School Of The Spirit - One Accord

Philippians 2:1-8
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. 3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

ONE ACCORD: The Power Of A Unified Church

Peter Scazzero
“Perhaps one of the most destructive myths alive in the Christian community today is the belief that smoothing over a disagreement or ’sweeping them under the rug’ is part of what it means to follow Jesus. For this reason, churches, small groups, ministry teams, denominations, and communities continue to experience the pain of unresolved conflicts.” 

Acts 4:32-33 
32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

Acts 1:14
14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

Acts 2:44-47
44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

UNITY IS GOD’S WILL

John 13:35
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The church is not a religious community of worshippers of Christ but is Christ himself who has taken form among people.

Rich Villodas
If the church is the body (of Christ) we dare not cannibalize ourselves. When we devour each other (through gossip, slander, condemnation, etc) we sink our sharp teeth into the flesh of Christ—not in Eucharistic (communion) worship, but in fleshly fallenness.

John 17:20-23
“My prayer is not for them (the disciples) alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

A.W. Tozer
We pray, “Oh God, send thy Holy Spirit upon us so we’ll be united.” We might just as well repeat “Three Blind Mice.” God does not hear that kind of prayer because it has no sense in it. The Holy Ghost did not come upon the disciples to unite them. The Holy Spirit came upon the disciples because they were already united, “being of one accord and in one place.” 
Scholars tell us that “being of one accord” is a musical term, meaning harmony. The early Christians already were one. They were in harmony with each other