Where Two or Three

"Where there are two or three gathered in my name, there am I in their midst." Matthew 18:20

What an amazing promise Jesus has given His followers! Yesterday at our Pathways meeting, we prayed for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We were not just two or three, but more than 50 gathered in Jesus' name, asking for the gift that outweighs any other gift! There were no tongues of fire as described in the Acts of the Apostles, but the presence of God was palpable in the joy and exuberance of the singing as we worshipped, in the weeping, and the praying in tongues. 

In all of this, Jesus is the heart of the matter. The baptism of the Holy Spirit plants a very tenacious seed, but it has to be cultivated, just like seeds planted in a field. It needs the water of prayer, the sunlight of scripture, the oxygen of service and the good soil of being a part of a community of believers where Jesus will be present! 

Living in Christ is living in joy, in love, in peace. Faith is all this because it connects us to the source of all- God the Creator Himself! C.S. Lewis started out as an adamant atheist but he did not account for God being at the center of every question he asked. In his book, "Surprised by Joy", he wrote that, "Really, a young atheist cannot guard his atheism too carefully. Dangers lie in wait for him on every side..."

Lord, ambush me like You ambushed C.S. Lewis and Mother Teresa, and Saint Francis! Consume me with joy in Your presence as I gather with two or three in Your name!