In One Accord

By Paul Chappell

"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."

Acts 2:46-47

In 1996, the pastor of a small church in Arkansas who was distressed because the members of the congregation were divided came up with a plan to unite them. When he went to the church on a Saturday evening to turn on the air conditioner for the next day’s services, he lit a small fire by one of the walls. In his confession to the police, the pastor said he only meant to scorch a wall in hopes that having a repair project to work on would bring the people together. Instead the entire building burned down, and the pastor was convicted of arson.

The phrase “in one accord” appears often in the book of Acts. The early church had great power from God in large part because of their unity. When the church is divided, it should come as no surprise that very little of lasting good gets accomplished. Yet all too often we allow small matters to divide us and discord grows among the people of God.

While there certainly are things worth fighting over, most of the conflicts that divide churches are not over major doctrinal points, but rather over minor issues and preferences. We lament the church’s lack of power to make an impact on our communities and culture, yet we do not copy the early church’s unity of spirit and purpose. They had a common heartbeat—they were united around their love for Christ and their desire to take His Gospel to everyone they could. Like pianos tuned with the same tuning fork, their message and ministry was marked by unity, and as a result, by great power.

Today's Rooted Principle:

Do not allow anything you do or say to bring unnecessary division to your church.