Submitted by: D.W.B. (Irving, TX)
The Body of Christ, the universal Church, needs the oneness. The churches, the universal Church locally, additionally need the one accord. Oneness is universal. All believers everywhere throughout all of time are one in the Father’s life; we and they share in the oneness of the Body of Christ. The one accord on the other hand is local. It is the actual, practical, carrying out of the universal oneness of the Body of Christ where we are.
This oneness of the Body of Christ is of the Spirit, and even is the Spirit. The application of the oneness is the one accord. Therefore we can say that the application of the Spirit, is the one accord. The Spirit is applied through the exercise of our human spirit, which is a mingled spirit, containing the Divine Spirit. Hence we can go further and say that the exercise of the mingled spirit brings in the one accord. Through the exercise of our spirit we gain more of the spreading Spirit in our soul. The spreading Spirit in our soul is the one accord. Practically, locally, for the church living, we need the one accord. We need the exercise of the spirit. Ultimately what preserves the one accord is the exercise of the mingled spirit. To maintain a daily refreshed, up-to-date, all-inheriting, all-inclusive vision, we must exercise our mingled spirit. Regardless of how much we have experienced and seen of Christ and the Church, if we leave the daily exercise of the mingled spirit, we will lose the vision, we will cast off restraint with regards to the one accord and God’s economy, we will run wild with opinions, concepts, criticisms, tradition, lukewarmness, and divisions, and our practical spiritual life will perish. Oh how we need the exercise of the spirit! This will maintain our vision, increase our vision, and apply the universal oneness where we are to be the one accord among us.
Having the one accord is based upon having the oneness of the Spirit. In the book of Acts, the one hundred twenty in the upper room could only have the one accord, because they had already received the oneness of the Spirit. In John 20, when the Lord breathed into them the Holy Spirit, they received the oneness of the Spirit. By praying the one hundred twenty exercised their spirit, thus applying the Spirit, the universal oneness, which practically and actually there among them locally was the one accord.
The application of the Spirit produces the one accord, and the result of the one accord is harmony. Matthew 18:19, “If two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens.” What is key here is that they have harmony. We are not told how they prayed, or about any other Christian spiritual practice they may have employed, we are only told there is harmony. This harmony is brought in by the one accord, which is produced by the application of the oneness of the Spirit to our soul through the exercise of the mingles spirit. Two brothers got together, and based upon their both containing the life of God the Father, they exercised their mingled spirits to pray together for a particular shared burden, and out from this prayer, and in this prayer, came the one accord, issuing in a harmony.
The Greek word here for “harmony”, or in some translations “agreement”, is symphoneo, a verb, meaning “to agree or be in harmony with”. It is used for “musical harmony”, and also for “the fitting together of stones in a building” (Kittel). The harmony of the one accord is for the building up of the Body of Christ. It is in such a harmonious one accord that we can be stones that fit into God’s building.
It is interesting to note that it is the Father who sees the one accord produced harmony, and responds based on this harmony of one accord, by doing what they ask. In consideration it is not surprising, for the Father’s house is a dwelling place full of such harmony. In Luke 15 after the prodigal son has return and he and the Father have entered the house. We come to verse 25, which speaks of the other son, the disgruntled brother. “And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.” Pay attention here that the house is the Father’s house, the Church, in all of it’s universal, local, temporal, and eternal aspects. As the brother approached the Father’s house, the church, the most distinguishing factor was the sound of music. The Greek word here from music is another form of the same word used for harmony in Matthew 18:19. Here in Luke 15:25, it is symphonia, versus symphoneo in Matt. 18:19. Symphonia is used also to denote a musical harmony, a symphony, and also “in a transferred sense it denotes inner harmony, the harmony of beautiful soul” (Kittel). This harmony indicates the one accord in the Father’s house. A distinguishing factor, an audible, recognizable factor, of the local church should be the harmony, the symphony of the one accord. In this one accord, we have a deep inner harmony, which is the Spirit spreading into our soul making our soul beautiful and harmonious with the renewed part of the souls of all the saints! Through this soul-beautifying one accord, the Bride of Christ is being prepared, being made beautiful.
Furthermore, there must have been some dancing that occurred, dancing that was first heard, not seen. There must have been some clapping, stomping, jumping, and perhaps shouting going on in the Father house. A real reveling was going on in the Father’s house. If we go back one verse, to Luke 15:24, we read “they began to be merry”. Note the shared joy! Not only was the Father satisfied and happy that the son had returned. Not merely was the son at rest that the Father had accepted him. No, they began to be merry. The Father and son shared a mutual enjoyment, that reached the audible peak of rejoicing in the Father’s house! Over the music could be heard the joyous dancing! Oh the joy in the Fathers house!
This is a picture of the local church. When the brothers dwell together in the unity of the one accord, there will be a sweet melodious harmony recognized and responded to by the Father. Then in such a condition, based upon the blessed one accord, the Father and all the sons will enter into an elevated mutual enjoyment horizontally and vertically! The one accord brings in the mutual enjoyment between the Father and the many sons. Through such a one accord in every local church, when a new one among us draws near to our gathering, he will hear the distinguishing sounds of the one accord-produced symphony and dancing! May it be so among us.
Through the application of the oneness, the exercise of our mingled spirit, the one accord is brought in. This produces an inner harmony, which is the affirming sweetness of the Triune God pervading our souls, transforming us into the beautiful bride of Christ. Such a harmony in one accord causes us to be stones that fit into the building up of the Body of Christ. The entire church is ushered into a dwelling in unity which the Lord blesses, and the Father responds to, and we enter into an ecstatic shared merriment with the Father. Oh what a master key! The one accord is the master key to every spiritual blessing and the means for the building up of the church, and the preparation of the bride. Hallelujah!
Brother, I praise the Lord for this post. May we enter into the reality of it!
Amen and Amen!
Amen. I was refreshed and reminded the need to exercise our mingled spirit in applying actual oneness which is the one accord. I was exposed. May the Lord bring us all into this kind of practice for this is the master key to have spiritual blessing. Amen
Amen and amen i was also refresh.
Amen for this post and the memorial day conference reminding me to exercise my spirit more so I can be transformed and saturated in my soul by the Triune God.