100% agreement?

We used to attend a large church in a different part of the world. This church had over sixty elders, and their policy was that no motions would be passed unless they had 100% agreement on the elders board.

Anyone who has worked with large groups of people doing any sort of business might think that they would never get anywhere with this criteria, but it worked. On one occasion, while we were there, the plan was to build a new education building. The blueprints were done, the start-up money raised, but there was one problem. One elder on that large leadership board felt that this was not the right thing to do.

The rest of them listened to him, and it was decided all should pray about this until they were in unity. After a few days of prayer, the Holy Spirit worked to get the unity that can come only from Him; all sixty plus agreed—and the plan was put on hold indefinitely. It was simply not the right thing to do at the time.

Later, the reasons became obvious, and the church rejoiced that their leaders were so committed to unity that they did not go for “majority rule” but would listen to the concerns of one person among them.

That incident always makes me rejoice in God’s power to work in the lives of His people. He is not the Author of confusion or dissension. If His people are listening to Him concerning the direction He wants us to take, we will hear the same thing and be in agreement about it. While this might explain some of the differences between Christians (we are not listening), it is more about our ability, through God’s Spirit, to see eye to eye, regardless of tremendous differences in our thinking, background and way of doing things.

God is pleased when we get along. Psalm 133 says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.” Unity is a reflection or picture of what God is like. He is not fighting with Himself over anything. Father, Son and Holy Spirit agree, and when I am yielded to my Lord, I enjoy a precious like-mindedness with others who also are yielded to Him.

Being yielded is the key. Unity cannot happen if I want my own way, if I push my own agenda. God’s will must be held as priority, but when it is, the results are as the psalmist says, “good and pleasant”—and very much like the God we serve!