Caesarea Philippi

The rock face in the picture in Jesus’ day was called Caesarea Philippi. Towards the end of His ministry, Jesus arrived at this place which in that day was a pagan outpost. There was a great deal of pagan worship and sexual immorality that went on at this place and for that reason and others it was called the Gates of Hell. It was on this spot that Jesus told his disciples that ‘upon this rock I will build my church’. The niches shown in the picture at one time contained satanic idols, and the area was filled with temple prostitutes and human sacrifices. Jesus was saying, ‘This used to be your territory Satan, but I’m going to use it to build my church and with it I will defeat you.’

Jesus’ church is not a building. It is us, the Body of Christ. After we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He begins to build His church through us. His church and His Kingdom are expanded as we surrender more and more of our lives to His dominion. And so in these posts we explore those areas of our lives where Jesus’ Kingdom can be manifest. It may be hidden or undeveloped now, but maybe these posts and comments will uncover some truth.