The Keys of the Kingdom

In Matthew 18:13ff, Jesus presents a very important question to these disciples. He says, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” The disciples said that some people are saying that you are John the Baptizer; some people say that you are Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Jesus then asks the disciples, “But whom say ye that I am.” Peter speaks up and says, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus response to this question is revealing. He says that this confession that Peter made came from God and that based upon this confession Jesus will build His church. It is within this context of Peter’s confession and the promise to build His church that Jesus says, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19).

The metaphor that Jesus uses both to describe the church and the kingdom here is one of a building. Jesus said that he was going to build the church and give the keys of the kingdom. Buildings are both built and have keys. We would use the same language in regard to a house or an office building today. The process of building involves planning, construction, and finishing. When the building is complete, the builder gives the keys to those who are going to reside therein so that they can open and close the door to the building. Jesus is using a similar metaphor here regarding the church. The design of the church, the planning for the church, and the purpose of the church were all put together by Jesus–he is the builder. When Jesus died on the cross, he became the head and Savior of the church according to Ephesians 5:23-27. This meant that after his death, everything was ready for people to start entering into the church. But to enter into the church, they needed the keys to open the door. Jesus told Peter that He would give him the keys to open the doors to Jesus’ building–His church–the kingdom of heaven. These keys were given to Peter in Acts 2.

In Acts chapter 2, Peter preaches the first gospel sermon to those who had crucified Jesus. He proclaims in this sermon that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and that those standing around were guilty of crucifying the Son of God. During the message which Peter was delivering to them, the hearers speak up and say, “Men and brethren what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). Peter then tells them that they need to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38). We see in Acts 2:41 that those who gladly received the word were baptized. The result of their baptism was that they were added to the disciples (Acts 2:41). And we see in Acts 2:47 that this meant when they were saved (through obedience) they were added to the church. The commands that Peter spoke are the keys to the kingdom. These commands are the terms of entrance into the church. Peter’s preaching of the gospel resulted in guilty individuals hearing, being baptized, and having their sins forgiven. Through their obedience they were then ushered into the church that Jesus promised he would build, thus opening the door to all who would believe and obey forever.

Those same keys are entrusted to members of the church today and using the same plan which Peter preached in Acts 2, the same results can occur in the lives and hearts of men and women. The world today is just as guilty of crucifying the Son of because it was for the sins of the world that Jesus died. Those who are in their sins this hour stand guilty before God of this ultimate crime. The only recourse of action that they have to be reconciled to God today is to use these same keys to enter into the kingdom of heaven. When a person hears the gospel of Jesus and obeys the commands that are contained therein to repent and be baptized, they will be added to the church just as those who first heard the preaching of Peter. Peter used the keys that were given to him to unlock the door of the kingdom. The door of the kingdom stands opened wide for all who would use those same keys.

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In God We Trust

Perhaps you have seen this slogan frequently in the past several weeks. During times of prosperity and peace, many forget God. They rest upon their laurels and become satisfied with self. The thought of God crosses their mind once or twice a week, but to depend upon God, wholly and completely, is outside their scope of thought. In their mind, they are their own sustainers; they are their own self-satisfiers. In times of peace and prosperity God is just one to whom many give mere lip service “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof . . .” (2 Timothy 3:5). These say, “In God We Trust” but deny the power of that statement by refusing to make the appropriate sacrifices to show their reliance upon God. However, many, in the face of our recent national adversity, have been brought to realize their own mortality and are seeking to renew themselves before God. What can the church do to bring the minds of men back to trusting in God and aid those who are seeking true spiritual renewal?

First, the church can show what trusting in God truly means by making sacrifices on our part. The world cannot see true sacrifice today unless the church exemplifies it, because there is no other body upon the earth that can truly make sacrifices to God. Paul writes, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). Do we trust God enough to sacrifice our time, our money, and our abilities to his service? Often we think that we must save that one extra dollar, or stay at work that one extra hour, or refrain from that one extra spiritual task. Instead, we should put our complete trust in God and sacrifice, knowing that God has already made the greater sacrifice for us. Do we, as the church, trust in God? Do we put our complete trust in Him? Let us renew ourselves unto sacrifice!

