For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Christ Himself is personally present in the midst of even two or three gathered together in His name, and smallness of number is no barrier to that presence. His presence is spiritual and discerned by faith though unseen by natural eyes, and He comes as an honored Guest to enlighten and bless, with angels ministering beside believers. In its fullness the promise is not for mere profession without a lived faith, but for those cleansed from self-sufficiency, striving for supremacy, and wounded dignity, surrendered to God, meek and lowly, and united to Christ in living faith that works by love. When those so gathered agree together for a definite purpose and ask in Jesus' name, Christ meets with them and the Father hears and answers their united petition, with power greater than that given to private prayer and proportionate to their unity and love. That presence makes even two or three who love and obey Him His church, whether in wilderness, city, prison, or home, and it belongs to His ordained way of gaining an erring brother by going to him alone, then with one or two more, then to the church, and to His presiding as counselor when the church prayerfully decides such a case.
Promise and Its Setting
For where two or three are gathered together in His name, Christ Himself is personally present in the midst of them, and smallness of number is no barrier to that presence. Even two present may claim the assurance, for His presence is not limited to large assemblies but makes small prayer and testimony meetings meaningful, profitable, effective, and full of blessing, encouragement, and grace. He meets the little company to bless them and answer their petitions, meeting needs with sympathetic love and tender compassion and never turning anyone away, so that they receive a blessing they can pass on to others.
The promise belongs to the whole practical lesson of Matthew 18, which is to be hung in the chambers of mind and memory, read often, pondered, obeyed, and woven into Christian experience. It is among the most positive instruction in all of God's word for every disciple, laying down principles for acting in all cases and under all circumstances, the principles for securing eternal life and entering the kingdom of heaven. Without studying it, bringing it into daily life, and practicing it, no one will enter the kingdom, and doing His work rightly requires keeping self under the control of the great Teacher, studying the Bible with intense interest, and practicing its teachings, which brings more of God's wisdom and less of human wisdom and saves time and strength. That study calls each person to take his own soul-garden under personal stewardship, removing every weed and tare sown while the garden was neglected through occupation with weeds in the neighbor's garden, purifying thoughts by bringing them into captivity to Christ, and guarding words carefully instead of scattering them recklessly without considering where they lodge and what result they produce.
The lesson requires conversion to become as little children in humility, loving God with all heart and soul and mind and strength and loving neighbor as self. It requires receiving little ones in His name without offending or despising them, seeking the straying one as a shepherd seeks one lost sheep because it is the Father's will that none of the little ones perish, and following Christ who came to a cursed world to meet humanity and uplift the degraded and fallen and outcast. It requires going to a trespassing brother alone, then with one or two witnesses, then to the church, in order to gain him, with heaven's binding and loosing upon the faithful process, and agreeing together on earth in what is asked. It forbids the masterly spirit that lords it over God's heritage and closes heaven's gates, teaching that there is to be no striving for supremacy, for in the spiritual kingdom greatness is not position, outward splendor, or authority, but inward spiritual excellence manifested in true conversion, with quarrels, selfishness, and discourteous words put away in service rather than seeking to be first. Such conversion is certain and necessary to become laborers together with God, who gave His life to rescue everyone who seeks Him with the whole heart, bringing relief, courage, and hope as believers go to Christ in prayer, confess and repent, and walk humbly with God.
The promise in its fullness is not for those who merely profess Christianity without living it, but is received in its fullness only when the voice of the gathered body is Christ's voice. He promises to be in the midst to manifest power and grace and advance His work, but self-sufficiency, wounded dignity, and inward concealed and outward manifest striving for supremacy and to be first must be cleansed from the soul temple, with self not allowed to come between the soul and God. Believers must not use words that hinder instead of building up the kingdom, nor stand back and withhold faithful labor because judgment and capabilities are not appreciated, lest they become a curse retarding the work rather than a blessing. His blessing on such a gathering is not measured by numbers but is received by those who are meek and lowly with a faith that works by love and purifies the soul, surrendering all to God, exercising conquering faith like Jacob's midnight struggle, and living in mystical spiritual union with Christ by which they are united to God with a life in the soul that never fades or fails, bringing comfort and hope, light and peace to those who assemble believing they will receive them.
His presence is spiritual, truly present though unseen by natural eyes and discerned by faith, longed for to refresh and bless each soul. He comes as the honored heavenly Guest among those assembled and witnessing to their faith, especially on the Sabbath, to enlighten, bless, and sanctify the obedient who keep the commandments and grow ever more partakers of His pure, holy, divine nature with a sense of companionship at the right hand to help. The assembly is attended with heaven's interest, with angels present, ministering beside believers, seeking to influence human hearts, impressing minds with spiritual truths, and ascending and descending between heaven and earth while God's glory shines upon the congregation, making the gathering place sacred and giving value to meetings for growth in speaking and praying to edify others.
The Lord has never left His faithful few without His presence nor the world without a witness, and His presence is not limited to church assemblies but joins sincere doers of His word so they do not carry the work alone. The promise was realized as fully by Adam and Eve and Abel when they accepted Jesus as Redeemer, for God had a church even then. Wherever Enoch found one or two willing to hear his message and worship God, Jesus joined them, so that even among wicked inhabitants of earth the faithful were never without Him.
Answered United Prayer
When two or three gather in Jesus' name and agree together in prayer for a definite purpose, Christ meets with them and the Father hears and answers their united petition. Agreement may be brought into practical life with confidence, for those who ask together in His name may expect their request to be granted. This holds for believers who humbly seek a sanctified heart and purified character, with the Holy Spirit aiding them, and for workers who draw together in shared purpose and for people in distant places who consult, pray, and turn to Scripture together without dependence on human approval. A gathered congregation may therefore seek God's power, grace, healing, and deliverance from evil in this assurance.
The power given in answer to united church prayer is greater than that given in answer to private prayer. That power is proportionate to the members' unity and to their love for God and for one another. United prayer requires more minds than one earnestly desiring the same thing, with agreement centering on the same point. This guards against the deception to which the thought and exercise of one mind alone is liable, and it carried special lessons with special bearing upon the newly organized church on earth, following explicit directions for trial and discipline of its members, where union of prayers and union of effort and union of purpose were given greater importance even while God hears individual prayers.
