Good things happen when God gathers people around himself. Think about the times that Jesus gathered people to himself. He forgave people, He taught us, He fed us, He healed us, He delivered us, and at the cross He redeemed us. Jesus calls us together in Him so He can do for us what we can't do for ourselves. When Jesus died and the veil was torn in two, God not only gave us access to His very presence, but He made us a priesthood that gathers with Jesus right in the Holy of Holies whenever we gather together. God’s word makes it abundantly clear that powerful things happen when we gather in Jesus’ name. (Matthew 18:18-20) When we gather in His name Jesus promises that He is in the midst of us and when He is there anything can happen.

When we gather together in worship we are participating on earth with something that is happening at the same time in heaven. (Revelation 5:13-14) This is where Jesus shows us His faithfulness to us and points us toward the certain hope that we can have in Him. God’s faithfulness does not depend on us having a mountain of faith. Jesus doesn’t say, “If you have a mountain of faith the mustard seed will be cast into the sea.” (Matthew 17:20) He says, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

(Luke 5:1-11) Jesus completely understands that Peter is a sinful man of little faith, and yet, “because Jesus said so” was enough for Peter to get in the boat, cast his nets and experience the joy of the presence of God.When we gather for worship in the name of Jesus we are getting in the boat with Jesus and He has every intention of smiling at us, partnering with us, and connecting us to our daddy God in amazing and powerful ways.