On this rock I will build My Church

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matthew 16:18
The Roman Catholic church has built an entire doctrine on this verse: that in saying what He says here, Jesus established Peter as the foundation of the church, being the first pope. But this is not at all what this verse is saying.
Jesus uses two related but different Greek words here: Petros (Peter), and petra (rock). Petros is a small pebble. Petra is a rock, like that which the wise man built his house on in the parable (Matt. 7:24). If it’s not Peter himself that Jesus is building His church upon, what is the petra in view here? The answer is quite simple: it is Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Messiah. The church is built on this statement of faith. Thus Peter, and everyone like him who confesses that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God, God Himself come in the flesh to die for sin, is part of the Church that Jesus is building. The Church is not those who have founded themselves on Peter. Nor is it a building, or even a group of people who get together and talk about Jesus. The Church is the collection of true believers, all over the world, from the Resurrection to the Rapture, who have confessed that Jesus is the Christ and the Lord of their lives. I call this the ‘big C’ Church, in contrast to a local congregation, which is a ‘small c’ church. There are many people who are part of a church who are not part of the Church. Conversely, there are also many people who, for whatever reason, are part of the Church who are not part of a church. Where do you stand today? Are you part of the ‘big C’ Church, through a confession of faith in Jesus Christ?