Progress in the divine life calls for frequent, earnest united prayer. Believers are to join one or two others in quiet places, chambers, barns, orchards, and groves to seek a sanctified heart, purified character, pardon of sins, preparation for Christ's coming, light in perplexity, and the Holy Spirit's aid, weeping and interceding for hours followed by thanksgiving and praise. Still greater earnestness is needed now because the day of God is nearer, perils are greater, and souls are more hardened. When a person faces strong struggle, joining one or two fellow believers to seek the Lord brings peace and comfort, with holy angels present, prayers heard by the Father in heaven, and better preparation for responsibilities at home.
Small groups that meet daily to pray for themselves and for those carrying on the work may receive His blessing and help advance the work, and fellow laborers may be asked to pray together for wisdom and help while dependence for wisdom remains on God rather than on finite people. Even a small company gathering in a quiet place to seek the Lord joins the promise of His presence to the assurance that prayer agreed upon will be answered, giving grounds for believing in His presence and confidence in prayer when meeting to seek His blessing. Two or three who are accustomed to pray may unite to ask the Lord to let His light shine upon them, to impart special grace, and to heal the sick. Everything is to be taken to the Lord, all weakness made known and all perplexity specified, and when in sorrow and uncertain what course to pursue or under infirmity of body it is right to trust in supplication and to ask others in whom there is confidence to unite in prayer to Jesus the mighty Healer, whose help will surely come if asked in faith, while praying for the sick is too important to be handled carelessly and coldness, lukewarmness, faithlessness, and carelessness keep help from being received.
Christ Forms His Church
It is Christ's own presence among even two or three gathered in His name that makes them His church, not a cathedral, grand building, national church, national establishment, or denomination. Wherever two or three who love and obey God's commandments are gathered, whether in a wilderness, a city, a desolate place, a prison, or a dungeon, Jesus presides among them. Even in prison and in the dungeon heaven's light and God's glory can reach them, and the suffering of His saints there can spread their faith, strengthen witness, win souls to Christ, and glorify God.
Those led to accept Christ, however few they are, are to be organized as a church and help one another in the assurance that Christ is with them. Scattered believers without a minister can meet for Bible study, prayer, and mutual encouragement, trusting God will hear and answer, with angels ministering beside them as they speak of the Christian hope. Their faithful work to strengthen one another and bring life to the church is seen and remembered in heaven and is rewarded as faithfully as a minister's work.
By that presence the church below becomes a place where heaven is personified, a pure and undefiled pattern and pure pattern of the heavenly kingdom, opposite to earthly powers that war for ascendancy by physical force. All carnal weapons and instruments of coercion are therefore banished from it, for it belongs to the kingdom of God which reflects God's character and is governed not by force or compulsion but by the Holy Spirit, love, gratitude, unselfish love, and selfless principles. Organized by the three highest powers of heaven, its members are distinguished from world-lovers and world-servers by the spiritual nature of their profession and their practical godliness.
His presence makes the church a holy community and beautiful temple for God and a community of holy life, a new creation unlike earthly kingdoms to uplift and ennoble fallen humanity, filled with varied gifts and endowed with the Holy Spirit bringing piety, compassion, zeal, and love. There each member has a duty assigned by Heaven and finds happiness in helping and blessing others. When believers assemble in faith in Christ's name, received through faith and the Holy Spirit, gathering brings each heart a living experience of Christ with love flowing from heart to heart, hearts blending in oneness with Christ, difficulties, contention and difficulties disappearing, and believers united with one another and with Christ.
The promise belongs to the entire lesson of Matthew 18 that must be read and practiced, requiring conversion to become as little children in humility to enter the kingdom of heaven, receiving little ones in Christ's name without offending or despising them, seeking the straying one as a shepherd seeks one lost sheep because it is the Father's will that none of the little ones perish, going to a trespassing brother alone then with one or two witnesses then to the church to gain him, and agreeing together on earth in what is asked with heaven's binding and loosing. When a church council gathers in His name and prayer to consider an offender's case according to Christ's directions, Christ is present to preside as its all-wise counselor. Decisions must therefore be made cautiously with prayer and faith and God-given wisdom rather than by one person's judgment swayed by prejudice or hearsay, speaking and acting cautiously while praying for the erring and seeking restoration, and decisions so reached are ratified in heaven, a continuing comfort and encouragement to the church.
Restoring an Erring Member
The promise belongs to God's ordained plan for gaining a trespassing brother rather than despising him, accusing him, casting him off, excluding him, or leaving him to Satan's temptations. The way is to go to the erring one alone, then with one or two more, then to the church, praying with and for him with hearts softened by grace and kindly pointing out the wrong to gain him. When the injured person and the one at fault meet and pray together after seeking reconciliation, Christ's presence and heaven's blessing accompany their restored unity. This is the ministry of reconciliation for bringing men and women to God and restoring unity when one errs or disagreement arises, for united prayer for sin-sick brethren will be done for them by the Father in heaven and brings Christ's saving grace and rich blessing to the church in soul-saving work.
Christ Himself is present as witness and counselor in every such assembly, especially when the church meets to consider a member's case. He knows whether the thoughts of those present are holy, kind, tender and Christlike or hard, unkind and satanic, and whether their conduct is Christlike or harsh and unkind. A record of their words and their spirit and of the result of their course of action goes up to heaven, making their conduct and spirit accountable to heaven, so no one can afford to be careless and inattentive in such a meeting. Christ presides as all-wise counselor, so decisions must be made cautiously, with prayer and faith and God-given wisdom, rather than by one person's judgment which may be swayed by prejudice or hearsay, and decisions reached according to His directions are ratified in heaven.
The church has a duty to address members who fall into error and sin, and this duty requires thorough organization. Those entrusted with responsibility are to give wise counsel that protects and strengthens God's people, not act as rulers or lords, and those handling sacred work must be transformed in spirit to represent Jesus Christ. A hard, cruel, self-superior, masterly spirit that lords it over God's heritage wounds others, is incompatible with Christian service, and closes heaven's gates. Understanding and following this instruction is necessary for unity in Christian work.
