Welcome back to The King and His Kingdom, our journey through the Gospel of Matthew. In Part 4, we saw that Jesus gathers His people into a new spiritual family. Today, we ask a vital question: what keeps this family together?

History is filled with movements that began with passion and purpose, only to fade. Human communities fracture under pressure. Success often seems to depend on gifted leaders, organisation, and resources. If the church were merely human, it would be no different.

Matthew gives the answer: the church endures because Jesus Himself remains present with His people. He does not simply found His church — He continues to build, sustain, guide, and protect it.

This is the heart of Part 5: the King who calls His people also stays with His people.

The Builder Who Stays

When Jesus first speaks of His church, He declares that He will build it and nothing — not death, spiritual opposition, or human weakness — will overthrow it. The emphasis is not on what His followers can achieve but on what He will do.

This means the church is not a memorial to what Jesus did long ago. It is His living work today. Its foundation, growth, and endurance depend on His ongoing activity.

This truth protects us from a subtle misunderstanding: that belonging to Christ depends on formal enrolment in an institution. Many faithful believers are sometimes treated as “outsiders” simply because they have not signed a membership form — yet Scripture teaches that union with Christ is what joins a person to His church. He builds His people, not bureaucracy. Because Jesus Himself is the builder, the church does not ultimately rest on human strength. Strategies and structures may help, but they are not the foundation. Christ is. This gives relief to weary believers and offers seekers a surprising invitation: the church is sustained, not by human skill, but by a living King.

Where Two or Three Gather

How does Jesus stay with His people now that He has ascended?
Matthew records His promise that wherever even a few gather in His name, He is there.

He does not require impressive crowds, grand buildings, or formal structures. His presence rests upon people united in His name — even two or three. A small group praying; friends encouraging each other; believers sharing a meal — Christ Himself is there.

His presence is not symbolic. He actively strengthens, teaches, convicts, comforts, and leads by His Spirit. The same Jesus who walked among His disciples now walks among His gathered people.

This transforms our understanding of church. We do not gather to honour an absent founder. We gather to meet with a present King. Every act of worship is shaped by His nearness. For seekers, this is an invitation: the church is not merely a historical remembrance. It is a living space where Jesus continues to make Himself known.

The Presence That Holds Us Together

Jesus’ presence is not only comfort — it is power. It is how the church endures in a broken world.

Matthew shows this in Jesus’ instructions for dealing with relational conflict among believers. If someone sins, Jesus gives a process for pursuing restoration: private conversation, then witnesses if needed, and ultimately the church. He affirms that what His church binds or releases on earth is recognised in heaven — and He immediately reminds them of His presence.

This is crucial. Jesus is present even in difficult moments — not only in worship but in messy situations where sin, hurt, and misunderstanding threaten to tear relationships apart. His presence gives wisdom, conviction, and grace so that reconciliation is possible.

Human communities often fracture because we cannot fully heal wounds or overcome deep hurt. But Jesus sustains His church with a power we do not possess on our own. Because He is present, forgiveness, healing, and unity become possible.

For believers wounded by church conflict, this offers hope: Christ has not abandoned His people. He remains at work, even when relationships feel strained.
For seekers, it is honesty: the church is imperfect, yet it endures because a perfect King keeps it.

Even here, Matthew shows that Jesus’ presence among His people is not merely comforting; it is empowering. Earlier, when He sent His disciples out, He assured them that they would not speak on their own when they faced pressure or opposition. In those moments, the Spirit of their Father would speak through them (Matthew 10:19–20). His presence therefore comes to His people by the Holy Spirit — giving wisdom, courage, and the words they need. The King does not merely stay near; He actively strengthens His church from within.

The Presence That Carries the Mission

Matthew ends with Jesus commissioning His disciples to make disciples among all nations — baptising and teaching them to obey everything He has commanded. It is an enormous task. They were few, ordinary, and about to face significant opposition.

But Jesus closes Matthew’s Gospel with a promise: He will be with His people until the end of the age.

This promise is not occasional or conditional. His presence is constant and lasting — for as long as His mission continues.

This is what makes the mission possible. The church does not go into the world relying on human innovation or relevance. It goes with the authority and presence of the risen King. He opens hearts, builds His church in every culture, and sustains His people across generations.

This is why the church has endured opposition, persecution, and cultural upheaval for two millennia. The church survives because Jesus is with His people, always.

For believers, this brings relief: the weight of the mission does not fall on personal ability. We obey, but Jesus builds.
For seekers, the endurance of the global church is itself evidence — despite countless attempts to destroy it, it stands because Christ holds it.

What This Means for Us

Because Jesus is present with His people:

• The church is not a human organisation trying to preserve a memory.
• When we gather, we truly meet with Him.
• When conflict arises, He guides, convicts, and restores.
• When we go on mission, we go with a King who never leaves.

This gives profound security. The church will not fail because its King cannot fail.
It also offers a clear invitation. The God who rules heaven and earth is not distant. He is near, active, and inviting people into His family.

The King Who Never Leaves

Jesus is the King who does not save from a distance.
He saves — and He stays.

• He builds His church
• He is present wherever His people gather
• He sustains His people through every struggle
• He guarantees the future of His mission

What holds the church together is not human strength, creativity, or organisation.
It is the unseen presence of Jesus — the living King who never leaves His people.