With One Mind
First B Jackson
2025-09-07

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Methumodon is a word in the New Testament that's used 11 times and in its 11 uses, 10 of them are in the book of Acts and so, the 10 of them in the book of Acts, I think are programmatic by Luke. I think he's saying the same thing. There are other ways to say this about being unified. So, we are. It helps if I write it in English.

Is to be in one accord or in one mind or under one impulse according to one passion. It's an adverb. Hey, look at that. It's an adverb. It's from a compound base of these two words, is together, hamas, same, together, and thumas which is wrath or even passion.

It is according to the same impulse, the same mind. And if you've been paying attention throughout the book of Acts, we see this come up quite a bit. We're 22 chapters in and we've seen it so far all of its times and I'm going to cover those in this and then I'm going to come back. I am nervous so I am going to pray. God help me.

This reminds me of all those times I had to preach before I was a preacher and all over the place. So Lord, would you bring us all into one accord? Would you bring my thoughts into one accord with one purpose, with one intent, Lord, that you would be glorified. In Jesus name, I pray that you would be here at work amongst us this morning. Amen.

Amen. So, here we are in the first chapter of the book of Acts. Take this as a review of the book of Acts, okay? You remember Acts one eight when Jesus says to his disciples, you will be my witnesses and you'll do that here in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria and even to the uttermost parts. And we have seen that happen in our study of Acts up to where we were last week.

But the he said, stay right here until you are imbued with power from on high and then this is what comes next. Then they returned to Jerusalem from that mountain which is called Olivet, is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath stage journey away, and when they entered into the city, they went up to the upstairs room. Oh my goodness, the disciples together in an upper room that calls back to the upper room discourse in John, and it is great tied together here. They were there where they were staying and Peter and John and James and Andrew and Philip and Thomas and Bartholomew and Matthew and James the son of Alphesians, and Simon the zealot, and Judas, the son of James, not to be confused with Judas Iscariot. All of these were continually devoting themselves with one mind.

With one mind to prayer. So, you can be together in one mind praying and that's what they were. All of these. It tells who was there, this little small group at the very beginning of the book of Acts were together, with one man to prayer along with the women, Mary, mother of Jesus, and his brothers. That's the first time we see it.

Next one, and that's a good one. I put green or red. Okay. The green means it's a good one. That's a good use of this which spoiler alert, there are some bad uses of the word.

So everyone kept feeling a sense of all. This is toward the end of chapter two. Chapter two is the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It is the tongues of flames of fire lighting upon each of them and people were confused because they understood. Isn't that great?

My favorite. People were confused because they understood, aren't all those folks Galileans and yet I hear them in my own language? God is a god of order, not chaos. He is bringing order and light to the people. Okay.

This is towards the end of that chapter. I can't preach the whole chapter. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe and many wonders and many signs, miracles were taking place through the apostles. The miracles authenticate the message and all the believers were together and they had all things in common and they'd sell the property and possessions and share them with all to the extent that anyone that had need. Now day by day, continuing with one mind, Does it sound like people are putting aside their selfish desires and they're putting aside their self, and they are coming together on purpose day by day continually with one mind in the temple.

Now having seen that Messiah is Jesus, they go back to the temple and they are taking their meals together with gladness and with sincerity of heart. Did I invite y'all to first BBQ out here? Table fellowship is extremely important in the New Testament. To sit with someone for a meal, to sit with someone for a meal like this this past night before last. Got to sit down with someone who's grieving for a meal.

There's nothing else quite like it. Daily, they were there and they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. Amen. They were together, with one mind and God was adding to their number. Unity is confusing for the world.

It's also very very attractive. So that's a good one. Four. In four, chapter four, James and I mean, Peter and John had been had been arrested and had been beaten and had been told never to preach again in Jesus' name, and this is what happens next after that little scene. And when they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them including, don't do this anymore, I'm sure.

And when they heard this, they raised their voices to God with one mind and said, Lord, it is you who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything that's in them, who by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David, your servant said this, why were the nations insolent and the peoples plotting in vain? The kings of the earth took their stand. The government just told them don't do this anymore, and then they're calling up Psalm two. Why did the nations contend? Why are they insolent?

Why are the peoples plotting in vain? The kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ. Who are we going to go with? Are we going to go with God or we going to go with man? And they were together in one accord praying this and recognizing from the scripture that they need to stick with God moving forward.