Criticism, faultfinding, resentment, disrespect toward fellow workers, striving for supremacy, self-esteem, self-exaltation, and strife to be highly esteemed by men are contrary to its principles and cannot receive God's approval or blessing. The desire to hinder and repress one who is doing a good work, accusing another, thinking and speaking evil, wanting a worker who occupies a higher office removed from his position, and devising plans to separate brethren are the enemy's devices with which the Lord has nothing to do, giving place to the enemy and grieving the Spirit of the Lord. They must be met and condemned by refusing to think or speak evil, by giving the Word of God in strong portions to mischief makers who know not what they are about, and by reading the plain, decided, clear-cut word of the Lord against dissension, for such criticism is expressly the work of the devil. That spirit began in the heavenly courts when Satan suggested a change in the government of God for the advantage of the heavenly family, won sympathy and assent from angels by deception, put his own thoughts in their minds and then repeated them as theirs, bred suspicion and distrust of God and of one another without being detected, and started strife until God took hold of the rebellion and expelled the disloyal with the instigator for the good of the loyal and true.
Those involved must not let time pass but meet at once, go directly to those they think have wronged them, pray and converse together, and agree in what they ask of the Father. They are to stop dwelling on one another's faults and errors, put away recrimination, confess unchristian feelings, ask forgiveness and forgive every supposed injury, and become one with a sense of their own great need of Christ's forgiveness, until heart is cemented to heart and self-will and selfishness die. Where brethren gather in His name to repent, confess to one another, and pray for one another, He is there to bless, bring healing grace, and relieve them, and that united prayer brings a wonderful change. When every member does his duty in church discipline and strives to preserve perfect harmony like a well-regulated family, this life in union with Christ and in harmony with one another prepares God's children for the great reunion in the church above and endless life in the heavenly courts.
Gatherings That Claim Promise
Wherever as many as two or three believers are found they should meet together on the Sabbath to claim the promise, for little companies assembled to worship God on His holy day have a right to claim the rich blessing of Jehovah. The Sabbath is the day God blessed and made holy as the memorial of creation, and true worshipers who keep it holy and keep the commandments are sanctified in obedience, so that every Sabbath becomes a day of special blessing. Jesus is present in their assemblies as an honored Guest to enlighten, bless, and sanctify, and they meet with a solemn sense of the presence of God with angels of God in the assembly. They meet to study Scripture, read suitable publications, testify, and pray for God's presence and blessing, and His presence makes Sabbath meetings a sacred occasion for worship and spiritual refreshment calling for alert, faithful, active engagement rather than sleep or listlessness.
God hears prayers offered in the family circle when they come from devoted hearts. The promise is to be claimed in humility in frequent seasons of sincere, earnest prayer with the mind constantly in a prayerful attitude, and it applies in the home and in the church and in behalf of those preaching the Word. A few neighbors meeting together to pray for the Holy Spirit, and those who cannot leave home when they gather their children to unite in learning to pray together, may claim Christ's personal presence with small groups gathered in His name. In small gatherings at home for Bible reading, singing, and prayer He is present as promised and hearts are touched by His grace, and a husband and wife joined in holy union under Christ who pray together are blessed by His presence while His control and the guidance of the Holy Spirit shape their shared life.
Christ's promised presence brings assurance, encouragement, blessing, and grace to small prayer and testimony meetings held in His name, making prayer meetings and meetings where eternal things are presented places where it is safe to be and not to be traded for pleasure. Those who gather in His name to worship and pray meet with God even when no minister is available, with assurance that He will not leave them to struggle alone in trials, self-denial, and sacrifice, and scattered believers without a minister can meet for Bible study, prayer, and mutual encouragement with angels ministering beside them as they speak of the Christian hope. Their faithful work to strengthen one another and bring life to the church is seen and remembered in heaven and rewarded as faithfully as a minister's work, for God's presence is not limited by numbers and a small congregation meeting in a humble house built for His honor can receive His presence and blessing when worship is sincere. A prayer meeting is worth attending even when only two or three gather, and even two present may claim the promise and begin at the appointed time, for smallness of number does not make the meeting unimportant. Such assemblies are to be believed in, with eyes turned from self to Jesus and beholding Him to be changed, talking of His love, praying briefly and directly like a hungry child asking bread, and receiving every needed blessing in simplicity and faith, while angry feelings in worshipers' hearts shut away the Spirit of God.
Jesus is present with those who gather in His name in business meetings as well as social and religious meetings, and when brethren counsel together and invite Him He presides over their council meetings as guide and counselor. Recognizing His presence curbs lightness and self-importance and leads people to seek His direction for their plans, and in an assembly considering God's work and sacred things remembrance of His presence should bring reverence and allow the Spirit of God to guide with wisdom, grace, charity, righteousness, and impartial judgment. When workers meet to pray and counsel together His presence gives help and courage and binds them in unity, peace, and strength, and every transaction should then be considered conscientiously, prayerfully, and uprightly under God's counsel in schools and institutions as well as councils. Christ is personally present among His people when they gather for the sacred ordinances He established, meeting with and strengthening them and working on human hearts, and His presence is not prevented by unsanctified people administering the ordinance.
The promise that Christ is present and the Father answers united requests supports workers as they carry the gospel into new places and labor together in faith, including small groups meeting to pray for evangelistic work and for those carrying it forward. Neighbors who meet to pray for the Holy Spirit, families who gather at home to learn to pray together, students gathering to ask help as missionaries to bless fellow students and resist temptation, and workers carrying the gospel to new places may claim Christ among even a few gathered in His name, with blessing, grace, and help. When Christians gather to unite counsel and earnest petitions, especially for lost souls, they receive spiritual strength and an unction from the Holy One, their love for souls deepens, and the Spirit empowers them with mighty energies to work to save the lost and trains them to rescue the lost. This help does not depend on formal ceremony or working alone for personal credit but on the soul receiving the Holy Spirit to enlighten, renew, and sanctify it, with two or three joining in prayer and praise and serving together as fellow workers, a help needed alongside secret prayer.
