They were with one Accord
AND when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place."
In the quotation above, we will examine the word Pentecost, they, and one accord. But, before then, let us give a little background to the quotation so that we can start to gain the wisdom, knowledge and understanding of the quotation.
Fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and 10 days after His ascension into heaven, Jesus gave a directive to His 120 disciples to "wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father, meaning, at the appointed time the 120 disciples would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. The period of this happening was between AD 30-35, when the early Church was more National than universal.
The meaning of the Pentecost could be in six folds. We can say the Pentecost was a period of waiting for the promise of the Father probably in the Upper Room in June A.D 30. We can also say it was a period when suddenly the Holy Spirit descended from heaven and the waiting 120 were baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. The baptism was permanent.
The Pentecost could also mean that the Spirit of God had been restored to man. The spirit was taken from man when man fell. The restoration of this spirit happened 4, 000 years later.
The Pentecost also mean that the prophecy of (Joel 2:28-32) had had a partial fulfillment. The complete fulfillment will come shortly after the time of Christ's second coming when Israelites would have been restored to their homeland.
The Pentecost equally mean that the Lord's early Ministry had been approved by the Father and that the Father had given Him the Holy Spirit as deposit to bestow upon believers. It also means the Church had come into existence. On the day of Pentecost, the descended Holy Spirit baptized all living Old Testament Saints into a new body of people, the Church, the body of Christ.
The Pentecost also means the Holy Spirit was no longer just present on the earth but also resident on the earth. He is on the earth to do a fourfold New Testament work; To baptize all believers, to remain permanent in believers, fill all believers who will pay the price and seal all believers.
And when the Pentecost was fully come, the accompaniments of the Holy Spirit were three. The sound from heaven as a rushing mighty wind which filled all the house where the 120 disciples were sitting; The appearance of cloven tongues as of fire which sat upon each of them and the speaking with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance which occurred; when they were filled with the spirit.
The symbolism of the Pentecost signs like the rushing mighty wind, symbolized the power of the spirit to convince, convict and covert . The cloven tongues of fire represented the purification of the spirit of sinners from the guilt of sin and of Saints from the pollution of sin. Speaking with tongues represented the power of the spirit for the proclamation of the Gospel world-wide and in many languages during the church age.
The word "they" in the quotation was referring to the 120 disciples in the Upper Room waiting for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that among the 120 disciples were women and Mary, the mother of Jesus and his brethren. As many that are genuinely born-again today are disciples of Jesus Christ. They are equally the "they" of today who are expected to do things of the spirit with one accord. However, it may not be 100 per cent so; but the rest story is for you to complete.
The unity of the Church is more of the spirit rather than the physical. However, with one accord in spirit, both physically and spiritually and in the gathering of the 120 in the Upper Room; what then did the writer mean by with one accord?
Read this: physically, they were with one accord. They responded to the situation of the Upper Room with one accord. There were no grumblings whether such room was hot or cold or small for them.
Their thinking and dealings were with one accord. They thought in the same direction and mediated with one accord. Their focus and goal were in the same direction with one accord. They equally perceived and responded to issues with one accord.
Not only these, they believed with one accord that is, directing their faith in one direction. In spirit, they were with one accord. In trust, hope and expectation, they were with one accord in Jesus.
The resultant effects of the 120 being with one accord in the Upper Room, were; God moved in their midst, they received the promised Holy Spirit, the manifestation of the power of God was vivid in their midst, they experienced the power of God as individuals and as a corporate body and God anointed them refresh.
The gathering of the 120 disciples one accord in the Upper Room did not see or feel denominationalism, tribal religion was absent.
Superiority or inferiority . complexes were equally absent. There was no self aggrandizement or can I say egoism. There was no argument of any kind, no controversy and no trivial issue to be entertained. They were all with one accord in all ramifications.
However, genuine love of God was fully manifested, and the zeal to serve God from Holy vessels was seen vividly.
Read this article over and over, then ask yourself whether today's Christians are really with one accord. Whatever may be your answer, start to contribute to improve on the unity of today's Christians. God bless you as you do this.
 

