ORLANDO CHINESE CHURCH MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
FEBRUARY, 2002
With One Accord
Acts 1:14, 2:46, 4:24, 5:12-13, 8:6, 15:25
Many examples of good churches may be found in the Bible. The church at Philippi is one such example. Whenever Paul thought about them, he was always full of thanksgiving and praises (Phil. 1:3). The reason for this blessing was because they were of one accord in the fellowship of the gospel (Phil. 1:5).
Before our Lord went to the cross, He promised that He would asked the Father to send another counselor to the disciples, i.e. the Holy Spirit, who will be with them forever. Indeed, when the Lord was glorified, the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost. The Spirit of God united the 120 disciples into one. With one accord they found favor in the sight of all people, and the Lord added to the church the number of those saved, (Act 2:46-47).
Many talked about the theory of church growth and its techniques. Many wrote thick books and manuals to promote church growth. When one gets back to the Bible, it can be noted that the secret of church growth is simple: To allow the Spirit bringing people together with one accord, such that God can do mighty things among them. When a true unity before God is a reality among God's people, man is drawn to God naturally.
In the Book of Acts, God's initial work in the early church showed us the power of the Spirit in the oneness of the disciples. When this took place in Jerusalem, the church exploded with power. In Chapter 4, five thousand men were saved, and in Chapter 5 even more were added. In Chapter 6 a complaint surfaced in the church, but with one accord the opposition disappeared and more turned to Christ. The 120 obeyed the Lord's command to preach the gospel from Jerusalem through all Judea and Samaria to Antioch and Rome. The government began to persecute the disciples, but the result was that more believed in Jesus. Eventually, the mayor of the city of Rome could not help but requesting the emperor to stop the killing lest the whole city should turn empty. The gospel filled the whole empire and Rome surrendered. With one accord the church grew with a natural strength to allow the gospel to flow throughout the land. From Jerusalem, Samaria, Syria, Asia to Europe and then the whole empire, the beginning point was that they were with one accord.
The 120 had only one message, and the twelve preached in different languages but one teaching: This Jesus who was crucified and died is now raised by God; He is risen! The women therefore rejoiced. The two disciples of Emmaus changed. And Mary Magdalene brought the same message to the disciples so they feared no more. Even the doubting Thomas turned to faith after a week. With the same message of resurrection, they shared the same joy. May we also share the same message of a living Christ, who shed His blood for our sins and prepared a new and living way for us to come boldly before God the Father for forgiveness and life. When men see the joy and peace of this new life in us, the gospel is spread and God's kingom is advanced. May we receive the Spirit of power with one accord, resulting in us the same faith, joy, love and mission leading to church growth.
In the Book of Acts it described for us "the church of one accord":
Act 1:14 Prayer with one accord for an open heaven:
The risen Lord revealed Himself to the disciples and instructed them to remain in Jerusalem till they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For forty days He stayed with them. After He went into glory, they returned to the upper room and prayed with one accord for ten days till the Day of Pentecost. Then the heaven opened and the Holy Spirit poured down upon them to become their power and wisdom, leading them to an explosive growth in the city.Act 2:46 Worship with one accord for an open heart:
On that same day, three thousand believed and were baptized. With more people it seemed that it would be more difficult to remain in unity. But they with one accord broke bread from house to house and ate their food with gladness. They maintained the Christian fellowship and loved one another. They sold their belongings and shared among themselves, each according to his need. Their hearts were truly open to each other, all for the church of God, for His glory and for the brethren. As a result, the Lord added to them the number of saved everyday.Act 4:24 Raised-voice with one accord for the open Word:
Unexpectedly, persecution came and Peter and John were put in jail. But God delivered them. Upon their return, the disciples raised their voices to praise God with one accord. They were filled with the Holy Spirit in thanksgiving and worship of the God of protection and deliverance. The place of their assembly was shaken and they all spoke the Word of God with boldness. Not long ago Jerusalem was shaken when Jesus was hung on the tree at Calvary. Now once again it was shaken because of the prayer of one accord, bringing the delivering of God's word.Act 5:12-13 Assembly with one accord for an open gate of faith:
The disciples assembled in Solomon's porch with one accord. None of the rest dared to approach them but respected them. The spirit of unity opened the gate of the gospel and "believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women." For the first time the Bible referred to both men and women among the believers, because of the mighty work of the Spirit to open the gate of faith as the assembly was with one accord.Act 8:6 Obedience with one accord to open the bodies for healing:
Philip went to Samaria to proclaim the gospel of Jesus. Both men and women all obeyed his teaching and were baptized. The Bible said that evil spirits came out of their bodies and the sick people were all healed. The enemy works in the last days to attack the young people and break families. Many people resort to psychiatric care and various counseling helps. The Bible says that the One that is in us is greater than the one in the world. May the Lord keep us to a holy life, leaving no room for the evil one. Remove all doubt, jealousy, pride, division, depression and fear…… Obey the gospel and, just like in Samaria, let the evil spirit out of the body. May the enemy be defeated and God be glorified. With one accord we may be strengthened by the Spirit of God in all our weaknesses.Act 15:25 Discernment with one accord to open the yoke:
The church once again experienced a disagreement. At the time most of the believers were Jews. Then the work in Antioch brought in the Gentiles, whom were not required by the Apostle Paul to follow the Mosaic Law. Some in Jerusalem, however, insisted that the Gentiles should be circumcised. During the debate, Peter stood up and related his experience of preaching to the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius. He affirmed that all men were saved by faith in God through grace, not by obeying the law and circumcision. "Why put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we could bear?" After the testimony of Paul and Barnabas, James concluded that they should not trouble the Gentile believers but would write in peace to encourage them abstaining from idols, adultery and blood. When the brethren sought peace and harmony with one accord, the unbearable yoke was broken. The unity of the church led to edification, comfort of the Spirit and the fear of God.Thank God for showing us the spirit of unity existed in the early church. Today, when we pray in the Spirit with one accord, that same spirit will move among us to bring an open heaven, an open heart, the open Word, an open door, an open mind and an opened yoke of obstacles. With one accord the church will grow and be strengthened. With one accord our needs will be met, our questions answered and our difficulties removed by the mighty power of God.