Matthew 16:19 (ESV) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Jesus gave us the keys of the kingdom because he intended for us to use them. What are these keys and how do we use them? Simply put, the keys open up the doors of heaven so heaven can come to earth. Jesus taught us to pray for his kingdom to come, so we know this is what he wants to happen. If we don't use the keys, then we are responsible for holding heaven back. If we use the keys in an unspiritual manner then we may be responsible (even unknowingly) for opening the doors of hell on earth. This should give us a healthy respect for the spiritual authority with which the Lord has entrusted us, yet we cannot be afraid of using the keys for fear of making a mistake. If the disciples at one time wanted to call down fire from heaven to kill those opposed to Jesus, then we know that we too will grow in our understanding of his kingdom and we press in to know the Lord. Opening the doors to heaven is something we should strive to know more and more about.
But can we really open up the doors of heaven? Yes and here's how. We open up the doors by our life and our words. This is called show and tell. As our lives become more like Jesus, heaven is opened and is poured out in our family, our church and our world. As we declare the truth of the kingdom, our words carry the life of the kingdom. When we seek first the kingdom of God, the life of God, which is the substance of heaven, fills us and our needs are miraculously provided. The kingdom of God is supernatural. We should be living in that every day because Jesus gave us the keys to the kingdom. If we are not using the keys if the kingdom, we are missing out on the power of God to impact the world around us. It is time to open the doors of heaven.
0 comments:
Post a Comment