For the Sake of the Call

Do you feel a stirring?

Do you feel a change of season coming for the great Church of God?

Do you feel a shaking?

Do you believe that God is getting ready to do something for His people?

These are some of the questions I have been contemplating. It can be a great move, but only if we are ready.

The theme for Sunday School is “One Accord” found in Acts 2 and Philippians 2:2. One Accord means – deep unity, harmony, and unanimous agreement in purpose, mind, and spirit among believers, often in prayer. One mind. One spirit. To be in One Accord with one another we need to be walking, talking, and living in the Spirit.

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

Can you imagine it? All being filled with the Holy Ghost at the same time, in the same place. We rejoice when even one soul receives the Holy Ghost, but imagine an entire room filled at once. Amen!

This leads me to ask this question of you, and of myself; are we in One Accord with God and our fellow members in The Church of God? We can be in one accord with someone and still be wrong through scripture. Just because two agree, doesn’t mean they are right. So often we need to be reminded, just as The Advice to Members tells us, examine yourself daily to see whether you are in the faith.

Think about a garden that you have tilled and prepared for planting. You have placed the plants and seeds exactly where they will grow best. You have placed them where they will get the most sun, water, etc. At first, you tend it faithfully. You are using the right fertilizer, watering it at the right increments, and weeding when necessary. But then, the cares of this life start to overcome you. You are no longer watering your garden by the Word as before, and weeds begin to take over.

In my own yard in Idaho, we have a wild morning glory vine. Some may think it is pretty, but it is an obnoxious weed! If it is allowed to grow, and is not pulled up by its roots, it wraps itself around the plants, trees, and grass and chokes them out, ultimately killing the plants around it. So, it can be in our spiritual lives. Sometimes, we don’t even recognize that weeds have begun to take over. We drift away from God’s will and begin living according to our own. We may no longer be walking in One Accord with our brothers and sisters.

I am so grateful for our church government! It checks us, saves us, protects us. Thank God for our leadership who is watching over our souls! I am so thankful for how our auxiliaries work together, hand in hand. We must listen when God speaks to our hearts and convicts us.

Psalm 139:23-24 – “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

David spoke to God from his heart and God heard his prayer.

I am reminded of a song called ‘Living in Laodicea” by Steven Curtis Chapman.

Oh Lord, take your plow to my fallow ground

Let your blade dig down to the soil of my soul

For I’ve become dry and dusty

And Lord, I know there must be richer earth lying below

For I have been living in Laodicea

And the fire that once burned bright, I’ve let grow dim

And the very One I swore that I would die for

Oh, has been forgotten as the world’s become a friend

We have turned from your law to try and find a better way

Each man does today what is right in his own eyes

And we will pay the price for our sinning

We can never know true living

We’ve exchanged His truth for lies

It is no small of a thing that He’s done for you

By shutting the gates of hell upon a cross

We were sentenced once, but now we are pardoned

And He chose us to use us though we fall

So while we’re living in Laodicea

Keep the fire burning bright, don’t let it grow dim

For the very One we swore that we would die for

He must not be forgotten, fear the world become a friend

Oh, the very One we swore that we would die for

Must not be forgotten, fear the world become a friend

Philippians 2:2 – “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”

On September 2, 1945, World War II was officially over, and the United States discouraged people from continuing to grow their ‘Victory Gardens”. They felt that such gardens would compromise the growth of the nation’s industrial agriculture now that war was over. And so, the “Victory Garden” movement withered away. We, as the Church, cannot allow our spiritual gardens to wither away. We have a high standard that we must live up to. We must continue to till, plant, water, and remember that we may not see the end result of our labor for souls in this life. But God will give us peace as we continue to bear fruit. We do the work that God has required of us, and God gives the increase.

“Victory Gardens” Isaiah 51:3 – “For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.”

May we remain in One Accord with God and one another. May we continue to tend our spiritual gardens with diligence. And may we be ready for the move of God that is surely coming.

One Accord

One Accord. This is such a simple concept, but very difficult to put into practice in our own human ability. However, we know that with Spirit of the Lord, being in one accord is achievable. We will “…all speak the same thing [and]…be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10) one day.

We’ve all probably heard some good quotes about unity throughout the years. I would like for us to focus on this one from AW Tozer:

“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”

We must attain the standard that the Apostle Paul outlined for us in Philippians—“…let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing” (3:16). He even gives us some tools to know how to do this. In Verse 17 he instructs us to follow him and the other examples we have been given throughout the years. In Verses 18 and 19 he tells us to walk away from those who are enemies of the cross; these are those who glory in their shame and pay attention to the earthly instead of the heavenly. Finally, in Verse 20, Paul says that our eyes must remain fixed on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

So, what are you minding? What frequency are you attuned to?

Paul, in chapter 2 of Philippians says that if we want to please him, and ultimately please God, we should “…be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Verse 2). There are two words for “one accord” in the Greek—sumpsuchos. Syn—which means together with and psychos which means the soul, self, inner life, the seat of the feelings, desires, and affections. So, “one accord,” in this instance, refers to being united in spirit. This is the only occurrence of this word in the New Testament. Of course, we have read the words “one accord” in the book of Acts many times. It is homothumadon in the Greek. It means to be of one mind, one passion, to rush along in unison.

