THE KEYS TO REVIVAL OF THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH (PETER)

Matthew 16:16-19

“And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven”. (Matthew 16:16-17). These are familiar words, passages often read and preached, yet the purpose here is to receive fresh revelation from God above. The declaration that flesh and blood did not reveal this truth points to more than human effort. Flesh and blood refer to human beings; teachers, preachers, theologians, seminaries, and all human instruments of learning. Human understanding has its limits. Even Scripture shows that when Christ rose from the dead and revealed Himself, He made it clear that He was not a spirit, for flesh and blood stood visibly before them. When it is said that flesh and blood did not reveal this truth, it means no human teacher, theologian, or earthly voice unveiled it.

It came directly from the Father in heaven. Human teachers can only take an individual so far. If all that is known is what flesh and blood can teach, there will always be a boundary to spiritual depth and effectiveness in ministry. But when the Father, the source of all revelation, the Creator of heaven and earth, reveals His truth, and you embrace the revelation, holding it firmly, and apply it according to His will, new dimensions are open for you. The paths you never walked before are entered. Realities never seen before become clear to you. Accomplishments once thought impossible become attainable. “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” (Matthew 16:18). This rock is not a mere personality, but the confession of truth, Jesus Christ revealed as the Son of the living God. It is the unchanging Word of God and the infallible revelation of who Christ is. Upon this foundation, the church is built, and the gates of hell are powerless 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” (Matthew 16:19). This promise did not expire with Peter.

Though Peter is gone, the church remains. The keys of the kingdom are now in the hands of believers. These words were spoken by Jesus Himself. The emphasis is on “whatsoever.” Nothing is permitted to dominate or restrain the believer anymore. There was a time when circumstances, forces, and systems dictated direction and limited the believer’s progress, but the order has changed. Authority has shifted. Control has been transferred to us. What is spoken on earth must align with heaven, not with personal limitation but with heavenly authority. The power is released by speaking in faith. “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” (Matthew 16:19). These keys are the instruments for the revival of the New Testament church, the church that reaches the world, opens the hearts of men to the kingdom, His word, to Christ, and invites Him into lives as He stands at the door and knocks.

  1.   THE KEYS GIVEN FOR REVIVING THE CHURCH

Matthew 16:18-19

When Jesus said He gives the keys, it meant heaven would respond to what is opened or shut through divine authority.

• The Given Power and Authority – Luke 9:1-2; 10:17-20. “Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.” (Luke 9:1–2). That power came from heaven. It was the power to heal, transform lives, turn hearts toward Christ. What was given to Peter was also given to John, James, Matthew, and the rest, and that same power remains active in the church today. Power was given first, authority was granted, and in that power and authority, there was a clear sending forth to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. The assignment flowed directly from the power received. In chapter ten, at the opening of the chapter, seventy disciples were called and sent out with the same burden and responsibility. “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2). The work did not end with the twelve, and it did not end with the seventy. That is why the work continues, and that is why the next generation is included in this divine order. They returned, “And the seventy returned again with joy” (Luke 10:17).

That joy speaks of fruitful labour. There is joy in ministry, joy in seeing souls saved, joy in witnessing healings, even remarkable healings, and joy in seeing the name of Jesus actively at work through your life and ministry. Their testimony revealed that even forces beyond human strength were subject to the authority given them. It was not only sickness that yielded; every opposition encountered in the field was brought under their control as God confirmed the work. The power and authority given were keys meant to open and shut doors and set people free. “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:17-19). Then comes the direct statement of what had been promised. The keys were not a future gift; they were the present release of authority. The key that had been promised was now placed in their hands. “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).

• The Great Power of Attorney – John 14:12-14; Acts 3:6-9,16. In legal terms, power of attorney is the authority given to a representative to act fully in the name and stead of another, to speak, sign, and to decide as though the owner himself were present. Whatever the representative does carries the full weight of the one who appointed him. That is exactly what was granted by Christ to the believers. Authority was transferred so that the representative could operate in the name given, exercising delegated power without limitation. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do” (John 14:12). Here is the key: the power of attorney made plain. The believer is entrusted with representation, empowered to carry on the work, and even to extend it further.

