What does it mean to be in one accord?

First of all they were to be likeminded. It is obviously a great thing when believers all think alike, yet there is also to be considered the spirit that underlies their thinking. If that be wrong mere thinking alike will not guarantee absence of dissension. Hence he adds, "having the same love." Only love can produce that of which next he speaks, "being of one accord," or, more literally, "joined in soul," which in its turn leads to all minding one thing.

It is this that verses 5 and 6 apply so tenderly and appealingly. “Now the God of endurance and of encouragement give to you to be likeminded one toward another, according to Christ Jesus; that ye may with one accord with one mouth, glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” If we would have endurance and encouragement we must look to God who is the source of such virtue, and He can enable us to have the mind that was in Christ Jesus, toward one another. This produces, even where there is diversity of opinion and various degrees of progress in the truth, a godly, fervent unity that glorifies the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. How unspeakably blessed when this is the case! To be of one accord, of one mouth, is to have hearts unfeignedly united in honoring and following the Lord Jesus, and not sidetracked by lesser considerations. This is not by any means relinquishing the truth of God, but holding it firmly, while making no issue of small matters that are the affair of the individual conscience.

They were waiting, according to our Lord's instructions, for the promise of the Father — the gift of the Holy Ghost. They had the sure word of promise. The Comforter was, without fail, to come; but this, so far from dispensing with prayer, was the very ground of its blessed exercise. They prayed; they prayed in one place; they prayed with one accord. They were thoroughly agreed. They all, without exception, had one definite object before their hearts. They were waiting for the promised Spirit; they continued to wait; and they waited with one accord, until He came. Men and women, absorbed with one object, waited in holy concord, in happy symphony — waited on, day after day, earnestly, fervently, harmoniously waited until they were indued with the promised power from on high.

In these circumstances they did not act with the dogged determination of strong-minded men who were bent upon a certain course in spite of every obstacle, but, like men of God, they, confessing their own weakness, betook themselves to prayer. But they did not pray singly, as Elijah did, for instance. They acted as members of the body of Christ, and reported affairs to “their own company.” Then the whole assembly prayed as one company: “they lifted up their voice to God with one accord.” There was unison in their petitions. That phrase, “with one accord,” so characteristic of the church history found in the Acts, indicated that there was among them only one mind and one mouth (Rom. 15:6). It is an early sample of that co-operative prayer which should ever mark assembly action.

The apostles’ “word,” their doctrine or teaching, had been believed, resulting in the formation of a fellowship, the gathering of a company, who outwardly expressed their identity with each other by breaking bread and praying together. This fellowship became a powerful testimony to the world; for the first time there existed a perfectly unselfish company, having mutual care and tender consideration for each other; knit together in heart and soul, seeking each other’s spiritual welfare and caring for each other’s bodily needs.

How are they characterized? 'And the heart and soul of the multitude of those that believed were one.' Never before Pentecost had such a time appeared on earth. What is described is, if possible, more vividly spiritual now that opposition came out distinctly against them. All savours of His presence Who deigned to come down from heaven and make the saints the dwelling-place of God. The Holy Spirit it is Whose energy works all that is acceptable to God, all that is edifying for man. Without Him there had been only so many individuals. The Spirit unites to Christ, He also and thereby gives practical unity as here. The heart and soul of those that believed, though a multitude, was one. Undoubtedly such unity could not have been without one supreme and absorbing object, even Christ, but there was also needed the power of the Spirit to exclude the activity of each several will. For flesh loves to differ, and seeks its own things. Next, they all sought the things of Jesus Christ, though without intelligence of union with Christ or heavenly relationships. Yet never before nor since has there been in any communion on earth an equal testimony to deliverance through His name from the selfishness of nature and the pride of the world, never more sustained joy in God or more mutual love through our Lord Jesus. It was the accomplishment of the prayer in John 17:20-21, 'that they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.' Their heart and soul were one. The expression of the inspired historian is more energetic, as the practical unity in grace was realized with singular brightness before the world. No sign of greater weakness in the church than division of way, feeling, or thought; no more evident mark of the Spirit's power than unity of which Christ is the spring and character.

