Unlocking What’s Been Locked In

Jesus once told Peter, “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matt. 16:19). That’s not just a poetic metaphor—it’s an invitation. And not just for Peter. It’s a calling for the Church, the Ekklesia, to participate in something much bigger than itself: God’s redemptive mission in the world.

But let’s be honest. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like the Church is unlocking much at all. With all our resources, gatherings, and global reach—why do we still wrestle with fruitlessness, disunity, and spiritual fatigue?

That question isn’t new. In fact, it reaches back into Scripture, into history, and even into our personal stories. It’s why this message matters—because the same Kingdom keys Jesus offered then are still in our hands now.

What Are We Here For?

The Church was never meant to be a holy huddle or a spiritual retreat. It was made for mission. As Christopher Wright puts it, “It’s not so much that God has a mission for His church, but that He has a church for His mission.”

That mission is rooted in Jesus—His life, death, resurrection, and ascension—and it reaches into the world with the same prayer He taught us: “Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

So why does it sometimes feel like we’re stuck?

What’s Holding Us Back?

If we’re holding keys, then we have to ask—what are the locked doors? What are the strongholds in our lives and communities that keep us from stepping fully into the mission?

Scripture gives us a sobering example in the story of King Uzziah. He started strong, but he didn’t finish well. His life reveals four strongholds that still trap people today:

• Idolatry – The pull to worship at the wrong altar, even subtly. It’s not always statues—it can be success, security, control.
• Pride (and Shame) – Two sides of the same coin. Both come from unhealed wounds and the need for validation. Both distance us from our true identity in Christ.
• Dis-ease – A restless state that surfaces physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Uzziah’s leprosy symbolized a deeper inner turmoil.
• Isolation – He ended his life cut off from community, unable to enter the temple. That kind of separation still leaves people lonely, bitter, and burned out.

These aren’t abstract ideas. They’re real. And they can show up in our own hearts if we’re not paying attention.

What Breaks the Cycle?

Here’s where the keys come in.

2 Corinthians 10:4 tells us the weapons we fight with aren’t like the world’s. They have power to demolish strongholds. Real power. The kind that heals what’s broken, sets captives free, and brings light into dark places. Isaiah 61 describes it beautifully—a mission to bind up the brokenhearted and proclaim freedom.

That’s the work of the Spirit. That’s the heartbeat of Jesus. And that’s the mission of the Church.

What If We Used the Keys?

What would shift in our lives if we started identifying the strongholds we’ve been hiding behind?

What might happen if we let God show us the places where pride or shame still lead the way?

What could change in our families, our neighbourhoods, our churches—if we remembered that we’re not just saved from something but for something?

The keys are still in our hands. Not to control or coerce, but to unlock and release. To bind up and build. To open doors where people have been trapped for too long.

That’s what Jesus offers. That’s what the Kingdom is about.

And that’s the invitation on the table.