“For” – Answered prayers and authority.

The prayers of the assembly are answered, and their decisions are recognized in heaven (Matthew 18:18-19). God says yes to their prayers and their decisions. How can this be? It is because the Lord is in their midst. All eyes are on him. He is the one who directs and guides everything. That is why the prayers of the congregation are heard and why the decisions of the congregation regarding admission to and exclusion from the community are also recognized in heaven. No matter how small the group of believers in a place may seem, the Lord is there! Their prayers are effective and their decisions are binding.

A congregation in which no discipline is exercised and where everyone can participate in all the privileges of the community on the basis of a self-testimony cannot claim the following statements for itself. Nor should communal prayer be neglected in any way.

“Where” – The Place

In Judaism, there was a specific geographical place where God made His name dwell and where one could be blessed (Exodus 20:24). That place was Jerusalem. Today, in order to experience the presence of the Lord, one can meet in any place. No matter where believers are gathered on the basis of God’s Word, they can experience the presence of the Lord Jesus. They are by no means dependent on a magnificent building or a consecrated place.

We are inclined to quickly give a specific address when someone asks about the place of gathering. But we should not fail to make it clear that one should first and foremost seek the place in the Holy Scriptures, so that the address will hopefully reveal itself automatically when one sees that the principles of God’s Word are also being realized in a place.

“Two or three” – The numbeToto establish a synagogue (which could also bheld e in a private home), at leas10en men had to be present. In order to be able to gather as Christians, the minimum number for each community is already sufficient: two or three.

Significantly, the Lord does not say: Where the whole assembly is gathered, there I am in their midst. He explicitly mentions the two or three who are gathered in his name. In this way, he also gives believers a way to gather according to his will and to exercise all the privileges and responsibilities of the assembly in one place, even in times of decline and fragmentation.

It also follows that: The first priority is not how many gather in one place, but that those who gather do so in his name. They can then count on his approval.

“Are gathered” – The activity

Believers in one place should gather together. They are called to do so. However, the expression “are gathered” refers to the divine power that is at work in this. We also find this in 1 Corinthians 5:4: “… when you and my Spirit are gathered together in the power of our Lord Jesus.” The Lord is like a giant magnet that draws us to him. He wants to draw believers to himself: “Gather my faithful ones to me” (Ps 50:5).

By coming to him, we also come closer to one another and experience Christian fellowship. In this context, however, it is about coming together “as a congregation” and not about believers meeting in a private setting. It is coming together for prayer (Matthew 18; Acts 12), for breaking bread (Luke 22; 1 Corinthians 10 and 11; Acts 20) and for edification (1 Cor. 14; Acts 20). This is not about private meetings and meetings of a different nature (such as a joint outing).

When believers gather in one place, they do so on the basis that there is only one assembly on earth, consisting of all true believers. Accordingly, they accept all members of the one body as a matter of principle. They know that they are a representation of this one body, this one assembly, in that place (cf. Matthew 16:18). Therefore, they will recognize the decisions of other assemblies that gather in the same way and will not act independently (Matthew 18:18).

“In my name” – The character of coming together

When we gather in his name, this presupposes his absence, for otherwise it would mean “to me.” At the same time, we see that this kind of gathering ensures his personal presence. However, it is no longer the visible presence of a person in flesh and blood, as the disciples experienced at that moment when the Lord spoke to them.

When we are gathered together to him, we want to see himo experience himandto be impressed by his glory. He is the great gathering point, and we desire that everything be done according to his will.

When we gather in his name, it must be in accordance with what Scripture has revealed about this wonderful person. It also excludes naming a human name as the basis for one’s beliefs and for the manner of gathering.

“I am in their midst” – The divine center

The Lord Jesus not only works among the believers who are gathered together, but He is the center. He is not “in their midst” (as is sometimes translated), as one of many, but He is in the center. The Christians present are focused on Him and experience His guidance and blessing. How wonderful it is to be able to experience this: He is personally in the center![5]