Kathy—In the next verse (Matt.16:19) we find a special and specific link between The Ekklesia and the Kingdom:  Jesus said He’d give His Ekklesia the Keys to the Kingdom.  For the full impact of that, of course, we need a working understanding of this Kingdom for which we have keys. The first mention of “Kingdom” is in Matt. 3:2.  There, the Greek word for Kingdom is defined in Thayer’s Greek Lexicon as:  A) rule, power, kingship and dominion, B) the right or the authority to rule, C) the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah and D) royal power conferred on (or granted to) Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom.  So giving His Ekklesia, or Church, the keys to the Kingdom means that He gives His Called Out Ones access to His dominion and power. He gives us the right to act as agents of His authority in the earth.  Jesus went on to break that down for us that whatever the Ekklesia prohibits on earth will have been prohibited in heaven, and whatever they permit on earth will have been permitted in heaven.” (ISV) The Amplified version reads like this: “Whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (or declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven.” (CEV)  Having the keys to the kingdom of heaven, means God in heaven will allow whatever you allow on earth.  But he will not allow anything that you don’t allow.  Again, I think you would agree that these things reach beyond typical or conventional church-goer thinking.  Nevertheless, these scriptures are in the Bible — in red letters even!