t mean Peter, or else our
Lord would have said, "Upon thee will I build my church." He speaks of
"this rock" which is He Himself, the risen and living Son of God. He,
and not Peter, is the rock upon which the Church of Christ is built.
We see that the Lord speaks of the church as something in the future at
that time. It was not then in progress, but He said, "I _will_ build
my church." The word church means "to call out" (ecclesia), and
denotes a company of people who are called out and called together for
a certain purpose. The Lord calls this outcalled company "my church."
The formation of this church could only begin after the work of
redemption on the cross had been accomplished. He had first to suffer
and to die; He had to rise from the dead and ascend upon high; the Holy
Spirit had to come from heaven before this church and its building
could begin on earth. Therefore He said "I will build my church;" not
I am building it now, or it has been building since Adam's day, but "I
_will_ build."

The day on which the Holy Spirit was poured out marks the beginning of
this church on earth. The company of believers who were waiting for
the promised baptism with the Spirit (about 120-Acts i:15) were on the
day of Pentecost by that baptism united into a body, the church. Ever
since then all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and are born again,
are put by the same spirit as members into that body. Of this we read
in 1 Cor. xii:13: "For by our Spirit are we all baptized into one body,
whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have
been all made to drink into one Spirit." On the day of Pentecost
nothing was made known of the beginning of the church. Peter did not
mention a word about the church. The full revelation concerning the
church was given through the Apostle Paul. Of this we read in Ephes.
iii:1-7:

"For this cause I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
if ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given
me to you ward; how that by revelation he made known unto me the
mystery (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may
understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages
was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his
holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be
fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in
Christ by the gospel; whereof I