Seated in Heavenly Places: The Authority You're Meant to Wield
When Jesus said, "I will build My Ekklesia" (Matthew 16:18, NKJV), every Jew listening knew exactly what He meant.
And it wasn't a Sunday morning service with a steeple.
It wasn't a building where people gather once a week to sing songs and listen to a sermon.
It wasn't a religious ceremony called "having church."
The word Ekklesia carried weight—political, governmental, cosmic weight. It was a revolutionary declaration that changed everything about how God's Kingdom would operate on earth.
Yet somewhere along the way, we've domesticated this powerful concept into something safe, religious, and containable. We've turned the Ekklesia into "church as usual" when Jesus intended something far more dangerous and transformative.
It's time to reclaim what Jesus actually meant.
The Deep Roots of Ekklesia
To understand Ekklesia, we have to trace its roots through two streams of history: Greek and Hebrew.
The Greek Tradition
On the Greek side, Ekklesia goes back to ancient Athens and the birth of democracy. A king (whose name escapes me—maybe one day I'll look it up!) wanted to give all the people a voice, so he created an assembly where citizens could gather, deliberate, and make decisions together.
This wasn't a religious gathering. It was a governmental assembly. It was where the business of running society happened.
The Hebrew Tradition
For the Jewish people, Ekklesia connected to something even deeper: the assembly of Israel at Mount Sinai.
Remember that moment when God called Moses up the mountain and wanted to bring all the people up to meet with Him? He wanted them to be "a kingdom of priests" (Exodus 19:6, NKJV)—not just Moses as the mediator, but all of them in direct relationship with God.
But they were too afraid. They said, "You go, Moses. You're scary, God. Whatever He tells you to do, we'll do it" (my paraphrase of Exodus 20:18-19).
They didn't know who they were—they still saw themselves as slaves, unworthy to come before God. And they didn't know who God was—they thought He was going to kill them.
So they created a middleman situation out of fear. Moses became the mediator when God wanted direct relationship with all of them.
Even Deeper: The Divine Council
But the roots of Ekklesia go back even further than Sinai—all the way to creation itself and the divine council.
Throughout Scripture—in Job, Psalms, Daniel, and the prophets—we see references to God's heavenly council. This is where God deliberates with the "sons of God" (angels) about the governance of creation.
In Job 38:7 (NKJV), when God lays the foundations of the earth, "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy."
There was a divine assembly from the very beginning—a governmental council through which God governs the cosmos.
Humanity's Original Assignment
And here's the stunning truth: Humans were created to be part of that council.
When God created Adam and Eve, He wasn't just making pets or servants. He was installing them in positions of authority—giving them dominion over the earth, sky, and sea (Genesis 1:26-28, NKJV).
They were meant to co-govern creation with God. They were meant to be co-regents—rulers under God's kingship, manifesting His image and will throughout all creation.
The angels were actually created to assist humans in this task. As Hebrews 1:14 (NKJV) says, angels are "ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation."
Angels were meant to serve humans as we ruled creation together with God. They were designed to come alongside us as we grew into our full authority.
When Everything Inverted
But then came the fall—both angelic and human.
Satan, out of pride, refused to serve these "naked humans." He looked at Adam and Eve and thought, Why should I, a glorious spiritual being, serve this infant creature?
That's the condemnation of the devil Paul refers to in 1 Timothy 3:6 (NKJV): "not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil."
Satan's original sin was pride—refusing his assignment to serve humanity.
Then Satan exploited humanity's fear and insecurity. He tricked Adam and Eve into abdicating their authority. They handed over the dominion God had given them.
Here's what's crucial to understand: Humans never actually lost that authority. God never revoked it. Psalm 8 (NKJV), written after the fall, still declares human dominion over creation.
But we did hand it over—out of fear, we gave fallen angels (demons) the functional control they weren't supposed to have. We ended up worshiping these false gods instead of exercising our God-given authority.
Creation became inverted. The ones who were supposed to serve became the masters. The ones who were supposed to rule became slaves.
What Jesus Meant by "My Ekklesia"
So when Jesus stood at Caesarea Philippi—right at the base of Mount Hermon, the very place Jewish tradition said the fallen angels had rebelled—and declared, "I will build My Ekklesia" (Matthew 16:18, NKJV), He was making an explosive announcement:
"I am going to summon an assembly from My people. We're going to do Kingdom business together. And we're going to take back what was stolen in the fall."
Every Jew hearing this would have understood: Jesus was talking about restoring the divine council. He was calling humans back into their original governmental role. He was undoing the inversion that happened at the fall.
The Ekklesia isn't primarily a religious gathering (though it includes worship). It's the parliament of King Jesus—His governmental assembly where heaven and earth intersect.
