I Need You!!!!
Matthew 18:18-20
God is omniscient. This simply means that He knows everything about everything, because He is the source of everything. In the book of Gen. 2:18 the Bible says “And the Lord God said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” God the creator of all here became God the psychologist, for He said it is not good that man should be alone, not naturally, mentally or physically. Then He became God the anastigologist and caused a deep sleep to come upon Adam. Then He became God the surgeon and performed a operation on Adam and took a rib from his side. Then God became again the master builder and made woman from the bone of his bone. Then God became a preacher and said dearly beloved, be fruitful and multiply. All this was done so man wouldn’t be alone. In other words He was establishing unity, for He said the two shall become one, UNITY.
Nothing in this life works without unity. Your car, regardless of how much you prayed for it, works because of unity. If there was no unity between the key and the ignition, the ignition and the starter, the starter and the engine, the car would not work. If any of these components were not in unity with the rest of them your car would not work. The Ohio State Football team is the national champions because of unity. Everything works because of unity. Your relationships work because of unity. The church works because of unity. The Bible says, “ A house divided will fall” why, because there is no unity. The word unity means “ONENESS”. In order for unity to exist there needs to be oneness. Like the 3 musketeers said “One for all and all for one. There must be unity for united we stand but divided we fall.
We need unity now more than ever before for we are living in what the Bible calls perilous times. Unlike any other time before, these are truly the most wicked, sin infested, and ungodly of times. People’s conscience is as though it has been seared with a hot iron. Wrong is being called right and right is being called wrong. Morality and decency are words that now must be looked up in a dictionary instead of portrayed by society. The minds of people have become so distorted from the truth that the more perverse, more degrading, and the unlike God something is the more we like it. We have become a people that have developed the concept that no matter the consequences, if the Eros (erotic nature) of us is satisfied then that’s good enough. This mentality is not limited to the worldly system and the sinner, but is also the feeling of some church folk. they won’t come to Sunday school, can’t find them for Bible Class, Don’t even realize that there is a Prayer Band, but put on a concert, have a gospel fest and good God almighty they beat you to the church. Why cause it satisfying to the Eros.
The immorality of sin isn’t trying to creep into the church anymore, for it has so inundated itself within the church that we now have homosexuals sitting in the pulpit telling people that as long as you just have love that’s all you need. They try to use the philosophy that you never know whom you shall fall in love with as a means to justify the sin they are doing.
It’s a sad shame but before the church can truly be effective in fighting sin in the world, we the church has to come together and fight the sin that’s in the church. This is not the time for denominational separation; this is not the time for racial disunity among the children of God, for there is neither Greek, nor Jew, Male nor Female, Bond, nor Free, Black nor White in the body of Christ. This is not the time for spiritual soloism. This is time however for the church, those that are called by His name according to His purpose to get on one accord and begin to tear the devil’s kingdom down. Understand that in order to do that we are going to have to come together, there’s got to be unity, because none of us can do it by ourselves. We must have unity, for where there is unity there is strength.
There is a song by Hezekiah Walker that’s says, “I need you to survive.” The words to the song are “I need you, you need me, we’re all a part of God’s body. Stand with me agree with me we’re all a part of God’s body. It is His will that every need be supplied. You are important to me I need you to survive. I pray for you, you pray for me. I love you I need you to survive. I won’t harm you with words from my mouth, I love you, I need you to survive.”
That is a very powerful song because it capitalizes on the concept that no one (man or woman) is an Island and no one stands alone. No man is born alone and no man dies alone. We all need eachother in order to make it through this life and into the kingdom of God. We cannot do this thing all by ourselves. Sometimes it my seem as though we are alone, sometimes it may feel has though we are putting every facet of our being into this walk and nobody else is doing anything. Sometimes you may feel like you are pushing a boulder up hill all by yourself, sometimes you may even feel that if you want anything done right you better do it yourself, but in all reality we all need each other in order to survive. It is a foolish person that says I don’t need anybody, because I need you and you need me in order to survive.
