Acts 2 – Practices of the Early Church – Part 8

Acts 2:37-47Practice #8 (Vs. 46) = Unity of the BelieversYears ago I recall hearing a preacher tell a story that was both humorous and depressing at the same time. He said that he was called to be the pastor of a small rural congregation. His first week in the office, he took time to go back through the history of the church and read about significant milestones the church had crossed together. During his research, he came across an instance of fighting in the church whereby one of the deacons actually got up during a business meeting and stabbed the pastor. This new pastor went into his first business meeting and said, “I will go on record as stating that as long as I am the pastor of this church there will be no more stabbings in the church.”While this story may seem far fetched, it is true. The more troubling fact is that many churches across the country cannot seem to get along with one another. Churches fight and feud over small decisions that should never be discussed as a congregation – much less spark a fight among the people. Many churches are divided over insignificant “things” while entire communities around them are dying without Christ. Disunity will provide a lack of vision and a lack of influence in the community that surrounds the church.As we examine the early church, we notice that they were getting together for the purpose of worship surrounding the Apostles’ doctrine, praying together, taking care of one another, observing the Lord’s Supper (Communion), and all of this was done with unity. Verse 46 states that the people were together with “one accord.” Some translations say, “one mind.” The point is that the entire congregation was gathered with the mind of Christ – the unity that Christ provides – even among people who may differ in many ways. Below are several reasons why we should be unified together in the Spirit of God and with a bond of peace.1. The church that is not unified is a church that has no clear vision.2. The church that is not unified is a church that has no impact on the surrounding community.3. The church that is not unified is a church that has a poor testimony in the community.4. The church that is not unified is a church that has set forth a poor example to the children within the congregation.5. The church that is not unified is a church that is living in sin.6. The church that is not unified is a church that has lost its focus, testimony, and may one day lose everything it has worked for over the years.May we all seek to keep the peace in our local congregations for the glory of God. Keeping the peace and being united together around sound doctrine and a fervent love for the lost does not involve compromising the truth. It often means making deliberate choices to avoid conflict on the small nonessentials in the congregation of believers.Rev. Josh Buice