Second, the church can fight the deadly influences that cause one to become self-reliant. These influences originate from humanism. The very core philosophy of humanism is, “Since there is no God to save us, we must save ourselves.” This statement epitomizes what many truly practice in their life. This statement is totally and completely contradictory to the phrase, “In God We Trust.” Those who accept humanism often practice a post-modern world-view. In this world-view, there is no truth; there is no certainty; there is no trust; there is no hope; and if anyone says otherwise, it is the purpose of post-modernism through deconstructionism to undermine and destroy his or her teaching. Post-modernism thought is, however, sympathetic to any teaching that would undermine the idea that there is only one set of truth to which all must adhere and believe. As a result, we have seen in our country an explosion of false religion of one kind or another such as: witchcraft, paganism, mysticism, Hinduism, astrology, psychics, card readers, and the new age movement. All of these are a product of the deconstruction of Christianity under the influence of post-modernism. The church must stand up and proclaim the one truth given by Jesus Christ in the face of all of these false doctrines. Let us renew ourselves to preaching and teaching THE truth!

Third, the church must call for all of those around us to turn to and put their complete trust in God. This means that we must have a renewed sense of purpose about preaching and teaching the gospel to the lost. Now more than ever, we must reflect in the church the words of our Lord, “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35). Those who are hungering and thirsting for the truth will grow weary with the latest religious fad because it will leave them empty. After our recent national crisis, how many did you see in the public eye calling upon pagan deities or mysticism or witchcraft? The call went up to God-the one true and living God who is the Father of Jesus, the Christ. Sadly, many prayers will go unheard due to the condition of the suppliant’s soul-lost. Peter says “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil” (1 Peter 3:12). We can help those make their prayers effectual by putting their trust in God and rendering obedience to the gospel. Let us renew ourselves to the preaching of God’s plan for man’s salvation!

Our national tragedy is truly shocking and sad. However, like the rebirth of the phoenix, we can arise from the ashes of fire and death and bring a renewal like has never been seen in the history of the church before. It is incumbent upon us, the church, to take advantage of this great opportunity God has set before us. “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2). Let us determine to make our national slogan a reality so that all may truly say, “In God We Trust!”

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Humility

It has been said that humility is one of those things that if you claim you have it, you don’t! There is something to be said concerning this statement. Humility is one of those characteristics that you have in your life that is better shown that stated. It is also something that is desired by all, but obtained by few. Why is this? Likely because so few people recognize true humility when they see it. True humility is not glamorized in the world, it is pummeled. Television and Movies glamorize the action hero that does everything by his own plans and with his own hands. Frank Sinatra proudly sang, “I did it my way.” The world values such things, but we as Christians need to have a different mind set (2 Corinthians 6:17). So what are some of the qualities of humility? Let’s look at a few together.

Humility means submitting to God’s will first. James writes, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up” (4:10). Humility starts first with our relationship with God. Many forces will try to sway us away from God’s will in our lives. However, making the humble choice will always begin with God. God is ever present with us and the choices in our life should reflect the awareness of that presence. When we make choices that don’t glorify God, then we are glorifying self and that is not humility at all, but pride. In the long ago the prophet wrote, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee? But to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God” (Micah 6:8).

Humility often means having to submit to someone else’s wisdom when we really do not want to do that. I am not referring to choosing to sin or something like that. Choosing to sin would not be humbling oneself before God. I am referring to choices that do not necessarily involve sin, but may lead to sin if we make that choice. How late should I stay up Saturday night so as not to affect my worship Sunday morning? What friends should I choose to hang out with? Should I go to Cancun on vacation or somewhere with my parents? These are obviously not the only choices, but they are illustrative of what I am discussing. Many times others will have the best answers to such questions. We need to rely upon their wisdom in this regard. Peter writes, “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5).

Humility means elevating others above yourself. In Philippians 2:3, 4 we read, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” When we esteem others better than self, we practice humility. To esteem someone means that we value them more highly than we would value ourselves. Sometimes this means placing their opinion above our own. It may also mean submitting to another’s judgment regarding our behavior until we have had more time to think things through. This also means taking care of each other through service one to another. The example in this passage is Jesus. He died on the cross for our sins. He did not have to do that for us, but He did because He loved us. Submitting to one another in humility is as much an act of love as anything.

Humility sometimes means having to suffer for someone else’s mistakes. In 1 Peter 4:16, Peter writes, “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” Peter was not talking about suffering as a result of justice (verse 15) but suffering unjustly. When we suffer unjustly because we are living the life that Christ wants us to live, then we are acting humbly. We may not deserve some of the things that we have to endure, but we should endure them nonetheless because we are doing so for Christ. Jesus certainly did not deserve the things that He suffered, but he endured them for our sakes. He humbled himself for us that we might have eternal life. Can we humble ourselves for Him that we and others might have the same opportunity?