The world has grown, the population has increased, and the challenges have multiplied. Diseases, afflictions, and spiritual battles have intensified, and the activity of evil has not diminished. Yet the same authority of Christ has been given us to meet greater needs in a larger world. What was done then is to be done again, and even more, because the authority has already been placed in the hands of those sent forth. In every region, community, and nation, new challenges arise that were not present during Christ’s earthly ministry, yet the promise remains that greater works will be done because He has gone to the Father. “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13). This is not a weak request but a demand made through delegated authority, spoken, declared, and decreed in His name. The promise is repeated for emphasis: “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14).

This reveals the power of delegated authority given to believers, the key placed in their hands. “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6). Material resources have limits, but the name of Jesus carries unlimited authority. What Christ did during His earthly ministry, He continues to do now through His name. Believers act as His representatives, moving and ministering in His name. When Peter took the man by the right hand and lifted him, the result was immediate: “And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength” (Acts 3:7). “And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all” (Acts 3:16). This reveals the keys of the kingdom, power, authority, and the anointing.

• The Grand Power with Anointing – Acts 10:38; Isaiah 10:27. “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:38). The Holy Ghost and power, the Holy Ghost and anointing, were the keys Jesus used. When the head of a household goes on a long journey, wisdom dictates that the keys are left behind so access is not lost. In the same way, Christ, the Bridegroom and Head of the Church, has gone on a long journey, yet He has not taken the keys away. The keys He used, the power of the Holy Ghost, and the anointing have been left with the Bride. No door is meant to remain shut. As God anointed Jesus with the Holy Ghost and with power, so God has anointed believers with the Holy Ghost and with power.

As He went about doing good, believers are now to go about doing good, healing those oppressed by the devil. The Church now carries the same key of power and anointing, delivering the captive and healing, with God still present and active in us. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing” (Isaiah 10:27). Burdens are removed, yokes are broken, and oppression is destroyed, not by human strength, ability, stature, or gender, but solely by the anointing. The anointing breaks, crushes, and eliminates every yoke of the devil. The key to power, authority, delegated authority, and anointing is now in your hand, and everywhere that you go, the works of the devil are destroyed.

2. THE KNOWLEDGE GRANTED FOR REESTABLISHING THE CHURCH

Ephesians 3:4-12.

“Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ). Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.” (Ephesians 3:4-12). The depth of knowledge given after Christ’s departure is revealed; this knowledge the apostles did not fully possess while He was physically present. The keys of the kingdom include this knowledge. It is the knowledge that opens doors, with the enabling capacity of binding and loosing on earth with heavenly authority.

• The Unsearchable Knowledge of His Saving Grace – Ephesians 3:4-8; Romans 11:33. “Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ” (Ephesians 3:4). This knowledge is the key God gave through Christ, revealed to His ministers and clearly expressed by Paul. “Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit” (Ephesians 3:5). This revelation and this key were not known to the prophets of old from the beginning of the world. “That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel” (Ephesians 3:6). That knowledge was not available at the time of Christ’s earthly ministry, which explains why there was an impulse to call down fire on Samaria. The understanding that the gospel, grace, and salvation of the Lord were also for the Gentiles was lacking.

Without that knowledge and without that key, the door remained closed to the Samaritans and the Gentiles. This limitation was acknowledged when instruction was given to them to go to the house of Israel and not to the way of the Gentiles or the Samaritans, because the key had not yet been received. Now the key has been given to the holy apostles and prophets, that the Gentiles should be of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel. “Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:7-8). This is the unsearchable, previously unknown knowledge of His saving grace.

• The Unconfined Knowledge Of His Sufficient Grace – Ephesians 3:6-8; 2 Corinthians 12:9. The apostles were once confined in Jerusalem. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: 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” (Acts 1:8). The message remained limited to Jerusalem for a time. They did not immediately move into Judea, Samaria, or the uttermost parts of the earth until persecution scattered them abroad, and those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the gospel. Through that scattering, Samaria was reached through Philip. Then came Paul the Apostle, a man deeply rooted in Jewish tradition, yet one who received the key and was ready to use it without confinement, making full use of the sufficient grace of God. “That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel. Whereof I was made a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:6-8). This grace was not confined to the Jews only but also for the gentiles.