There was a movie some years ago called “Imitation of Life”. In the movie there was a girl that was very light skin and her mother was very dark. The girl tried to pass as a white girl and told her mother that she didn’t need her, she didn’t want society to know that she was in fact black. So she told her mother I don’t need you; however, as with all cases, when her back got up against the wall, when she feel upon hard times, she had to call for the very person that she said she didn’t need, her mother. Finally when her mother died, I’ll never forget the scene because I said you should have treated her better when she was alive. She fell across the casket and said momma I need you, I’m sorry momma, I need you how am I going to survive with out my momma. I said all of that because often times we don’t realize just how much we need somebody until they are no longer around. I need you to survive. Like the song said, “we all need somebody to lean on, I might have a problem that you’ll understand we all need somebody to lean on.”
Someone may say well the Bible says work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. However, understand that is not saying or giving you the green light to say O.K. and get the attitude I got mine now you get yours. However, in the Greek to “work out” is an expression that denotes the manifestation or actualization of something one already has. In other words God has given unto us salvation, not just for our own benefit, but for the good of others. We are to portray Him to the world. We are the only Jesus this world will ever see. By working out of what has been given to us we manifest this glorious life to the lost world, for we are the lights of the world. They see God in us and glorify Him; give there lives to Him, which causes the church, which is the body of Christ to grow. That is what is meant by work out your own salvation, work out of what God has already given you not to benefit yourself, not to achieve fortune or fame, not for prosperity or popularity, but to benefit those that are lost and to edify the church which is the body of Christ, to achieve unity. That’s what the meaning of our ministry is, for we have the ministry of reconciliation, that means to reunite man with God in a perfect, harmonious, and united relationship.
I need you: Sometimes my wife will be in the kitchen, understand I’m 6’2” she is 5’2”. The ceilings in our home are 9’ ceilings, when cans that she needs are in the kitchen cabinets over the stove sometimes they hard for her to reach, so she will say Mel I need you. I will often say what did you say, just to hear her say I need you, why because there is something about that saying I need you that just makes a person feel good. It causes us the feel that in order for you to accomplish what it is you have set out to do you need my help. If we are honest with ourselves, especially us men, it strokes the ego and makes us feel important. We all like to feel important. (Look at someone and say I need you.) Understand that the need for someone is more than just something to stroke the ego of someone.
To need someone is a physiological or psychological requirement for the well being of an organism.
For example a baby needs the love of its mother in order for it to be a well-being. I know many of you have seen in school the experiment that was performed with the two monkeys, one was given love and kindness and all the things a mother does for a child was done to this monkey, it was nurtured and given everything it needed. The other monkey was pushed a side made to fend for itself, never given the love that the other monkey was given, they put a cold, hard wire doll in the cage with a bottle in it trying to substitute the mother for this wire doll only to have the monkey reject it causing the monkey not to even eat. Why, because it lacked what it had need of in order to survive? It didn’t have the things the mother would have taught it on the inside, it didn’t have what it had need of. Therefore, that monkey was secluded; stand offish, and violent, why because it never had what it was in need of in order to be a well functioning organism. I need you.
The church, which is the body of Christ, is an organism, although we have different organizations, the church, which is made up of those that are called by His name according to His purpose, is an organism, and for the well being of the organism it needs you and me. I need you. That’s why we sing the song sometimes I need thee every hour because I need thee in order to be a well functioning organism. I need thee Lord in order to survive. Well baby I need you and you need me if we plan to survive this world and make it into the kingdom of God. I have two brothers, by myself I pretty good as far as handling myself, but if my brothers are with me they have my back and I theirs and we become a force to be reckoned with because we are together. I need you.
In our text the Bible says in verse 18 “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
ª I ask the question: How many people believe that. You really believe that you can bind something and loose something here on earth and it is done in heaven. Everyone agrees with that. You agree that you can bind discouragement, disappointment, diseases, and release peace that passeth all understanding, you believe you can release joy unspeakable and full of glory, you believe you can release healing. Well I’m sorry but you can’t have that. I know you are saying to yourself this man has lost his ever-loving mind. He just read it and is now saying that we can’t have it.
