Over the past few weeks, I’ve been saying some things that made a lot of people uncomfortable.
I’ve exposed the word “church” as a mistranslation.
I’ve challenged you to leave institutional Christianity and actually BE ekklesia.
I’ve shown you what would make Jesus flip tables in modern churches.
And the objections have been pouring in.
Three questions keep coming up. And they deserve real answers.
So let me give them to you—biblical answers, historical answers, and practical answers.
No dodging. No deflecting. Just truth.
Objection #1: “When Jesus Said ‘Upon This Rock I Will Build My Church,’ What Did He Mean?”
Let’s start with the verse everyone quotes:
“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” — Matthew 16:18 (NKJV)
This is the verse used to justify institutional church. So let’s break it down carefully.
What Jesus Actually Said
First, Jesus didn’t say “church.” He said ekklesia (ἐκκλησία).
We’ve covered this already, but it bears repeating: ekklesia means “called-out assembly.” It’s a group of people, not an institution.
So Jesus said: “I will build My ekklesia” = “I will build My assembly/community/gathered people.”
What Is the “Rock”?
This is where it gets interesting. Who or what is the rock Jesus is building on?
Three main interpretations:
1. Catholic view: Peter is the rock, and the church is built on apostolic succession through Peter.
2. Protestant view: The church as an institution is built on Peter’s confession and leadership.
3. Biblical view: The rock is Peter’s confession of Christ, and Jesus builds His ekklesia on that truth.
Let’s look at the Greek:
“You are Peter (Petros – πέτρος, meaning ‘small stone’), and on this rock (petra – πέτρα, meaning ‘massive rock/bedrock’) I will build My ekklesia.”
Jesus made a wordplay. Peter (petros – small stone) made a confession. That confession is the petra (massive bedrock) on which Jesus builds.
What Was Peter’s Confession?
“Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'” — Matthew 16:16
THAT is the rock. The confession that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.
Not Peter the man. Not an institutional church. The TRUTH about Jesus’ identity.
Supporting Scripture
1 Corinthians 3:11: “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
The foundation is CHRIST. Not Peter. Not an institution.
Ephesians 2:19-20: “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.”
Jesus is the cornerstone. The apostles and prophets are the foundation (plural – not just Peter). And WE are being built together.
1 Peter 2:4-5: “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
Peter himself calls Jesus the living stone and US the living stones being built into a spiritual house.
Notice: Not a physical building. Not an institution. A SPIRITUAL HOUSE made of PEOPLE.
Acts 4:11-12: “This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Again: Jesus is the cornerstone. Not Peter. Not the institution.
So What Did Jesus Mean?
“I will build MY ekklesia” means:
- I (Jesus) will do the building—not you, not institutions, not men
- MY ekklesia—belonging to Him, not to denominations or buildings
- On this rock—on the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God
- Ekklesia—an assembly of people, not an institutional structure
Jesus builds His assembly of people on the foundational truth of His identity.
That’s it. No buildings. No budgets. No hierarchies. No institutions.
Just people gathered around the truth of who Jesus is.
Objection #2: “Are You Anti-Church? Anti-Religion? Trying to Break Up Churches?”
Let me be crystal clear:
I’m not anti-church. I’m anti-INSTITUTION.
I’m not anti-Christianity. I’m pro-BIBLICAL Christianity.
I’m not trying to break up the church. I’m trying to wake up people who’ve been playing church.
What I’m Against:
I’m against:
- Buildings that cost millions while people starve
- Budgets where 85% goes to overhead
- Professional clergy creating dependency
- Spectator Christianity
- Weekly events replacing daily community
- Programs replacing relationships
- Institutions replacing ekklesia
I’m against calling that “church” when it looks nothing like what Jesus built.
What I’m For:
I’m for:
- People gathering in homes like Acts 2
- Daily fellowship, not weekly attendance
- Everyone participating, not spectating
- Sharing possessions and meeting needs
- Making disciples, not entertaining crowds
- Being the ekklesia Jesus built
That’s not anti-church. That’s PRO what Jesus actually commanded.
“But You’re Being Divisive!”
Am I?
Or am I calling out division that already exists?
Jesus said:
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.'” — Matthew 10:34-36
Following Jesus divides. It always has.
It divides those who obey from those who compromise.
It divides those who follow Scripture from those who follow tradition.
And yes, it divides those who want to BE ekklesia from those who want to play institutional church.
The Prophets Were Called “Divisive” Too
Elijah was called the “troubler of Israel” (1 Kings 18:17) for calling out false worship.
Jeremiah was thrown in a pit (Jeremiah 38:6) for preaching against Jerusalem’s corruption.
Jesus was accused of having a demon (John 8:48) for confronting religious leaders.
Speaking truth to religious people who don’t want to hear it has ALWAYS gotten you labeled divisive.
But I’m in good company.
Objection #3: “What You’re Suggesting Isn’t Practical/Realistic in 2025”
This one frustrates me the most.
Because what you’re really saying is: “Obeying Jesus is too hard in modern times.”