Christ is present with two or three who gather in His name, and when a person faces strong struggle, affliction, sickness, and spiritual conflict, joining one or two fellow believers to seek the Lord can bring peace and comfort with holy angels present, prayers heard by the Father in heaven, and better preparation for responsibilities at home. Two or three who ask in Jesus' name may claim His promise that He will be present and act for them, with help available to break Satan's snares and overcome sin, and His presence in prayer brings help against Satan's power and release from affliction. Believers summoned to court for faithfulness to God have Christ present with them even if the whole world stands against them. At camp meeting He is among the people to hear penitential confessions and pardon sins, and at sacred convocations He is present and does what they most need. Those praying for the sick pray with blessing and faith to believe in restoration or grace to endure, and those meeting in homes like the Lamotte family have an unseen heavenly Guest bringing gladness, strength, joy, and resignation.
Worshiping in His Presence
Believers are not to withdraw into themselves or live isolated, merely formal Christian lives, but to gather together even when only two or three meet as a church, for Christ is present among those gathered in His name to bless His worshipers. Gathering is not mere form and ceremony but interchange of thought, relating daily experience, expressing thanksgiving, and voicing sincere desire for divine enlightenment to know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. Communing together about Christ strengthens the soul for coming conflicts and trials, and because each person is part of the great web of humanity, the nature and quality of personal experience is largely determined by the character of those with whom one associates. Believers have no strength in themselves against the sharp assaults of the enemy and are kept by the power of God through faith, so they must take decided interest in religious meetings and make earnest and determined efforts to attend every meeting possible and be found among the little few who worship, bear testimony, and strengthen the things that remain. Supposed excuses for staying away must not be allowed, because the enemy has a hand in such excuses and creates circumstances to keep people from being present where Jesus meets to bless, and turning away from the prayer meeting for companionship with one who has no love for God forsakes a religious privilege. Those who desire wisdom and want to follow Jesus will place themselves where true light comes to the heart, shaping business so it does not become all-absorbing and quench love for those in need, for neglecting to gather shows how lightly the help God has provided is valued, while meeting together brings strength to withstand Satan as he works to wound and poison the soul, helps believers breathe the atmosphere of heaven, keep hold of Christ, and advance with truth dwelling in the heart guiding the life.
Every place of devotion is the divine presence and the gathering place is sacred, and God honors the assemblies of His people with His presence even though He does not dwell in temples made with hands. Because Christ is present, all gathered should feel they are before God and use the occasion to diligently search their own hearts and confess their own sins instead of dwelling on the faults and errors of others, leaving others to do their own duty. His presence rules out contention: those who abide in Him put away quarrels, selfishness, discourteous words, hasty speech, and every evil thing, seek to serve rather than be first, turn the mind from self toward sympathy and love for others, and worship in spirit and truth and holiness with hearts emptied of evil. Their gathering is of no avail unless they so worship, acknowledge their sins, pray for one another, and turn from cherished sin in humble faith, for without reverence there is no blessing from God, only worship in form with no spiritual service. His presence does not mean Satan and his apostate angels are absent: they also seek to influence minds and hearts, especially through the atmosphere created by the unconsecrated, so worshipers must guard their minds and give no place to the devil.
When Satan strives for entrance and an inclination to pick flaws and condemn appears, even two or three must use His presence by saying let us pray, bowing before God in fear, refusing the enemy entrance, and drawing near to God so He will draw near and lift up a standard against the enemy. Humble earnest prayer is the means of deliverance from unwholesome speech and sanctifies the tongue, bringing reconverting power so that those who have violated their baptismal vows repent and are converted and no longer do unchristlike work in dealing with others. The blessing ensured by His presence need not be a happy feeling; it may be clearer knowledge of defects of character and the help of divine grace to remedy them.
All who love God and receive the light of truth should learn not to remain silent but to testify often to the preciousness of His grace and truth and speak often with one another, especially in Sabbath meetings where they can share their thoughts, for witnessing is not the task of one person alone. Angels are also present in the assembly, impressing minds with spiritual truths, and this presence gives value to believers' meetings and supports their growth as they practice speaking and praying to edify others. Every lover of truth meeting among the little few is to bear uplifting testimony full of courage and hope and victory, encourage one another, speak together with gratitude prompted by thinking of the Lord, and act as home missionaries to strengthen the things that remain, and such testimony is precious to God. Receiving the fulfillment of the promise calls for turning from cherished sin, confessing and forsaking it, and coming to Jesus in humble faith; then He hears prayer because His word is pledged.
His presence among even a small company gathered to worship, pray, and testify brings assurance, encouragement, blessing, grace, comfort, hope, light, and peace to those who assemble in faith. He is there not only when they speak about Him but remains with them to help and to press back moral darkness as they reveal Him to those around them, making their prayers and worship effective and giving them a blessing they can pass on to others. In every assembly gathered to learn from Him and hear His Word He can open blind eyes to make people see clearly, touch hearts, deepen love so difficulties disappear and hearts blend in oneness, and through a faithful worker's testimony bring people into communication with Christ as at the house of God and gate of heaven. Gathered believers who agree in prayer for a definite purpose are not alone: Christ meets with them, and their united petition is heard and answered by the Father, for unity in prayer is honored by God and is a source of strength.
That presence carries the commission He gave to His disciples and the power He promised them, and both commission and power now belong to believers today. Placing themselves where God can give that power enables them to preach the gospel with might that converts thousands in a day, to warn fellow beings and neighbors, to enter unworked cities and make them centers of truth, and to prepare a people to stand in the day of the Lord, with God's power resting on the speaker as at Ashfield when Jesus was in the congregation's midst as the message was given. A minister should not be discouraged by a small audience, for the Spirit may be striving with one hearer whose conversion may reach many others, and God can multiply the results of faithful preaching far beyond what is seen. Christ by His Holy Spirit softens sluggish sinful hearts and wakes people, gives strength to speak His Word for over an hour without weariness, becomes power and efficiency and front guard and rearward, and moves to pity and words of comfort for afflicted sufferers such as patients in wheel chairs.