Here we learn that one necessary condition of our prayers is, unanimity — cordial agreement — thorough oneness of mind. The true force of the words is, "If two of you shall symphonise" — shall make one common sound. There must be no jarring note, no discordant element.

If, for example, we come together to pray about the progress of the gospel — the conversion of souls, we must be of one mind in the matter — we must make one common sound before our God. It will not do for each to have some special thought of his own to carry out. We must come before the throne of grace in holy harmony of mind and spirit, else we cannot claim an answer, on the ground of Matthew 18:19.

But let us notice that one very necessary moral condition for assembly prayer is thorough oneness of mind, cordial agreement and unanimity. "If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them." The true force of the words is, "If two of you shall symphonize"-shall make one common sound. There must be no jarring note or lack of harmony and agreement among those that pray if there is to be effective assembly prayer. We must come before the throne of grace in holy harmony of 'heart, mind, and spirit, else we cannot claim an answer on the ground of our Lord's promise in Matthew 18:19.

This holy agreement and oneness is what characterized the believers and the prayer-meetings recorded in the book of Acts and accounts for the spiritual power and immediate blessing which God granted them. "These all continued with one accord in prayer;" "they were all with one accord in one place;" "they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple;" "they lifted up their voice to God with one accord" (Acts 1:14; 2:1, 46; 4:24).

Here is a point of immense moral weight with a great bearing upon the tone and character of our prayer-meetings. Why are our meetings for prayer often so poor, cold, dead, and powerless? Is it not oftentimes because believers fail to come together with one accord and with definite agreement in prayer for certain things? There is much lack today among believers of one heart and one mind and we need to challenge ourselves as to how far we are agreed in regard to the object or objects which are laid before the throne of grace in our meetings for prayer.

Verses 8 and 9 are general exhortation, covering all relationships. To be all of one mind will require setting aside of personal preferences and desires, in genuine consideration for others. This in fact is ""the mind of Christ." Compare Phil.2:5. ""Sympathizing one with another" involves solicitous concern as to the trials of each other. And to this added the warmth of love, "as brethren.' 'Be pitiful" is better rendered "tender-hearted," in contrast to callousness. "Courteous" or "humble-minded" is a quality not common in the world, but Precious. And the warning is given, which requires no little repetition, not to return evil for evil. If I do so, I reduce myself to the same level as the offender. Indeed, I ought to return positive "blessing," that which is good, for in this God is rightly represented. And we ourselves have been called out of a state of evil and shame, that we might inherit a blessing from Him.Beginning with this verses, we see that there will be governmental results from God in reference to the conduct of believers, whether it is good or bad. If one will love life (that is, life in its true pure character) and see good days, let him first guard his own tongue and lips. The tongue is to refrain from evil that which is harmful in whatever way; and the lips are to be kept from guile, that which gives wrong impressions it may not be a direct lie, but is deceitful nevertheless.

This shows us what a large place the purpose of the gospel had in the heart of the apostle. He saw that Christ was come to displace every other man, and he desires that nothing but Christ might be seen in him. And he encourages these saints on this line. In chapter 1 he desires that their conversation might become the gospel of Christ, and in chapter 2 he shows them how this is to be brought about. He desires them to have one mind, but he does not leave them in any kind of doubt as to whose mind this is to be. We are all ready enough to admit that we ought to be of one mind, but I might want all the saints to be of my mind, and some one else might want all the saints to be of his mind; and yet no one might wish to be of my mind, and I might not wish to submit myself to the mind of any other man upon earth. But the apostle lets them know that if he desires them all to be of one mind that mind is to be Christ’s. If every saint upon earth had the mind of Christ there would only be one mind in the whole church of God. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” And when you come to look into this mind what do you find? Simply this, that Christ viewed everything in its bearing Godward. He looked at nothing with reference to Himself, but He looked at everything with reference to God. Man looks at everything with reference to himself, and judges of it in the way in which he is affected by it. It never was a question with Christ as to how anything might affect Him. The great question with Him was as to how God was affected by it. Hence, obedience was what marked Him, and the will of God was everything to Him. In this mind we are to work out our own salvation, and come out in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation as children of God, shining among them as lights in the world, and holding forth the word of life.