Let me show you what the early church faced:
What the Early Church Dealt With:
1. Persecution and martyrdom
- Christians were arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and killed
- Nero used them as human torches
- They met in secret to avoid Roman authorities
2. No religious freedom
- Christianity was illegal for 300 years
- No legal protection
- Constant threat of death
3. No buildings
- Couldn’t own property
- Met in homes, caves, catacombs
- No “church buildings” until 4th century
4. No technology
- No phones to coordinate
- No cars to travel
- Had to walk or ride donkeys
- Communication by messenger or letter
5. No modern conveniences
- No electricity
- No running water
- Manual labor six days a week
- Poverty was the norm
6. No institutional support
- No denominations
- No seminaries
- No trained clergy
- No budgets or staff
And Yet…
Despite all that, they turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6).
They grew from 120 believers in Acts 1 to millions across the Roman Empire by 300 AD.
How?
“So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” — Acts 2:46-47
Daily fellowship. House to house. Simple meals. Genuine community.
No buildings. No budgets. No programs. No professional clergy.
Just people living life together around Jesus.
Historical Evidence
This isn’t just Bible verses. We have historical proof.
Pliny the Younger (Roman governor, ~112 AD) wrote to Emperor Trajan describing Christians:
“They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ… and bound themselves by a solemn oath not to commit any wicked deeds… After this it was their custom to depart and to assemble again to partake of food—but food of an ordinary and innocent kind.”
They met in homes. Early morning (before work). Sang together. Ate together. Made commitments to holy living.
No mention of buildings. No mention of professional clergy.
Archaeological evidence confirms no church buildings existed until the 3rd-4th century. Christians met in homes.
The Didache (early Christian manual, ~100 AD) gives instructions for house church gatherings, baptism, communion—all done in homes without institutional structure.
Church Fathers like Ignatius, Polycarp, and Justin Martyr describe simple gatherings in homes for the first 200+ years.
This isn’t my opinion. This is HISTORY.
So What’s Your Excuse?
You have:
- Religious freedom (they didn’t)
- Cars and technology (they didn’t)
- Modern conveniences (they didn’t)
- Financial prosperity (they didn’t)
- No threat of martyrdom (they faced it daily)
And you’re telling me it’s not “practical” in 2025?
They faced WORSE conditions and DID IT ANYWAY.
Your problem isn’t practicality. Your problem is comfort.
You don’t want to:
- Open your home
- Share your life
- Give sacrificially
- Live in daily community
- Be inconvenienced
So you call it “impractical” when what you really mean is “uncomfortable.”
Jesus’ Response
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” — Luke 9:23
Following Jesus was never supposed to be comfortable. It was supposed to cost you something.
The early church understood that. Do you?
Bottom Line: Stop Making Excuses and Start Obeying
Let me summarize:
Objection 1: “What did Jesus mean by ‘build My church’?”
Answer: He said ekklesia (assembly), not institution. He’s building His people on the confession of His identity. Not buildings, budgets, or hierarchies.
Objection 2: “Are you anti-church?”
Answer: I’m anti-institution. I’m pro what Jesus actually built. And yes, truth divides—it always has.
Objection 3: “Not practical in 2025.”
Answer: The early church faced worse conditions for 300 years and thrived. Your problem isn’t practicality—it’s comfort.
So What Now?
You’ve heard the answers. Biblical answers. Historical answers. Practical answers.
Now you have to decide:
Will you keep making excuses?
Or will you actually obey Jesus?
“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” — Luke 6:46
You can’t call Jesus Lord and refuse to follow what He built.
You can’t say you believe the Bible and ignore what it actually says.
You can’t claim to follow Jesus while clinging to a system He never created.
Now you have to decide:
Will you keep making excuses?
Or will you actually obey Jesus?
“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” — Luke 6:46
You can’t call Jesus Lord and refuse to follow what He built.
You can’t say you believe the Bible and ignore what it actually says.
You can’t claim to follow Jesus while clinging to a system He never created.
At some point, you have to choose.
Remember what Samuel told Saul:
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” — 1 Samuel 15:22-23 (NKJV)
That’s something many in Christianity have forgotten.
We think showing up on Sunday is obedience. We think giving money is faithfulness. We think defending the institution is loyalty to Jesus.
But Samuel called it what it really is: Rebellion. Stubbornness. Idolatry.
Saul had his excuses. “I was afraid of the people. I thought I was doing the right thing. I was being practical.”
God didn’t accept his excuses. He called it rebellion.
And He’s calling your excuses the same thing.
You’ve been taught wrong. You didn’t know better. The system trained you to confuse institutional attendance with biblical obedience.
But now you know.
You’ve seen what Scripture actually says. You’ve seen what the early church actually did. You’ve seen that the institutional model isn’t biblical.
So continuing in it isn’t ignorance anymore. It’s rebellion.
Friday, we’re going to deal with the hard truth: Your excuses aren’t protecting you. They’re condemning you.
Because the issue isn’t fear or practicality or uncertainty.
The issue is obedience vs. rebellion.
“To obey is better than sacrifice.”
What will you choose?
