The Seed Plot of the Assembly, Part 2 Matthew 18:18-20

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Micah Hackett
The Assembly and Its Connection With Heaven 18-19
Having the excommunication of the brother who rebelled against assembly authority in our minds, we come to verse
18 which says Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever
ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Some say this refers to the apostles specifically and their
authority in the early church, but we must not forget to treat verses 15-20 as one section completely in local
church context. So then, while at the beginning this may have been true that in the early church the apostles held
this position of binding and loosing, it was only so because they did it in local assembly capacity. Just by looking to
other Scriptures we can see that this is true of an assembly when it acts in discipline. So then, while specifically
connected with excommunication, we can see that the assembly as a whole must be Gods administration center on
earth. Was this not the idea in Genesis 28, when Jacob said of the House of God This is the gate of heaven? The
gate of a city was its center of administration, and it is the same for the assembly. (In a place where Christs
Lordship, Headship, and honor are preeminent it is only fitting that God accomplish His purposes there. Conversely
it is only fitting that we bow to God-ordained roles and order in the place where He accomplishes His purposes.) In
this administrative role, what the assembly does on earth is in fellowship with what Heaven decrees. It is not that the
assembly commands the reaction of Heaven by creating new ordinances or anything like that, but that every step is
in coordination with Gods order and authority. If, then, a brother who sinned is dealt with by excommunication on
Biblical grounds, God honors that and treats the situation accordingly. How solemn that when one is dealt with by
Gods assembly on Biblical grounds, it is actually just the earthly site of a heavenly courtroom. The Most High has
chosen to stamp the assembly with His seal of authority and approval; let us be very careful how we conduct
ourselves within it.
Verse 18 presents connection with Heaven in administration. But then we come to verse 19 and find connection with
Heaven in communication. Again I say unto you, That 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 which is in heaven. Once again, this must be associated with
the context of binding and loosing in terms of assembly discipline. In administration it is the entire assembly in view.
In communication, there are just two seen in supplication before the Throne on the matter, and God chooses to
honor that. Why? Because in this He grants that these two spiritually-minded believers are acting responsibly on the
assemblys behalf and in fellowship with Heaven. But there is one reason that is supreme over all of these: Where
two or three are gathered together unto My name, there am I in the midst of them. Surely when the Lord Jesus
sanctions that gathering by His presence and authority, the Father will accomplish the purpose those believers had
for meeting. It is not that a few believers would gather together lightly and for a random purpose. On the contrary,
here we see believers with a solemn purpose, an assembly-related purpose, a purpose for which they gathered
unto Christs name and authority.
The Assembly and Its Ground of Gathering 20
This brings us to the ground of the assemblys gathering in verse 20, for although this finds its context in discipline,
the promise is carried through to every meeting of the assembly. So often has this verse been misconstrued and
stripped of its beauty by being applied to any meeting of Christians for any purpose. Yet the context clearly indicates
a few things that are assembly specific:
1. The context of administration, which needs a local body to be carried out.
2. There is a locality in mind: Where. But what characterizes that locality? It is the name and authority of

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Christ. Unto My name. This is collective and specific; otherwise, acting with His sanctioning becomes
arbitrary.
3. The structure of the verses wont allow. Words like Again and For dont provide for a splitting off of this
verse from the context of an assembly.
4. This verse would make no sense to separate it from its context. Why would the Lord set this entire section
apart by speaking of matters relating to the assembly and its members only to end with a promise that has no
direct connection to the assembly? Why would we go from a context of a constant, collective, called-out
group which is marked by fellowship with Heaven to the average coffee-hour that two or three believers
share every once in a while? This must be assembly-specific even just for logical reasons.
So then, we are met first of all with the assembly in its smallest possible meeting two or three. Though the entire
assembly is obviously not present, this gathering is still associated with assembly function and activity. It is amazing
that God ordains blessing in even the smallest of meetings; surely, then, this promise of verse 20 must apply to all
the rest, thus becoming foundational to the assembly as a whole. But it is quite interesting to notice too that the
focus is on the gathering, not just on the membership. While everybody else was still part of the assembly as a
group, because they were not present at that meeting, they were not seen as sharing in this collective presence of
Christ. This should tell us the specific nature of this promise, and it should provoke us to not only be part of an
assembly in terms of membership, but in full participation at all its meetings.
Secondly, we are brought to the phrase unto My name. This is in the first place a specific adherence to Gods
authority; thus it is His Word that takes precedence in everything. Thus the concept of an assembly subject to mans
wisdom and organization is really an oxymoron in light of Scriptures definition. And yet this idea of His name goes
even further. Notice Deuteronomy 12, But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your
tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek , and thither thou shalt come Then there shall
be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there Or consider the words of
Solomon in 1 Kings 8, Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the stranger calleth to
thee for: that all people of the earth may know thy name, to fear thee, as do thy people Israel; and that they may
know that this house, which I have builded, is called by thy name . And God confirms this in chapter 9, And the
LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed
this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there
perpetually. The assembly is not only the seat of Gods administration and authority, but it is the center of His
personal dealings and delight. It is the place which He entrusts with His reputation. It is the place which He entrusts
with His revelation. It is the place He enjoys being. Surely there cant be any room to discount the value of the
assembly. It is that which God marks by His very Person; we cant diminish that. And if we cannot demean the value
of this, surely we cannot but hold His Word and authority in the highest honor as the place and people of His delight.
But it goes further than that. He promises There am I in the midst of them. He is the attracting force of believers.
He is their gathering center. He is what makes the local body a temple, as 1 Corinthians 3 describes it. It is easy to
think of this in a very straightforward, matter-of-fact sort of way; but let us individually take time to digest just what
this means. It is similar to what happened when Solomon dedicated the temple.
And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of
the LORD. Then spake Solomon, The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. I have surely built thee
an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.
While we may not see a thick cloud, let us not think of the gathering of the assembly as any less than the Most Holy
Place. God is not arbitrary or vague in His promises. Christ has promised His full presence. How can we claim any
less than that? It is ours to enjoy. When was the last time you by faith sensed the spiritual cloud filling the house?
When was the last time you stood in silent awe that the God Whom the heavens cannot contain would personally
make His dwelling with a people such as we? In light of all these unfathomable truths, surely our only appropriate

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response is one of devotion and worship in the beauty of holiness.

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