Christ Himself is personally present in the midst of even two or three gathered together in His name, and smallness of number is no barrier to that presence. His presence is spiritual and discerned by faith though unseen by natural eyes, and He comes as an honored Guest to enlighten and bless, with angels ministering beside believers. In its fullness the promise is not for mere profession without a lived faith, but for those cleansed from self-sufficiency, striving for supremacy, and wounded dignity, surrendered to God, meek and lowly, and united to Christ in living faith that works by love. When those so gathered agree together for a definite purpose and ask in Jesus' name, Christ meets with them and the Father hears and answers their united petition, with power greater than that given to private prayer and proportionate to their unity and love. That presence makes even two or three who love and obey Him His church, whether in wilderness, city, prison, or home, and it belongs to His ordained way of gaining an erring brother by going to him alone, then with one or two more, then to the church, and to His presiding as counselor when the church prayerfully decides such a case.
Promise and Its Setting
For where two or three are gathered together in His name, Christ Himself is personally present in the midst of them, and smallness of number is no barrier to that presence. Even two present may claim the assurance, for His presence is not limited to large assemblies but makes small prayer and testimony meetings meaningful, profitable, effective, and full of blessing, encouragement, and grace. He meets the little company to bless them and answer their petitions, meeting needs with sympathetic love and tender compassion and never turning anyone away, so that they receive a blessing they can pass on to others.
The promise belongs to the whole practical lesson of Matthew 18, which is to be hung in the chambers of mind and memory, read often, pondered, obeyed, and woven into Christian experience. It is among the most positive instruction in all of God's word for every disciple, laying down principles for acting in all cases and under all circumstances, the principles for securing eternal life and entering the kingdom of heaven. Without studying it, bringing it into daily life, and practicing it, no one will enter the kingdom, and doing His work rightly requires keeping self under the control of the great Teacher, studying the Bible with intense interest, and practicing its teachings, which brings more of God's wisdom and less of human wisdom and saves time and strength. That study calls each person to take his own soul-garden under personal stewardship, removing every weed and tare sown while the garden was neglected through occupation with weeds in the neighbor's garden, purifying thoughts by bringing them into captivity to Christ, and guarding words carefully instead of scattering them recklessly without considering where they lodge and what result they produce.
The lesson requires conversion to become as little children in humility, loving God with all heart and soul and mind and strength and loving neighbor as self. It requires receiving little ones in His name without offending or despising them, seeking the straying one as a shepherd seeks one lost sheep because it is the Father's will that none of the little ones perish, and following Christ who came to a cursed world to meet humanity and uplift the degraded and fallen and outcast. It requires going to a trespassing brother alone, then with one or two witnesses, then to the church, in order to gain him, with heaven's binding and loosing upon the faithful process, and agreeing together on earth in what is asked. It forbids the masterly spirit that lords it over God's heritage and closes heaven's gates, teaching that there is to be no striving for supremacy, for in the spiritual kingdom greatness is not position, outward splendor, or authority, but inward spiritual excellence manifested in true conversion, with quarrels, selfishness, and discourteous words put away in service rather than seeking to be first. Such conversion is certain and necessary to become laborers together with God, who gave His life to rescue everyone who seeks Him with the whole heart, bringing relief, courage, and hope as believers go to Christ in prayer, confess and repent, and walk humbly with God.
The promise in its fullness is not for those who merely profess Christianity without living it, but is received in its fullness only when the voice of the gathered body is Christ's voice. He promises to be in the midst to manifest power and grace and advance His work, but self-sufficiency, wounded dignity, and inward concealed and outward manifest striving for supremacy and to be first must be cleansed from the soul temple, with self not allowed to come between the soul and God. Believers must not use words that hinder instead of building up the kingdom, nor stand back and withhold faithful labor because judgment and capabilities are not appreciated, lest they become a curse retarding the work rather than a blessing. His blessing on such a gathering is not measured by numbers but is received by those who are meek and lowly with a faith that works by love and purifies the soul, surrendering all to God, exercising conquering faith like Jacob's midnight struggle, and living in mystical spiritual union with Christ by which they are united to God with a life in the soul that never fades or fails, bringing comfort and hope, light and peace to those who assemble believing they will receive them.
His presence is spiritual, truly present though unseen by natural eyes and discerned by faith, longed for to refresh and bless each soul. He comes as the honored heavenly Guest among those assembled and witnessing to their faith, especially on the Sabbath, to enlighten, bless, and sanctify the obedient who keep the commandments and grow ever more partakers of His pure, holy, divine nature with a sense of companionship at the right hand to help. The assembly is attended with heaven's interest, with angels present, ministering beside believers, seeking to influence human hearts, impressing minds with spiritual truths, and ascending and descending between heaven and earth while God's glory shines upon the congregation, making the gathering place sacred and giving value to meetings for growth in speaking and praying to edify others.
The Lord has never left His faithful few without His presence nor the world without a witness, and His presence is not limited to church assemblies but joins sincere doers of His word so they do not carry the work alone. The promise was realized as fully by Adam and Eve and Abel when they accepted Jesus as Redeemer, for God had a church even then. Wherever Enoch found one or two willing to hear his message and worship God, Jesus joined them, so that even among wicked inhabitants of earth the faithful were never without Him.
Answered United Prayer
When two or three gather in Jesus' name and agree together in prayer for a definite purpose, Christ meets with them and the Father hears and answers their united petition. Agreement may be brought into practical life with confidence, for those who ask together in His name may expect their request to be granted. This holds for believers who humbly seek a sanctified heart and purified character, with the Holy Spirit aiding them, and for workers who draw together in shared purpose and for people in distant places who consult, pray, and turn to Scripture together without dependence on human approval. A gathered congregation may therefore seek God's power, grace, healing, and deliverance from evil in this assurance.
The power given in answer to united church prayer is greater than that given in answer to private prayer. That power is proportionate to the members' unity and to their love for God and for one another. United prayer requires more minds than one earnestly desiring the same thing, with agreement centering on the same point. This guards against the deception to which the thought and exercise of one mind alone is liable, and it carried special lessons with special bearing upon the newly organized church on earth, following explicit directions for trial and discipline of its members, where union of prayers and union of effort and union of purpose were given greater importance even while God hears individual prayers.