That's a good one too. So, three uses so far, all of em good. Five, at the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were taking place among the people and they were all together in one mind, in one accord, according to one purpose, according to one passion. You can read that. It's Hamathumadan.

This is the way it's translated here but according to one passion, they were together in Solomon's portico. They were there in a corporate gathering, but none of the rest dared to associate with them because of all that was going on, but they did hold them in high esteem. I don't know what's going over there scares me but it's pretty awesome. Increasingly, however, increasingly believers in the Lord, large numbers of men and women were being added to their number. Being together in one accord has a tendency to draw people in.

To such an extent that they even carried out their sick into the streets and they laid them on cots and pallets so that when Peter came by or at least his shadow might fall on any of them and the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together as well, bringing together who were sick, people who were sick or tormented with unclean spirits and they were all being healed. They were all together in one place and the people were being healed and they were being drawn into it. Does that sound like a good thing? Yeah. Sounds like a great thing.

Where's Ali? Thank you, Ali. When you recognize an issue, recognize a problem, recognize a way that you can heal a people, a land, a person, whatever, if you can be a help in that, amen. Let's get together. We'll get get behind them on that.

It's wonderful. That's a good use. Another one, that's four uses. All of em good. Acts seven.

Now, when they heard this, they were infuriated. Uh-oh. And they began gnashing their teeth at them but he being full of the Holy Spirit looked intently into heaven. This is the stoning of Stephen. Oh my goodness.

So, they have been the witnesses in Jerusalem and they were beginning to be the witnesses in Judea right around Jerusalem. We've seen those both right here before now and this says, so Stephen being full of the Holy Spirit looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God. He saw Jesus who had been seated in his session stand at the right hand of God and he said, behold I see the heavens open and the son of man is standing at the right hand of God. But they shouted with loud voices and covered their ears, they did not want to hear it and they rushed at him with one passion, They wanted to kill him. Does that sound like a good one?

That's bad. It is possible to be unified and be wrong. Sure. Okay? It's possible and we'll see throughout the rest of the book of Acts that as the witness grows and I think the witness grows because they are unified and intent on doing God's will and God's way.

We see opposition come in. Now, when they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him and witnesses laid aside their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul, and they went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And then he fell on his knees and he cried out with a loud voice, Lord, don't hold this sin against them. And having said this, he fell asleep. This is Steven.

Now who is he in one accord with? He sounds just like Jesus. Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Don't hold this sin against them. They're unified opposing Christ and Stephen at that point and Christ is standing to receive him.

Here we are in Acts seven. Therefore, those who had been scattered, the scattering of the people happened at this after the stoning of Stephen. If we stay here, we're all gonna get killed. And so they scattered and Jesus had said, you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem where it's comfortable and you live and everything's hunky dory. And in Judea and in Samaria, you're gonna spread out from here and they didn't.

They they hold up in Jerusalem and the witness was not moving forward and then after the stoning of Stephen, they're scattered and it says, therefore, those who had been scattered went out through places and they were all proclaiming and preaching the word and Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them and the crowds were paying attention with one mind. They were in one accord. Christ went before them. John chapter four, Samaritan woman, there are lots of different places to see that the Holy Spirit is already working. In fact, when Jesus is speaking to the Samaritan woman, he says, this is one of those cases where one guy plants and others water and then the other one gets time for the harvest.

If you think all the way back to what that lady was looking back to was Moses eighteen eighteen. Deuteronomy eighteen eighteen, he says, be looking for a prophet. One like me who will rise up from among the people and you should listen to him and that lady listened to him and she went back into town and she told him everything about him and they came out and Jesus and the disciples stayed there for three days and poor Peter must have been starving because he wouldn't dare eat anything in the Samaritan house. Samaritans were gathered in one accord. You think that the Jews had been waiting a long time but the Samaritans had been half breeds and they had been outcast for a long long time and now, they're together and they want to hear more about this Messiah, this Taheb, this prophet.

So they were listening with one accord to what Philip was said and as they heard and they saw the signs which he was performing, Philip later called the evangelist from the case of many who had an unclean spirits. They were coming out of him. Shouting with a loud voice and many who had been paralyzed and left their own crutches were healed so that there was much rejoicing in that city. There was much rejoicing because the people were united to hear the message of God. That's a good one.

Here we go. Acts 12. Now, he was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. Does that one sound like it's going be a good one? With one mind, they came to him.

And having one over blast us, the King's Chamber. Oh, where is this? This is Herod. This is Herod. You'll recognize him before the end of the paragraph.

