PART 1
“And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”
Matthew 16:18-19 (King James Version)
“And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock will my church be based, and the doors of hell will not overcome it.
I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever is fixed by you on earth will be fixed in heaven: and whatever you make free on earth will be made free in heaven” (Basic Bible in English)
When I started my work with in 1991 with some of my friends, we mostly use this scripture in conducting deliverance, because we started with deliverance prayers and meetings.
After so many years, I understood now the maximum potentials loaded in that scripture for us.
This scripture is only effective mostly when you understand its rich Revelation and then apply its understanding.
First, lets us note that of keys of the kingdom of heaven.
The plural term applied suggests many keys, and these keys are the elements that command the attention of this kingdom, and the kingdom response immediately to them.
I deem it fit we understand first what Christ meant by the kingdom of Heaven that is so subject to the application of these keys.
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
What is the kingdom of heaven?
We hear of the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Heaven.
Are they the same?
Why didn’t Jesus say, the kingdom of God?
Why saying, the kingdom of heaven?
What is the kingdom of heaven?
The kingdom of heaven is not the same as the kingdom of God.
I may or may not dwell much in that now, but I want you know that, the two are not the same.
In addition, because they are not the same that was why Jesus specifically mentioned the kingdom of Heaven.
You need to know this, so that you understand why he had to apply the term keys in that phrase.
The kingdom of heaven is a reference to the heavenly realm and country where God’s throne is.
It is the supreme state and government from where he rules and reigns over all.
The kingdom of heaven also refers to his heavenly pattern of his government administration, his kingdom authority, forces (Military etc) and power, heavenly throne and its supremacy, rights and power, wealth, treasures and resources of heaven.
This kingdom is in the 3rd heaven, where God sits on his glorious majestic throne as king of kings and LORD of lords.
However, the kingdom of God is here with us and in us, and physically we are symbols of that kingdom.
What does that mean?
The kingdom of God is the man and his mission to establish the purpose and agenda of the heavenly kingdom for humankind which heaven mandates him to accomplish here on earth.
It is the heavenly program committed to man and the very man who is the vessel and the carrier of such heaven’s beautiful and glorious vision for humanity.
In Luke 17:20-21 Jesus said to the Pharisees, “And when the Pharisees put questions to him about when the kingdom of God would come, he gave them an answer and said, The kingdom of God will not come through observation:
And men will not say, See, it is here! or, There! for the kingdom of God is among you”
When the Pharisees talked about the kingdom of God, they had in mind a political state and an independent government free from the Roman state and Empire, which they can watch, feel and have a physical contact with, but that is not what the kingdom of God is all about.
It is a heavenly program (meaning spiritual agenda and not physical, but when executed in its outcome it becomes physical) and the vessel to actualize it.
Finally, Jesus said to them, “For the kingdom of God is among you”
He was the kingdom of God while on earth to accomplish the heavenly program of saving humankind from sin and destruction. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy: I have come that they may have Life, and may have it in abundance.
I am the Good Shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his very life for the sheep”
John 10:10-11
What kind of life was he talking about?
The Heavenly life is what he was talking about. He laid down his earthly life, that we might rise with him to possess the heavenly life.
When John 3:16 said, “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”
It was referring to that life. King James calls it Everlasting Life meaning Eternal Life while Weymouth New Testament translation calls it Life of the Ages.
Whichever, they both refer to the same Eternal life, which in Greek word is Zoe.
Zoe is Greek for this kind of life, which means God’s own kind of life.
The life of God is the life of heaven, which is the very life everyone in heaven enjoys.
It is a life free of sin, sickness, depression, above disease, immune to death and sorrow; it is an indestructible life and a perfect life full of endless peace and joy, life divine health and endless prosperity.
“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away”
Revelation 21:3-4
That is the life heaven offered and still offers to the world through Jesus, so that whoever receives him would have this life and enjoy heaven and its life here on earth.
That life is in Christ Jesus and while on earth, he was this very life.
