One thing that is common in the world is disagreement. It starts
in the nursery and continues through every part of life. However, there are
exceptions. A most notable one is described in the Bible book of Acts with its outstanding
narrative describing the unity that prevailed among the Christians. This unity
is initially described at the first prayer meeting:
All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. (Acts 1:14)
The words ‘one
accord’ come from a Greek word that means mutual
consent or agreement, with one mind, by common consent, unanimously. In
other words, they prayed for the same things with the same desires in their hearts
and minds.
The next instance is their preparation for Pentecost, a
harvest festival celebrated by the Jews fifty days after Passover. “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they
were all together in one place.” (Acts 2:1) These new Christians,
relatively few in number at 120 or maybe more, were united in location and in
desire. They had recently agreed on a replacement for Judas and were together
when the Holy Spirit came with a sound like wind and the sign of “tongues of fire” appearing and resting
over each one.
The Holy Spirit was their unifying power. God would tell
them to live by Him, speak as He gave them words, do what He told them, walking
in Him and not in the flesh. Humanly, they would not be able to agree on the
things of God, but when guided and filled with the Spirit of God, they would be
united. That unity was soon revealed in their sharing of goods and consistent togetherness
as seen in these familiar passages . . .
And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:43–47)
Later, when
challenged by religious authorities, they prayed for boldness and got it. They also
were together in the main message as they taught and preached to others:
And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus. (Acts 5:42)
Christians today are aware of what happens if the unity of
the Holy Spirit is abandoned and we begin to live in the flesh, allowing our individual
thoughts and concerns to push our buttons. James describes the difference:
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:13–18)
The Holy Spirit gives meekness, wisdom, purity, peace,
gentleness, and unity. The flesh can flare up with jealousy, selfish ambition,
and all sorts of disorder and disunity. Paul wrote: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of
the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires
of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to
keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:16–17)
He goes on to describe the works of the flesh and the
fruit of the Spirit so that I can know what is governing my life. If any one of
these qualities is missing, I must go to the Lord with a contrite heart and
seek His forgiveness and be filled again with the Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22–24)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Bible tells how this worked then and how it works now.
Lord God, how I need Your Word and the power of the Holy Spirit to live in unity
with others. Grant that today as I meet with others to pray and as I spend time
with those who do not yet believe in You. Christian unity is vital, but it
depends on being united with You.
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