Where Two or More Are Gathered (Out of Context)

And why this is completely missing the point...

You’ve probably heard it before. Maybe you’ve said it. Maybe you’ve used it to hype up a Tuesday night Bible study with four people and a stale box of doughnuts: “Where two or more are gathered, there I am in your midst.”

*Cue the acoustic guitar strumming way too loudly in the background while someone prays for revival over three folding chairs*

Matthew 18:20 has become the go-to verse for validating Christian gatherings. Sure attendance is low, but no worries, Jesus showed up! There’s two of us here, and that’s all we need, right?

Well... yes. But mostly, that’s not the point.

Because that verse is not a rallying cry for our worship services. Or Bible study. Or church camp bonfires where someone plays an obscure indie Holy Spirit song for eighteen minutes straight.

It's about confronting sin. The awkward, please-don’t-make-this-weird kind of confrontation of sin.

Let’s rewind.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash