Meditations

Related Passage:

Matthew 18

¹⁵ Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. ¹⁶ But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. ¹⁷ And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. ¹⁸ Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

-kjv

Question from moody radio listener on Jan 6, 2018:

My question is related to that I was listening to you the other day when you said that one of the biggest misquoted part of the bible is when Jesus said where two or three come together in my name, there I am with you and it intrigued me and I didn’t know where is that in the bible, so I will like to know more about that.

Answer from Dr Michael Rydelnik:

Well, it’s in Matthew 18 and I think it’s interesting because it’s quoted all the time about prayer. I think it’s praying in groups of two and three, where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst. But, if you look at it in context, it has a whole different meaning. I will pick it up in 18:15. It says if your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him in private. If he listens to you, you’ve won your brother. But if he won’t listen, take one or two more with you so that by the testimony of two or three witnesses,  every fact may be established. If he pays no attention to them, tell the church and I think that usually means the elders of the church but if he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like an unbeliever and a tax collector to you, in other words have nothing to do with him. I assure you and he’s talking here to the leaders of the church, whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven and again I assure you, if two of you on earth agree on any matter that you pray for, it will be done for you by my father in heaven, for where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them. What he’s saying is when the leadership of the church decides on some sort of congregational discipline, if the two or three agree, it’s bound in heaven. God is going to act on that. They have that kind of authority, where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. In other words when the elders of the church act in accordance with the discipline of the local church, the one who is there in their midst, operating with them and making that decision is the Lord Jesus. And so it is really about church discipline, not about prayer.