<p>18:19&nbsp;<i>Again I say to you, that if two of you</i>- Surely to be connected with the &ldquo;two or three witnesses&rdquo; of :16, and the &ldquo;two or three&rdquo; of :20- see note there. The idea may be that in your decisions about how far to go in &lsquo;receiving&rsquo; a little one, you will be confirmed in that decision by Heaven. Or the sense may be that seeing the little ones should be &lsquo;received&rsquo; without limit, if the group of you making the decision pray for strength to do that, then it will be granted.</p>
<p><i>Shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask</i>- The Bible nowhere offers such a blank cheque assurance that literally whatever we ask for we shall receive. Always there is a specific context to such assurances that prayer will definitely be answered and requests given. That specific context here is concerning not offending others, efforts in winning them back and receiving them. We note that this is foreseen as a collective activity, involving more than you- because decisions regarding fellowship involve at least two or three.</p>
<p><i>It shall be done for them by-&nbsp;</i>An allusion to the saying of &lsquo;Amen&rsquo;, so be it, may it be done. Your &lsquo;Amen&rsquo; will in this case surely come true. Some of the assurances that prayer will surely be answered are in the context of praying for others. &quot;If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them&quot; is in the context of concerned brethren trying to win back a weak brother. Likewise &quot;If we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us... if any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death&quot; (1 Jn. 5:14-16). Again in a forgiveness context, Solomon asked that God would hear Israel &quot;in all that they call unto thee for&quot; (1 Kings 8:52).</p>
<p><i>My Father who is in Heaven-</i>&nbsp;The whole section emphasizes how God in Heaven is intensely involved with what we are doing on earth with regard to these decisions about excluding or including others (see :10,14,18,20).</p>