18 “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.”
19 “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. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
Make no mistake about it, the binding and loosening of all things occurs first in heaven and then makes its way earthbound through Jesus’ disciples on God’s directive. This binding and loosing here refers to the decisions of the church where conflict arises – and if there is more than one person, conflict is inevitable! Believers are to announce only those things confirmed by God’s Word and should put forth no statement in which we cannot ask by faith for God to establish the Truth of. Our Lord came to set His people free from the bondage and drudgery of sin. He is also desirous for His Church to be unified. All authority was given to Jesus and Jesus in turn gives it to His disciples to go forth in His mighty Name. It is indeed the Gospel. I am reminded of the Lord’s command of the Great Commission at the end of Matthew:
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matt 28:18-20 (NIV)
“Our claim is that God has revealed Himself by speaking; that this divine (or God-breathed) speech has been written down and preserved in Scripture; and that Scripture is, in fact, God’s Word written, which therefore is true and reliable and has divine authority over men.” John Stott
“In the gospel there is that that can make you immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. There is no passion, no affection, no thought, no wish, no power which the gospel has not filled to the very brim. The gospel was obviously meant for manhood; it is adapted to it in its every part. There is knowledge for the head; there is love for the heart; there is guidance for the foot.” Charles H. Spurgeon
Next our Lord gives us a particular encouragement towards the joint prayers of the praying faithful. The unanimous petitions of God’s Church, earnestly seeking to do God’s will, shall succeed well. When we meet together to pray we are encouraged with the assurance of the presence of Christ. Where His saints gather, there is His sanctuary – even few in number. It is not the crowd but the faithful and sincere devotion of the worshipper that invites Christ’s presence. The sincere agreement of two people is more powerful than the superficial agreement of two thousand.
26 There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 27 The priests and the Levites stood to bless the people, and God heard them, for their prayer reached heaven, his holy dwelling place. 2 Chron 30:26-27 (NIV)
“Grant especially, blessed Lord, that Your church may believe that it is by the power of united prayer that she can bind and loose in heaven, cast out Satan, save souls, remove mountains, and hasten the coming of the kingdom.” A prayer from Andrew Murray
Christ is our great Intercessor and ever remains at the right hand of God interceding for the saints. He is our Advocate with the Father. The promise our Lord gives us today is that we will not seek God’s face in vain. Prayer must precede all our endeavors. Our prayers are to be a continuous consciousness of the presence of God in which we have eyes that view everything in relation to His revealed will. Practice the presence of Jesus. We are not to pray only when emergencies arise. We are in need all the time for His direction, power, peace, wisdom, joy, strength, kindness, love, etc. Simple prayers of “Your kindness, Lord”, “Your wisdom, Lord”, “Your patience, Lord” will do much to soothe a soul and direct a path. We don’t have all the answers (surprise, surprise) and He delights for His children to approach Him in faith for direction. The best place for the believer to reside is smack dab in the center of God’s will – mature and fully assured.
17 pray continually; 1 Thess 5:17 (NIV)
“The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.” Samuel Chadwick