Greetings MOL Family!
In our homeheading class, we’ve been studying from the book Education; and oh, what a wonderful sentence we’re about to look at here:
In One Place, Of One Accord
In order successfully to carry forward the work to which they had been called, these disciples, differing so widely in natural characteristics, in training, and in habits of life, needed to come into unity of feeling, thought, and action. – Education, pg. 86
To do their work successfully, they had to do what? Come into unity. Do you know that there are people that think that the only way you can carry work forward successfully is for everybody to live by themselves where they won’t get in one another’s road, won’t get in one another’s hair.
And please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting that the only way Christ’s prayer can be answered is for 20 people, or even 10, to be under one roof. That isn’t what I’m getting at. But did Jesus set for Himself a goal, in His case with the ones He was working with, of doing that very thing? Yes.
Now, let’s go to Acts 2:1. What day is this text talking about? — The day of Pentecost. Fifty days after the crucifixion and resurrection here is the day of Pentecost. Where does it find the disciples? — In one place. In what condition does it find them? — Of one accord.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. – Acts 2:2
What made that sound? The Holy Spirit coming upon them in mighty power, such as the world before that had never witnessed. Is it coming again? What do we call it? — The latter rain.
Now let us look at what preceded that. Acts 1:4-5, just before Jesus went back to Heaven:
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, said he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. – Acts 1:4-5
They were to wait for what? — The promise of the Father. What was the promise of the Father? —The Holy Spirit. Now notice how they went at it. They were doing what He told them to do.
And when they were come in [Back from the ascension] they went up into an upper room, where abode [What does abode mean? Lived, dwelt, resided] both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all [Did what?] continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brethren. – Acts 1:13-14
The 15th verse indicates that at least some of the meetings there were how many together? — 120. The nucleus at least, we don’t know how many more, maybe all of them (I don’t know how big the room was) were there together, at least the eleven and some of these others that are mentioned, for 10 days, and they continued with one accord in what? — Prayer and supplication. And 10 days of that brought them to what? — Pentecost.
Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if in your home the Spirit of God should be poured out as it was there? That was not a meeting at the temple. That was a meeting in that upper room where they had sought the Lord in prayer and supplication until they had become what? — One. The prayer of Jesus was being answered.
Now, don’t think that they suddenly became perfect. No. But I’ll tell you, they did have some wonderful experiences. Before that day was over, the day of Pentecost, they had a 10% increase in church membership, didn’t they? What? How many were added? – 3,000. They started with 120 that morning, and they had 3,120 that night.
Can you think of the great administrative problems that were at once thrust upon them? But there was more than that. Many of those people were thrown out of home, house, ostracized by the Jewish church and their family. They had a big problem right away to start to feed people. Look at the 2nd chapter of Acts, talking about the same experience and the results of it:
And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house [The margin says at home] did eat their meat [Their food] with gladness and singleness of heart. Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. – Acts 2:44-47
If we could have a baptism once a month or once a week, wouldn’t that be tremendous? But they were having them, at that time, every day. It took that to take care of the inflow of converts. But along with them came their problems. Some of them had to be fed.
Notice the spirit that Jesus had engendered by His loving ministry and by sharing with them with such that those who had homes did what? — Shared their homes with those who didn’t have. And those that had food did what? — Shared their food with those that didn’t have. And those that had money? Well, turn over here to the 4th chapter:
And the multitude of them that believed were of [What?] one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. – Acts 4:32
Don’t think that establishing a system like that will automatically bring you to that experience. It’s the other way around. We have to have the Spirit in order to be able to survive on that kind of program. Do you think something like that might happen before we get through to the end? Oh, yes, under the persecution.
Neither was there any among them that lacked [Why not?] for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. – Acts 4:34-35
Some people that don’t know their history or their politics say this is communism. Well, as I say, they either don’t know their history or their communism. In a sense, this is the only true communism that has ever existed.
The communist have a motto, you know: From each according to his ability; to each according to his need. But this was not enforced by government decree. There was no property confiscated. The supply was made possible by what? — Voluntary gifts. The Spirit of God so moved upon them that they were glad to share what they had.
And we’re not there yet, folks. But dear ones, unless we die before our time, we’re going to see some things so much like this that we’ll not be able to tell the difference. But God does things by degrees. And if you can learn to share something out of your home with somebody that needs it, and share some comforts of your home with somebody by bringing them into it, the time may come when God can lead you to go to a greater sacrifice than that. Do you see?
But as I said, they weren’t perfect yet. The 6th chapter of Acts brings us right down to earth. What’s the last word in the 3rd line? — Murmuring. Do you mean in that beautiful picture, that wonderful scene there came something to mar? Yes, and what was it about? It was about the food. That’s right.
Practical Problems, Practical Solutions
…in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. – Acts 6:1-2
So pick out some men and let them do it. That is where the deacons came from. My point is they had practical problems. And just because you run into practical problems in your home, doesn’t mean that everything is off course. It just means that there are some lessons to be learned.
And the disciples, notice what they didn’t do. They didn’t just say, “Well, forget it.” No, no. Neither did they leave the important work of soul winning that God had given them and say, “Well, we’ll have to look after this.” They said, “Now, you folks that are having the problem find some people in the church that can help you solve these problems and bring them to us. And we’ll appoint them to do that, and let them do that. And we’ll go on with the soul winning.” Very practical, weren’t they?
Oh, brethren and sisters, I hope you, under God, will become a problem solver. That’s what these seven deacons were. They were problem solvers. And God wants every one of us, deacons, deaconess, church elders, ministers, lay members, homeheads, He wants us to be, each in his place, each according to the opportunities, a problem solver. But may I tell you, some people are so full of their own problems that they can’t take on the problems of others. So, ask God to help you with that.
Now, this is all we’re going to take from the Bible and the Books today. But, I’d just like to have you think for a little now what we have gone over today. Jesus prayed that His disciples might be what? — One. And so, He started with people that were almost like that and worked with them. What? Did He? In His group there was manifested a what? — A marked diversity. What does marked mean? Well, you could see it, obvious. Do you suppose they ever had any discussions at the table?
Reading Matthew, Mark, Luke and John will be new reading to you if you read them from the standpoint of watching Jesus run His training home. Just start in and read, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Every time you can get something that helps you see how He ran His home. I won’t say every verse will give it to you, but every now and then you get a glimpse and say, “Why He had some of the same problems I have.”
Watch how He did it. He didn’t try to get it all done in a day. He didn’t try to make angels out of them overnight. He always had His goal in mind. He never lost sight of that. But He was patient while they grew. And they finally, as we see in this, outside of Judas that eliminated himself, the rest of them, all came to the place where, by the day of Pentecost, after the cross, they were what? — All of one accord, in one place. And then the disciples began to multiply rapidly. Thousands came in. Is it going to happen again?
But did they have some problems? — Problems in the food distribution. They solved that problem. The word of God multiplied and increased. They were willing to meet their practical problems by involving more people in those practical details. But they kept their spiritual vision.
What a wonderful book the Bible is. Don’t you love it? Don’t you love these glimpses of dealing with practical problems? God bless you as you keep studying.
Next week, we’ll be continuing on with our class rotation. Invite a friend, and we’ll see you then…
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* This study has been adapted from classes taken by Elder W.D. Frazee.