(Ed. note:This is the second of a series of three articles on Matt. 18:20 and the Lord’s Supper.
All three are based on lectures given at Bible Truth Hall, Nassau, Bahamas, April 1995.)

"Where two or three are gathered together [unto] My name, there am I in the midst of them"
(Matt. 18:20).

In the first article in this series (July-August 1996 issue), Byron Crosby presented the foundational
truths concerning Matt. 18:20 and its context. In this present article, we shall build on that
foundation and elaborate on the meaning and practical application of each phrase of this verse. In
particular, we shall discuss the types of assembly meetings that seem to be implied by this verse.

"Two or Three"

Two or three are greater than one. It is both possible and desirable for individual Christians to
spend time alone with the Lord in reading of the Word, meditation, prayer, and worship. But at
the same time, God has seen fit to unite believers together into one body (John 17:11,21; Rom.
12:4,5; 1 Cor. 12:12,13; Eph. 4:4). There is a special blessing for the believers and a special
glory for Christ when two, three, or more believers minister the Word, pray, and worship
together. As Mr. Crosby aptly expressed it in the previous article, "one believer, by himself,
cannot be a complete testimony to Christ."

On the other hand, it doesn’t say, "200 or 300." A large number of believers in Christ is not
necessary in order to enjoy fellowship together or in order to give a collective testimony to Christ.
The Lord Himself selected only twelve men to comprise His special group of disciples. On certain
occasions, He took with Him only the inner circle of Peter, James, and John (Mark 5:37; 9:2;
14:33). "Where two or three are gathered together."

"Unto My Name"

Let us now consider the phrase, "unto My name." What is that name, or rather, what are those
names and titles that belong to Him? Let us mention a few.

His personal name is Jesus, meaning "Jehovah is Saviour," and speaking of all that He was as a
Man on earth, including His teachings, His sinless life, and His sacrificial death (Matt. 1:21; Acts
4:10-12).

His rank is Lord, meaning Master or Boss, and speaking of His supreme authority over all of us
(Luke 6:46; Rom. 10:9).

His title is Christ, meaning the Anointed One or Messiah, and speaking of His greatness as One
sent by God to perform a special work on earth and who has returned to His home in heaven (2
Sam. 7:13; Isa. 11; 52:13-53:12; Dan. 9:25,26; Luke 2:26; 3:15; John 1:41; 4:25,29).

He is Son of God, speaking of His deity, being co-equal with God the Father and God the Holy
Spirit (Matt. 14:33; 16:16; 27:54; Mark 1:1; Luke 1:35; John 1:34; 3:18; 5:18; 10:30-38; 1 John
4:15).

He is Son of Man, speaking of His being fully Man, but in a totally unique way, that is, being
also fully God at the same time (Dan. 7:13,14; Matt. 16:13; 26:64,65).

He is Immanuel, meaning "God with us" (Isa. 7:14; 8:8; Matt. 1:23).

He is the Word, speaking of the One who has come in person to express the truth concerning God
(John 1:1,14).

His descriptive titles include Wonderful, Counselor, Prince of Peace, the Way, the Truth, the
Life, the Door, the True Vine, the Good Shepherd, and the Great High Priest. These are all
summed up in that grand title, I AM (Exod. 3:14; John 8:58).

So when believers are gathered together unto His name, they are intensely conscious of what that
name stands for, all that He is and all that He has done. Furthermore, that name expresses His
authority. When thus gathered unto His name, the believers do not make up their own rules but
are intent upon following His directions as Head of the body.

"Are Gathered Together"

The Greek verb, sunegmenoi, translated, "gathered together," is passive, implying that there is
an outside force_or Person_who does the gathering. That Person is the Holy Spirit. How does
He do it? He puts the desire in the hearts of those who are walking in Him (Rom. 8:4; Gal. 5:16)
and being led by Him (Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:18). Those truly "gathered together" do not merely
come together out of force of habit, or because it is expected of them, or in a legalistic way.

What are the types of meetings to which believers in Christ are gathered by the Holy Spirit?

The Lord’s Supper or Remembrance Meeting. The Apostle Paul and his companions traveled
to Troas, arriving on a Monday. They stayed seven days, and on the last day of their visit, "upon
the first day of the week … the disciples came together to break bread" (Acts 20:4-7). The phrase
"came together" is better translated "were gathered together" because it is a form of the Greek
word sunegmenoi.

In 1 Cor. 11:17-34 where the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul gives important instructions
concerning the Lord’s Supper, the expression "come together" is found five times (verses
17,18,20,33,34). However, in each case it is the common Greek word for coming together, not
sunegmenoi. Reading the context, we find there was disorder in the assembly at Corinth in
observing the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper was being linked with the partaking of an
ordinary meal, and those who had plenty to eat were not sharing with the poorer believers who
had little or nothing to eat. Given such a fleshly, sinful, un-Christlike state, sunegmenoi would
have been an inappropriate word to describe the gatherings of the Corinthians. They were not in

a spiritual condition to be gathered together by the Holy Spirit.

