PENTECOST -- A REVEALING BEGINNING -- Tomorrow:
"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. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:1-4)
Devotion 11 of 28
WITH ONE ACCORD
" . . . with one accord . . ."
A considerable number of the translations neuter the power of this text. They accent the visible gathering, without equally confirming the harmonious aspect of the gathering e.g. "assembled together" (MRD), "meeting together" (NLT), and "met together" (LIVING). This is another one of those cases involving a difference in manuscripts. One set of manuscripts employs a Greek word that has a lexical meaning of "with one mind, by common consent, together, unanimously" (THAYER). The other set of manuscripts only uses a Greek expression that has the lexical meaning of, "all, or everyone together" (THAYER). This latter meaning is synonymous with the former if "together" is perceived as meaning more than a mere bodily presence – an emphasis that is not ascribed to gatherings of believers. We have already been exposed to the people of this text in the previous chapter: "These all continued with one accord" (1:14). It is inconceivable that the Spirit would now mention the same group with only their bodily presence in mind.
These were people who had been going to the temple together (Lk 24:53), meeting together (Acts 1:13), praying together (Acts 1:14), listening together (Acts 1:15-22), together choosing a man who were qualified to fill Judas' place (Acts 1:23), praying together for God to reveal the man He had chosen (Acts 1:24-25), casting their lots together (Acts 1:26), and together confirming the choice of Matthias (Acts 1:26). The whole nature of the text demands that these people be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. No view of this text must be taken that would remotely suggest anything else, for that would disrupt the intended flow of the text.
Being of "one accord" is one thing. For everyone – "all" – to be of "one accord" is something else. In reference to believers, this phrase is mentioned no less than seven times in the book of Acts (1:14; 2:1,46; 4:24; 5:12; 8:6; 15:25). In all of these instances, it refers to the single-mindedness of the disciples. There were no divisions among them.
It ought to be noted that this is the kind of environment in which the promised blessing of the Lord will be realized. The Psalmist, having the Spirit of God, saw this with remarkable clarity for the times. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore" (Psa 133:1-3).
It is no wonder that the church is frequently admonished concerning this matter.
1. "Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits" (Rom 12:16).
2. "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Cor 1:10).
3. "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you" (2 Cor 13:11).
4. "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph 4:3).
5. "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel" (Phil 1:27).
6. "Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind" (Phil 2:2).
7. "Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing"(Phil 3:16).
8. "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous" (1 Pet 3:8).
Where this unity and single-mindedness are lacking, the ground of the heart and mind become hard and fallow. This is not simply an honorable goal, but it is a revelation of real accord with the Lord. Where this accord does not exist, someone is at enmity with God.
Christ Himself is not divided. In addressing the matter of divisions in Corinth Paul wrote, "Is Christ divided?" (1 Cor 1:13). What is the answer to that question, and who is there that does not know it? And, if Christ is not divided, He surely will not minister His life to those who are divided. For Him to do so would be to "deny Himself" – and He cannot do that (2 Tim 2:13).
In spite of this rather obvious reality, there are multitudes of casual church members who expect to receive the blessing of the Lord, even though they are at a fundamental variance with His Person, His word, and His people. Let it be clear that this cannot be.
When prophesying of the day of salvation, the Spirit moved Isaiah to write, "Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion"(Isa 52:8). It is not coincidence, therefore, that the brethren in the second chapter of Acts were gathered together"in one accord."
The Lord works toward this aim – that His children may be of "one accord." Therefore Paul wrote, "Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: THAT YE MAY with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom 15:5-6).
The modern church does not make enough of this. Spiritual Babylon presents a variety of approaches to Christianity that allows the individual to maintain fundamental views that are at variance with those of other believers. It allows for differing views concerning things that God has revealed – like justification, holiness, the return of Christ, the Lord's table, and what men must do to be saved. If this environment had been in place on the day of Pentecost, the blessing would not have come! Further, where it is found now, the blessing still does not come. An environment that allows for differing views of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, as well His great salvation produces spiritual sterility. A united Godhead will not work for good in divided surroundings!
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the reality of "the unity of the Spirit" and "the unity of the faith."