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In One Accord

This is my 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour

The idea of Christians being in one accord is a very powerful message of Jesus and the New Testament church. It is both powerful and elusive. What does being in one accord look like? What are examples of being in one accord? How do we become in one accord? How important is it, really, to be in one accord?

Recently, a leader from Uganda was sharing in our church fellowship a vision for the Body of Christ. The bottom line being, that Jesus, in His priestly prayer recorded in John 17 made it clear that being one with Him and one with one another is the only option we have.

The worship chorus is really true!

Father make us one,
Father make us one,
That the world may know,
Thou has sent Thy Son,
Father make us one.

Unity or being in one accord is at the heart of Jesus prayer in John 17:21. Yet it seems so elusive. It requires a high level of Christian maturity, understanding and wisdom. It requires laying down our lives, our ideas and our opinions for the most important thing – our oneness with Christ and with one another. Certainly, I do not know what this unity looks like but I am confident that if Jesus prayed for us to have it, somehow, He will achieve it in us.

At the meetings where our Ugandan pastor was speaking, our pastor, Larry, shared an old joke. I had not heard it, but needless to say, Larry had shared it before and in his excellent ability of communication it was a timely comment. The essence of the joke is this: Certainly, if God wants us to be in one accord that must mean that we should all go out and buy a Honda Accord. It seems unlikely that we could all fit in one Accord, so at least, if all own and drive a Honda Accord we would be closer to fulfilling God’s desire.

The next day, driving to the fellowship meeting in my Honda Accord Cross Tour, I started to get the prophetic interpretation of Larry’s joke. God really does speak in mysterious ways. This particular car was only purchased back in May because another car died on us. I spent quite a bit of time looking for the right replacement and kept coming back to this Honda. I really liked the way it looked and drove. I had it checked out by my mechanic and it seemed like the right vehicle. It is a used, 2010 model with just over 100,000 miles so it has presented us with a few issues. In my research regarding the Cross Tour, I discovered it had been made for a few years and discontinued. The main reason for it not being popular was it’s looks. Folks said it looked like a pregnant Accord. I guess I see their point but I did not mind this look, I actually like it.

The three issues I have and still have not resolved are: oil consumption, catalytic converter replacement and the fact that it is time to change the timing belt.
So, how does God speak through a Honda Accord Cross Tour.

  1. The pregnant Accord – Being of one accord is, for many of us in the Body of Christ, a long standing and relevant vision that seems impossible to acquire. It is as if we are pregnant with God’s desire for unity. Perhaps, God is at work in us to grow this vision for its soon coming birth.

  2. The oil consumption is the anointing oil spoken of In Psalm 133.

“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew on Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.”

Something very powerful happens when brothers dwell together in unity. This is certainly where the anointing happens and Father has a blessing.

  1. Catalytic Converter – the check engine light comes on to inform me that my catalytic converter is not properly cleaning the exhaust so that the air is clean. We need the clean air of His presence. I love the worship song,

“This is the air I breath,
This is the air I breath,
His very presence, living in me . . .”

My friend Paul recently wrote another song,

“I am in Christ, Christ is in me,
This is the truth that sets me free.”

Certainly, this is the key to being in one accord. As we understand that Christ dwells in us and as we understand that we are in Christ, than we discover our unity with one another! It is the very atmosphere of His love in us and around us.

  1. The timing belt. It is time to change the timing belt. God has His perfect timing for everything. Yes, we have been given authority to walk together in unity and should be embracing the vision of the church in Acts. God has His perfect timing in achieving this great work. He started it and He will finish it.

  2. For some reason I did not purchase a regular Honda Accord. I ended up with a Honda Accord Cross Tour. It is the way of the cross that is the way to unity. It is the way of laying down our own lives for the high calling of loving the Father and loving our brothers and sisters. Jesus said all of the law was summed up in these two commandments (Matthew 12:30,31). We have a tour (journey) to go on and it is the journey or the tour of the cross. It is a tour that includes the entire body of Christ; His body all over the world and the unique expressions displayed. Our unity is not uniformity. We do not all need to drive a Honda Accord to be in one accord. We need to love one another to be in one accord!

Acts 2:1 “When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place . . .

Acts 46, 47 “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

Romans 12:10 “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.”