To reach the state of “one accord,” we must all be given wholly over to the Spirit of the Lord and His Word. We must allow Him to check our strings. We must be attuned to His fork.

A piano that is never played, can get out of tune quickly. When it “sits idle, its wooden soundboard expands and contracts with the changes in humidity, stretching the strings and causing the pitch to rise or fall” (Music Stack Exchange). Inactivity will make the keys stiff, too, and rust could develop. So, how do you keep a piano tuned? You get regular tunings, and you play it.

I can avouch for this. My grandparents had a piano that sat in a cold room on an exterior wall. I was bequeathed this piano upon their passing. To my sadness, when the piano tuner came to repair it, it was in disrepair. It had been exposed too long to the Tennessee humidity. It had sat unused for years (except for one quick song played at Christmas). The piano man told us to gut it and repurpose the wooden shell. How sad; a once-prized family heirloom, now reduced to kindling.

Could the same be said of us? Are we double-minded, wishy-washy, tossed to and fro, unsettled, or unfocused—out of tune, unable to be played? The Spirit cannot reside on a shelf when we have a bad day or some type of emotional, mental, relationship, or physical conflict. He must be living in us and breathing through us, tuning us to His standard. What are you doing with your mouth? Your mind? Your body? We tell on ourselves. Others know when we are out of tune.

Isaiah was so honest about where he was spiritual. He said, “Woe is me!...I am undone…I am a man of unclean lips…” (Isaiah 6:5). The angel of the Lord kâphar-ed him, purged him, tuned him, by placing a live coal to his lips. This purging meant that his sins or flaws were covered, canceled, cleansed, disannulled, forgiven, or reconciled. He was now covered within and without with holy pitch.

Have you allowed the Spirit to kâphar you? Our Advice to Members is wonderful. From it we see that so much of our pitching must happen within rather than without. Some would say that the Advice focuses on the outward (where we go, who we hang out with, what we look like) and that’s the part most people get hung up on, but it’s God who sees what needs to be pitched or purged within. Please do not misinterpret what I’m saying. I think it is useful and needful that we all believe and practice the same things, but God sees the most hidden parts of our hearts, the parts we may not even be aware of ourselves that may not be in one accord with Him.

For instance, we are often concerned with how we sound, how we look, or how we feel, when we should be concerned with what the Spirit thinks, says, and knows. We second guess His voice. We question His still, small voice. We, my friends, are a little out of tune if we’re doing this. We should be honest like Isaiah and say, “Woe is me.”

Church, I’m afraid that our way has stifled the Spirit; quenched Him. We have settled for less than His very best. We will never receive the full blessings of God with this attitude. We will never reach perfection. We will never see the House full. We will never experience the state of the 120 on that blessed Day of Pentecost of being fully in one accord. Why? Our focus is on us and our one little piano string and not on Him and the entire piano.

Yes, we may receive trickles of blessings because I believe our Father knows we are trying, but can’t you just hear the Spirit saying, “Get ready! You don’t have time to waste! Get tuned.”

Immediately after Isaiah is pitched, a question is posed to him. “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8). It is as if he is being asked “Can I play you now, Isaiah?” He quickly responds by saying, “Here am I; send me!” Isaiah doesn’t wait for more confirmation or another pricking of his heart. He doesn’t wait for another chorus to be sung or the pastor to open the altar. He doesn’t wait for someone to march with a flag. He doesn’t wait for God to physically pick him up and transport him. He doesn’t wait for Brother So-and-So or Sister Oh-So-Holy to confirm that it is him that must go. He doesn’t wait to be put on a committee. He doesn’t wait for someone to apologize to him. He doesn’t wait for handwriting to be on the wall. No. Isaiah just says, “I’m here. I’m here. You can use me, Lord. I’m ready to work for your cause and make some beautiful music.” Some of us need the Holy Ghost to get a hold of our strings.

The idea of being in one accord starts with one person, just as it started singularly with Isaiah. Again, Paul says, “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2:2). It starts with you. Are you ready to play some music? Who did it start with at Pentecost? Acts 2:1 tells us “AND when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” They were all rushing along in unison waiting on the Promise.

Are you ready? I believe that we are getting ready to be in one accord. My ideas don’t really matter. My opinions can hinder. My way isn’t the only way if it doesn’t line up with His way! Acts 2:2 says, “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.” This was the early Church being asked, just as Isaiah, “Are you going to respond?” The 120 were ready. “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them” (Verse 3). Why? Because they were rushing along in unison, they were in one accord. “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Verse 4). They were all filled. Not one singular person was left out. They all were willing to respond and be played and because of this what a sound! What a time! “46 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, 47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Verses 46, 47).

What would happen in our Sunday Schools, our local churches, our states, and nations if we all, willingly responded to the moving of the Spirit every day? We are all different and unique and fearfully and wonderfully made, but when we are all standing at attention for the Concert Pianist to play us in unison, that’s when everything will change; that’s when we will be in one accord. I’m ready to make some beautiful music, church. I’m ready to be in one accord with each string tuned to the same pitch.