"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. 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" (Matthew 18:18-20).
An interesting thing about the name Emmanuel is that it doesn't mean "God is with you", it means "God is with us" (see Matthew 1:23). The implication of Matthew 18:20 is that if you are alone, there are some levels of relationship with God that you won't achieve because a minimum of two persons is required. Similarly, you cannot achieve the basic function of participation in the laying on of hands if you're a lone ranger. This aspect of the Christian faith can only occur in concert with other Christians. I've heard some Christian leaders say that you can lay hands on yourself, but thus far I have not been able to find Scripture that supports that statement. But I'm open to dicussion- so for any scholars out there that want to dialogue on this, please send me your verses and let's talk.
At the start of the sermon during the first service, Pastor Sam made a statement that makes perfect sense in light of the Matthew 18 passage above: the engagement that God has with people occurs through human beings. We are His body (Ephesians 4:4) and He has granted us gifts for the purpose of buiding up the community of faith (First Corinthians 12).
So, our question to ponder:
Are you really in the community? Or are you one of those people who just goes to church and goes home without interacting with anyone? If it's the latter, consider opening up yourself to the pains and crises of working together in community. As we'll see in the blogs to come, your participation is a critical key needed to unlock the doors of healing, commissioning, and discipline/correction.
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