Keys to the Kingdom: BEing & DOing AS Christ in the world

This post rests on the previous post: On this Rock: Direct Revelation from God
and these two major assertions:

1. from my perspective, what is important to Jesus and his disciples, is living in spiritual reality, in God-consciousness, in the reign (kingdom) of God, while we live our lives here on earth.  NOT just Heaven when we die -> Here, Now.  This is Most of what Jesus talks about in his ministry, his Good News: the Reign (Kingdom of Heaven) God.
2. from my perspective, The ROCK on which Jesus is building his assembly/congregation is Direct Revelation from God. - Jesus says Peter is Blessed BECAUSE Peter tells Jesus what his "Father who is in the heavens" revealed directly to Peter, spiritually, in his soul. So, Jesus tells Peter, on this rock (Direct Revelation from God) Jesus will build his assembly/congregation

Ok, regarding the Keys to the Kingdom, as spoken of in Matthew 16:13-23:
from my perspective, we can look to other scriptures to help understand what Jesus is saying about the KEYS.

2 chapters after the famous Peter and Keys to the Kingdom scripture, Matthew addresses Jesus talking to his disciples - so the keys are Clearly not All about Peter

Matthew 18:18-22

“I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will bee loosed in heaven.
“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.
For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

This really needs to be read in context, the whole chapter is here
Here are the verses with the most recent context, before and after (Mat 18:15-22):

'And if thy brother may sin against thee, go and show him his fault between thee and him alone, if he may hear thee, thou didst gain thy brother; and if he may not hear, take with thee yet one or two, that by the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may stand. And if he may not hear them, say it to the assembly, and if also the assembly he may not hear, let him be to thee as the heathen man and the tax-gatherer.  'Verily I say to you, Whatever things ye may bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever things ye may loose on the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens.

'Again, I say to you, that, if two of you may agree on the earth concerning anything, whatever they may ask -- it shall be done to them from my Father who is in the heavens, for where there are two or three gathered together -- to my name, there am I in the midst of them.'

Then Peter having come near to him, said, 'Sir, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him -- till seven times?'  Jesus saith to him, 'I do not say to thee till seven times, but till seventy times seven

Then let's look earlier in this gospel - Matthew: 9:

2And they brought him a paralytic as he lay in the pallet, and Yeshua saw their faith, and he said to the paralytic, "Take heart my son, your sins are forgiven you." 3But some of the Scribes said among themselves, "This man blasphemes." 4But Yeshua knew their thinking, and he said to them, "Why do you think evil things in your heart?" 5"For which is easier, to say, "Your sins are forgiven you", or to say, "Arise and walk?" 6But that you may know that The Son of Man has authority in the earth to forgive sins, I say to this paralytic, "Stand up, take your pallet and go to your house." 7And he stood up and he went to his house. 8But when those crowds saw, they were awestruck, and they glorified God who gave authority like this to the children of men.

Jesus Healed and Loosed people from sin (being out of alignment with God)
- for Jesus, healing and being let-loose from sin was the Same Thing.

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When one sees the context of these Matthew quotes, it makes much more sense how John's Resurrection info is related:
John 20:23:

Jesus came and stood in the midst, and saith to them, ‘Peace to you;’ and this having said, he shewed them his hands and side; the disciples, therefore, rejoiced, having seen the Lord.  Jesus, therefore, said to them again, ‘Peace to you; according as the Father hath sent me, I also send you;’ and this having said, he breathed on [them], and saith to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit; if of any ye may loose the sins, they are loosed to them; if of any ye may retain, they have been retained.’

Jesus is revealing himself to his disciples for the first time after his resurrection: 

immediately he calls his disciples to the same work he has done, 

he gives his disciples the Holy Spirit, along with the authority.  

He sends us to do this reparative work, as his Father sent him.

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So let's put it all together:

• Those who are IN spiritual focus, God Consciousness, the Reign of Heaven - standing on the Rock = Direct Revelation from God.
• Those who are on the Rock, are given, therefore, the KEYS to do God's will in this world - to move/open heaven and earth (spiritual and physical reality) according to the Direct Revelation received from God

Jesus gives his disciples spiritual Power and Authority 

to act in this world, as Christ's hands and feet, 

carrying on Jesus' ministry to the lost, to the broken, 

to those who need God's hope, mercy, grace… in this world.

Jesus sent his disciples to act in the power of the Holy Spirit:

• to say, to choose, to heal, to assist folks back to alignment with God, to lose or to bind, to open or to close
• to SPIRITUALLY ACT,
• to REPAIR/RECONNECT to God and Wholeness,
• to BE and DO, AS Christ in the world, and to continue to do the work he was called to do.

With these KEYS
Jesus Equips us to do as we are called by God;
and there is much to be done.

Let us continue,
wendy