Matthew 18:18, 19 - Church Discipline and Prayer.

Mat 18:18, 19: Church Discipline and Prayer.

Mat 18:18, 19 (AMP)  Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and 
declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already 
forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful 
on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven.  Again I tell 
you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a 
symphony together) about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, 
it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven. 

Mat 18:18, 19 (CWR)  People generally have enough common sense 
to determine what is right and wrong, and so do you.  You know what 
behavior heaven approves and what behavior it doesn't approve.  If two or 
more of you pray about something which is in harmony with heaven, my 
Father will answer your prayer according to His wisdom. 

"Whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and 
whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." The 
meaning evidently is this, that the church on earth will require only 
what heaven requires and will prohibit only what heaven prohibits. 
This seems to be the clear teaching of the Scriptures (see on Matt. 
7:21-27; Mark 7:6-13). As the apostles went forth to proclaim the gospel, 
according to the commission entrusted to them (see Matt. 28:19, 20), they 
were to teach converts "to observe all things whatsoever" Christ had 
commanded--no more and no less.  To extend the meaning of "bind" and "loose" 
to the authority to dictate what members of the church may believe 
and what they may do, in matters of faith and practice, is to read 
into these words of Christ more than He meant by them, and more than 
the disciples understood by them. Such a claim God does not 
sanction. Christ's representatives on earth have the right and the 
responsibility to "bind" whatever has been "bound in heaven" and to "loose" 
whatever has been "loosed in heaven," that is, to require or to prohibit 
whatever Inspiration clearly reveals. But to go beyond this is to 
substitute human authority for the authority of Christ (see on Mark 7:7-9), 
a tendency that Heaven will not tolerate in those who have been 
appointed to the oversight of the citizens of the kingdom of heaven on 
earth. [SDA Commentary re 16:19] 

This 'binding' and 'loosing' refers to the decisions of the 
church in conflicts. Among believers, there is no court of appeals 
beyond the church. Ideally, the church's decisions should be God-guided 
and based on discernment of his Word. Believers have the 
responsibility, therefore, to bring their problems to the 
church, and the church 
 has the responsibility to use God's guidance in seeking to resolve 
conflicts. Handling problems God's way will have an impact now and for 
eternity. [Life Application SB] 

Here is a secret, both of prayer and friendship. Have you ever 
wondered about why you pray? God is omniscient. He already knows what 
you're going to say and what you need.  But he commands us to pray and 
that is reason enough for our prayer. But here he tells us if TWO of 
us shall agree and ask....  Why? We are to live by faith, that is, 
trusting and believing God's Word, and acting on it. We are all given a 
"measure" of faith. Measure is a word connoting amount. We all have a 
somewhat different "amount" of faith. We are told to ask together, 
because being with another believer who is of like mind on a matter, 
allows us to combine our faith on that matter. We encourage one another 
in prayer and in faith. When two or more believers join together in 
prayer they are strengthened. Are you praying with another in this 
manner? If not, ask the Lord for a prayer partner. It will revolutionize 
your walk with the Lord! [In His Time; Walk With Wisdom]