Matthew 18:19 "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.Jesus said that, it's in red, so it must be pretty important. But, this is a verse of presumption if we don't understand what's involved.
Again, he says. He must be reiterating something. He is. He says for emphasis, I TELL YOU.
This comes right after the instruction about the power to bind and loose by your words, so this is part of that. v 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. Let's see if we can figure out what that means.
IF, Is conditional on some things, what are they?
Two (there is power in the prayer of "more than one" and is different than praying alone)
of YOU (who is you?). Has to be someone who believes, someone in your life, someone who is part of the IF factor, willing to be. This is not someone across the globe. This is someone who can come into full agreement with you and is willing to be part of the implementation of the solution.
ON EARTH.. So this is not about praying to a saint, invoking angels or with some other vision, this is about a human person, flesh and blood who is here, now with you.
AGREE - now it gets tricky. Not mostly agree. Not agree like, "I can agree with your for that" and have no spiritual investment. I am very careful not to pray with or for someone with whom I do NOT have full agreement of the desired outcome and can clearly define it in words. Unspoken prayers are powerless. Now, here's the trick, I need to have the person agreeing with me to be in my life in a big way. Someone authorized spiritually to enter into agreement with me. This usually isn't a prayer team who hears a tiny bit and prays a soft prayer. Someone who knows and when we come into agreement will do battle with me in spades. We are too quick to say we agree and give assent to some vague request. Prayer must be much more. It must be specific and unified.
About ANYTHING you ask for.... ANYTHING? If I am going to come into full agreement with you on ANYTHING, I must believe that HE WILL without doubt. When I agree to ASK with you for ANYTHING I must be filled with faith and be able to see in the Spirit substance of the thing hoped for in faith. Then ANYTHING is possible. This is serious business. Even Jesus ousted the doubtful and faithless before he healed. We can't tolerate faithlessness and doubt to ask for ANYTHING.
It WILL BE DONE for you.... if we truly understand this we can give thanks immediately that He has and will do what you asked for. It may not happen at once, but his word does NOT return void. He will fulfill it. Giving thank like Jesus did at the Grave of Lazarus is critical. Not formulaic, but knowing full well that it will be done for you means that even if there is delay, even for a long time, thanksgiving will reinforce your faith and give you hope. He NEVER FAILS.
by my FATHER in HEAVEN..... we can expect GOD to do what he said. How does he do these things? Mostly he uses people. He uses the arms and legs he deposited here on the earth. The Body of Christ. He might even use the wicked. He's God. It might look like it comes from man, but it doesn't. It comes from God. Faith must never be in man, but in GOD. This is most true in Churches. Money is short. Churches pray for the windows of heaven to open. Then they go over the tithing reports and preach hard sermons on giving. PSHAW. Either trust God or Man. You can't trust both. If you choose man, you will be disappointed. Sometimes God will move supernaturally. Sometimes not. HE is in heaven, has our best interests in mind and wants to do us good. He will call into being creatively what we ask for. Then we must stand back and see what God can do. He's not short armed or weak.
Next time someone in good faith asks you to agree in prayer with them, do so, but do so carefully. This has been treated far too lightly and with little understanding. So often the results are equal to the execution. Poor. Agree with one another and pray hard. Covenant to see the thing you believe for, the anything, to happen or you will die.
That's real agreement. That's the real meaning of this verse. Now, if you want ANYTHING go find someone who can come into full faith and agreement with you and without doubt do battle with and for you and the results will come. FROM GOD. More than two is good but they must have the same agreement and faith you do. Numbers are not power. I have had people quote this verse in large gatherings and rehearse this back to the Lord saying there's many more than two or three here....so.....God you Have to move.
That isn't necessarily better.
I believe this is for someone today. Otherwise, why would I be motivated to write it?
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