In his sermon, Paul A Jackson discusses the often misunderstood verse Matthew 18:20, which states that where two or three are gathered in Jesus' name, He is in their midst. Jackson argues that this verse is misinterpreted to suggest that a formally organized church is unnecessary. He stresses the importance of a properly organized church and criticizes the notion that large numbers are essential for a church to be legitimate. He shares personal anecdotes to illustrate that small congregations can still carry out the Lord's work effectively. Jackson also emphasizes that only a church with authority, derived from another church, can start new congregations. He challenges the idea that a preacher alone can constitute a church, and suggests that the presence of God is not limited to large assemblies but is with all who gather in truth, regardless of size.

Praise the Lord, brother. Well, it's good to be back here. It's been a while. Every time I come down here, I thank my brother Reggie. You know, I walk in the door back there and he'd say, what's this rascal doing here?

But certainly good. Y'all pray for me. I had the COVID virus back in February and it has left me with bad lungs and bad heart. And The doctor was telling me last week, he said some people it's taking them two years to finally get cleared up from it. But y'all pray for me, I need your prayers.

All right, turn with me to Matthew 18th chapter, if you would. Matthew 18th chapter I'm only going to read one verse. Matthew 18 and one verse. He says in the 20th verse, probably Probably most misunderstood verse in the Bible For were two or three are gathered together in my name There I am in the midst of them. Title of my message today is a sovereign grace landmark missionary Baptist church with two or three members.

This verse has been pulled out of its context to teach that a scripturally organized local church is not necessary to correctly serve the Lord. We got preachers out there that believe that you get two or three people together then you got a church and I know y'all you're gonna organize the church but most of you here know what a true church is and you know what a true church ought to believe and stand for. I've been accused of being too churchy. I had a preacher one time told me, he said, you're too churchy. But anyway, I believe that a church ought to be right.

Amen. I believe it ought to be right. I believe it ought to be organized right. And I don't see any other thing. You know, I'm finishing up, soon be finishing up 30, or 38 years.

Carmen, I don't know. You don't have to say anything. But I think that's what it is. I've been pastoring her since she was a little girl. But I'm finishing up 38 years.

And I want to tell you, I'll make sure that Lamar Baptist Church stays right. That's been one of my things. You know, I stated recently that the verse is one of the most misused and misunderstood verses in the Bible and it receives some undue criticism. It's amazing, you know, some people believe that, you know, had a person one time told me, said, well, they was two or three of us in a motel and we had church services. And I said, No, you didn't.

They said, yeah, what the Bible says, Matthew 1820. That's not what the Bible was saying in Matthew 1820. Hope we see that. The verse has been used to start a lot of heretical assemblies which don't belong to the Lord. The first thing I want to do today is quiet those who think a true church or two or three members cannot carry on the Lord's work in a scriptural way.

You can. You can. It doesn't make any difference. A church of two or three members can carry on the Lord's work as this church here that he was speaking about did. A lot of verses of the Bible have been taken out of their context to try and prove that it takes a lot of people to carry on the Lord's work.

It doesn't take a lot of people to carry on the Lord's work. Lord's work can be carried on with two or three people. And one such verse in the Bible that a lot of people get confused about is in Psalms 82-1. It says, God standeth in the congregation of the mighty. Well, I want I want to say God standeth in the congregation of two or three to it's doesn't make doesn't doesn't change.

This is true. God will stand with a mighty people who are standing with him on the truth. But This doesn't teach God stands with the mighty only. The Jews had a saying that it takes at least 10 people before God would present himself among them. They get this from God telling Abraham that if ten people could be found in Sodom the city would be spared.

Well that has no significant anything to do with a church. Nothing to do with church Not anything. They get this from God telling, well I already said that, Abraham, if ten righteous people could be found, that would be a church. I've already said that. So let me tell you a little incident which happened between my sister and me.

My sister had been a Baptist by name over 40 years. My brother-in-law was a lay preacher most of that time. Well when my brother-in-law passed away, my sister moved to Louisville, Kentucky and started going to a camera light organization which had over 14, 000 people. And now the church has got three four buildings hold 14, 000 people each and so of course I made with my 40 50 people took her to task and here and I rebuked her for going to this place after she had been a Baptist by name all these years. Her response to me was they must be doing something right to have all those people.

I don't mean anything. I don't mean a thing. I don't mean one thing. As a matter of fact the Jerusalem church got too big the Lord sent persecution among them and scattered them. The Lord's not just in favor, not in favor of big churches.

Most big churches are so far out that they don't know what way they're going Have don't have any reason Her husband that's my brother-in-law had preached at a mission of about 35 people for 38 years Her brother that is I has been the pastor of small churches for nearly 55 years. They call them small churches. We run about 60 or 70, but they call them small churches beside these big monstrosities. There's somebody there in Vidalia who started a church and it wasn't long until they had about 200 members. They think people like us, you know, I've been there 38 years and they say, you should have more people now.

But they don't know God. Was this not an indictment of both of us that our congregations were never blessed of the Lord, that the Lord never was among our missed? Let me tell you folks, This is the way 99 and 99 100% of the people out there feel. Because they feel the same way my sister did. They could never see the text of before this message is referring to a true New Testament Baptist Church.

They stay away from it. Yeah. You know, why would anybody put an idiot preach on two or three people? Or preach to two or three people? Let's put it that way.

