A gracEmail subscriber remembers Jesus' promise to be present wherever two or three gather in his name and asks, "What makes a gathering in Jesus' name?" And, if the Lord does not gather with our two or more, "what would be the reason for his absence, and how would we be able to know he was missing?"

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The text you quote from Matthew 18:20 immediately follows Jesus' empowerment of his followers to "bind" and "loose" in his name (v. 18) and his promise to act "if two of you agree" in prayer (v. 19). The Apostle Paul also anticipated Christ's presence when believers meet, an occasion when "in the name of our Lord Jesus . . . you are assembled . . . with the power of our Lord Jesus" (1 Cor. 5:4). To assemble in Jesus' name must involve, at the least, a plurality of believers who gather purposefully to act together under Christ's authority, as led by his Spirit and instruction. The awesome potential of such a gathering probably goes untapped today by most of us who assemble week after week.

Why might Jesus be absent and how will we know it?  Perhaps he is absent when he is not invited, or when the goals or activities do not suit his purposes, or when we meet under the cover of good words but with no real intention to let him disturb our agenda. Perhaps Jesus' absence is known, at least in part, when nothing happens which requires his presence. Or, to say it the other way, when nothing takes place which could not occur just as easily without Jesus. This is in sharp contrast with a gathering where an unbelieving visitor "will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you" (1 Cor. 14:25).

I suspect that we have very much yet to learn about the potential of Christ's presence in our midst, and that we have much yet to experience of the power of the risen and living Lord. "Come, Lord Jesus" -- not only at the End, but now as well, whenever we assemble in your mighty name!

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