Sermon # 6 - United With A Purpose Series

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?