The Keys to the Kingdom: Understanding Our Authority and Responsibility

As we stand at the threshold of a new year, there's a powerful truth we need to grasp: God has given His church keys—not just to collect, but to use. These aren't decorative keys that hang forgotten on a hook by the door. They're instruments of divine authority meant to unlock gates, break chains, and advance God's kingdom on earth.

"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. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:18-19

The Church and the Kingdom

In Matthew 16, Jesus makes a profound declaration to Peter: "Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven."

This is the first time Jesus mentions the church in the Gospels, yet the church had been planned long before this moment. The Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians that God "chose us in him before the creation of the world." The entire biblical narrative is the story of God building a family that will love Him, honor Him, and reign with Him forever.

But notice Jesus doesn't just mention the church—He also speaks of the kingdom. While He only mentions the church twice in the Gospels, He references the kingdom over 80 times. His first sermon began with "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," and His last teachings before ascending focused on the kingdom of God.

This isn't to diminish the church's importance. Rather, it frames the church's mission. We cannot be the church or lead the church until we understand the kingdom of God.

And the only remedy is when the church finally begins to understand the Kingdom again and starts learning how to use the keys we've been given.

Reclaiming Kingdom Vision

Throughout history, the church has struggled with understanding the relationship between the church and the kingdom. One error made the church too big—conflating it with the kingdom itself, leading to corrupt alliances between clergy and kings, and the religious wars that followed.

But the lie we're living with today makes both the church and kingdom too small. It's the lie of secularism—the idea that faith must be completely separated from public life. We've been conditioned to believe that religion belongs in church buildings for one hour on Sunday, but when we walk outside, we enter the "church of the state" where different rules apply.

This ideology has grown from "we can have a free society without religious influence" to "we must be free from religion to have a society." It's spread from forbidding prayer in schools to mandating that teachers teach children ideologies that contradict God's design for humanity.

But here's the truth: all of this is public religion packaged as public neutrality. And the only remedy is when the church finally begins to understand the kingdom again and starts learning how to use the keys we've been given.

Christ Is King of Everything

To use the keys of the kingdom effectively, we must grasp this fundamental reality: Christ is King of everything. Not just spiritual things. Not just church things. Everything.

Colossians 1:15-20 paints an breathtaking picture: "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him."

Notice that phrase: "things in heaven and on earth." Jesus recognizes no boundaries between sacred and secular. His authority isn't walled off by any human authority. The blood of the resurrected Christ has purchased every city, every government, every institution.

There is not one inch of the earth that is off limits to the King of Kings.

The Purpose of the Keys

Jesus didn't give us keys to collect—He gave them to us for kingdom operations. Every Sunday, when believers gather for worship, it should function as a staging ground for an operation. Churches are full of key collectors who listen to hundreds of sermons, attend countless Bible studies, and consume endless worship music, yet never engage in kingdom purposes.

The keys we've been given haven't changed: the preaching of the gospel, worship, prayer, discipleship. These aren't magic formulas or secret incantations. Kingdom keys are always the same:

• The blood of Jesus breaks the guilt of hell

• The anointing of the Holy Spirit breaks the power of hell

• The Word of God breaks the deception of hell

• Sold-out disciples unlock the gates of hell

Reconciling All Things

God's plan through Christ is to "reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross" (Colossians 1:20).

If all things must be reconciled, there must have been a separation—an alienation. When we rebel against God's Word in our marriages, our education, our government, our businesses, we create hell on earth. Broken marriages, children raised without fathers, governments celebrating what God calls sin, schools promoting rebellion and hopelessness, economies built on debt—the whole world lies under the sway of the evil one.

But the gospel isn't just good news about how we escape earth to get to heaven. The gospel is good news about the power of God that comes to redeem the earth. Christ came to rescue us from the dominion of darkness and bring us into the kingdom of His Son.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

The Great Commission Revisited

Before ascending to heaven, Jesus declared: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:18-20).

Notice the connection: Because Jesus has all authority everywhere, we go in that authority with the keys of the kingdom. We start unlocking gates and getting people out of hell.

Making disciples isn't just about conversion and baptism—it's about teaching people to obey everything Jesus commanded. A disciple is someone who loves their spouse like Christ loved the church, who does their job as unto the Lord, who runs their business in a way that honors the King, who earns and spends according to God's wisdom, who serves in government submitted to Christ's authority.

A Miraculous Vision

What if we approached the new year not with resolutions about losing weight or getting organized, but with a kingdom vision? What if we wrote down the name of one person we want to influence for Christ this year? What if we prayed daily for that person's salvation?

God still does miracles. The greatest miracle He performs is saving souls from hell. But we must participate. We've been given keys—a testimony, a story to share. There's someone in your life whose salvation may depend on you using your key.

Every local church is an embassy of the kingdom. Every believer is an ambassador of the King. The question isn't whether God can do miraculous things. The question is: Will we use the keys He's placed in our hands?

As we step into this new year, may we live with eyes wide open, looking for opportunities in every conversation, every transaction, every relationship. May we constantly ask, "What does the King want to happen here? How does He want me to live this day, use this influence, steward these resources?"

The keys are in our hands. The question is: Will we use them?