This Rock

Matthew 16:1818 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Note from the New Testament Recovery Version

This rock refers not only to Christ but also to this revelation concerning Christ, a revelation that Peter received from the Father. The church is built on Christ and on this revelation concerning Christ.

"This rock," was what impressed me most. It was last Lord's day during the prophesying meeting that I stood up to prophesy on this very verse. After Christ had asked Simon of who He was, and he replied in the affirmative that He was the Son of the living God, the Lord revealed the matter of "this rock" to him. "Upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." As I prophesied on the truth as presented in the ministry, the Lord deeply enlightened me more on "this rock." 

This rock is Christ, it is also the revelation concerning Christ, and upon this revelation Christ will build His church. Just Christ and the revelation concerning Christ are not sufficient to build the Lord's church. There is a need for the believers who possesses the Christ and the revelation concerning Christ. These group of believers are transformed ones who have considerable measure of growth in life and maturity like Peter, who was Simon, whose name the Lord changed to Cephas, meaning, stone.

Man was made of clay, yet in regeneration and growth in life, is being transformed to become stones, even precious stones for God's building. God cannot build His house with clay, in the natural and sinful man; this clay-man must become God-man, even transformed to be "stone" fit for God's building.  Therefore, the truth concerning "this rock" is Christ, the revelation concerning Christ, and the transformed man "Christified" as stone for God's building. Such building with "this rock," the gates of Hades cannot prevail against it. 

Note on "the Gates of Hades" from the Recovery Version

Gates of Hades refers to Satan's authority or power of darkness (Col. 1:13; Acts 26:18), which cannot prevail against the genuine church built by Christ upon this revelation concerning Him as the rock, with stones such as Peter, a transformed human being. This word of the Lord's indicates also that Satan's power of darkness will attack the church. Hence, there is spiritual warfare between Satan's power, which is his kingdom, and the church, which is God's kingdom.

These Gates of Hades are actually in the fallen man, injected into the body of man as man's flesh, and into the soul of man as man's soul. For the building up of the church, the Gates of Hades needs to be dealt with. The best way to deal with the gates of Hades is using the three keys the Lord further said in verse 24 and 25.

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

25 For whoever wants to save his soul-life shall lose it; but whoever loses his soul-life for My sake shall find it.

Besides the "this rock" revelation, the following building up of the church must necessary entail the locking of the Gates of Hades by denying the self, taking up the cross and losing the soul-life. For this, much grace from the Lord is needed.

Subjectively, the meeting of the church is Gurgaon is more on "this rock" these days as the prohesying of the saints are becoming higher and higher with more and more saints speaking for the Lord and speaking forth the Lord.

Lord, grace us to be built up upon "this rock" as Your church.