These are the people of Tyre and Sidon who with one mind, they got together and they began to plot politically how they would take on this situation. With one mind, they came to him and they won over blast us to King's Chamberlain. Was it a bribe? We don't know. Was it flattery?

Not sure. Sounds like them later on. But they were asking for peace because their country was supported with grain from the king's country and on an appointed day after putting on his royal apparel, Herod took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to these people of Tyre and Sidon who needed his help. And they were listening to him and the people repeatedly cried out, the voice of God and the not of a man. And immediately, an angel of the Lord struck down Herod because he did not give God the glory.

He was supposed to be God's man. He was supposed to be the king of the Jews. But immediately, an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died. The one accord can just be political, and that's not good. I'll give that a red slut.

It's not good. If you come together for a purpose that is not God's purpose, whether it's looking out for yourself, looking out for your people is what they were doing, but that's not necessarily good. Let's go on. Acts 15. To make it fit on the slide, left out verse 27.

I didn't think it mattered in this context. Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction, James and the elders in the Jerusalem Church, the Jewish flavored Christians who were making the decisions at the Jerusalem church. Paul came back to them and said, listen, God's moving among the Gentiles. This is the whole book of Acts we're talking about right here. God is moving not just in the Jewish church, he's moving here among the Gentiles and it looks like there's going to be a clash.

Everywhere that we go, it seems like and this is what we talked about last week. It seems like there's a clash between how much of the Jewish law are we required to take on if we just believe in Jesus. So here it is. Jerusalem council. Acts 15.

James, since we this is part of a letter that was sent out to the Gentile churches. Since we have heard some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have confused you by their teaching, the Judaizers, they are upsetting your souls. It seemed good to us having become of one mind to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ for it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us. Did you hear twice it said it seemed good to us? The next time you're in a meeting and you just are sitting there going, why can't we get together on this?

It feels like we're working at cross purposes here. We're not together on this. Take your time. Pray. And then, this sounds like, oh, it's a dirty word today, compromise.

It seemed good to us. It seemed good to us and it seemed good to the Holy Spirit. It seemed good to us to lay upon y'all no greater burden than these essentials. Abstain from things that are sacrificed idols. That's super gross to us, and we're not gonna be able to get along.

And I hate that it is that way, but it kinda is that way, and from blood, and from things that are strangled, and from acts of sexual immorality. Our past Jewish flavored Christians, we've been understanding this for a long time. We still make mistakes. There are still errors here. We still have flaws and faults over it, but trust us, it's better if you avoid sexual immorality.

I don't know what your background is. If your background is from a place where that's just the norm, you still need to come away from that. Jesus is calling us all out of our people and into one people. And when he prayed, in John 17, that you all may be one just like the Godhead is one. He meant that.

He really meant it. Calling you out of your background and into the ecclesia, the called out ones, the church. Abstain from these things, and if you do these things, you will do well. If you keep yourself free from such things, you will do well. I think that's a Jerusalem council and I think that's a good one.

I think it's a good one in a in the same way that it says they prayed together in one accord, in one mind, in the same way that they praise God together in one mind, they kept on kept on meeting with one another to figure out what needed to happen for the problems that they were facing in the world, and they looked to the Holy Spirit to do it, and they were in one accord. So that's a good one. Acts 18, but while Gallio was proconsul Vicaea, I think this is a bad one, it is at Corinth. While Gallio was proconsul Vicaea, the Jews rose up together against Paul, and they brought him before the judgment seats, and this man is inciting the people to worship God, contrary to the law. But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said, if this was a matter of some crime, some vicious, unscrupulous act of Jews, it'd be reasonable for me to put up with you.

But if there are no questions about teaching a person's your own law, see to it yourself. Y'all just deal with it. This is the moment where they could have been together in one accord looking for what God had for them and Paul was giving them what God had for them. Are you with me? Paul's expressing the goodness of God through the gospel presenting Messiah Jesus and they were in one accord adamantly against him and once you get to be adamantly against, it's really hard for you to turn the corner.

Now, Paul knows that better than anybody else. Every time he presents his story and he's going to present it again the next time I preach. Every time he presents his story, he presents it in such a way that he says, I know where you are because I was there too. And Jesus said to him, we haven't gotten to this yet but Saul, it's hard for you to kick against the goat. You keep on doing it though because it's all you know.

If what you're hearing is true, go with that. And so he's trying to express that to them, but they were homophobedon against him. Acts 19. And when they heard this, they were filled with rage. This is at Ephesus.