First church I ever had, first church I had was in Illinois. And I served as interim pastor there for four months. And then when I, the first Sunday that I came home from Illinois back to Kentucky I pushed snow up in front of my car and I said I can't do this very often And so I got home and my wife said, said there's some people trying to call you. And I said, who are they? She said, I don't know.

She gave me a number and I called them back. It was Calvary Baptist Church in Cynthia and in Kentucky. Won't know if I was interested in come be their pastor. And I did. I told him, I said, sure, I'm interested.

And so I went and preached for him, and they called him his pastor. Well, the first Sunday, I preached to him. Everything went well. The second Sunday, I preached to him. They only had, let me see, they had about 12 people and seven of them got up and walked out.

First and second Sunday I preached to them. They got up and walked out and I said, surely, I said to myself, I said surely they're going to run me off. I just run off seven other people they had. They couldn't afford to have seven people leave. And So when the church was over with, I was back at the back door shaking hands and this lady came out and she took my hand and hugged me.

She said, boy, I'm so glad you're here. I said, why? She said, we've been trying to get rid of those people for years. And she said you preach to them one time they all left. Yeah, yeah.

And and I thought well then I did I did something right. Yes. But anyway that left five people, three women, two children. And I preached to those three women, two children for $15 a week. When I first went there and preached to them, they gave me $15.

I thought, well, that's what they give a preacher preaching for them first first week I was a pastor they gave me $15 they gave me $15 a week for nine years and so you know, that's okay. That's all right. The Lord was taking care of him. Amen. There have been times when God was with one person.

God told Moses to go unto the people and promised him that he would see that they listened to him. Exodus four and verse 12 says, now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth teach thee that thou will say teach thee what thou will say God is always with us y'all have to bear with me because I my throat is, I'll tell you that stuff, it's rough on you. My wife was in the hospital nine days with it. But my throat is weak, has been ever since. If God saw fit to be with one in the Old Testament, why could he not choose to be with a true church or two or three members.

Now, if he chose to be, if he chose to be with one person, then why we complain about him being with three. Amen. All the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John teach that the church was in existence before Pentecost. Now, I believe that. All the heretical teachings we have today concerning the work of the church, the view of a universal church, and all the things that are attributed to charismatic movement are because of the misunderstanding of this one bird.

That's right. I get so tired of those who propagate and promulgate. You all know I'm talking about that. I get so tired of those who propagate and promulgate that a preacher can start a church. Preacher can't start a church.

Right. I believe in some people say, well, don't use a mother church. But I believe in a mother church. Amen. Yes.

I believe a church ought to have a mother. And I believe they ought to have somebody that I wrote some some of you may have seen it. I wrote links. I wrote the links of of our church and it was on the internet for a long time. But I took our church all the way all the way back to the church that you daddy.

He remembers the church unity Baptist Church. Yeah, that's common that they called it that name Yeah, unity Baptist Church. There are some were close to there Yeah in Kentucky, yeah, yeah And granddaddy your granddaddy was something else He was I went down there to preach for him one time. He said, Can you stay another week? I said, Yeah, I can stay another week.

Preach that week for him. And he said, can you stay another week? I said, Yeah, brother Hobbs, I can stay another week. And, at the end of that week he came toward me I said no I can't stay another week but I tell you it's a good man good man I thought a lot of it but those who propagate and promulgate what do they call it that a man can start a church and constitute a church without the authority of another church I don't believe it I don't believe you can start a church without the authority of another church. I don't believe that.

I don't believe you can start a church without the authority of another church. There has been one other person born on this earth besides John the Baptist, who has been given authority to baptize directly from God. There has not been one other person in this earth besides Christ himself who has had the authority to start a true church, which has the authority to baptize and start other churches. Jesus started the first church. He sure did and he never said, I was talking about the church up there in Kentucky.

I stayed there nine years and 81 people called Brother Tony Vance as a full-time pastor when I left and the Lord blesses it then I tell you if the Lord blesses you you won't preach to the three people very long. He'll send you more. He'll send you more. I don't know how many of you saw on Facebook the picture of just our young people. Just our young people, I guess about 40 of them up there I guess.

You know, That's just our young people. I'm our old people. I told me my wife, I said, we're the old people here. And she said, well, I'm not old. I said, well, you think I'm old?

Yeah, I do. But anyway, y'all, some of you know my wife. This era has caused people to think that they can skip the services of a true church, go to the beaches, motel rooms, and even stay home and have Bible study and call it church services. Folks, I've had this happen and I'm fed up with it. I've had this happen, I'm fed up with it.

Really am. What does Matthew 18-20 teach? It teaches a true local visible New Testament Baptist Church can be as small as two or three members and still have had all the things that bind on earth by vote already, having been bound in heaven, and the things that are loose on earth by vote already having been loosed in heaven, because God is with them. God is with them. So I don't know how many people you're gonna have in this new church.

But raise your hand if you're gonna be in the new church. Okay, yeah. Well, you'll be bigger than that for long. You're gonna be going past recreates. We'll see.

You say, yeah, there you go all right but anyway well why is it that this is all true? Because God is in or missed. I say, praise the Lord. I don't care who you are. If God is in, you're missed.

You're a winner. Amen. You're a winner. All right, I'm going to let you all have it. My throat's giving out on me.

Makes me hard to say some words sometimes. President, we really appreciate that.