Accord That Cannot Be Broken.

In this past Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Joy noted that the people who were waiting for the Father’s promised Spirit were “in one accord” (see Acts 1:14). Their oneness in spirit and purpose was necessary before the Holy Spirit came.

What were the evidences of the oneness of the community? Our pastor used the examples of stewardship of self and of personal relationships.

Stewardship of self. God sends His people as gifts to to the world. Our love for ourselves, if solid, will facilitate our love for our neighbors.

Stewardship of interpersonal relationships. The Acts 1 passage indicates that the gathered community was on one accord. There was no indication of  hidden agendas, posturing for position, or disagreement over the process by which they would wait.

The disciples had been through extreme crisis. They saw their Lord Jesus falsely accused and crucified, they experienced the shock of His resurrection, and they experienced the emotion of watching Him ascend to heaven and leaving them to wait for the Holy Spirit. But, in spite of their personal emotional upheavals, they chose to band together in agreement. They understood that Jesus’s word to them was true, and they followed through on His word by endeavoring to remain in oneness of spirit.

What about us?

Pastor Joy shared that if we are struggling while we are waiting, or if we are in strife-filled and fractured relationships, then there will be an absence of the spirit of unity which is necessary for the Holy Spirit to dwell in and among us.

Today is a good day for us to do a self-check concerning our relationships. “As much as it is up to you, be in peace-filled relationships with everyone you know.” (see Romans 12:18)

Amen. Lord God, we long to live in unity with Your people. Give us grace, by the power of Your Holy Spirit, to be and become a community on one accord.