The Three Offices of the Ekklesia
Throughout the Old Testament, you see three primary offices of ministry:
Priests (who worshiped and mediated God's presence)
Prophets (who heard and spoke God's word)
Kings (who governed and executed God's will)
These weren't just job titles—they were the three functions of God's government on earth.
Here's what's revolutionary about the New Covenant: All believers are now invited into all three offices.
We're all priests, prophets, and kings. Not that everyone is a prophet in the formal role, but everyone participates in the prophetic spirit that fills the entire body of Christ.
When the Ekklesia gathers—whether it's two people in a break room or two thousand in a building—we engage in all three functions:
1. Priestly Ministry: Creating Atmosphere
We worship. We create an atmosphere of glory. God's presence begins to flow. Creativity is maximized.
This isn't just "the worship part of the service." It's generating a portal between heaven and earth through glory exchange—we give Him glory, He gives us glory, and that back-and-forth creates an opening for heaven to touch earth.
This could be in your break room at work. It could be in your living room. Or it could be what we traditionally call a church service. But the glory of the Lord is flowing through our worship.
2. Prophetic Ministry: Hearing God
In that atmosphere of glory, we begin to hear: "What is God saying? What is Holy Spirit revealing? What do we sense the Father doing?"
We begin to share what we're hearing—and this is crucial—with each other. Prophetic ministry gets dangerous when you have lone-ranger prophets. We need two or more to judge what's being spoken (1 Corinthians 14:29, NKJV).
That's not bad judgment—it's good judgment. It's safe judgment. Sometimes judgment means affirming: "That was right on!" Sometimes it means refining: "I think there's a filter of unforgiveness affecting what you're hearing."
We're in the divine council together, deliberating about what God wants to do in this situation, this family, this workplace, this community.
3. Kingly Ministry: Executing Strategy
Once we've heard from God in the prophetic, we have to formulate decrees. We have to cut keys. We have to create action plans.
This is where the Kingly function comes in. How do we take what we've heard and enact it on earth?
This is apostolic—creating strategy and implementing it. This is where we bind on earth what's been bound in heaven. Where we activate what we've received.
The Quorum Is Just Two
Here's something that should blow your mind: Jesus said the Ekklesia can function with just two people.
"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20, NKJV).
Two people gathering in Christ's name forms a quorum. Christ becomes the third in the middle. And when you have Christ as the third in the middle, you have everything needed to legislate, decree, minister prophetically, worship, and activate Kingdom reality.
This is why Jesus sent His disciples out two at a time. Always two.
This means you can form an Ekklesia in your workplace. If you can find one other believer and meet together once a week in the break room—that's an Ekklesia. You've created a governmental assembly where heaven and earth intersect.
That Ekklesia becomes a portal releasing heaven into your workplace. It carries authority. It gives you keys to unlock gates of death in your sphere of influence.
The Keys of the Kingdom
After declaring He would build His Ekklesia, Jesus made this promise: "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19, NKJV).
Notice: These aren't keys to the Kingdom. They're keys of the Kingdom—keys that unlock gates of death within your area of influence.
Here's how it works:
Where Are the Gates?
Look at your workplace, your neighborhood, your family, your community. Where has death—through the fear of death—locked up human behavior and relationships?
Where's the conflict? The head-butting? The dog-eat-dog competition? The toxicity? The anger? The poison?
Where are the works of the flesh flourishing—lust, greed, pride, division?
That's where you'll find a gate of death.
Finding the Key
If you can identify that gate, there's a key that will open it—a key that will release heaven into that environment and shift that atmosphere.
Those keys come through the three-fold ministry of the Ekklesia:
Priestly: Worship creates the atmosphere
Prophetic: God reveals what's really going on and what He wants to do
Kingly: We enact the strategy, cut the key, make the decree
When we gather as Ekklesia—whether two people or two thousand—we're there to receive keys. We're there to discern what heaven wants to release and then to activate that on earth.
Binding What's Been Bound in Heaven
There's a common misunderstanding about Matthew 16:19. Many translations make it sound like: "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven"—as if God is waiting for us to bind things down here, then scrambling to mirror it up there.
That's backwards.
The Greek actually indicates: "Whatever you bind on earth, having been bound in heaven."
In other words, we're binding on earth what's already been decided in the heavenly council.
How does that work if we're on earth?
Because Ephesians 2:6 (NKJV) says we're "seated together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
We're already in the heavenly council! We're deliberating with the angels, the cloud of witnesses, and the Godhead Himself about what needs to happen on earth.
