Accord or Discord – Pt2

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ACCORD:

To harmonize, reconcile, to grant or concede

To be in mutual agreement, or harmony, willingly without being asked.

To be in one accord is for everyone to agree, with no one dissenting

DISCORD:

Disagreement, a harsh or confusing noise

Quarreling, the struggle to win out where there is a conflict or disagreement

BIBLE VERSE:

Acts 2:1-2 “and when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.“

I guess I’ll start with this question – Where is the “One Accord Church”? The church whose focus is flowing in the Holy Spirit and God’s purpose for His body. Where is the church that operates on the Word of God from beginning to end? Where disagreements on theology do not decide who we are and how we are to be. Are we operating by God’s mandate or man’s?

When I say the church, I am referring to our first example of how the church should function. The first “One Accord Church”. The one single thing that we should be is, “In One Accord” [singleness of mind]. Where the truths of scripture are what keeps us in harmony and operating in the fullness of the Spirit’s power. We should be determined to be likeminded, with our hearts set as a flint, in the operation of the Holy Spirit.

Remember in the 1st Century church, they were in one accord before the Holy Spirit came with fire and power. How much more should we be likeminded and in harmony when we have the indwelling of God’s Spirit? Shouldn’t we follow the example God set for us in the beginning? Have we become so caught up in a complacent state of mind that we continue to allow doctrines of men to keep us separated?

Let us not forget the example of King David when he decided to take the Ark of the Covenant back to Israel. Instead of following the pattern of God, he did it his own way – causing hardship and death. We should be sold out on doing things Jesus way. We should be saying with confidence the words of the Father, without reservation, no matter what the world or religious systems think of us.

Remember the disciples of the first church. Their determination to be likeminded and filled with the Holy Spirit caused them to speak boldly and every tongue of that time heard the clear message of Jesus. Wherever they were, be it the marketplace or the King’s palace. The unbeliever was so amazed at this that many were added to the church daily.

To be in one accord is perhaps the single most important thing in the operation of God’s church then and now. What has caused us to lose sight of this major biblical truth? I believe church history gives us that answer and here it is. Choosing to believe only what we, as humans want to believe. God’s pattern for His church was never meant for it to be divided. We weren’t supposed to pick and choose what we would agree on. Scripture tells us God is not mocked [Gal 6-7]. The scriptures leading up to this one talks about faults and works and being taught. It clearly speaks on reaping what we sow. Have we the Body of Christ allowed generation after generation the seeds of discord to be sown because of our lack of understanding of the power of being in one accord? Has human nature taken hold of what is God’s and let it be what controls God’s church? Has man created rules, and doctrines that keep us at arms length with one another?

I beseech you my fellow believers, I am not writing this as a representative of a denomination or from a formed opinion of my own, but by simply reading the Book of Acts and believing what I read. There has been much talk about spiritual awaking in the body of Christ. This truth must be the alarm that is sounded to stir us back to the basics of our faith.

There is a statement I’ve heard far to often from leaders of different denominations. That is – “Lets just agree on the things we can agree on”. This way of thinking only causes God’s church to be divided into groups of disagreements! These groups of disagreements are governed by compromise. Is this really what Jesus wanted of us – His church? Have we become so afraid of being fully in one accord that we accept a watered down version of how the church is to be? Let me remind you that the followers of Jesus were considered ignorant and unlearned, yet they understood the importance of following the words of Jesus to the letter and not be detoured by their emotions or motivated by self-centeredness, or personal gain. They simply chose to be sold out to the one in whom they believed. They waited and were filled with the power of God’s Spirit. So great was this power in their lives that their very shadow would heal those whom it touched. I believe with all my heart their love for the truth, the truth they heard from Jesus and believed, and their love for one another, opened the door for the Holy Spirit’s power to work through them, as they were in one accord.  No one had to strong arm them or persuade them or develop a plan to convince them. They were willing to lay down their lives for the testimony of Christ. Remember – not all that saw His ascension made it to the upper room. Why? I believe they could not come into full agreement or accord. There was probably something in their lives they just couldn’t give up, or perhaps the fear of the unknown. Never the less, they decided to separate and go their way.

Look at our world; does it need to see the Church filled with the Glory of God? Look at your neighborhood, or your work place – is it in need of the power of the 1st century church? Look at your relationship with your brothers and sisters in Christ, outside of your own denomination. Is it a surface relationship that says we believe in Jesus salvation, but can’t get past doctrinal issues, that separate us from a deeper relationship with God and one another? How great it would be if we all shared in the fullness of God’s Spirit, no matter what the consequences. What if we were determined to give one accord a try? I believe we would be so empowered by God’s Spirit that we would once again turn the world upside down. Let us be so free in Jesus that we allow all the gifts and all the fruits of God’s Spirit to become our lives.

Dear brothers and sisters we are in the hour when a great shift is about to take place in the supernatural. Old ways of thinking, stubbornness, unwillingness to change, discord, pride, will be brought to the surface of our lives and the Body of Christ will have to deal with these issues. The face of the Church must reflect Jesus and not man. The time is now to lay aside doctrinal strongholds and compromise. The plumb line is set and every heart will have to make the chose to come into alignment with Jesus who is the plumb line [Amos 7-8]. It is time for the glory of the Lord to fill His house.

PRAYER:

Father I pray for dissenting to be lifted from your church, that you have full rule and reign. We have not been good stewards Father because of our lack of “Your” understanding concerning basic, biblical truths. Our unwillingness to change has hindered a great outpouring of your precious Spirit. Let us become humble. Let us repent of our persistence to have our own way. Father you are the One True Living God and our representation of you has been very shallow. We have let flesh guide our steps – for this we repent. Father cause us to be in one accord, so that once again the sound of the rushing mighty wind will blow, and a new day will arise;that all that do not believe will see the Glory of the Lord.

I pray that this is received with the same heart in which I feel the Spirit wrote it, with love.