We read in Acts 4:32, “The whole congregation of believers was united as one — one heart, one mind!” (MSG)
The testimony about the early church was that though they were numerous, they were all with one heart and one mind. When we hear such a declaration, probably the question that arises is, ‘How was this achieved?’
As human beings we feel with our heart, and think and reason with our mind. Sometimes we may feel good about something, but then as our minds begin to analyze these feelings we may find them not appropriate, and soon we will find that the feelings may also change. A good example for this is of a newly married couple, who have great feelings toward each other in the initial period of their marriage, but later as they face the realities of life, they may start to evaluate their relationship, and find that the heart and mind may not say the same all the time.
The success and effectiveness of the early church was the fact that in spite of being great in number, they were able to feel and think with one accord because they were one in heart and mind. That is why the early church could turn the world upside down, and impact those around them. If we as a church want to influence the world around us, we need to have the same oneness that was there in the early church. If it was possible for them, it is certainly feasible for us too.
The same is necessary for a family to be happy and successful too. Wherever there is no singleness of heart and mind, we can be sure that there will be various problems. Time and again there may be disagreements between couples over various decisions that need to be taken – it could be simple matters like the hospital where their baby should be delivered or the school that they should admit their children in. Invariably if something does go wrong in the choice that was made, the spouses end up blaming each other. If a family wants to be joy filled, and a blessing to others it is imperative that the husband and wife must strive to be one in heart and mind.
Today the church has lost its effectiveness. The church is not a place to come to for special occasions like birth, marriage and death, but a place where every individual member is built up in the word and in faith. Somewhere along the way we have lost the vision and purpose of the church. Every member of the church must go out into the society, and be those who make a difference in those places where the Lord has kept us.
We need to be planted in the right place so we can fulfil God’s purpose to bear fruit, and be a blessing. The Lord comes seeking for fruit in our lives. We need to therefore, search ourselves to know if we are accomplishing the purposes of God in our lives, and truly bearing fruit. We have received so much from the Lord that it is time for us to be a blessing to others, rather than being obsessed with wanting more and more. We must truly desire to be beneficial to the Lord.
Any company or firm has a purpose for its existence, and for that objective to be fulfilled they need to be innovative. For those changes to be implemented they need to have single mindedness. Some years ago before cell phones and digital cameras came into vogue, people used to use cameras with rolls. People were very cautious to take good pictures with these rolls, as one never knew what the outcome would be until the photos were developed. One had to pay for every single photograph to be developed, both good and bad. There were a few people in the company that manufactured these film rolls who saw that the future of these rolls would soon be meaningless, and this was going to be taken over by digital cameras, but the majority of the employees too did not agree or foresee this outcome. The result was that the company had to face closure, and many employees were left jobless.
Whether it is a company, family or the church, if there is no singleness of heart and mind they will never accomplish the purpose for which they were constituted in the first place. To be single minded does not mean that when one says ‘Yes’ everyone else nods in agreement, or if one says ‘No’ everyone disagrees. That would only make us robots. We are human beings who can think and feel and that’s what makes us distinct from robots. So how were the believers in the early church though numerous in numbers able to function with such solidarity in mind and heart?
Live in harmony
Paul writing to the Philippians says Philippians 2:2, “Fill up and complete my joy by living in harmony and being of the same mind and one in purpose, having the same love, being in full accord and of one harmonious mind and intention.” (AMPC)
We see Paul encouraging the church at Philippi to live in harmony with one another. When we apply this to marriage, it does not mean that both husband and wife will see eye to eye on everything and agree to everything, but when it comes to implementing a decision, both must come to a consensus and decide to do what’s best.
Let’s take an example of an orchestra. If there was just a drummer, who was drumming all alone or a guitarist or piano player all playing singly, the music that is produced may not be so pleasing to the ears. On the other hand, if all were playing together in one accord the symphony that will be produced will be glorious. Also the ones who are playing the musical instruments must understand the purpose why they are playing. Only when we focus on the purpose will we be able to achieve the unity and oneness.
At church the only purpose of all of the playing and singing is to worship the Lord. The Lord alone must have the primary place in all of our worship. We magnify and glorify the Lord in worship.
Whether it is the church or our family we need to always remember the true purpose for which the Lord has ordained both of these, for only then we will have oneness. God is the originator of marriage and His purpose for marriage and families is to raise a godly generation. If this is at the heart of every marriage we will not have unnecessary misunderstandings and quarrels, as we would want the Lord to be glorified through our families and desire be exemplary to those around. So also the purpose of the church is to be in unity of heart and mind and glorify the Lord.
