SHARING BREAD
18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on
earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed
in heaven.”
19 “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
19 “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
Matt
18:18-20 (NIV)
Make no mistake about it, the binding and loosening of all
things occurs first in heaven and then makes its way earthbound through Jesus’
disciples on God’s directive. This
binding and loosing here refers to the decisions of the church where conflict arises
– and if there is more than one person, conflict is inevitable! Believers are to announce only those things
confirmed by God’s Word and should put forth no statement in which we cannot
ask by faith for God to establish the Truth of. Our Lord came to set His people
free from the bondage and drudgery of sin.
He is also desirous for His Church to be unified. All authority was given to Jesus and Jesus in
turn gives it to His disciples to go forth in His mighty Name. It is indeed the Gospel. I am reminded of the Lord’s command of the
Great Commission at the end of Matthew:
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, 20 and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age.” Matt
28:18-20 (NIV)
“Our
claim is that God has revealed Himself by speaking; that this divine (or
God-breathed) speech has been written down and preserved in Scripture; and that
Scripture is, in fact, God’s Word written, which therefore is true and reliable
and has divine authority over men.” John Stott
“In the gospel
there is that that can make you immovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord. There is no passion, no affection, no thought, no wish, no power which
the gospel has not filled to the very brim. The gospel was obviously meant for
manhood; it is adapted to it in its every part. There is knowledge for the head; there is love for the heart; there is
guidance for the foot.” Charles H. Spurgeon
Next our Lord gives us a particular encouragement towards
the joint prayers of the praying faithful. The unanimous petitions of God’s
Church, earnestly seeking to do God’s will, shall succeed well. When we meet
together to pray we are encouraged with the assurance of the presence of
Christ. Where His saints gather, there
is His sanctuary – even few in number.
It is not the crowd but the faithful and sincere devotion of the
worshipper that invites Christ’s presence.
The sincere agreement of two people is more powerful than the
superficial agreement of two thousand.
26 There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days
of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in
Jerusalem. 27 The
priests and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard them, for
their prayer reached heaven, his holy dwelling place. 2 Chron 30:26-27 (NIV)
“Grant especially, blessed Lord, that Your church may believe that it is by the power of united prayer that she can bind and loose in heaven, cast out Satan, save souls, remove mountains, and hasten the coming of the kingdom.” A prayer from Andrew Murray
Christ is our great Intercessor and ever remains at the
right hand of God interceding for the saints.
He is our Advocate with the Father. The promise our Lord gives us today
is that we will not seek God’s face in vain.
Prayer must precede all our endeavors.
Our prayers are to be a continuous consciousness of the presence of God
in which we have eyes that view everything in relation to His revealed will. Practice the presence of Jesus. We are not to pray only when emergencies
arise. We are in need all the time for
His direction, power, peace, wisdom, joy, strength, kindness, love, etc. Simple prayers of “Your kindness, Lord”,
“Your wisdom, Lord”, “Your patience, Lord” will do much to soothe a soul and
direct a path. We don’t have all the
answers (surprise, surprise) and He delights for His children to approach Him
in faith for direction. The best place
for the believer to reside is smack dab in the center of God’s will – mature
and fully assured.
17 pray continually;
1 Thess 5:17 (NIV)
“The
one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing
from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at
our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.” Samuel
Chadwick
What
I glean from this:
· God’s Word is Truth.
It has divine authority over me.
· Jesus has given me authority to go forth with the
Gospel.
·
The prayer of
the righteous is mighty in its working.