STAY WITH ME FOR A MINUTE. You can’t have verse 18 until you have verse 19. Understand that verse 18 is the manifestation of verse 19. Everyone wants the manifestation, everybody wants to be able to bind this and that, everyone wants to say I got the power, but you first have to have the other stuff before the manifestation. You must go through the process. You got to go be prepared for what God is getting ready to do. You can’t skip over the process because that is preparing you for the blessing. You got to dig some ditches. You may not see the rain nor will you see the wind, but dig the ditch. Go through the process, get yourself ready because in the morning your dry valley is going to be full of water, but you got to go through the process.
A process is something marked by gradual changes that leads to a particular result, a series of actions or operations directed toward a particular outcome. It is the steps in doing something that will bring you to the completed results.
It’s a 3-step process, the number 3 represents fullness. Fullness is not lacking in any essentials it is being at the highest or greatest degree. It is the completeness of the process. 3 is the fullness of His power, 3 represents the 3 manifestations of God. Fullness: Father, Son, & Holy Ghost Fullness, Death, Burial, & Resurrection Fullness Body, Soul, & Spirit Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent Faith, Goodness, Mercy, Tabernacle, Temple, Pentecost, Outer court, inner court, Holy of Holies 30, 60, 100 fold, fruit, more fruit, much fruit, Peter, James, & John, Proclamation, Expectation, and Manifestation, Fullness. That’s why you can’t have it yet there’s some other stuff first. There is first the proclamation, then there is expectation, and then finally there is the manifestation. Verse 18 is the manifestation of verse 19. Therefore you can’t have verse 18 until you have verse 19. Everyone wants the manifestation, but you must go through the process. Manifestation, in the simplest form, means a public display of something.
Verse 19 says “Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” Again I say unto you. The word again means, as previously stated, He said it once before, but when, I’ll get to that. Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree (SHALL WHAT- AGREE) on earth, (WHERE - ON EARTH).
WATCH THIS: if two of you shall agree on earth. The word agree comes from a Greek word called “sumphoneo”, it is where we get the word symphony; it means to be in perfect harmony. When we agree with someone that means we are in perfect harmony naturally, spiritually, mentally. We have to have the same feelings, purpose, and desires. 3 Fullness. If we are praying for two different things we are not in harmony and therefore are not able to agree. That’s why it’s good to make your request known. That’s why we have such a hard time trying to get things done in the church, not because God is not doing it, but because we can’t agree.
We are on this earth in this earthly body, which is flesh. In this body dwells no good thing. This body is earthly, it has been cursed, it is going back to the dust from which it came. This body cannot into heaven, that’s why the Bible says corruption must put on incorruption and mortal must put on immortality, we must go through the process.
The Bible goes on to say, “as touching any thing that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my Father.” (WHO - my FATHER) Who is His Father, God and God is a Spirit, which is in heaven (WHERE - Heaven).
WATCH THIS: We are an earthly creature that is tapping into a spiritual realm. When you tap into a spiritual realm things operate differently than they would in an earthly realm. WHY because you must operate, not by mans ways, but by God’s way. That’s why you can’t have verse 18 until you have verse 19, it’s spiritual and because it’s spiritual you must do it the way God said do it. To us this doesn’t make since because in our mind 18 comes before 19, but remember we are doing it God’s way.
The Bible says in Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
In the spiritual realm you operate differently, in order to be exalted you must become humble, for the Bible says “he that humbleth himself God will exalt, and he the exalt himself God will abase.” You see it’s different, if you want to live you must die, if you want to go up you must get down, if you want to be strong you must become weak, if you want in you got to get out. WHY because you are operating in a spiritual realm. See in the natural realm if you want to be in the in crowd you must be around the in crowd to be noticed by them, but in the spiritual God said come out from among them and be ye separate and I shall receive you unto myself. Understand there is no more of an in crowd than the crowd that will go sweeping through the city. There is no more in crowd than that crowd that dwells in the secret place of the most high. There is no more of an in crowd than those that will be in the New Jerusalem. There is no more of an in crowd than those that are in the rapture. You want to be in the in crowd come out from among them.
Verse 19 says “Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” However, you can’t have that verse yet because that verse is the expectation. Expectation is that which taps into the power source and releases the virtue within. Just as the woman with the issue of blood. She expected something from the Lord, which caused her to tap into the power source, when she touched the hem of His garment it released His virtue, that dunamis power. Expectation is like a cord on an appliance, if you don’t plug that cord into and electrical outlet it is useless, but once you plug into the power source that power travels through the cord to the appliance. Expectation taps into the power source of heaven and carries the power from the source to us. But we ain’t there yet, we can’t have that just yet.
