Is Our Gathering Today Unto Christ Or Unto A Man/Minister Or Unto Ourselves?

The only spiritual value of our gathering/assembly is in the Lord being with us(His presence) & not in the number of people in attendance; and the Lord will only be present with us if our gathering is actually unto Him.


"For where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20

It's very important to note that the actual rendering of this scripture text in Matthew 18:20 is not "In my name," as in the common english version; but "Unto my name:" His name being thus the central point of gathering.

"In His name" would imply by His authority, or as representing Himself: both are of course, true of the body of believers as bearing the light/witness of the risen Christ in a dark world, but neither of them defines the nature of the christian assembly as portrayed in the actual rendering of the text..."Gathered Unto his name".

 It simply means it is a gathering unto Christ and none other.

 It is not a gathering/assembly unto a man/minister or unto the name of the minister/his ministry; not a gathering unto the name of a denomination or religious sect but unto no other name but the name of Jesus and unto none other but Him whose blood was shed to purchase the church, which is his assembly.

The reason for the many confusing and even very absurd names given by men to so called christian assemblies/ministries today, is because very few gather/assemble in the apprehension and reality of this truth.

If the assembly/gathering is unto his name, and if it be the Lord's assembly indeed, then it is simply the church/assembly of Christ & we would have no need to look for another name to call it.

His Name speaks of his authority & personality - the truth of who He is, and where He is apprehended by faith, He is present though he is physically absent from the earth.

Where His people are gathered together unto His name/unto Him, He is there present. It is so spontaneous that he did not say they even need to pray for him to be present, once they are truly gathered unto him, He is there in their midst.

If multitudes are gathered together in a religious building but not unto the Lord, the Lord is simply not there; and if the Lord is not there, the gathering has no spiritual value whatsoever & is of no account to heaven.

If the gathering is unto a man/preacher, then it is nothing but a religious cult.
On the other hand, if it is unto ourselves, then we are just in a social gathering/club.

In trying to emphasise the importance of the religious cliche 'going to church' some would readily quote Hebrews 10:25 which states "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is..."

However, the emphasis of scripture is not on fellowship or gathering/assembling together as a thing in itself but who the gathering is unto, who is the focus in the gathering/assembling of ourselves together?
Who is our fellowship with?

If our fellowship is with ourselves merely and the Lord is not the focus and the one we have gathered together to feast on as the bread of life, he is evidently not there for we are merely gathered together but not unto Him.

Such at it's best is a social gathering of people meeting themselves & exchanging pleasantries, or a cult of men gathered unto a cult leader/hero.

It's better not to have fellowship than to be in wrong fellowship. Better to be isolated for the sake of truth than to be related and in fellowship with error.

Make no mistake about it, where the gathering is not unto the Lord, he is not there with them even when they're having their testimonies of deliverance, breakthroughs, miracles & fulfilled prophecies, he's not there with them.

As revealed by the Lord Jesus, the workers of iniquity come so close in their profession of christian faith and identification with the name of the Lord, even to the extent of prophesying in his name, casting out devils in his name and doing many wonderful works of power/exploits in his name, yet at the end he will say to them: "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matthew 7:22-23.

Just how close can the way of error come in feigned alignment with the truth, only to deceive many & gain a large following.

The value of our assembling/gathering together is in the Lord being with us and not in the numbers of people in attendance.

We can have multitudes gathered in our meetings, filling the pews and the overflow, yet the Lord is not there and such a gathering is of no value or account to heaven.

Even in places where the Lord is present, with his people gathered unto his name, is the actual value of his people and the leaders in the Lord being with them regardless of the number in attendance?

Do people in christian ministry today find any value in the people of God gathering unto his name and having the Lord present with them regardless of their number?

If in a church program today we have 2 or 3 who are gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus, will the present day big men of God/ministers acknowledge/value the presence of the Lord with his people or refrain from ministering in such a place due to it's scantiness?

Sadly today we have so called ministers of the gospel whose value is in the numbers & not in the Lord being with his people; ministers who deem being called to minister in an assembly of few people an insult. Men who would not come to minister in a crusade where there is little or no prospect of a large gathering.

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