Being Gathered into His Name

Matt 18:18  Truly I say to you, Whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in heaven.  (19)  Again, truly I say to you that if two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens.  (20) For where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst.

Why is there such a great power on earth? Why is prayer in harmony so powerful? Why is prayer in harmony of two or three persons so powerful? It is powerful because whenever we are gathered together into the Lord’s name, the Lord is there! This is the reason for our harmony. Verse 18 describes the relationship between the earth and heaven. Verse 19 mentions the prayer in harmony on earth, and verse 20 tells us how we can have this harmony.

We are gathered together. We do not choose to meet together; we are gathered together. There is a difference between meeting together and being gathered together. Being gathered together is being gathered by the Lord. We do not come by ourselves; the Lord has gathered us. Many people come to the meeting for the sake of observing or spectating; this will surely not result in anything. But for others, the Lord is speaking within them, telling them that if they do not come that day, they will miss something. Those whom the Lord has gathered this way are gathered together into the Lord’s name; they come for the sake of the Lord’s name. Whenever these brothers and sisters come together, they can say, “I am here for the Lord’s name and for glorifying the Son. I am not here for myself.” When all the brothers and sisters are gathered together for the Lord’s name’s sake, there will be oneness and harmony. Thank the Lord. If you come to a meeting for your own sake, there will not be harmony. If you want something, not because you want it but because the Lord wants it, and if you reject something, not because you reject it, but because the Lord rejects it, there will be harmony.

God’s children are gathered by the Lord into His name. The Lord says, “There am I in their midst.” The Lord is leading them in their midst. Since the Lord is leading and enlightening them, and since the Lord is speaking and giving revelation, whatever is bound on the earth is bound in heaven and whatever is loosed on the earth is loosed in heaven. This is because the Lord is doing the binding and the loosing together with the church.