Why because there’s still another part of the process. You must have verse 20 before you can have verse 19, remember we are tapping into the spiritual realm and things are done differently in the spiritual realm.
In our understanding 19 comes before 20, but that’s why the Bible says, “lean not to your own understanding.”
Verse 20 says “For where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them.” FOR, this word is the beginning of a statement. “For this cause man shall leave his mother and father and cleave unto his wife.” “For unto us a child is born and unto us a son is given. “For this cause came He into the world.” “For where two or three”, statement or proclamation.
This is the proclamation. This is the place we must start. A proclamation means to declare publicly, to give an outward indication. Jesus said where two or three are gathered together in my name. This shows the least amount necessary to accomplish tapping into the spiritual realm (you & me.) You thought you could do it all by yourself, but we see here that you have to have at least 2 or 3 in other words there’s got to be some unity. I can’t do it by myself you can’t do it by yourself there’s got to be unity. A ½ of a house is good for nothing, but put the ½’s together and the house becomes a home, why because it has become united. That’s what we mean when we say I need you; in order for me to tap into the spiritual realm I need you. In order for you to tap into the spiritual realm you need me.
Understand this doesn’t mean I’m here doing my thing, and you are over there doing your thing and someone is back they’re doing their thing. See we as church folk got it messed up. We have this mind-set that O.K. I’m a preacher or I hold this position and I got this going on and I can’t agree with you (come together). Because you’re the choir director and you shine to bright in that capacity and I can’t get the spotlight if I hook up with you. So I’ll just do my thing and you do your thing and I‘ll pray that the church grows and you do your thing, whatever that is, and we shall see the hand of God move. That’s a lie breathed in the pits of Hell because we are trying to do it ourselves. The Bible says a house divided will fall
The Bible says two or three, this is the minimum number you need in order to tap into the spiritual realm. You can’t do it by yourself. I need you, you need me where a part of God’s body. I need you to hook up with me, you need me to hook up with you, we need to come into agreement, we got to have the same feelings, desires, and purpose with each other in order that we may tap into the spiritual realm and release the power of God. I need you to survive.
WATCH THIS: Don’t you realize that your blessing is contingent upon the other person? Tell someone don’t mess with my blessing. That’s what it means when it says, “if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them”, for who “FOR THEM”. It’s plural, 2 not 1, but 2. I need you to survive. I need you to live. I need you to pray for me. I need you to agree with me in order that I may survive. I need you to survive, I need you in order for me to survive, you need me in order for you to survive. You see baby it’s not a one-man show we need each other in order to survive.
I need you to agree with me. The word agree means – to concur with, to achieve or be in harmony with, in opinion, in feeling, and in purpose. When we come in agreement with someone, we have fulfilled the proclamation, verse 20. Now we enter into the expectation, verse 19. Expectation is like a plug that taps into the power source. WATCH THIS: A plug has 2 or 3 prongs on it. If it only has 1 prong it is good for nothing. Where 2 or 3 are gathered together (are in agreement) in my name. When we are in agreement we become a complete plug, we can tap into the power source, the spiritual realm. Because we have come into agreement and have tapped into the power source, that which we have agreed upon has to manifest itself. WHY because we are in agreement and since we are in agreement God is in the midst and when God shows up, He shows out. I NEED YOU.
WATCH THS: The Bible says “any thing that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my Father in heaven.” All you have to do is agree with someone.
I dare you to grab someone; look them in the eye and with all senserity tell them I need you to agree with me. Then that thing that you are asking for in agreement begin to tap into the power source of heaven and it has to come to pass. You have wanted that unsaved companion saved agree upon it. You have been asking for a new job agree upon it. You’re been wanting that son delivered off of drugs, agree upon it. You’ve wanted that daughter to stop walking the street, agree upon it. Agree upon it, expect it, and watch God manifest it.
God cannot lie and He said if two or three shall agree anything they ask my father in heaven shall do it. He put His name on the line all you have to do is AGREE.
Elder Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
Boanerge Ministries
