"...and upon this rock I will build My church..."

   To be clear, Peter was not the founder of any chosen denomination of Christianity, namely, the Catholic church. If we can historically look at the fruits of this religion, the answer as to if this is God's vehicle of salvation can be found among the blood of those martyred by its sword. On the low end, that dark ages saw 50 million killed by the papacy, and upwards of 150 million slaughtered is estimated by some historians. I say the word slaughtered, for this term bears the hallmarks of how so many believers were killed, as sheep led to the resting place where each cry from the ground reaching God's ears has been heard, and the accounting thereof will be swift and just. The Catholic church has done in the name of mammon what it has also done in the name of our Lord, and there is no sharing of these two. They are two masters that have cancelled each other out, and those professing a Catholic church as God's holy and chosen religion - they are none of His.

  There is a sweet simplicity when looking at scripture where Jesus identifies not just who but how His church, His called out ones, would be gathered and identified. Matthew 16:17 gives us the answer: "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."  The Rock that His church would be built upon would be of those who hear from the Father, and not just from men. You see, prior to this encounter, Jesus was asking His disciples who they thought He was. "And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets..."  The answers given to Jesus were of and from men; simply hearsay from what was going around about His identity at the time. However, when Peter responded "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God..", Jesus called Peter blessed. Blessings come from God alone, who supplies richly to those putting full faith in His word, and Peter was truly blessed on this occasion, for He received this response from the Father, this complete revelation of Who Jesus was. Yes, among the many ideas and thoughts of who Jesus our Salvation was, the true identity of Jesus church was found only in the one follower who answered correctly, and this came not from men, but from God Himself. The Rock that Jesus church was to be built upon was those whom hear from The Father. This supernatural accounting cannot be reckoned by man, but only received from God Himself. 

  Matthew 7:24 supports the meaning behind Jesus words when it says "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock...." The church that rests upon the Rock is made of individuals who have ears and hear, to those who have eyes and see. A foundation built upon any other is likened to a house being built upon sand, or rather, humanity and its interpretations and ideologies that largely have selfish and fleshly intents. The idea that we hear from the Lord is only capable if it is coming from the Lord. The beauty of this arrangement is its motive: Life eternal, God glorified, His name lifted, our Sins forgiven, grace and mercy received and understood, fear cast out, a purpose now defined, a message for the lost when we find, that we have been found, by God's voice from above. This is the Rock that we rest upon - that all good things come, from The Father.