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One important way a child of God can determine the genuineness of his pastor is to find out if he understands and has the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
There is no doubt that true ministers of the gospel have been given the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. Christ Jesus first promised to give these keys to the foundational apostles led by Peter.
“Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. AND I WILL GIVE YOU THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19).
There is no doubt that Peter and the early ministers were given the keys thereby enabling them to open the door to the Kingdom of Heaven. The truth, however, is that it is impossible for false ministers to have these keys to open the door of heaven to believers.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the only way and the door of the sheep to enable them to enter heaven (John 14:6; John 10:1-9). And He is also the giver of the keys of the kingdom of heaven to His ministers. Thus, when Christ sends His ministers to represent Him in the world to preach and teach the Word of truth, the gospel of salvation, He gives them the keys of the kingdom of heaven to function effectively.
The keys of the kingdom of heaven symbolise divine authority and power which point to the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Paul gives us a hint when he writes that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation… (Romans 1:16). This gospel is all about the knowledge of Christ which His ministers are equipped with and commanded to communicate throughout the nations of the world.
Now, as I pointed out earlier, Christ Jesus is the way and the door to heaven. And ministers are the ones, who have been given the keys to the door. In fact, they have been given the keys not for decoration but for the declaration of the truths of gospel to open the door to the many who have been preordained to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
But the major concern here is whether many ministers today really do have the keys. My interactions with some ministers of the gospel in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital revealed that the greater majority of them have been exposed to the teaching about the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. They also did not how ministers could use the keys to open the door to the Kingdom.
A pastor opens the door of the kingdom of heaven, which is Jesus Christ, if he preaches and teaches about Him. Therefore, to open the door of heaven is to preach about Christ Jesus for sinners to believe in Him for the salvation of their souls. But if a pastor abandons Christ and refuses to preach and teach about Him, then, he is actually closing the door and denying the believers under his care access to heaven.
A student of the Bible understands that the kingdom of heaven points to Christ Jesus. And genuine men of God blessed with the keys of the kingdom of heaven preach and teach nothing except the crucified Christ. Preaching the gospel is preaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why the foundational apostles faithfully and efficaciously preached about Christ in every village, town and city they journeyed. In Colossians 1:28, the apostle Paul wrote: “Him we preach…”
And then, in Acts Chapter 8, Philip preached the Good News about Jesus Christ to the Ethiopian eunuch. All the foundational apostles and the other true ministers appointed after them preached Christ and taught about Him to open the door of heaven to the believers. Believer, in this generation, it is time for you to critically examine the messages your pastor preaches or teaches to see if he is really opening the door of heaven to you or not.
By James Quansah,
Email: [email protected]
