100 Days to a Healthier Churchनमूना

Day 88

Today’s Big Idea: Called to reconciliation. How many people does it take to make a viable church? According to this verse, two or three will do the trick. Or does it?

Key Verse: “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20).

Thoughts to Consider: The point of the passage surrounding this often-repeated verse is not about the minimum viable size for a church—although that applies. This verse is actually at the end of a passage about church discipline. It’s about the importance of agreeing together when we have to call out a fellow believer on their sin. “Two or three” is a reference to Matthew 18:15 and 16, which say if a sinful believer won’t listen to the one against whom they sinned, “Take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’” That, in turn, is a reference to Deuteronomy 19:15, which says, “One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” The emphasis isn’t on the size of the church meeting or the “gotcha” of the sin, but on the unity among those who are calling for reconciliation.

Since we are the church, the temple where God’s Spirit dwells, we need to hold each other accountable. Today’s passage assures us that when we hold each other accountable, God honors it. In this context of reconciliation, “If two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19).