• The Unveiled Knowledge of His Strengthening Grace – 2 Timothy 2:1-7; Ephesians 3:16-19. “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). True ministers of the gospel are not selfish with grace received. Grace that saves, sanctifies, strengthens, and suffices is not to be kept privately but made available to the people of God. “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love. May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height” (Ephesians 3:16-18). With new grace comes new ability, and with new ability comes new responsibility, enabling a fuller comprehension of the vast dimensions of God’s work and purpose in Christ. There is much here to take hold of, because the key that has been given is not a limited or confined key. What God expects to be done will indeed be done through that key. “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:19). This fullness of God is not reserved for a few; it is for everyone who will receive it. “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20). The power within you will no longer remain dormant; it will work effectively and mightily.

  3. THE KINGDOM GOINGS OF REPOSITIONING OF THE CHURCH

Job 34:21

“For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings” (Job 34:21). God sees every path, every project, every activity, and every event. The goings (project) of the kingdom become central in our lives, and as we do, we are repositioned for ministry. The workers under our leadership are repositioned, and repositioning for the entire church, sending them forth to preach effectively.

• The Rekindled “Go” in The Ambassadors of Christ – Acts 5:19-21; 8:4,5-8. We are ambassadors of Christ, sent with the command to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Over time, that inner drive may have weakened, but now it is rekindled and becomes a renewed force in every heart. “But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. (Acts 5:19-20). Every attempt to silence the gospel failed because God reignited the call to go. “And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught” (Acts 5:21). The going was not limited to one moment; it continued morning, afternoon, evening, and every day, with the assurance that the Lord goes with His people.

• The Restorative Goal Of “The Apostles” In the Church – Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Thessalonians 3:10-13. Apostles are the sent ones, just like a missionary or an overseer. It means having a clear calling and assignment from the Lord. Those whom God sends are empowered to accomplish what they are sent to do. “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12). As the world population continues to grow and multitudes are being born and added daily, God’s design for the church remains intact. Every ministerial office and gifts: apostle, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers are necessary, working together, holding the body firm, directing it forward, reaching out in love, and teaching truth, so that the church may be built up and fully equipped for the work set before it. The suggestion that only the previous generation could have the full expression of ministerial office and gifts is not correct, and it is not a revelation from heaven.

The fivefold ministry is still fully available today. The thumb (apostolic ministry) is still present, the finger that points and declares truth is still present, and the prophetic ministry still stands today. The evangelist who goes beyond locality, beyond territory, and beyond familiar regions is still active today. The shepherd, the pastor, is still present today, and the teacher who steadily instructs and establishes the church is still present today. “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13). That unity has not yet been fully realized, and the fivefold ministry remains in operation until it is accomplished. In the present day, it will happen through yielded people walking together in obedience and faith.

• The Renewed Glory and The Appearance of The Church – Ephesians 5:25-

27; Revelation 19:7-8. Glory shall be revealed through every faithful vessel. There will be no disgrace upon the church. As our ministration is carried out, there will be no vain glory and no shallow display, but a true manifestation of God’s glory through us. God will prepare multitudes in thousands, millions, and beyond, for His glory through us. “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7). The bride of Christ will understand how to remain saved, holy, sanctified, and sustained by the sufficiency of God’s grace through your ministration. “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints” (Revelation 19:8). The people of God will bear the righteousness of Christ within them and visibly express it as the living church of God through your ministry.

This is the picture of a perfected people walking in divine order. Glory will be evident in your life, family, and ministry. Glory will be seen in your service, prayer, and preaching. Anything that detracts from God’s glory will be washed away from your life by His power. Every step taken by you will reflect God’s glory. Every movement will testify that the glory of God is active and present in your life. In all things and in every place, the Lord will glorify Himself through you with His power and goodness. That glory will not diminish with time; it will increase continually, rising higher, shining brighter, and reaching farther.