Jesus In Our Midst

For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.

Matthew 18:20

Wednesday night Refresh Bible study began as it typically does.  Pastor gave pertinent announcements and then began to dive into the lesson.  He shared the scripture that was the focus of lesson.  He started talking about why the scripture was powerful.  And then…nothing.  My TV was frozen, and the spinning loop began to play on the screen.  I closed the app on the TV and went to my phone hoping that I had not missed too much. 

The good news is that I had not missed a thing.  The bad news is that Bible study had stopped streaming for everyone.  When I think about the technology issues, they make the scripture all that more relevant.  In Matthew 18:20, Jesus declares that when two or three are gathered together in His name, He is there in the midst of them.  Well, let’s really think about that.

COVID-19 has expanded my understanding of what it means to gather together in His name.  Social distancing has limited our physical contact.  No longer can we drag into the sanctuary on Wednesday night after a long day at work.  No more dressing up in our Sunday finest on Sunday morning to worship and fellowship together.  No, our gathering has moved to the online community.

I now have a greater appreciation for this verse.  Although we are not gathered together in the same physical location, Jesus continues to show up in our midst when we log into a virtual service.  The Holy Spirit ministers to us in our own personal sanctuaries.  He does not need our bodies to be in one location to cue His arrival.  He makes His presence known to us because we have united with like-minded believers.

Of course, gathering together virtually presents its own unique set of challenges.  Instead of being distracted by one of the deacon’s flashy new suits, now we get sidelined by a notification that pops up on the device that we are using to stream the service.  When two or three believers gather with Him on their agenda, He shows up.  I don’t know about ya’ll, but I do not ever want to miss out on experiencing His presence or His peace.

The good news is that we do not have to wait for a virtual or in-person church service to experience Jesus in our midst.  We have the power to link up with other believers outside of church sanctioned activities.  You want to feel Jesus? Call on two or three friends that love the Lord.  You can have a prayer and praise service on the phone.  I once was challenged to find an accountability partner and pray with them every day for seven days.  I chose my bestest friend.  Although we had been best buds for a while, we had not prayed out loud for each other on the phone before.  We would definitely ask each other for prayer but had not stopped what we were doing in the moment to pray.

The first few days it was awkward.  Praying out loud in front of others is not my favorite thing to do.  I can talk about Jesus all day.  I can talk TO Jesus all day.  He gets an earful.  Sharing prayer time with someone else changed the game.  It invited Jesus into the midst of our daily talks and shifted the atmosphere.  You cannot talk trash when you just felt the Lord’s presence.

Technology failed on Wednesday night, but God didn’t.  I felt God in our midst.  He is not confined by technology or internet connection.  He wants to be ever-present in our lives.  Let’s have an atmosphere that welcomes Him into our midst.  #wepreach