The Church at Pentecost started out strong, but quickly deception seeped in. They were
initially strong because they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and all were in one accord. They were growing in leaps and bounds because they were in one accord in glorifying Jesus Christ. Their hearts were sold out to Jesus and their desire was to worship Him and Him only.“These all continued with one
accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of
Jesus, and with His brothers.” (Acts 1:14 emphasis mine)
They were in one accord with
God in their prayers and requests.
“When the Day of Pentecost
had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” Acts
2:1 emphasis mine)
They were in one accord with
God in their meeting together.
“So when they heard that, they
raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who
made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,”” (Acts 4:24
emphasis mine)
They were in one accord with
God’s Word as they prayed and glorified Him.
“And through the hands of the
apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all
with one accord in Solomon's Porch.” (Acts 5:12 emphasis mine)
They were in one accord with
God in one place.
They all were in one accord
with God, and since they were all in one accord with God, they were also in one
accord with each other. It is very important to understand that it is
impossible for Christians to be in one accord with each other scripturally and
spiritually unless we are first in one accord with God.
Satan of course hated this
unity of the brotherhood, so he started out with Ananias and Sapphira to cause
disruption among the saints. After that he encouraged jealousy among the saints
between the Hellenistic and Hebraic Jews in chapter six of Acts. He has
actually gotten quite adept at this over the years. Today the Church looks
nothing like it did at Pentecost with the apostles. Satan has been quite successful
in many churches to break the bonds of being in one accord with God and with
each other.
If you have ever been to a church
business meeting, you understand where I’m coming from with being or not being
in one accord. I’ve attended church business meetings since I was just a young
pup. Some have been peaceful, and others have been knock-down drag-out
gatherings where the Spirit of God was over-ruled.
Before going any further,
what does it mean to be “in one accord?” Simply put, it means “to be in
agreement.” If a group is not in one accord, then of course they are in
disagreement. Allow me to give one example. When an orchestra is tuning up it
is not in one accord. If you have ever heard an orchestra tuning up their instruments
you know what I mean. However, when they begin playing their musical selection,
they are in one accord. They are in one accord, because their instruments are
in perfect tune and they are following the conductor. They are in
perfect harmony and providing beautiful music for those listening.
Are we going to agree on every
little detail, like the color of the carpet for example? No, but we should be
gracious and loving to each, following the Lord’s lead as the conductor of our
lives.
Is it possible that the world
is not listening to Christianity today because what they have been hearing is
not the perfectly tuned instruments following the direction of the conductor,
but instead the tune-up session? Unfortunately, that is exactly what the world
is hearing from Christianity today.
Instead of the churches today
sounding like the beautiful waltzes of Chopin, we are sounding more like a nighttime
cat fight outside our bedroom window. We are not dancing to God’s tune, but have
chosen to dance to the Devil’s music. Why is that?
Going back to the book of
Acts, we find that we are not all in one accord, because we have taken our eyes
off the conductor. Jesus is our conductor, and when we take our eyes off Him,
we just make a lot of noise.
When churches fight and squabble,
we’re like the Hellenistic and Hebraic Jews in Acts chapter six quarreling over
their food portion. I have known many beautiful (beautiful of soul) Christians
over the years, and I have also known many who are just plain cantankerous. I
hate to say it, but some of the oneriest people I have met are in the church.
Is it any wonder the world isn’t interested in what we say? They are watching
what we do.
All churches are made up of sinners
who have been saved by the blood of Jesus. It is through faith in Him, and His
grace toward us that we are His. We often fail in our church assemblies to
glorify our Savior as we should because we are not in one accord with Him. So,
what about outside the church walls?
My wife and I watched a movie
the other day on Pure Flix called Power Of The Air. It is a 2018 movie,
starring Nicholas X. Parsons. Patty Duke is also in it. I rarely, if ever, recommend
a movie, but I do recommend this one.
In watching Power Of The
Air, it was impressed upon us just how much we Christians have allowed the
world’s influences to guide our lives. We worship Jesus in our church
assembles, but then, for example, watch movies that use our Savior’s name as a
curse word, and/or contain profanity and/or nudity. How can we even think we
are in one accord with God when we support that which is against all our Lord
stands for?
There is certainly nothing
wrong with movies, television, radios or even the internet, in and of themselves.
The problem arises when what they provide dishonors our Lord … and
unfortunately, that can be most all of them. We need to be very discerning with
what we allow from these sources in our lives.
For example, we must admit that
very few movies these days are exempt from using Jesus’ name as profanity, violence,
nudity and other profanity. Further, television is fine and can serve a good
purpose, except for the same reasons. The internet is a great tool until one
strays off into areas they should not.
We must remember that the
world is not a friend of Jesus Christ.
“The world cannot hate you,
but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.” (John 7:7)
Neither is the world, and
what it offers, our friend.
“If you were of the world,
the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose
you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:19)
God has warned us.
“Do not love the world or the
things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not
in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.” (1 John
2:15-16)
“And do not be conformed to
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove
what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
When we indulge ourselves in the
world’s influences, we cannot be in one accord with God. How many in this
country say we are a Christian, but “rub shoulders” with Satan’s entertainment?
Is it any wonder the churches have become so corrupt?
“Because the carnal mind is
enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.”
(Romans 8:7)
“Adulterers and adulteresses!
Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever
therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
(James 4:4)
If we love what the world
provides and refuse to turn our backs to it, how can we honestly say we are in
one accord with our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ?
“And this is the
condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil. “For everyone practicing evil
hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be
exposed.” (John 3:19-20)
Grant Phillips
Email: Phillip5769@twc.com
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html