“As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” John 17:2-3
“(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us ;)” 1 john 1:2
In Luke 10:9 the scripture says, “And(Jesus) heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you”
Understand this, the word nigh here does not imply he as near or closer, but what it implies within or among.
Hence he was saying, the kingdom of God is with you, and the evidence of the presence of the kingdom with them is the execution of the mandate and agenda of the kingdom which is, raising the dead, healing the sick, casting out demons from people and preaching about the kingdom of heaven and the benefits of the kingdom of God, of course which is proven here.
The miracles of Jesus were the Agenda of heaven for humankind. So that by accepting Jesus and his word of life they would receive the life.
It is the every purpose of God for humanity prepared in Christ before the foundation of the world.
When you listened to the parables of Jesus with which he likened and tried to explain what the kingdom of God is, you will understand that it all points to God’s purpose, will and agenda for humanity through Jesus Christ.
An example is in MARK 4:30-31 WHERE IN HE LIKENED THE KINGDOM OF GOD to a mustard seed.
Here in this parable, the grain of mustard seed is the Church of Jesus, which shall emerge after the Ministry of Christ, representing him, as the Ambassador of Christ to the world, as the carrier of the Kingdom of God
“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”
“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” 2 Corinthians 5:20
Note he says, “When it is sown in the earth” referring to certain and time of birth into the earth by the resurrection of Christ. It shall be insignificant at the beginning among all other institutions on the earth.
But when it is birthed “it groweth” it shall start to expand until it becomes an empire that shields any who believes in its mission and protect those who take refuge under its shield.
The church is yet to come to this point.
Something must have caused such growth., yes, it is none else but the mighty presence of the Holy Spirit.
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE CHURCH
The church is the body of Christ, and the body of Christ is every child of God.
Hence, you carry Christ in you, and then you are a carrier of the kingdom of God, on a diplomatic mission with all the heaven’s diplomatic authority and immunity behind you to preach the kingdom to the world.
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” Mark 16:15, 17-18
The entrance of the Holy Spirit empowered the church and placed us on the divine platform of the divinity and trinity to represent Christ here on earth and to represent everything he represented here on earth.
Understand this; the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God himself that makes him God.
Now Jesus depended on the Holy Spirit to be able to fulfill his mandate.
He did nothing until the Spirit came upon him with power in Matthew chapter 3:16
“.And Jesus, having been given baptism, straight away went up from the water; and, the heavens opening, he saw the Spirit of God coming down on him as a dove” (Bible in Basic English)
Most of the places you read Jesus talked about his father working so would he work, and doing whatever he sees his father doing.
The person he referred to as father was the person of the Holy Spirit who was working with him and through him.
When he was filled with the Holy Spirit, he only became the Holy Spirit’s vessel to accomplish heaven’s mandate on earth.
“To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” 2 Corinthians 5:19
The Holy SPIRIT is the Spirit of the life and the fullness of heaven itself.
He became full of heaven’s power according to Mathew chapter 3, the authority of the throne of heaven was behind him, and the resources of heaven was at his disposal, because heaven itself took complete possession of the man Christ Jesus, to accomplish divine agendas.
At the upper room in Acts chapter 2:1-7 the Holy Spirit with all the fullness of heaven came upon the church to continue the ministry of heaven from where Jesus stopped.
In Chapter 3: 1-12 the church started fulfilling the agenda of the kingdom, right at the beautiful gate via the healing of the lame man at the beautiful gate.
That same Spirit is in you, working in you and working through. “But if the Spirit of him who made Jesus come again from the dead is in you, he who made Christ Jesus come again from the dead will in the same way, through his Spirit which is in you, give life to your bodies which now are under the power of death” Romans 8:11 (Bible in Basic English)
Having understood what the kingdom of God is, and what was it Jesus meant by the kingdom of Heaven that is so subject to the keys, that it response to the application of them here on earth.
Finally, the keys are of heaven, they are the only elements that when applied here on earth heaven swims into action on your behalf.
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