And they began shouting, great is armaments of the Ephesians and the city was filled with confusion. And they rushed Homothumodon into the theater dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's Macedonian traveling companions. This is that near riot in Ephesus, and I left the whole slide up here because the last verse cracks me up every time I read it. So then, some were shouting one thing and they were completely convinced of it. It says they shouted, great is Artemis of the Ephesians for two hours.

And others were shouting another thing for the assembly itself was in confusion. That's not homophthoumadon. Both sides were fine, yelling out what they were yelling out, but the assembly was in confusion, and honestly, the majority didn't even know what reason they come together. Does that tell a story of our times? It does.

That's a bad usage of it. You can be together and be against the purposes of God. So that's all of them. So is this prescriptive? Is he saying be together or is it descriptive?

They were together. I think it's mostly descriptive, but if I had to go for prescriptive, I'd go the only other use. The only other use of this word and this Bible and this New Testament is this, And it is absolutely prescriptive. It's absolutely something that we should do. And Paul is saying this.

And he was present for virtually every one of those homothumadons that we've already covered in Acts, right? Almost all of them, not all, but almost all of them. Corporate prayer and waiting on the Lord from Acts one. Daily temple worship and table fellowship in Acts two. United Praise after persecution and beating in Acts four and five.

Healing coming together to help people get through stuff. We have folks right now in this church who are suffering and they're hurting and we want to be able to help them. We want to heal them physically. We want to heal them spiritually, and we want to help them mentally to get through. To stand against hostile unanimity.

It is possible to have concord and unity, but if that is detached from the actual truth and humility, then that is a bad thing. Missional consensus at the Jerusalem Council is when I go back to and every time I see and it seemed good to them. It's weird to me. It's not. Oh, and then there's a beam shining from heaven and it said, you know, written out in finger of God in stone.

No. It's people who are called together into this one family that will get together and will reason together from the scriptures and they'll work through what it is that needs to happen next. That's pretty awesome and it's okay. It's okay to just decide on that sort of stuff. I I did not preach this because of the vote in two weeks, obviously.

I forgot the vote in two weeks during the announcements. But it is really cool that we have an opportunity to come together and to say, we're here and we're in one accord. Okay. Practical application for today. A congregation can cultivate Hamathumadan by anchoring their fellowship in apostolic teaching.

I have such a great conviction for for presenting just what it says every week and I don't think that's going to change. I don't think topicals ever going to be the way for me but I don't mind it when somebody else does that. That's fine and I'm almost always encouraged by it but man, what's in there is just so good. Just present it straight, you know. Apostolic teaching, practicing generous hospitality, and y'all do that.

Resolving conflict biblically and prioritizing corporate prayer. One that was left out was this. We practice an open table here. We have an open table. Any of y'all who have ever put your faith in Christ are welcome at this table.

And so, we're also gonna do it Homathumadon. Paul says, later on, he says, if you're gonna do this, wait till everybody gets one. I know that seems silly for some of y'all who grew up doing this a different way, but we wait for everybody to have the the cracker. We distribute that before and then we all take it together. Homothumbudon in one accord and then, whether you lean towards this or your background is this or you lean towards this and your background is this, when we come together at this table, we recognize that the blood of Christ, the blood of Christ, the perfect life given sacrificially and voluntarily is available to whomever would accept it.

That's what unifies us. We are in this family, the family of God because of the blood of Jesus. So we practice an open table and I'm gonna invite the ushers to come on down. I'll read this now and then I'll read it again probably for the close. But now, right in the midst of this Lord's supper, may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant all of y'all to be of the same mind.

That's a different word in this case, but it's very similar. With one another and according to Christ Jesus so that Hamathumadon with one purpose and with one voice, you may glorify the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord God almighty, I pray that you'd bless this little representation of the body of Jesus that says, he walked it out perfectly. He had a perfect record. He was sent by the father and in complete submission to the spirit, walked it out on earth, tempted in every way just as we are tempted, yet was without sin.

Thank you lord for your not just good example but for your perfect record which you are offering. As each one would partake, lord, I pray that if they put their trust in you, they would partake. I'm give a chance right here lord for us to confess any unconfessed sin. We want to be in one accord, in one purpose, of one mind with you. So, as you bring things to our mind, may we let them go As you bring unforgiveness to our mind, may we let it go and forgive.

Lord God almighty, what you're offering is too important for us to just be selfish and alone.