Progress in the divine life calls for frequent, earnest united prayer. Believers are to join one or two others in quiet places, chambers, barns, orchards, and groves to seek a sanctified heart, purified character, pardon of sins, preparation for Christ's coming, light in perplexity, and the Holy Spirit's aid, weeping and interceding for hours followed by thanksgiving and praise. Still greater earnestness is needed now because the day of God is nearer, perils are greater, and souls are more hardened. When a person faces strong struggle, joining one or two fellow believers to seek the Lord brings peace and comfort, with holy angels present, prayers heard by the Father in heaven, and better preparation for responsibilities at home.
Small groups that meet daily to pray for themselves and for those carrying on the work may receive His blessing and help advance the work, and fellow laborers may be asked to pray together for wisdom and help while dependence for wisdom remains on God rather than on finite people. Even a small company gathering in a quiet place to seek the Lord joins the promise of His presence to the assurance that prayer agreed upon will be answered, giving grounds for believing in His presence and confidence in prayer when meeting to seek His blessing. Two or three who are accustomed to pray may unite to ask the Lord to let His light shine upon them, to impart special grace, and to heal the sick. Everything is to be taken to the Lord, all weakness made known and all perplexity specified, and when in sorrow and uncertain what course to pursue or under infirmity of body it is right to trust in supplication and to ask others in whom there is confidence to unite in prayer to Jesus the mighty Healer, whose help will surely come if asked in faith, while praying for the sick is too important to be handled carelessly and coldness, lukewarmness, faithlessness, and carelessness keep help from being received.
Christ Forms His Church
It is Christ's own presence among even two or three gathered in His name that makes them His church, not a cathedral, grand building, national church, national establishment, or denomination. Wherever two or three who love and obey God's commandments are gathered, whether in a wilderness, a city, a desolate place, a prison, or a dungeon, Jesus presides among them. Even in prison and in the dungeon heaven's light and God's glory can reach them, and the suffering of His saints there can spread their faith, strengthen witness, win souls to Christ, and glorify God.
Those led to accept Christ, however few they are, are to be organized as a church and help one another in the assurance that Christ is with them. Scattered believers without a minister can meet for Bible study, prayer, and mutual encouragement, trusting God will hear and answer, with angels ministering beside them as they speak of the Christian hope. Their faithful work to strengthen one another and bring life to the church is seen and remembered in heaven and is rewarded as faithfully as a minister's work.
By that presence the church below becomes a place where heaven is personified, a pure and undefiled pattern and pure pattern of the heavenly kingdom, opposite to earthly powers that war for ascendancy by physical force. All carnal weapons and instruments of coercion are therefore banished from it, for it belongs to the kingdom of God which reflects God's character and is governed not by force or compulsion but by the Holy Spirit, love, gratitude, unselfish love, and selfless principles. Organized by the three highest powers of heaven, its members are distinguished from world-lovers and world-servers by the spiritual nature of their profession and their practical godliness.
His presence makes the church a holy community and beautiful temple for God and a community of holy life, a new creation unlike earthly kingdoms to uplift and ennoble fallen humanity, filled with varied gifts and endowed with the Holy Spirit bringing piety, compassion, zeal, and love. There each member has a duty assigned by Heaven and finds happiness in helping and blessing others. When believers assemble in faith in Christ's name, received through faith and the Holy Spirit, gathering brings each heart a living experience of Christ with love flowing from heart to heart, hearts blending in oneness with Christ, difficulties, contention and difficulties disappearing, and believers united with one another and with Christ.
The promise belongs to the entire lesson of Matthew 18 that must be read and practiced, requiring conversion to become as little children in humility to enter the kingdom of heaven, receiving little ones in Christ's name without offending or despising them, seeking the straying one as a shepherd seeks one lost sheep because it is the Father's will that none of the little ones perish, going to a trespassing brother alone then with one or two witnesses then to the church to gain him, and agreeing together on earth in what is asked with heaven's binding and loosing. When a church council gathers in His name and prayer to consider an offender's case according to Christ's directions, Christ is present to preside as its all-wise counselor. Decisions must therefore be made cautiously with prayer and faith and God-given wisdom rather than by one person's judgment swayed by prejudice or hearsay, speaking and acting cautiously while praying for the erring and seeking restoration, and decisions so reached are ratified in heaven, a continuing comfort and encouragement to the church.
Restoring an Erring Member
The promise belongs to God's ordained plan for gaining a trespassing brother rather than despising him, accusing him, casting him off, excluding him, or leaving him to Satan's temptations. The way is to go to the erring one alone, then with one or two more, then to the church, praying with and for him with hearts softened by grace and kindly pointing out the wrong to gain him. When the injured person and the one at fault meet and pray together after seeking reconciliation, Christ's presence and heaven's blessing accompany their restored unity. This is the ministry of reconciliation for bringing men and women to God and restoring unity when one errs or disagreement arises, for united prayer for sin-sick brethren will be done for them by the Father in heaven and brings Christ's saving grace and rich blessing to the church in soul-saving work.
Christ Himself is present as witness and counselor in every such assembly, especially when the church meets to consider a member's case. He knows whether the thoughts of those present are holy, kind, tender and Christlike or hard, unkind and satanic, and whether their conduct is Christlike or harsh and unkind. A record of their words and their spirit and of the result of their course of action goes up to heaven, making their conduct and spirit accountable to heaven, so no one can afford to be careless and inattentive in such a meeting. Christ presides as all-wise counselor, so decisions must be made cautiously, with prayer and faith and God-given wisdom, rather than by one person's judgment which may be swayed by prejudice or hearsay, and decisions reached according to His directions are ratified in heaven.
The church has a duty to address members who fall into error and sin, and this duty requires thorough organization. Those entrusted with responsibility are to give wise counsel that protects and strengthens God's people, not act as rulers or lords, and those handling sacred work must be transformed in spirit to represent Jesus Christ. A hard, cruel, self-superior, masterly spirit that lords it over God's heritage wounds others, is incompatible with Christian service, and closes heaven's gates. Understanding and following this instruction is necessary for unity in Christian work.