The practice of humility in our life requires a certain amount of wisdom. We must first humble ourselves before God and then humble ourselves before our fellow man. When we have such an attitude, then God is pleased with the choices and decisions that result from such an attitude. “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:6, 7).

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The Mission and the Work of the Church – Evangelism

Jesus mission while he was upon the earth was to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). Inasmuch as the church belongs to her Lord (Matt.16:18), she is to be about that same mission as well. Within that mission, there are those who need to be saved and there are those who are saved. Evangelism concerns itself with the former category. There is no doubt that the church needs to be in the business of evangelism. The church is God’s plan for man’s salvation today and as such needs to sound the message of the gospel to those who are not saved. This is epitomized in the great commission. Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19, 20 ASV). The twelve had the specific charge to get this done within their lifetimes. The church was the instrument through which this charge was carried out. Today, the church stands as the instrument for world evangelism as well.

Often times when we think of world evangelism we think about supporting evangelists in other parts of the world. While the concept of world evangelism certainly includes this, we should not think of world evangelism as exclusive of our own communities. World evangelism includes THE ENTIRE WORLD. We cannot fulfill the great commission without taking the gospel to our “neck of the woods” as well. We find, in fact, that this is exactly the pattern that Jesus had for the apostles. In Acts 1:8b we read, “�and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Notice the order in which Jesus charges the apostles to work: First, Jerusalem, then Judaea, then Samaria, then the rest of the world. They were to start locally and then branch out over time. Herein lies a great principle. Local evangelism ultimately supports foreign evangelism. Do you wish to expand your foreign evangelistic efforts? Expand your local evangelistic efforts.

I am afraid that in the United States we have allowed the general apathy of her citizens to quash our efforts at local evangelism. It is true that there is a great deal of apathy regarding biblical things within the United States, but this should not hinder us. Our job is not to “grow the church” but to plant the seed and water (1 Cor.3:6, 7). God will give the increase! It would be great if every single individual Christian were a personal worker extraordinaire! However, we know from experience that not everyone is able to do this. Moreover, the Bible teaches that different people have different abilities (1 Cor.12:12-25). Thus, it is biblical for different people to have different roles within the church. This is why it is often very expedient for some sort of local evangelistic plan to be put into place. The specifics of the plan are not what is important. There are various methods for doing personal work within one’s local community. What is important is that the plan includes the potential for everyone within the local congregation to aid in the effort. The plan should come from the leadership of the congregation–the eldership. The plan should be something on which these men are united. The congregation should understand and want to be involved in the execution of the plan. The involvement of the local preacher should be participatory and not administrative–it is the work of the church! If the book of Acts teaches anything, it is that when the people worked, the church grew!

Foreign evangelism should not, however, be discounted. A balanced approach is the best here. There are some that say, let’s merely focus on local evangelism and not foreign evangelism. There are some that say we should focus only upon foreign evangelism and not local evangelism. Both would be incorrect in their assessment. The church has an obligation to the local community to preach the gospel locally. However, the church has the additional obligation of expanding beyond the local. The church of Jesus was not created to be a static institution. But how can a local congregation support missionaries in every single country of the world? Simply answered, she can’t. It would be virtually impossible for one congregation with her limited resources to do such. This is why the great commission was given to the church as a whole through the apostles. The church as a whole must cooperate to ensure that the world is evangelized. This means that some local congregations will only have part in specific areas of the world and not the world as a whole. It is not wrong for a local congregation to focus upon one particular area of the world in foreign evangelistic efforts. It would be wrong for the church as a whole to say we are not going to evangelize any particular part of the world. This involves and necessitates cooperation with other churches. We find that this is exactly what the early church did in regard to evangelism. Various congregations supplied various different missionaries to go into the work in various different locations. Paul and Barnabas were associated with Antioch (Acts 13:1, 2). Philip was associated with the church at Jerusalem (Acts 8). Timothy came from the congregation in the area of Derbe and Lystra (Acts 16:1). However, we see that they all worked together to evangelize the world. So must we do today.

Understanding our individual and collective obligations in evangelizing the world goes a long way toward fulfilling those obligations. There is one additional obligation in which each and every person must participate in our efforts at evangelism–prayer. Jesus instructed us to pray that the Lord of harvests would send more laborers into the harvest (Luke 10:2). Paul instructed that we pray that the word of the Lord have “free course” in the world (2 Thess.3:1). He also instructed that we pray that God open doors of opportunity for us to work in His kingdom (Col.4:3). Let each one of us resolve that we will pray for the work of evangelism both locally and foreign as if everything depended upon God and let us work as if everything depended upon us. With God for us, who can be against us?