Rhapsody of Realities
Cut It Out With The Word!
Wednesday, 10th March, 2010
"And take...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:" (Ephesians 6:17).
Some years ago, I noticed a small growth in my body, but instead of voicing concern about it, I addressed it and said, "I cut you out of my body in the Name of Jesus!" I said everything I knew to say from God's Word to it, but it was still there and it felt the same.
However, I had learnt a long time ago that the Word of God is more real than the world in which we live. I kept saying the same things until a whole week passed. It looked and felt like the growth was still there. But now, every time I felt it, I addressed it differently and said, "I've cut you out; you're gone!" Two weeks passed and I had somehow forgotten all about it. Then one morning, while I was in the bathroom, preparing to shower, the growth just dropped to the floor. I looked at it and picked it up; I had cut it out of my body with the Word!
You may wonder, "How in the world did that happen?" Well, it's very simple. The Greek word for "mouth" is "stoma," which means "the front or edge of a weapon." So when you confess God's Word, in the realm of the Spirit, you're literally cutting the devil down with a sword! That's because "the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
When you take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, you can cut any growth or disease out of your body. There's no surgeon's scalpel that can work as effectively and precisely as the sword of the Spirit. So put the Word in your mouth today and use it to cut out anything you don't want in your body or in your life.

        Pastor Chris

Soaring to the Top
Have a Vision and a Dream
Proverbs 29: 18 "Where there is no vision the people perish, but he that keepeth the law happy is he."
Purpose to rise to the zenith of your career this year.
You must never begin a year without dreams, visions and goal to pursue. If you have no vision, no goal, no focus and nothing to pursue, your year, time, energy, money will be wasted and opportunities will not be utilized. You must begin this year with a vision, a goal and a target. This is what will give you the necessary drive, passion and eventual fulfillment. You must be able to look back at the end of the year and say I have achieved 1, 2 and 3. The key is to have a vision, a dream and a goal in life.
Confession: I will not live a purposeless life anymore. My dream is to get to the top. Prayer: God take veils from my mind,
Don't tie your future to your past
Philippians 3: 13 and 14: "Brethren I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before. I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
Don't let yesterday decide what tomorrow will be. Don't mortgage your future to your past especially if it was not what you expected. Jephtha refused to let his background affect his future ground and opportunities, He walked away from his ugly past and went ahead to become a prominent, notable impact-full person and changer of lives of many for good.
Forget yesterday's failure, you will succeed this time and this year. All you need is to loose yourself from the rope that reminds you that you have a bad past. Get ready to press and pursue and you will lay hold on your heart's desire. You are not the first to fail and you will not be the last. Get ready to surprise those who say you can never amount to anything.
Confession: I will arise and shine. I refuse to stay small. I shall explode. I will press onward and forward. I refuse to let my past tie me down.
Prayers: I bind every spirit of discouragement and depression.
Be a fighter
I Timothy 6: 12
"Fight a good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life, whereto thou art also called and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses."
Life is war. Nothing just happens. Life rewards actions. Nothing changes until attitude and positions change. To be saved is a war. To prosper takes a fight of belief, confession, working, fighting, saving, investing and wise management.
Woe to those at ease in Zion. (Amos 7: 10. He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand (Proverbs 10; 40). Lazy people are people who refuse to fight. Working is fighting. There is dignity in labour. Jesus was a hard WORKER (John9: 4). Even prayer is warfare.
If you must get to the top of your career, you must be prepared to fight every inch to the top. Nothing just happens. Accidents don't just happen, it is a process but the event is just once. Don't say people are lucky; it is opportunities that met preparation. Create the future you are dreaming of by your purposeful action.
Get ready to fight, work, pray, confess etc.
Confession: this year, I shall lay hold on my desire. I will keep good confessions this year. God is ordering my steps in a fruitful direction.
Worship with us at chapel of freedom International Churches Adankolo New Layout Lokoja.

    Bishop John Ibenu