleship, and love. This will keep the gates of hell from prevailing.(Matthew 16:18)

3. In this verse, Jesus pictured his church storming hell’s strongholds, and rescuing souls. (Ephesians 6:12)

4. Let’s move from defensive to offensive. Let’s share our faith in words and deeds this whole year! Let’s examine our heart, surrender fully, and commit to advancing the Good News! The gates of hell tremble when we do this.