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The Baptism of the Twelve Ephesians

At the end of Acts 18 and the beginning of Acts 19, we have a very interesting account of salvation. The account is one in which those who were candidates of salvation submitted to two different baptisms, the baptism of John, and then, the baptism of Jesus. This account is an interesting one, because it teaches us some things about baptism that are not found anywhere else in the Bible. Let’s study this passage together and see if we can learn some things from God’s word.

First, we see that one can teach that Jesus is Lord, yet teach baptism wrong. We read in Acts 18:24, 25 the following: “And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.” Notice the facts that we find here regarding Apollos. First, he was a Jew. Second, he was born at Alexandria. Third, he was an eloquent man. Fourth, he was mighty in the scriptures. Fifth, he came to Ephesus. Sixth, he was instructed in the way of the Lord. Seventh, he was fervent in spirit. Eighth, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord. Ninth, he knew only the baptism of John. Apollos was both instructed in the way of the Lord, and taught the things of the Lord, yet, he did not know the Lord’s baptism? How can this be? Evidently, Apollos had been around Jerusalem sometime during the earthly ministry of both John the baptizer, and Jesus, but Apollos had missed the Lord’s critical teaching about baptism during the period of the Great Commission. Therefore, he did not know that baptism was now being administered by the authority of Jesus. Those who submitted to the baptism that Apollos knew, were not submitting to the authority of the Lord. Did Apollos teach that Jesus was the Lord? Yes. Did he teach others to believe in the Lord Jesus? Yes. It should be obvious that just because one believes in Jesus doesn’t mean that one’s baptism is correct.

Second, we see that if your baptism isn’t right, you’ve got to get it right! It is interesting that Paul came after Apollos to the same city, Ephesus, and inquired about the baptism of these disciples. We read in Acts 19:1-3 “And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.” Paul used a process of discovery to determine if their baptism was valid or not. He first asked if they had received the Holy Spirit since they believed. (Again, we note that the text says that they had believed. They believed that Jesus was the Christ, but their baptism was not right.) Their response was that they had not heard of the Holy Spirit. This response was indicative of their baptism, because Paul then asked, “Unto what then were ye baptized?” They should have heard of the Holy Spirit at their baptism because the baptism that Christ commanded in Matthew 28:18-20 was “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The fact that they did not hear about the Holy Spirit, indicated to Paul that they were not baptized correctly. Their baptism wasn’t right and they had to get it right!

Third, we see that to get their baptism right, it had to be by the authority of Jesus. Paul explains in Acts 19:4, 5, “Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” The phrase “in the name of the Lord Jesus” means by the Lord’s authority. John’s baptism was not based upon the authority of the Lord Jesus. Was it based upon the belief that the Messiah was coming? Yes it was (Luke 2:4). Was it based upon repentance unto remission of sins? Yes it was (Luke 3:3). Was it water baptism? Yes it was (Luke 3:16). Was it immersion? Yes it was (John 3:23). What was different about the baptism of John from the baptism of Jesus? The baptism of Jesus was based upon the authority of Jesus as given in the Great Commission. Jesus said, “All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth.” This meant that after this time, John’s baptism had no more authority. Only the baptism commanded by Jesus, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit had the authority of Christ. This authority was powerfully demonstrated in the resurrection of Christ of which baptism is a likeness (Romans 6:1-10). If our baptism is not based upon the authority of Christ, then all we did was get wet like these men at Ephesus. What is baptism based upon the authority of Christ? It is baptism for salvation (Mark 16:16); it is baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38); it is baptism for discipleship (Matthew 28:18-20); it is baptism for washing away sins (Acts 22:16); it is the point at which we believe God forgives us of sins (Colossians 2:11-13); it is baptism that saves (1 Peter 3:21). John’s baptism did not have THIS authority-the authority to grant salvation! We must understand that to be baptized right, we must acknowledge what Christ has authorized baptism to do-forgive sin and grant salvation! The beautiful results of the reception of the Holy Spirit by these disciples indicated this very fact. Verse 6 states, “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.” The prophecy made by Joel and quoted by Peter in Acts 2:17-21 proved the relationship of the miraculous measure of the Holy Spirit with individual salvation. These men were now saved.

Let us always respect the authority of Christ in baptism and understand that one may teach that Jesus is Lord, yet teach baptism wrong. Let us understand that if your baptism is not right, you’ve got to get it right! And let us understand that correct baptism only comes as authorized by Jesus today and that His authority has placed baptism and salvation together (Mark 16:16).

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