Let Us Be in Agreement

October 5, 2015

Let Us Be in Agreement

“I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.

Matthew 18:19

Have you ever wondered if Jesus’ promise in Matthew 18:19 is a Catch-22? It is nearly impossible to get two people to agree on anything, especially in the church! From this perspective, the chances that God would have to grant such a prayer request are slim and none. Actually, when you take the whole second half of Matthew 18 in context, you see that Jesus is giving the church instructions on how to get along with one another and how to be reconciled when there are disputes within the church. Regrettably, the verse quoted above is far too often taken out of context and used as a means to manipulate God into giving us what we think we want or need, or to change circumstances we find unpleasant.

Jesus modeled for us what it means to be in agreement with one another when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him” (Luke 22:42-43). The art of being in agreement is to be in agreement with the will of God for your life. After Jesus made his promise about being in agreement, he gave the disciples yet another promise: “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20). Just as the angel came to strengthen Jesus in the Garden, so also when we are in agreement with the Father’s will for our life, we will experience Jesus in our midst to come and strengthen us.

As Jesus modeled for us, the purpose of prayer is to align ourselves with God’s purpose of forming Christ within us. Take time to consider where you are spending your money, how you are spending your free time, and where your daydreams are taking you. How closely are these three aligned with God’s plan to form Christ in you? The greater the distance, the less you are in agreement with God.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.