The Church according to Matthew

Evil has no place in the  Church, the Body of Jesus Christ.  Any root of it will be taken out and burned. His house will be a place of glory and true worship. God’s house will be holy, full of grace and peace.

All power has been given to Jesus and He is able to protect His "Body of Believers"  and nothing formed against it can stand!

God is wealthy in love, in hope, and overflowing in wisdom. “No one has ever seen, no ear has heard, no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable. Max Lucado

The Church according to Matthew

Matthew is the only Gospel writer who speaks directly of the church (16:18; 18:17). He points to the Gentile composition of this church by including several stories of the Gentiles’ faith in Jesus: the wise men, the centurion, and the Canaanite woman. He records Jesus’ prediction that the gospel will be preached to all nations (24:14), and the commission to the disciples to “make disciples of all the nations” (28:19). Jesus’ teaching pointed to the blessings of the kingdom being extended to Gentiles. But one day, Israel will be restored to its place of blessing. The NKJV Study Bible

16:18 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.

18:17  “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 

The words I will build My church indicate that the church had not yet been started. Obviously the disciples did not at this point understand the doctrine of the New Testament church with its equality of Jew and Gentile. They simply understood it to be the Lord’s followers.

In saying that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it Jesus may have been saying simply that death would not vanquish the church. One day, by the power of Christ’s resurrection, the church and all the redeemed will be resurrected. Others suggest that the phrase means that the forces of evil will not be able to conquer the people of God.

The final evidence of the end times will be the universal proclamation of the gospel. The good news is that the final battle of the tribulation known as Armageddon will not result in the destruction of all people. The Lord Jesus Christ will intervene, bringing an end to the destruction and preserving a people for His kingdom.

The Great Commission rests on the authority of Christ. Because He has authority over all, everyone needs to hear His gospel. While it is commonly known as the Great Commission, it should not be thought of as the first call for world evangelism for God commanded that Abraham and his descendants should be a blessing to all nations. 

Making disciples involves three steps: going, baptizing, and teaching. It was assumed that when a person trusted in the Lord Jesus, he or she would be baptized. The word name is singular, although it is the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together. This verse is another indication that God is one in three Persons. 

I am with you always demonstrates that Jesus is the true Immanuel, “God with us”  The NKJV Study Bible

There is a wordplay here, as the name Peter is associated with the word for “rock” in both Greek (the language of the new testament text) and Aramaic (the language spoken by Jesus and the disciples). Interpretation of Jesus’ meaning hinges on how the wordplay is understood. In Greek, the name petros (“Peter”) derives from the noun petra (meaning “rock”). In Aramaic, the word kepha is used for both “Peter” and “rock.” The most common interpretations propose that Jesus’ remark about “this rock” refers either to Peter himself or to Peter’s confession of faith in Matthew 16:16. Both options reflect Jesus’ choice of Peter for leadership among His followers. 

Jesus seems to be saying that through His power, the Church will overcome the powers of evil and death itself. 

The disciples’ task was to reproduce themselves by going, baptizing, and teaching.  Faithlife Study Bible

Ephesians 2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

Revelation 21:14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.