Let’s read Matthew 18:15-20, “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. 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. 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. 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. 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. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Matthew 18:15-20 gives instruction to the church in how to deal with a fellow believer who has committed sin or is living in sin. The order given is to help this erring brother realize how grievous his sin is and help him properly repent, confess, and abandon his sin. The Lord has given the local church the authority to administer discipline when it is necessary. As the local church is brought together to determine if discipline is necessary, the Lord promises that He will be right there in the midst of them to guide them in their decisions. We have the sober responsibility to maintain the purity and righteousness of the local assembly. This is a hard thing to do and we absolutely need the guidance of the Lord to do this properly. When He gathers us together, He has promised to be with us to guide us.

This principle applies whenever the church is gathered together by the Lord, even if it is only two or three people there to gather together. Throughout the world today, there are faithful “two’s and three’s” who are gathered together for worship, ministry, and the presentation of the Gospel. In some areas, some meet in secret for fear of their government, some meet in small groups as they seek to maintain the truth of the church and its proper order. Wherever the Lord’s people are gathered together, the Lord is in the midst. Let’s notice a couple of important points about this:

  • ARE GATHERED TOGETHER – This is far more than just a group of people who decide to get together. This is speaking of people who ‘are gathered together.’ It is the Lord who is gathering His people together. He is the One that calls us together.
  • IN MY NAME – The Lord Jesus Christ has that “name which is above every name.” (Philippians 2:9) He will not gather us to any other name than His own. As the old saying goes:

LET NAMES, AND SECTS, AND PARTIES FALL,

AND JESUS CHRIST BE ALL IN ALL.

What if there is only one person? Obviously, when there is only one, there is no one to be “in the midst” of. However, for the individual believer, we are assured of the Lord’s constant presence.

1 Corinthians 6:19, “What? know ye not that YOUR BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY GHOST which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”

Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

The Lord ‘indwells’ us as individual believers, but He is ‘in the midst’ of His people properly called together. If possible, we need to be in the company of other believers. Hebrews 10:24-25 instructs us, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (259.10)