Criticism, faultfinding, resentment, disrespect toward fellow workers, striving for supremacy, self-esteem, self-exaltation, and strife to be highly esteemed by men are contrary to its principles and cannot receive God's approval or blessing. The desire to hinder and repress one who is doing a good work, accusing another, thinking and speaking evil, wanting a worker who occupies a higher office removed from his position, and devising plans to separate brethren are the enemy's devices with which the Lord has nothing to do, giving place to the enemy and grieving the Spirit of the Lord. They must be met and condemned by refusing to think or speak evil, by giving the Word of God in strong portions to mischief makers who know not what they are about, and by reading the plain, decided, clear-cut word of the Lord against dissension, for such criticism is expressly the work of the devil. That spirit began in the heavenly courts when Satan suggested a change in the government of God for the advantage of the heavenly family, won sympathy and assent from angels by deception, put his own thoughts in their minds and then repeated them as theirs, bred suspicion and distrust of God and of one another without being detected, and started strife until God took hold of the rebellion and expelled the disloyal with the instigator for the good of the loyal and true.
Those involved must not let time pass but meet at once, go directly to those they think have wronged them, pray and converse together, and agree in what they ask of the Father. They are to stop dwelling on one another's faults and errors, put away recrimination, confess unchristian feelings, ask forgiveness and forgive every supposed injury, and become one with a sense of their own great need of Christ's forgiveness, until heart is cemented to heart and self-will and selfishness die. Where brethren gather in His name to repent, confess to one another, and pray for one another, He is there to bless, bring healing grace, and relieve them, and that united prayer brings a wonderful change. When every member does his duty in church discipline and strives to preserve perfect harmony like a well-regulated family, this life in union with Christ and in harmony with one another prepares God's children for the great reunion in the church above and endless life in the heavenly courts.
Gatherings That Claim Promise
Wherever as many as two or three believers are found they should meet together on the Sabbath to claim the promise, for little companies assembled to worship God on His holy day have a right to claim the rich blessing of Jehovah. The Sabbath is the day God blessed and made holy as the memorial of creation, and true worshipers who keep it holy and keep the commandments are sanctified in obedience, so that every Sabbath becomes a day of special blessing. Jesus is present in their assemblies as an honored Guest to enlighten, bless, and sanctify, and they meet with a solemn sense of the presence of God with angels of God in the assembly. They meet to study Scripture, read suitable publications, testify, and pray for God's presence and blessing, and His presence makes Sabbath meetings a sacred occasion for worship and spiritual refreshment calling for alert, faithful, active engagement rather than sleep or listlessness.
God hears prayers offered in the family circle when they come from devoted hearts. The promise is to be claimed in humility in frequent seasons of sincere, earnest prayer with the mind constantly in a prayerful attitude, and it applies in the home and in the church and in behalf of those preaching the Word. A few neighbors meeting together to pray for the Holy Spirit, and those who cannot leave home when they gather their children to unite in learning to pray together, may claim Christ's personal presence with small groups gathered in His name. In small gatherings at home for Bible reading, singing, and prayer He is present as promised and hearts are touched by His grace, and a husband and wife joined in holy union under Christ who pray together are blessed by His presence while His control and the guidance of the Holy Spirit shape their shared life.
Christ's promised presence brings assurance, encouragement, blessing, and grace to small prayer and testimony meetings held in His name, making prayer meetings and meetings where eternal things are presented places where it is safe to be and not to be traded for pleasure. Those who gather in His name to worship and pray meet with God even when no minister is available, with assurance that He will not leave them to struggle alone in trials, self-denial, and sacrifice, and scattered believers without a minister can meet for Bible study, prayer, and mutual encouragement with angels ministering beside them as they speak of the Christian hope. Their faithful work to strengthen one another and bring life to the church is seen and remembered in heaven and rewarded as faithfully as a minister's work, for God's presence is not limited by numbers and a small congregation meeting in a humble house built for His honor can receive His presence and blessing when worship is sincere. A prayer meeting is worth attending even when only two or three gather, and even two present may claim the promise and begin at the appointed time, for smallness of number does not make the meeting unimportant. Such assemblies are to be believed in, with eyes turned from self to Jesus and beholding Him to be changed, talking of His love, praying briefly and directly like a hungry child asking bread, and receiving every needed blessing in simplicity and faith, while angry feelings in worshipers' hearts shut away the Spirit of God.
Jesus is present with those who gather in His name in business meetings as well as social and religious meetings, and when brethren counsel together and invite Him He presides over their council meetings as guide and counselor. Recognizing His presence curbs lightness and self-importance and leads people to seek His direction for their plans, and in an assembly considering God's work and sacred things remembrance of His presence should bring reverence and allow the Spirit of God to guide with wisdom, grace, charity, righteousness, and impartial judgment. When workers meet to pray and counsel together His presence gives help and courage and binds them in unity, peace, and strength, and every transaction should then be considered conscientiously, prayerfully, and uprightly under God's counsel in schools and institutions as well as councils. Christ is personally present among His people when they gather for the sacred ordinances He established, meeting with and strengthening them and working on human hearts, and His presence is not prevented by unsanctified people administering the ordinance.
The promise that Christ is present and the Father answers united requests supports workers as they carry the gospel into new places and labor together in faith, including small groups meeting to pray for evangelistic work and for those carrying it forward. Neighbors who meet to pray for the Holy Spirit, families who gather at home to learn to pray together, students gathering to ask help as missionaries to bless fellow students and resist temptation, and workers carrying the gospel to new places may claim Christ among even a few gathered in His name, with blessing, grace, and help. When Christians gather to unite counsel and earnest petitions, especially for lost souls, they receive spiritual strength and an unction from the Holy One, their love for souls deepens, and the Spirit empowers them with mighty energies to work to save the lost and trains them to rescue the lost. This help does not depend on formal ceremony or working alone for personal credit but on the soul receiving the Holy Spirit to enlighten, renew, and sanctify it, with two or three joining in prayer and praise and serving together as fellow workers, a help needed alongside secret prayer.
