Friends in Christ Weekly Message
September 7, 2002

Whenever two or three of you come together in my name, I am there with you.
Matthew 18:20 (CEV*)

This is a promise to us directly from Christ. Christ promises to be present whenever at least two of us gather in His name. And Christ always keeps His promises.

Sometimes Christians feel there must be a significant number of people for there to be Christian worship. But Christ has told us that is not true. So don't be discouraged if your numbers in a group are small. You still have all the power of Christ Jesus at your disposal.

I frequently get emails from people who feel isolated in their Christian faith. I tell them they do not need to worry about gathering together a sizable group. If they can find one or two others to meet with them to worship and pray in the name of Jesus, they will find that to be a rich blessing. That may or may not become the nucleus of a larger group, but it can be an encouraging and sustaining part of their spiritual life in any case.

It does need to be in Christ's name. This is not meant to be simply lip service. In scripture, the name is meant to convey not just a word but the very essence of a person. So the gathering needs to be really in Christ's spirit, not just using Christian words. If you are sincere about meeting under Christ's leadership, it will indeed be so. Each time you meet in this manner, you will feel Christ's presence. But if you are uncertain about meeting under the headship of Christ, or if you mouth the right words but your heart is not truly committed to Christ, the guarantee does not apply.

Dear friends, the Christian walk is not meant to be only yourself and Christ. If you are not presently gathering regularly with other believers, make it a priority to either find an existing group with which to meet or to find at least one other believer with whom to gather from time to time.

Bill Samuel

* Contemporary English Version ©1995 American Bible Society.

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