Two or three

"Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."  - Matthew 18.19-20

The context of this passage is dealing with church discipline. Here Jesus tells the disciples that if even two or three of them agree in the manner of church discipline He will be there with them.

But I think it is clear that though this is the context, Jesus states a fact that is universal. ‘If two or three of you agree concerning anything  it will be done. Where two or three are gathered together I am in their midst.’

Jesus does not limit the statement to just this setting. Jesus simply is telling the disciples, and us, that anytime even two or three of us get together He is there with us so they have His authority to act in church discipline.

In this ministry I have had to be reminded over and over about the importance of just a handful of people. Our church never has been big, even in its best days, but the Lord is not in any way bound by ‘many or few.’ While we would of course like to see more people saved and more families in the church we can take encouragement in the fact that Jesus is there even in the midst of just two or three. I need to keep that in mind when there is ‘just’ a handful gathered together.

Jesus is not only there when there are two or three hundred or two or three thousand. When even two or three are gathered together in His name He is in our midst. Let’s never forget that He is there too.