| http://www.sayadi-al-nas.ae
صيادي الناس Index |
Print
 |
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, … And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven… (Matthew 16:18-19)
| How
did Peter get the Kingdom Keys anyway? |
Long ago, in the Book of Isaiah we read of the promise “he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut and none shall open.” (Isaiah 22:22)
Once Jesus had come to earth, died on Calvary, rose from the dead, and ascended back to Heaven, the door of salvation was wide open because the price for salvation had been paid in full.
In the Gospels we read of the life of Jesus Christ. After being on the earth, people still misunderstood who He was, what He was, and why He came.
One day Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” The answers varied from some saying that He was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.
Then Jesus asked a more revealing question, “Now, I want to know who you think I am?”
It was Peter who quickly responded, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Because
of this answer, Peter was promised that Christ would build the Church and
he would receive the keys to the kingdom (Matthew 16:13-19). Peter was given
authority by God to proclaim salvation to all who would believe in Jesus
Christ.
How and where did Peter use the Keys to the Kingdom?
Peter received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:1-4. Because he had the keys to the kingdom (the door to salvation), he used them for the first time in Acts 2:14-41. On the Day of Pentecost he opened wide the door of salvation to the Jews.
In Acts 8 the Samaritans had been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 8:16) but had not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Peter and John came and prayed for them and the door of salvation was unlocked for the Samaritans.
In Acts 10 Peter preached the Gospel to the Gentiles. As he preached in the house of Cornelius the Holy Spirit fell on them and they began speaking in other tongues.
Peter asked, “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?” (Acts 10:47) The door of salvation had been opened for the Gentiles.
In these Scriptures we see Peter using the keys to the Kingdom to open the door of salvation and preach the Gospel.
What were the Keys to the Kingdom that Peter used?
The Keys to the Kingdom is the Plan of Salvation (See Acts 2:38) and consists of:
«Repentance
«Baptism in Jesus Name
«Baptism of the Holy Spirit
The keys to the kingdom are not for Peter alone, but all of us can use them.
 |
Dear
Peter: We found the Keys; Thanks for leaving the door open!! Love, Kofi |
previous message