The Success of Unity

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

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: 41-47

Contrast this scripture against the opening scripture found in the blog post, When Men are Right in Their Own Eyes. In the last day of the Book of Judges, there was no King and men did that which is right in their own eyes. This was a tragic result of God’s people turning their collective backs on God. Conversely, this scripture is one of the most inspiring and exciting scriptures in the Bible. It’s tells of the time when the church was “born” due to a people who wholly and collectively consecrated their hearts and souls to the kingdom of God and following Jesus Christ. It was a glorious time of unity due to obedience and submission to their only Hope and Deliverer.

There are many lessons to be learned in this short passage of scripture. Admittedly, when I wrote the post, When Men are Right in Their Own Eyes, I was focused on the myriad of troubles that I saw in the world that were also affecting the church. I learned that we can become so focused on “the problems” that it is hard to see the many victories and encouraging things that are set before us. I was looking at things through my perspective instead of lifting up my eyes. Even in the midst of all of our current turmoil, God does have a people who dwell in unity and are fiercely committed to him and his cause. This lesson will focus and the success of unity instead of the despair of division.

They that Gladly Received His Word

These were the same people that Jesus told to “tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high (Luke 24: 49).” They were obedient to that “word” or commandment. These same people had an earnest expectation for the coming of the Kingdom (Acts 1: 6). Their singleness of heart coupled with their obedience and their earnest expectation were rewarded on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2: 1-40). They were together; they were in unity; they had a single focus and even though there may have been uncertainty and tension before the Holy Ghost “came”, there was a joyous outcome that God bestowed upon them.

For there to be success in unity, it most start on the foundation of the Word (John 1: 1-5). The Word must be gladly received individually and collectively to have its proper and lasting affect not only on the church but more importantly on the world, as a whole. As a people, we must do more than just do our duty of going to church every week. We must receive the Word and receive it gladly into our hearts. And just like in that day, God will do his part in increasing the church.

They Continued Steadfastly in the Apostles’ Doctrine and Fellowship

For unity to be successful and sustainable, there must be a time of teaching and fellowship. Where has the devil fought the church the hardest? He has split us up over teaching or doctrine which causes us to break fellowship one with another. In that day, it was simple. These new “Christians” continued under one inspired teaching. It was the teaching of the apostles that was handed down from God. This doctrine was pure and simple. It was a doctrine that always lead the listener to Jesus Christ. It was not a teaching about the Apostles or even one that lifted up the Apostles. It was one inspired by God himself to teach about His Son. Listen to the message of Peter in Acts 2: 14-40. Peters’ main objective was to lead the listeners back to Christ. Peters’ message was less about the miracle of tongues (He spoke in his tongue and all of the listeners heard in their own language) and more about lifting up Jesus Christ. These early Christians were therefore able to maintain fellowship because of their simple adherence to this simple doctrine. In fact they had fellowship with one another because of their individual fellowship with the Father (1 John 1: 3).

For our unity to be successful, it must be based upon a pure teaching of Jesus Christ. The hard part for us is to get past our own traditions and interpretations. We must wade through the “smoke and mirrors” that the enemy has placed in our way in the means of false doctrine. It is fine to “study to show ourselves approved of God …, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2: 15).” This may be uncomfortable for us due to not wanting to go against our own traditions. However, in the end, we are compelled by God’s word to know the doctrine for ourselves and to not just take what is given to us. Challenge without rebellion! As we individually get back to the pure and simple teaching of Jesus Christ and have our personal fellowship with the Father, we will have fellowship one with another.

Fear Came upon Every Soul

Solomon said it this way:

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Ecclesiastes 12: 13

The fear of God is not a bad thing. Having a healthy fear and reverence of God is what was lacking in the children of Israel during the time of the Judges. Their lack of fear caused them to operate outside of the bounds that God had for them. Had they feared God as they did in the days of Joshua, they would have conquered the entire land and been greatly blessed of God. Leading up to the day of Pentecost, the disciple’s fear of God was manifested in their obedience to His Word. They simply kept Jesus’ commandment and the outcome was glorious.

We need to manifest that same fear and reverence for God in our day and age. That fear needs to rest upon every soul. It should not be a fear of his potential punishment if we do wrong. Rather it should be a realization of his awesomeness that will compel us to do right. Our God is a consuming fire. However, He is also merciful enough to send His own Son to die for our sins that once we accept Him we have full access to his throne of grace.

All Things Common

There are some that have interpreted this part of the scripture as a justification for Communism at worst or communal living, at best. Yes, these early Christians did live in a communal setting in the beginning. They did sell possessions and goods. They did take care of the common needs. They also went from house to house to eat and take care of their physical needs. However, they were not forced into this communal living. There was not a government that compelled them to redistribute their “wealth” for the common good or for the “state.” On the contrary, they freely lived this way to express their unselfishness before God in taking care of one another. This communal living occurred only for a brief timeframe as they were scattered abroad to further promote the Gospel (Acts 8:4).

The lesson here is not communal living but unselfishness and a willingness to help our brother or sister in need. To have success in unity, it cannot be about our own personal agendas or our own selfishness. We must be about our Father’s business. That business has no place for self. It is definitely a place for unselfishness and leading people to Jesus Christ. The scripture tells us that the world will know that we are His disciples because of the love that we have one to another (John 13: 35).

Continuing Daily with One Accord in the Temple

These early Christians did not settle on a one-time experience. They were not content with just religion. They continued to seek the face of God on a daily basis … and they did it together. They went beyond religion to get to relationship. They stuck together, as God’s people, both inside and outside of the temple. As they remained in unity, God blessed them with adding to their numbers on a daily basis. They had a great affect on those who were watching God bless them. At one point, it was said of them that they were the ones who were turning the world upside down.

God has not changed. He wants to bless us the same in this day and age. Unity is not and should not be an abstract concept. Unity is a reality for those that truly want to serve God on a daily basis. Unity is not abstract but the reality is when practiced successfully through God’s Word, it will have an affect on the world around us. True successful unity is such a contrast to what is currently being offered in the world. When we are in true unity, we fulfill the scripture in which Jesus calls us the light of the world, a city set on a hill (Matthew 5: 14-16). As we let our light shine (collectively), God, Himself, will be glorified. This is the success of unity!