Matthew 18:19-20
Two or More are Gathered
19"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
Matthew 4:18-22
Jesus Chooses the First Four of the Twelve
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Acts 2:14-41
Three Thousand Believers Added This Day
14Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17" 'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
22"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25David said about him:
" 'I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will live in hope,
27because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
28You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.'
29"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
" 'The Lord said to my Lord:
"Sit at my right hand
35until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet." '
36"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
38Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."
40With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
I often wonder what I can do alone, or when I worked what a small group could do to influence and make necessary and better changes to a group, an association, or even the world...The greatest change ever in our world, started with One Man...His name is Jesus...He teaches us if two or more are gathered in His Name, then He is there...When He started His ministry He chose two brothers, Peter and Andrew...Then He chose another set of brothers, John and James...So, figuratively His church started out with four men...Then it grew quickly to Twelve men, or Twelve Disciples...As He talked, taught, ministered, did His healing miracles (as well as other miracles), His followers increased...But many of His followers, seem to desert Him later, and after He is was arrested and put on the cross...I think this is typical of how we as men and women go about our lives...We might see and hear Jesus, and be very much impressed by Him, but our lives are caught up in our jobs, our days, our families, we are really caught up in our daily thoughts...After listening to Him, would one want to follow Him?...Many of His teachings are hard and I think much of what He said would be somewhat strange, as you listened to them, and reflected on what He was telling us...I really do believe His road is narrow, because it is much easier for us to be in control of our lives...It is easier to be an adviser for God, than to be a follower of His...
On the day of the Pentecost, we read about the first real growth in His following...It is after His death, His resurrection, and His ascension...We are told by St. Luke that a small group of about three thousand believers were added on the First Pentecost, after His death...The First Church of Jesus Christ is starting...It is starting to grow slowly, when you reflect on it...God could have added everyone in Israel, while Jesus walked the earth, and then could have added nation after nation after His death in a matter of months, or days (even hours) if He chose to...But that doesn't seem to be God's style...He has the patience to see His plan work over thousand of years, and it is working...I say this because today, I would not be sitting here writing about someone who taught two thousand years ago...Being a skeptic, I may not have believed in Him, when He taught on earth...If I was among the ones listening to Peter on the Pentecost, would have I believed in Him then?...I do not know, but God seems to have an organized, patient, methodical plan, that is slow and powerful, mystifying, and spiritual...It seems to me many believers come to Him over time, but that is only a guess, because that is how I became a follower (over time)...The three thousand that heard Peter that day, however, accepted His message, and what Peter was saying immediately...
Another man, named Paul would be recruited by Jesus...Jesus would use Paul to grow His following and flock...St. Paul would write fourteen of our New Testament Books of the Bible...St. Paul would both suffer and preach about Jesus...He would be Jesus' vessel and connection to the Gentiles..St. Paul would grow the Gentile church slowly and over time...Everyone would not believe, but some would and the early Gentile churches grew...St. Paul's fourteen letters to different Gentile groups would add to the foundation of the Four Written Gospels...The Four Gospels and St. Paul's letters would the foundation for a new religion, a religion based on Jesus Christ, His Divinity, His teachings, and His resurrection...These early Christian Books, added the Messiah from the older Mosaic and Prophetic teachings...The Four Gospels and Paul's letters became most of the New Testament...These books would teach us the Divinity and Resurrection of our LORD, Jesus Christ...They would be canonized and become part of our Bibles...
So, when we think of starting something alone or small groups, we are given hope...A world wide religion would be started by One Man...He would basically have Twelve members...The Twelve member would add a minister to the Gentiles -and would go on to convert the entire Roman Empire (which was basically the world) by 313 b.c...There would be many, many persecutions of this early group and the earliest believers, because the Roman Emperors and Leaders did not recognize Christianity as a religion...But on 313 b.c. Constantine would legalize Christianity as a religion...The Edict of Milan gave Christianity a voice, a legality, a boost...And twelve years later, the first Great Christian Council of Jerome helped unify Christianity even more...This seems to be the patience attribute of our LORD...God works slow and patiently and subtly many times in our lives...