By Jim Mettenbrink
Jesus gave Peter the keys to Jesus’ kingdom (Matthew 16:18-19). The record of Peter opening the kingdom is in Acts 2 on Pentecost, the Jewish feast day, inviting Jews from 16 nations to enter. The apostle Paul later stated that it was actually God calling or inviting people to come into His kingdom – “…walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” (1 Thess 2:12). Just what is this call? Is it a free lunch? A smorgasbord of pick and choose, entering according to your own desires? In His famous sermon on the Mount (Mat 5-7), Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it (Mat 7:13-14). So picking and choosing is nixed. The broader context tells us this narrow gate goes into God’s kingdom – “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness….” ( Mat 6:32). He was speaking about entering the kingdom. So, what is this narrow, but difficult gate by which God calls us into His kingdom?
To whom is “good” due? The New Testament tells Christians that they are to do good unto all men, especially their fellow Christians. What is meant by doing “good”? In the context here, it is something that we have a limited opportunity to share. The “good” could be showing benevolent love in providing some physical sustenance. Or more importantly it could be by showing love for their eternal welfare and speaking to them about spiritual matters.