The reason I will be specifically expounding upon this paricepy is because of a conversation I had with my fellow brother in Christ, Jonathan Cho. He had pointed out that the statement, “When two or more are gathered, I am there” was taken out of context when used for prayer gatherings and such.
15 If you get in an argument with a fellow believer, tell them what they have done wrong to you, one on one. Between you and them alone. This is the time to try and reconcile what happened privately.
16 If that person doesn’t listen to you, then bring with you two or three believers and confront him again. Of course, this isn’t to try and threaten the other person, but rather to have witnesses in the argument that a select few may know and also try to reconcile the relationship.
17 If that person doesn’t listen to you again, then it becomes a public matter. Bring this offense to the whole church, and the whole church will try to reconcile the matter. If he does not listen even then, they are to be seen as non-believers (gentiles and tax collectors).
18 Whatever we judge as a church on earth will also be bound in heaven and whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 Jesus says that when two people agree about anything they ask it will be done for them by the father in heaven.
20 Here is the final verse. When two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. What an encouragement it is to use to know that Jesus Christ is here when we gather together. It shows that when believers are in the same place and make a decision which is confirmed by the Holy Spirit, the authority and judgment spoken thereafter is as though Jesus Christ has spoken it. For when two or more gather, He is there. The fact that He is there means there is tremendous power present when two or more are gathered. In verse 18 it says that whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven. What kind of authority is that.
In reference to making decisions upon reconciling people in the church, it is import first of all to follow the process. There are three levels of reconciliation. The private, the gathered, and the public. These three are means of showing mercy to the brother that has done wrong. When the brother who has sinned does not reconcile by the time it becomes public, then we are given authority to bind and to loose and to even judge one as a gentile, but only through this process.
The reference of verse 20 in it’s context is correct to say that it was pertaining to discipline, but the implications of the simple statement, when two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. Can go beyond discipline and be apart of christian life.
Is Jesus only there when we are disciplining?
Is He not there when we gather and pray?
Is He not there when we gather and listen to the word?
Is He not there when we gather and worship?
So in a sense, I believe and now see that original meaning of “When two or more are gathered in my name, I am there.” is in context to disciplining a person, but when taken the statement simply of itself, there are implications that Jesus Christ always be there when two or more are gathered in His name.
The prior verse says we can ask of ANYTHING. Anything which goes beyond just discipline. It’s more then that, yet it discipline was a means to teach this concept to the ancient church.
AMEN brotha! this always stumped me, but thanks for clearing it up!
We’re all learning my brother. We’re all learning.