This should solemnize our hearts. Just because some of our meeting halls have signs proclaiming,
"Gathered unto the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ," just because we hold to this principle of truth,
does not necessarily mean that in a particular assembly on a particular Lord’s day, the saints have
been gathered by the Holy Spirit to break bread. There may be a low spiritual state, and the
believers may be coming together only out of force of habit, or to please or impress others.

May all of us allow our hearts to be searched in the presence of the Lord as to our motive in
coming to remember Him. Let us pray, with the psalmist, "Search me, O God, and know my
heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in
the way everlasting" (Psa. 139:23,24). Let us apply Christ’s instruction to this meeting:"If you
bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave
there your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then
come and offer your gift" (Matt. 5:23,24). And let us follow the teaching of the Apostle Paul, "Let
a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup" (1 Cor. 11:28).

The Prayer Meeting. In the immediate context of Matt. 18:20 we read, "If two of you shall agree
on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father who is
in heaven" (verse 19). Here we have the foreshadowing of an assembly prayer meeting with the
smallest possible number of participants_two.

In Acts 4, with the Church made up of believers in Christ now in existence, we read of a real
assembly prayer meeting. The Apostles Peter and John, upon being released from prison, "went
to their own company" (verse 23). After the assembly heard Peter and John’s report, "they lifted
up their voice to God with one accord" (verse 24). (Note the similarity with Matt. 18:19.) Observe
what they prayed for:Not for protection from trials and persecution. Not for judgment to come
upon the persecutors. But for boldness to speak God’s Word in the midst of a hostile world (verse
29). How quickly and powerfully was that united, assembly prayer answered:"When they had
prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled [or gathered] together [sunegmenoi]; and
they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the Word of God with boldness" (verse
31).

Another wonderful example of an assembly prayer meeting is found in Acts 12. We know the
story well of how Peter, upon being released from prison, went to the very place where the
assembly was gathered in prayer for him (verses 5,12). What a marvelous answer to their prayers
by "Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph. 3:20).
Peter’s sudden appearance at the house was such a wonderful and rapid answer to prayer that it
took awhile before the truth of it sank in (Acts 12:15,16). (Note:The expression, "gathered
together" in Acts 12:12 is not sunegmenoi but another passive verb, sunethroismenoi, which seems
to be very close in meaning to sunegmenoi.)

Surely there is great power in assembly prayer! It is sad to see how little value is placed on the
assembly prayer meeting in so many assemblies. Sometimes just a small fraction of the assembly
is present at such meetings, and in some assemblies only a few of the brothers regularly

participate. Where are the saints at the time of the weekly prayer meeting? Some may be home
watching television; others may be out playing ball or working in the yard; others may be working
late in order to advance their careers or to pay off their debts of extravagant living; others may
be "baby-sitting" their children who themselves would benefit from being at the prayer meeting;
and some who are at the meeting have their minds "a thousand miles away." Can an assembly
expect blessing and experience the power of God under such conditions?

The Open Ministry Meeting. "Being assembled together with them, [Jesus] commanded them that
they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father." Jesus went on to
tell His disciples, "You shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and you
shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:4-8). The literal sense of verse 4 is that Jesus had the disciples
gathered together about Himself. In this way, in their midst, He encouraged and instructed His
disciples. This might be considered to be a precursor to an open ministry meeting where the
assembly is gathered together around the Lord Jesus to receive ministry from Himself through the
mouths of His prophet-servants.

Another precursor is found in Luke 24. Two disciples were returning home from Jerusalem on that
resurrection day. As "they talked together of all these things which had happened and … while
they communed together … Jesus Himself drew near and went with them" (verses 14,15). They
were occupied with the memory of the crucifixion and the reports of the resurrection of Christ,
when Christ Himself joined them and taught them from "all the Scriptures the things concerning
Himself" (verse 27). Doesn’t this give us the essence of Matt. 18:20?

Later that evening, back in Jerusalem, the eleven disciples along with others were "gathered
together" (sunethroismenoi as in Acts 12:12). Then "Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and
said unto them, Peace be unto you…. Then opened He their understanding, that they might
understand the Scriptures. And said unto them, Thus it is written and thus it behooved Christ to
suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should
be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem…. Tarry in the city of
Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:36-49).

The Apostle Paul, in describing the ministry particularly prominent in the open ministry meeting,
wrote, "He who prophesies speaks unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort" (1 Cor.
14:3). When the Lord Jesus came into the midst of the disciples gathered together, the first thing
He did was give them words of comfort and encouragement:"Peace be unto you." Then He went
on to help them to understand from the Old Testament Scriptures the things that had happened,
and told them some things that they were to do. When an assembly is gathered together unto the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ for receiving ministry, there is the promise that the Lord Himself
will be there in the midst, speaking through mouths of willing, devoted brothers, words of
"edification, and exhortation, and comfort."

