Bagangga

Southern
Baptist
Church
August 11, 2019
Sunday
A Strong
Church
MATTHEW 16:13-20
Matthew 16:13-20
 Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
13 When Jesus came to the region of
Caesarea Philippi, he asked his
disciples, “Who do people say the Son of
Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the
Baptist; others say Elijah; and still
others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Matthew 16:13-20
15 “But what about
you?” he asked. “Who do
you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered,
“You are the Messiah, the
Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:13-20
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you,
Simon son of Jonah, for this was not
revealed to you by flesh and
blood, but by my Father in heaven. 
18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[a
] and on this rock I will build my

church, and the gates of Hades[b] will

not overcome it. 
Matthew 16:13-20
19 I will give you the keys of the
kingdom of heaven; whatever you
bind on earth will be[c] bound in
heaven, and whatever you loose on
earth will be[d] loosed in heaven.”
20 Then he ordered his disciples not to
tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
What makes a
church strong?
Since we are part of the
body of Christ, we need to
understand the
characteristics of a strong
church such as:
Spirit-filled
leadership
Doctrinally sound
messages which
meet people’s needs
Uncompromising
convictions
Strong emphasis
on faith and
prayer:
Worship services which
allow people to
experience God’s
presence and renew
their commitment to
obey and serve Him
Faithful and
generous
giving:
 Strategic
organization to
reach their God-
given goals
People who serve in
the strength of their
spiritual gifts:
A united spirit:
Genuine love of
one another:
A vision for a
lost world:
Since believers compose the church,
we each play a part in whether or
not our church is strong. That’s why
we need to evaluate our
contribution to our churches. Ask
yourself these questions:
 What are you doing to
contribute to the strength of
your church?
 If others follow your pattern, will
the church continue to be strong
and fruitful for the kingdom of
God?