In 1 Corinthians 10:31 Paul says, “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (ESV).
We need to glorify God in every area of our life – simple things like playing an instrument, our WhatsApp status, through our families, our speech, our actions and our relationships with others.
We take note of the fact that even in the early church when people were in one accord, there was a couple like Ananias and Sapphira, who lived contrary to God’s purpose. We need to be those who stand firm and guard our faith. If the supreme thought in our mind is to glorify God in everything, we will most certainly lead a holy life and there will be no place for sin. God’s purpose for our life is that he should be glorified through our life.
Let us look at three ways in which the church can glorify God
1. We glorify God by worshipping Him in Spirit and in Truth
We read in Luke 2:13-14,”Suddenly a great army of heaven's angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased” (GNT)
When the angels came to announce the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, they sang praises and gave glory to God. When Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer to his disciples, the first line of the prayer in Matthew 6:9, “our Father in heaven, let your name be kept holy” (GW).
Our primary purpose then is to bring glory to God in every area of our life. The Lord who called us is a God of holiness, glory and might, but so many people in the church today have taken Him for granted only because He is also a God of grace. That is one of the reasons we are seeing no real change and transformation in the lives of people. The Lord is gracious, but He warns us to repent and change, as there is a day of reckoning at hand. The primary purpose of the church therefore is we come together to glorify the Lord in all we do, and sincerely be those who worship Him in Spirit and in truth.
2. We glorify God by edifying one another
The second purpose of the church is that we should grow and increase in our faith and edify one another. Let us look at this incident from Luke 13.
We read in Luke 13:10-13, “Jesus taught in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. A woman was there who had an evil spirit inside her. It had made the woman crippled for 18 years. Her back was always bent; she could not stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called to her, “Woman, you have been made free from your sickness!” He laid his hands on her, and immediately she was able to stand up straight. She began praising God.” (ERV)
When Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, there was a woman possessed by an evil spirit that had crippled, and left her bent for 18 years. She was in the synagogue, but was in bondage and of no use to anyone. The moment Jesus healed her, she not only stood up straight, but also gave glory to God and praised Him.
That’s what we need to see happen in church. Those who are bent with sin being straightened up, saved and their heads are raised up. Those who come into the church must be edified by the word. We need to desire to grow in our spiritual life, the same way we desire to see our children grow physically every year. If we want to see this happen we must pray, and ask the Lord to make us a church where people will come in to be healed, saved and edified.
3. We Glorify God by reaching out to those outside the Church
We read in John 5:5-6, “One of the men lying there had been sick for 38 years. Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been sick for a very long time. So he asked him, “Do you want to be well?” (ERV)
This is what Jesus did in John 5:8-9, “Then Jesus said, “Stand up! Pick up your mat and walk.” Immediately the man was well. He picked up his mat and started walking. The day all this happened was a Sabbath day.” (ERV)
Also we read in John 5:14, “Later, Jesus found the man at the Temple” (ERV)
In John Chapter 5, we see Jesus going out to meet a man who was sick and lying near the pool called Bethesda for 38 long years. Jesus not only taught in the synagogue, but He also went out of the way to meet this man, and speak to him. He spoke healing to this man, and if we read the account we see that the man took up his mat, and walked away not even knowing who it was that healed him. Later however, when Jesus met him again, we see that the man was in the temple. Now when the people asked him who it was who healed him, he told them it was Jesus.
The purpose of our being a part of the church, and being edified is that we will go out to be a light to those outside the church. We have the duty to not just be inside the church, but also to go out to seek out, and bring others into the church.
Generally many people are hesitant to go out, and minister to others because the ones they reached out to earlier and helped, either did not acknowledge their help or took them for granted. Let us continue to serve and share the gospel with others outside not expecting anything in return. The ultimate purpose of us reaching out to people is that they will be saved, and be brought in to become members of the body of Christ.
Each of us must realize that there is a purpose for which we were created. We can choose to either fulfil the purpose of God in our life, or continue to live a life that is meaningless and of no consequence to anyone.
The church in Laodicea was in a heartbreaking condition as we see in Revelation 3:20, “Look, I’m standing at the door and knocking.” (GW) that the Lord who is supposed to be inside the church was standing outside knocking. If we as a church forget the purpose for which we are existing, we would be committing the same mistake of the church at Laodicea, and will leave the Lord standing outside the church while we continue with all our formalities inside. We need to be filled with the longing that the Lord will use each of us to fulfil His purpose for our life personally, as a family and as a church. May we truly aspire to glorify the Lord in each and every area of our lives as we strive to in unity fulfill His great purposes for us as individuals, as families and as a church.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
