Fellowship: Christ's presence when we gather
| 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. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. (Matthew18:19-20) |
The answer to this question lies in the Old Testament understanding that God lives within the praises of His people and that He is therefore especially present when His children gather specifically in honour of His name.
It is not that He is not present during the rest of the time, but that He is especially present when we gather as His Church and in His name.
This has profound implications: The always present God is even more present when we honour Him in our gatherings. This means that we can expect to be more aware of His holiness and more open to His unfailing love when we gather in His name. It means that we can expect to encounter the living God in the context of Christian fellowship even more than anywhere else in the world. Our prayers are even more effective when they are owned by a group who pray together.
It also has profound implications for prayers for healing and we'll talk about this tomorrow.
God is especially close to those who meet in His name. Why on earth would I want to miss out on that???
