NOV 15

Acts 2:42-47
Memorise Acts 2:46
“…continuing daily with one accord”

After the mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the New Testament church was filled with fervency for the Lord and His work. They were of “one accord”, meaning to be of one mind, having one united desire to glorify God. First of all, they shared the same experience of the transforming power of the Gospel in their lives and they all witnessed the works of the Holy Spirit, such as the speaking of tongues at Pentecost and “many wonders and signs” done by the Apostles (Acts 2:43). Secondly, they were of one mind in terms of their beliefs and doctrines (Acts 2:44) as they had the privilege of receiving direct instruction and teaching from the Apostles.

They also shared all their worldly goods (Acts 2:45) such that material possessions could not serve as a dividing factor. They shared their days together as well, “continuing daily with one accord in the temple”, enjoying one another’s company and fellowship. They were full of Christian joy and possessed “singleness of heart” without hypocrisy towards one another. Lastly, they were like-minded in their goals. They wanted to praise God daily in the temple and worked hard to evangelise to unbelievers. Unbelievers could see Christlikeness in their lives as Acts 2:47 attests that they had “favour with all the people”. They also preached the gospel to unbelievers, resulting in the addition of new members to the church on a daily basis.

Because of man’s sin, the church today has splintered into different denominations with different beliefs, whereby believers are no longer of “one accord”. Neo-evangelism thinks that by tolerating the wrong doctrines of other believers and accepting false teachings for the sake of love and a false unity, the church can become one again. However, from the example of the New Testament church in Acts, we know that this cannot be true. If we are not of the same mind in our beliefs, how can we truly be of “one accord”? This will only lead us to compromise and have a weak stand for Christ. We should unite with like-minded Christians and spur one another on in our Christian walk, looking forward to the day when the true Church of Christ is revealed at the end of the world.

Thought: How do you reconcile biblical separation and Christian unity?
Prayer: O Lord, preserve Thy church so that we will be of “one accord”.