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Intro

This teaching will examine how the apostles and the early 1st-century church were able to be of the same mind and heart in their actions living with “one accord”, and how we can apply this model of living today so that we can have a similar spiritual impact. In light of it being the Super Bowl, I’ll throw in some puns for your additional enjoyment.

“With one accord”

We’ll kick this off in Acts 2. At this point in history. Jesus Christ has been received into heaven right in front of the apostles (you don’t see that every day), and among the approximately 120 disciples, Matthias was appointed and chosen with God’s blessing to replace Judas as the 12th apostle.

Acts 2:1
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

“With one accord” is a single Greek word “homothymadon” (pronounced hom-oth-oo-mad-on’), and is a compound of two base words that mean “together” and “fierceness/rush along”, respectively. This word connotates a sense of urgency, not dissimilar to a pass rush.

The verse says explicitly that the disciples were in one place so why does it apparently needlessly again acknowledge that they were together using homothymadon? Well God doesn’t waste His words: this additional indication of togetherness discloses that they were in one place mentally i.e. of one mind.

How did they achieve being “with one accord”? – They obeyed the instruction of the Lord. Let’s see the specifics, let’s break down the play.

Acts 1:4,5
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Here let’s examine the relationship between purpose and action. The apostles stayed in Jerusalem as Jesus instructed (ref. Acts 1:12), thus their purpose was in Jerusalem and their action was to not depart. They waited for the promise of the Father, thus their purpose was to be baptized with the holy spirit, and their action is observed in Acts 1:14-26. At first, it may seem somewhat contradictory that Jesus asks them to wait while “with one accord” has that connotation of rushing and fierceness: how can you be fierce or with one accord by waiting? Well the disciples weren’t just sitting around twiddling their thumbs. The Word shows us in Acts 1:14-26 that they were praying, teaching, and reinforcing the remnant of the ministry with leadership. That’s waiting with a sense of urgency!

And guess what, we are also waiting. While the disciples were waiting with one accord for the baptism of the holy spirit, we are waiting for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ himself. So, we can be urgent in our waiting, fierce, one accord, also.

How WE can take action

The obedient response of the apostles to Jesus’ instruction reveals that the purpose initiated an instruction that inspired an action i.e. the action followed an instruction that followed a purpose. They went back to and stayed in Jerusalem and prayed, taught, and reinforced the ministry. To think they were this faithful to the Lord even when they didn’t really know what being baptized by the holy ghost fully meant! That’s trust. That’s the trust in the Lord I want to have, and want us all to have.

This was their purpose, instruction, and action – so what is ours? Well firstly we share the same broad purpose found in Ecclesiastes 12:13, which commands us to fear (revere) God and keep His commandments. Also, our purpose in this dispensation of grace specifically is to be witnesses of Jesus Christ and ministers of the gift of holy spirit.

II Corinthians 5:18-20
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

While Jesus Christ is absent from Earth, he is present in us: we are ambassadors for Christ – witnesses of God’s works and teachers of His Word, sharing the love of Christ and baptizing men and women in his name so that they can be made free of sin and death.

II Peter 4:10
As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Serving one another and attending to each other’s spiritual needs with the holy spirit is a command we’ve been given by God, and what an important task it is! Our obedient response to these commands ensures that we are living with one accord today with our actions.

We’re going to need to be on top of our game when it comes to following God’s commands, just like the apostles were in their time, as the devil is drooling from the mouth waiting until the referees aren’t looking so that he can hit us with personal fouls! Thankfully, Jesus Christ destroyed his works through death (Heb. 2:14) and if we’re seeking God first then God will deliver us day by day.

Later in Acts 2 are some practical lifestyle choices we can implement on a regular basis that will keep us together and fierce.

Acts 2:46,47
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

They gathered in the temple, ate together, fellowshipped house to house, got nourished mentally and spiritually [Gr. trophē], and praised God, all with “singleness of heart”, meaning with a shared interest in mind, which was worshipping God through Jesus Christ. The temples have become churches and homes, and we can do all these things too.

Conclusion

Look at all these great actions we can still take today! It all leads to the Lord adding to the church (people getting saved and become practitioners of the Word). The keyword in these last two verses is “daily.” When we do these things daily, God adds daily.

God also blesses us from our obedience and faithfulness to Him. It may not be in the way or at the time we expect, but we know that He will because He’s promised us, and when Has God ever forgotten a promise?

With God, we don’t have to flip a coin: we know that when we do our part, taking action, He not only blesses us, He adds to the church – which is the whole point! We can’t do it alone though we need each other. Our walk and impact can be as great as the apostles’ was as long as we have the same heart and are in it to win it together!

So in 2021 let’s resolve to be living with one accord in our actions to a greater extent, obeying God and fulfilling our purpose in Christ Jesus as reconcilers, ministers, and good stewards of God’s manifold grace!

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References

Blb.org. (n.d). Greek: homothymadon. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3661&t=KJV

Blb.org. (n.d). Greek: trophē. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G5160&t=KJV