Athens Vineyard Church

When I first looked at my text for this message, I never dreamed it was going to end up being about children.  It’s that passage where Jesus talks about building his church on the Rock, and the gates of hell not prevailing against it, and how he was going to give the church the authority to bind and loose.  Lots of stuff there.  But he sums it all up, I think, by saying that we would be given the keys to the kingdom of heaven.  He’s saying that we hold the keys to entrance into the kingdom.  How we handle ‘the gospel’ determines how readily people enter in to the realm of God’s reign.

Do you want that responsibility???

In some ways, I’m glad to know it.  I’ve heard Calvinists and Arminians argue about what role we humans play in people’s salvation, and it can leave me feeling uncertain.  I mean, is God in complete control over who gets in?  Or are we going to be standing at the judgment some day, and people on their way to the hot place turn and scream at us, “Why didn’t you tell me?!?!?”

Well, this passage teaches that, mysterious as it may be, when we properly open the door, we find that God was there all along, directing the whole thing.  If we use our keys, he’s working alongside us.  And yet, if we mishandle the gospel, people will be hindered from entering.  Somehow he’s designed it so that we work together with him.

What are you doing with your set of keys?

Now don’t roll your eyes at me, I’m not trying to be manipulative.  It is the honest question that I am asking myself. I honestly doubt most of you have really considered the fact that you have that big of a role to play, that you have keys to the kingdom of heaven.  But I believe you do.

How are you going to use them?  Well, I think God wants all of us at the Vineyard to step up and use our keys to reach children in our city.

I believe in the sovereignty of God enough that I am confident he has put in our midst (our church family) who he wants to be here.  Since he  is calling us to prepare a place and program for children, I have to believe that he has a role for each of us to play in this work.  Doesn’t it make sense that you could use your gifts/talents/energy/time/etc. in joining the effort to reach children in this city?  You don’t have to evangelize.  Just look at your gifts and think about how they could be used as keys for opening the door to the kingdom.

I’m also influenced by these points:

• 1/2 of people in the world are children
• 85% of people who become Christians do so between the ages of 4 and 14
• look where God is working and join him (such as saving children)
• Jesus said to let the children come to him and not hinder them
• He also said that the kingdom belonged to such as these (children).  I guess that means he wants to let them participate
• And he said to receive a child was to receive him
• AND he said (referring to a child) that the least was the greatest

Come one Vineyard!  Get your keys out!