Christ is present with two or three who gather in His name, and when a person faces strong struggle, affliction, sickness, and spiritual conflict, joining one or two fellow believers to seek the Lord can bring peace and comfort with holy angels present, prayers heard by the Father in heaven, and better preparation for responsibilities at home. Two or three who ask in Jesus' name may claim His promise that He will be present and act for them, with help available to break Satan's snares and overcome sin, and His presence in prayer brings help against Satan's power and release from affliction. Believers summoned to court for faithfulness to God have Christ present with them even if the whole world stands against them. At camp meeting He is among the people to hear penitential confessions and pardon sins, and at sacred convocations He is present and does what they most need. Those praying for the sick pray with blessing and faith to believe in restoration or grace to endure, and those meeting in homes like the Lamotte family have an unseen heavenly Guest bringing gladness, strength, joy, and resignation.
Worshiping in His Presence
Believers are not to withdraw into themselves or live isolated, merely formal Christian lives, but to gather together even when only two or three meet as a church, for Christ is present among those gathered in His name to bless His worshipers. Gathering is not mere form and ceremony but interchange of thought, relating daily experience, expressing thanksgiving, and voicing sincere desire for divine enlightenment to know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. Communing together about Christ strengthens the soul for coming conflicts and trials, and because each person is part of the great web of humanity, the nature and quality of personal experience is largely determined by the character of those with whom one associates. Believers have no strength in themselves against the sharp assaults of the enemy and are kept by the power of God through faith, so they must take decided interest in religious meetings and make earnest and determined efforts to attend every meeting possible and be found among the little few who worship, bear testimony, and strengthen the things that remain. Supposed excuses for staying away must not be allowed, because the enemy has a hand in such excuses and creates circumstances to keep people from being present where Jesus meets to bless, and turning away from the prayer meeting for companionship with one who has no love for God forsakes a religious privilege. Those who desire wisdom and want to follow Jesus will place themselves where true light comes to the heart, shaping business so it does not become all-absorbing and quench love for those in need, for neglecting to gather shows how lightly the help God has provided is valued, while meeting together brings strength to withstand Satan as he works to wound and poison the soul, helps believers breathe the atmosphere of heaven, keep hold of Christ, and advance with truth dwelling in the heart guiding the life.
Every place of devotion is the divine presence and the gathering place is sacred, and God honors the assemblies of His people with His presence even though He does not dwell in temples made with hands. Because Christ is present, all gathered should feel they are before God and use the occasion to diligently search their own hearts and confess their own sins instead of dwelling on the faults and errors of others, leaving others to do their own duty. His presence rules out contention: those who abide in Him put away quarrels, selfishness, discourteous words, hasty speech, and every evil thing, seek to serve rather than be first, turn the mind from self toward sympathy and love for others, and worship in spirit and truth and holiness with hearts emptied of evil. Their gathering is of no avail unless they so worship, acknowledge their sins, pray for one another, and turn from cherished sin in humble faith, for without reverence there is no blessing from God, only worship in form with no spiritual service. His presence does not mean Satan and his apostate angels are absent: they also seek to influence minds and hearts, especially through the atmosphere created by the unconsecrated, so worshipers must guard their minds and give no place to the devil.
When Satan strives for entrance and an inclination to pick flaws and condemn appears, even two or three must use His presence by saying let us pray, bowing before God in fear, refusing the enemy entrance, and drawing near to God so He will draw near and lift up a standard against the enemy. Humble earnest prayer is the means of deliverance from unwholesome speech and sanctifies the tongue, bringing reconverting power so that those who have violated their baptismal vows repent and are converted and no longer do unchristlike work in dealing with others. The blessing ensured by His presence need not be a happy feeling; it may be clearer knowledge of defects of character and the help of divine grace to remedy them.
All who love God and receive the light of truth should learn not to remain silent but to testify often to the preciousness of His grace and truth and speak often with one another, especially in Sabbath meetings where they can share their thoughts, for witnessing is not the task of one person alone. Angels are also present in the assembly, impressing minds with spiritual truths, and this presence gives value to believers' meetings and supports their growth as they practice speaking and praying to edify others. Every lover of truth meeting among the little few is to bear uplifting testimony full of courage and hope and victory, encourage one another, speak together with gratitude prompted by thinking of the Lord, and act as home missionaries to strengthen the things that remain, and such testimony is precious to God. Receiving the fulfillment of the promise calls for turning from cherished sin, confessing and forsaking it, and coming to Jesus in humble faith; then He hears prayer because His word is pledged.
His presence among even a small company gathered to worship, pray, and testify brings assurance, encouragement, blessing, grace, comfort, hope, light, and peace to those who assemble in faith. He is there not only when they speak about Him but remains with them to help and to press back moral darkness as they reveal Him to those around them, making their prayers and worship effective and giving them a blessing they can pass on to others. In every assembly gathered to learn from Him and hear His Word He can open blind eyes to make people see clearly, touch hearts, deepen love so difficulties disappear and hearts blend in oneness, and through a faithful worker's testimony bring people into communication with Christ as at the house of God and gate of heaven. Gathered believers who agree in prayer for a definite purpose are not alone: Christ meets with them, and their united petition is heard and answered by the Father, for unity in prayer is honored by God and is a source of strength.
That presence carries the commission He gave to His disciples and the power He promised them, and both commission and power now belong to believers today. Placing themselves where God can give that power enables them to preach the gospel with might that converts thousands in a day, to warn fellow beings and neighbors, to enter unworked cities and make them centers of truth, and to prepare a people to stand in the day of the Lord, with God's power resting on the speaker as at Ashfield when Jesus was in the congregation's midst as the message was given. A minister should not be discouraged by a small audience, for the Spirit may be striving with one hearer whose conversion may reach many others, and God can multiply the results of faithful preaching far beyond what is seen. Christ by His Holy Spirit softens sluggish sinful hearts and wakes people, gives strength to speak His Word for over an hour without weariness, becomes power and efficiency and front guard and rearward, and moves to pity and words of comfort for afflicted sufferers such as patients in wheel chairs.