WHEREVER TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED - (in context) - Ferocious Truth

Found here. My comments in bold.
------------------

The doctrinal police are at it again. Here Ferocious Truth getting it wrong about "where two or three are gathered in My name."
------------------

"If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

"For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.
(Matthew 18:15-17, 20)

"So not about Jesus showing up or being 'in our midst.' It's about Church discipline.

"And church discipline is not about kicking people out of the Church. It's about keeping people IN the Church, but on God's terms and to the purity of the body."

Ferocious Truth would have us believe that the only time the "two or three" principle applies is when discipline needs to be discerned. Certainly it is true that the Bible establishes this principle when dealing with matters of sin and discipline (2 Co. 13:1, 1Ti. 5:19, He. 10:28, De. 17:6, De. 19:15), but Ferocious Truth leaves out some critical information. Their selective use of quotes omits these two verses:

Mt. 18:18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Mt. 18:19 “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.

Notice the verses say "whatever" and "anything." Jesus is taking a Biblical principle about the need for witnesses and expanding it to include agreement on Whatever and anything. This is a very common technique used by Jesus to bring spiritual revelation to things. "You have heard it said" gets expanded to "but I say to you." 

Jesus is teaching us about faith. He is increasing our understanding about the Kingdom. Some other examples regarding asking:

Lk. 11:9-13 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jn. 16:23-24 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

Mt. 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Jn. 14:12-16 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. 15 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

Ep. 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...

Ja. 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

1Jn. 3:21-22 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

1Jn. 5:14-15 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him.

Clearly we are to come to the Father and ask of Him according to His purposes, in faith, and He will do it. This is offensive to some Christians who deem such things as making God into some sort of heavenly slot machine. But this is not what we are saying. Jesus is calling us to a higher level of faith to know His heart and desire, and to ask according to it.

So, the passage in question is not a context-specific agreement about church discipline, but an expansion of understanding about what it means to operate in faith.