The door is still open

Matthew 16:18-19 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.

Who has not already experienced having lost his or her key, or having misplaced it somewhere, and then realizing in that very moment just how important this small bunch of keys is? A key gives you access into a house, a car, a safe etc., and to all those important things which are usually locked up.

Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, in Matthew 16:18; and therewith, granting free access to everything which belongs to the Kingdom of Heaven. On the day of Pentecost, the church was founded under the New Testament; and Peter opened the door and used the keys: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38). Also in John 3:3-5, Jesus talks about being reborn out of water and Spirit, in order to enter into the kingdom of God.

Dear friend, examine yourself to see whether you are already a part of the Kingdom of God. Have you already gone through the door and become a believer in the way that Peter preached it in Acts 2:38? If you haven’t, then it is very important how you react towards the gospel when you hear it for the first time. We can get annoyed and start defending ourselves in a self-righteous way; maintaining that we are already Christians, even though we haven’t yet obeyed the plan of salvation like the first church preached; or we can study the Word of God, humble ourselves and simply do what the Bible says in faith.

Someone else may justify themselves, stating that the gospel of Jesus Christ has nothing to do with him or her because they belong to another religion. However, the Good News (see Luke 4:18) is a commandment to everyone. Mark 16:15-16 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

At first Peter used the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to open up the door for the Jews in Jerusalem, then he opened the door for the Samaritans and in Acts 10 for the Gentiles in the house of the Roman Centurion Cornelius. The door to the kingdom of heaven is still open, however, one day it will be shut (Mat. 25:1-13). Praise God that it is still the time of grace. Go through the door! There is no better place to be than in the Kingdom of Heaven and this place is wonderful for all eternity. ra