This is what baptism models: We enact on earth what's already been declared in heaven. You were buried and raised with Christ 2,000 years ago (and really, before time began—Revelation 13:8, NKJV). Baptism is the earthly enactment of that heavenly reality.
The same is true with all Kingdom decrees. We're not imposing our will on heaven. We're aligning with heaven's will and manifesting it on earth.
Practical Application: Your Ekklesia
So what does this look like practically?
In Your Workplace
Find another believer. Meet for 15 minutes once a week in the break room or before work starts.
Worship: Speak words of praise (you don't have to sing out loud if it's awkward)
Prophetic: Ask Holy Spirit, "What do You want to do here? What are the gates of death in this place?"
Kingly: Create a strategy—maybe it's praying for specific coworkers, maybe it's bringing encouragement, maybe it's addressing a specific atmosphere
You've just formed an Ekklesia. You've created a portal for heaven to touch your workplace.
In Your Neighborhood
Gather with a neighbor who's a believer. Walk the streets together and pray. Ask God to reveal the gates of death—addiction, isolation, fear, poverty, whatever is locking people down.
Then ask for keys—specific actions, words, demonstrations of love that will unlock those gates.
In Your Family
This is your smallest and most important Ekklesia. If you're married, you and your spouse are an Ekklesia. You can deliberate together about what God wants to do in your home, with your children, in your extended family.
This isn't about one person (usually the husband) making all the decisions while the other submits. It's about mutual submission—both listening to God, both contributing wisdom, both seeking consensus under the Lordship of Christ.
In Church Gatherings
Yes, larger gatherings are also Ekklesia! But they should function the same way:
Creating atmosphere through worship
Hearing God together prophetically
Activating strategies for Kingdom advancement
This isn't just "going to church." It's assembling as God's government to do Kingdom business.
The Ekklesia Is Grassroots Transformation
Here's what I'm learning through Kingdom Council, our prayer gathering: The Ekklesia transforms culture from the bottom up, not the top down.
We received a prophetic mandate that we would take the mountains of influence—but not by storming the top. By coming down to focus on individual hearts.
Those hearts become like roots that join together in communities. Those communities form healthy soil. And from that soil, Kingdom life grows up and naturally transforms the mountains.
It's the parable of the leaven. The Kingdom doesn't come through forceful conquest. It comes through organic, relational, love-powered transformation.
The Hebrew word for council is sod (סוד)—which means "held together by roots."
That's the Ekklesia. We're roots joining together underground, creating a foundation that will eventually break through and transform everything above.
The Multiplication Vision
When Jesus said "I will build My Ekklesia," He used the singular—but He was envisioning multiplication.
Not one big mega-church. Not one central authority structure.
Thousands upon thousands of Ekklesias—every size, every location, every sphere of influence.
Two believers in a corporate break room. Three believers in a neighborhood. A dozen believers in a home. Hundreds gathering in a building.
All of them functioning as the parliament of King Jesus. All of them releasing heaven into their spheres. All of them unlocking gates of death and advancing God's Kingdom.
This is how the world gets transformed.
Not through political takeover. Not through cultural warfare. Not through forcing Christian values on unbelievers.
Through the grassroots multiplication of Ekklesias that release the presence, wisdom, and power of God wherever they gather.
The Authority You Carry
Here's what you need to understand: When you gather as Ekklesia—even just two of you—you carry legitimate governmental authority in God's Kingdom.
You're not playing church. You're not pretending. You're actually seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6, NKJV). You're actually part of the divine council. You're actually wielding the keys of the Kingdom.
The gates of death will not prevail against the Ekklesia—not because we're strong enough, but because Christ in the midst of us has already defeated death.
Your workplace isn't too hard. Your neighborhood isn't too dark. Your family situation isn't too broken.
You have keys. Use them.
A Call to Assemble
So here's my challenge:
Stop thinking of "church" as something you attend on Sundays. Start thinking of Ekklesia as something you are and something you create wherever you gather with even one other believer.
Form an Ekklesia this week.
Find one other believer in your sphere of influence. Set aside time to:
Worship (create atmosphere)
Listen to God together (prophetic)
Decide on action steps (kingly)
You don't need anyone's permission. You don't need to be ordained. You don't need a building or a budget.
You just need Christ and one other person. That's a quorum.
And that's enough to change everything.
The Kingdom of God has come. It is coming. And it will come—through the multiplication of Ekklesias releasing heaven into every corner of the earth.
This is Jesus' revolutionary government assembly. This is the Ekklesia.
Welcome to the parliament of King Jesus.
Blessings,
Susan 😊
Have you experienced the power of small-group Ekklesia? Or are you ready to start one in your sphere of influence? Share your thoughts or questions in the comments below. Let's encourage each other in this Kingdom adventure!