Instruction concerning the open ministry meeting is found in 1 Corinthians 14. "When you come
together, every one of you has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an
interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying" (verse 26). This verse, when read in the

context, serves two opposite purposes. First, on the positive side, it describes the character of the
open ministry meeting, with many believers taking part in different ways. Second, on the negative
side, it suggests that there was disorder in Corinth with this meeting as there was with the Lord’s
Supper. The words, "every one of you," along with the corrective instructions that follow, show
that everybody was trying to get into the act at such a meeting, and it was resulting in confusion.
For this reason, the Apostle Paul was led by the Holy Spirit to write down six rules to help bring
some order to these meetings (verses 27-35):

1. No more than three persons were to speak in a foreign tongue.

2. These were to speak one at a time, not simultaneously in different parts of the room.

3. After a sentence or two of a foreign tongue, the speaker was to stop to allow for translation (as
with speeches by foreign dignitaries today). If there was no one who could interpret, the speaker
was to be silent.

4. No more than three persons were to prophesy, that is, give ministry from the Lord in the
common language of the hearers.

5. These were to speak one at a time, not simultaneously.

6. Only the brothers were permitted to minister in these ways; the women were to keep silence
in the assembly meetings.

We find two occurrences of the expression "come together" in 1 Cor. 14:23,26, the same Greek
word as the five occurrences in chapter 11. This is further evidence of the fleshly disorder that had
come into the assembly at Corinth to mar the potential beauty and blessing of the open ministry
meetings.

The Meeting for Discipline. While the immediate context of Matt. 18:20 is a prayer meeting, the
broader context is a meeting for discipline:"If your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell
him his fault between you and him alone…. Take with you one or two more…. Tell it unto the
church…. Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall
loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (verses 15-18). The Apostle Paul gives instruction
concerning an assembly meeting for discipline:"In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you
are gathered together [sunegmenoi], and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to
deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the
day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Cor. 5:4,5). Putting people out and receiving people into fellowship is
not the work of a clergyman, not the work of a body of elders or deacons, but the work of the
assembly as a whole, as "gathered together" "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Preparation for These Meetings. The Holy Spirit who gathers the believers together also helps
them (brothers and sisters alike) to prepare for such meetings. Here are some ways:

1. Pray in advance for each meeting that you and all of the saints will truly come as gathered by

the Holy Spirit and that the Spirit may have liberty to use whomever He will to pray, worship, or
minister.

2. Anticipate the Lord Himself being in the midst.

3. Be much in prayer and much in the Scriptures throughout the week; ask the Lord to prepare you
to be a mouthpiece for Him in the meeting.

4. Pray often with your family at home; pray for relatives, friends, neighbors, schoolmates, fellow
employees, the saints in the local assembly, those in other assemblies, etc. This will prepare you
to be a spokesman for the Holy Spirit when gathered together in the assembly for prayer.

5. Consider having a prayer request box in conjunction with the assembly prayer meeting. Do not
be afraid to share personal needs, such as being laid off of your job or having a rebellious son or
daughter.

6. The sisters do well to pray_both beforehand and during the meeting_about what the Lord
would have them to say if they were free to speak. If all of the brothers and sisters prepare in this
way, I believe the sisters will find that the prayer, worship, or ministry given out by the brothers
often coincides with their own exercises of soul.

Temptation to Be Absent from the Assembly Meetings.

Maybe some are thinking, "The meetings are boring" or "I can get more benefit from listening to
Christian radio or watching a Christian video." Would it not be better to ask yourself, "How can
I contribute more to the meetings?" "Am I using the gift the Holy Spirit has given to me?" "Am
I spending enough time preparing for the meetings?"

If all of the brothers are using what gift they have in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, and if all
the sisters are supporting the brothers in prayer during the meeting and encouraging the brothers
outside of the meetings_there will be far greater blessing gained from the meetings of the
assembly than can be found from a video of a gifted Bible teacher.

"In the Midst"

In what way is Christ in the midst of those who are gathered together unto His Name? Some have
suggested that He is in the midst in the Person of the Holy Spirit. While it is true that the Holy
Spirit is there, working in the hearts and minds of those whom He wants to speak, Matt. 18:20
says clearly, "there am I in the midst." In each of the gatherings of the assembly, Christ is in the
midst for a particular purpose. In the remembrance meeting, Christ is in the midst as the praise
leader (Psa. 22:22; 40:3; Heb. 2:12). In the prayer meeting, Christ is in the midst as the One in
whose Name we pray (John 14:13,14), who prays for us (John 17:9), who makes intercession for
us (Heb. 7:25), and the "I AM" who can meet all of our needs. In the ministry meeting, Christ
is in the midst as the One who teaches and encourages His disciples, as noted earlier from passages
in Luke and Acts, and the One who reveals Himself to His people. In the discipline meeting,

Christ is in the midst as the One who guides the assembly’s decisions and ratifies them in heaven
(Matt. 18:18).

May we learn to value these meetings of the assembly. May we approach each one_whether
remembrance, prayer, ministry, or discipline meeting_with a sense of eager anticipation,
expecting the Lord Himself to be there. While we will not hear the Lord’s own voice speaking to
us, if all who are thus gathered are in the right spirit and yielded to the Holy Spirit’s leading, we
can expect to hear the Lord speaking through the brothers who participate. "If any man speak, let
him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God
gives, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 4:11).

In consideration of all that has been presented, let us "not [forsake] the assembling of ourselves
together, as the manner of some is; but [let us encourage] one another:and so much the more, as
[we] see the day approaching" (Heb. 10:25).