A Nugget from New Life Network
(by Dr. Larry Ollison)
Scripture for the Day (January 16, 2018)
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. (Psalm 133:1-3)
Several years ago while traveling, I stopped off at a small church along the highway to get some good Bible teaching. I had been seeking God and was very excited about what He was doing. It was one of those times in my life where I couldn’t get enough good Bible teaching. I was like a sponge when it came to the Word of God. I read every Christian book I could get my hands on and practically wore out my tape player listening to Bible tapes.
Well, anyway, I stopped off at this small church. I just couldn’t wait to get inside and get into the Word. When I went inside I could tell something was wrong. One group was off in a corner on one side of the auditorium talking quietly and another group was in the opposite corner, huddled together. So, I just sat down at the end of a pew next to the center aisle. I looked across the aisle and saw a stern looking man, seated with a large black checkbook on his lap. I realized at that point it must have been business meeting night, but since I was already there, I thought I would go ahead and stay. After all, maybe there would be a Bible study after all the business was done.
The business meeting started quietly, but I could see it was degenerating fast. It seemed that one group wanted a bus and one group didn’t. One man stood and said if the church bought the bus, they would quit and start their own church. Then it happened. The man with the checkbook (that’s the man sitting across the aisle from me) reached into his pocket and pulled out a revolver and laid it on the checkbook. In a shaky voice he said, “If anyone tries to take this checkbook, they’re gonna to have to get past me and Betsy.” I decided it was time to leave. All I wanted was a Bible study.
A few years ago a large church in the south split because they couldn’t agree on the color of the hymnals. This could all be very funny if it wasn’t so serious.
All through the Word of God we find that there is power in agreement. In Matthew 18:19 Jesus said, “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.”
But what does this mean? Well, what it means is this. We must agree in order to tap into the fullness of God’s power. An interesting side note here: the original language implies that we must be continually in agreement. As Christians, we cannot disagree all week and then get together on Sunday and try to agree on something just in order to get God to act. We must walk in agreement daily. Agreement creates unity and power. Disagreement causes division. Division causes confusion and brings defeat.
In Acts chapter 2, the Bible describes the early church. It says that they were united with one purpose and in verse 46 it says, “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.” Did you catch that? The people continued daily in one accord. They were in agreement, and the result was this-the church grew.
