Kylie gets Confirmed!

Kylie and Brandon before the confirmation ceremony

Sam and Kylie

Brandon fell asleep

Kylie and Pastor Rob

Serena, Hayden and Kylie

The Office of the Keys

When I first heard about the Office of The Keys, I thought it was an office with secretaries that would give you a key to the gates of heaven. When I actually read about it I learned that it was very different.

God gave special authority to His Church on earth. It is a unique authority granting the Church the power to forgive the sins of someone that feels sorry for his sins and prays for God's forgivness (also known as a repentant sinner). A repentant sinner prays only in the name of Jesus - because only Jesus died for our sins and earned our forgiveness.

The Church also has the power to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they don't repent. This means that if you sin and don't repent then the Church can keep your sins from being forgiven in Heaven. "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19). One way that the Church can keep your sins from being forgiven is by not letting you participate in Communion. But it is important to remember that the Church is only doing this to lead you to repentance and faith. The goal is always restoration of the sinner to our gracious God and His Church.

Most people would ask, "Why is it called the "Office of The Keys"?" It's simply because this authority really is like a key that opens the gate of heaven by forgiving sine - but it can also lock you out of the kingdom by not forgiving sins. As Jesus says in Matthew 16:19: "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven."

This gift of forgiveness is a blessing to me, because not only am I forgiven, myself, but I also can share this forgiveness with you - and with others who so urgently need the forgiveness that Jesus earned for all sinners.

This is the report that Kylie wrote and had to read in front of the entire congregation when she got Confirmed. It is an awesome report and I am so very proud of her. Way to go Kylie!