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I have many times told dumb jokes like "where is the first state in the Bible?" The answer is of course in Genesis because the Bible says that Noah looked out of the ARK-AN-SAW. One that I have told many times is the one where you ask someone "where is the first car mentioned in scripture?" The answer to that one is "on the day of Pentecost, the scripture says that they were all in one Accord." I told that lame joke to some of you the other night.

Well, tonight I must correct my error. I noticed the other day that the scripture doesn't actually say that on the day of Pentecost they were all IN one accord. It actually says that they were "WITH one accord." So that joke is not exactly accurate. I had gotten so familiar with this Pentecostal "candy-stick" message that I did not realize that I was misquoting it. That's the danger with becoming very familiar to the point that you think that you know everything that there is to know about a passage of scripture: you will inevitably miss something. Chances are that when I told you to turn to Acts 2:1, that many of you thought "oh I know what he's going to preach about." "This is fixing to be a Pentecostal 'hoe down,' tongue-talkin' message." I have preached a many sermon from this passage and doubtless will again preach on the infilling of the Holy Ghost as described here, but tonight I want to focus on the phrase that I was misquoting. Most of us here probably know of the importance of receiving the Holy Ghost just as they did on the Day of Pentecost. If you don't, we'll be glad to teach you a Bible study and if you don't have the Holy Ghost, all it takes is simple faith to receive this great promise for yourself! Tonight I want to focus on the first verse not on the fourth. The scripture declares that the Holy Ghost fell when they were -- and I'll quote it right now -- "all with one accord in one place."

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It is important to note that there is a difference between being "in one accord" and "with one accord." To be "in one accord" means that you agree on everything. You and I will never be "in one accord." Even husband and wives have disagreements sometimes. So many people leave churches because they are looking for a church that is "in one accord." They think difference in opinions and personalities are a sign of weakness within a church. There are some people who think unless God moves upon others in the exact way that He does others, that somebody's out of unity. You will never find a church "in one accord." You will never find, nor is it the will of God for everybody in the church to have the same personality, same temperament, same disposition, same political stance, same economic background, or whatever. Nor will you and I ever agree on everything. In fact, we need a difference in opinions on the small things to hone each other and balance each other out. The scripture says that "iron sharpenth iron." In other words, God takes strong minded people and uses them to sharpen each other. Simply put, to be "in one accord" is an undesirable and unrealistic goal for any relationship.

But we can be "with one accord." That means that despite our differences in opinions and character and senses of humor and hobbies, we can still agree and join together for the cause of Christ. To be "with one accord" means that you do not push your differences to the point of bringing division but join together with others in a common goal. Despite your personality. Despite your age or background. Despite how much money that you make each year. Despite your taste in music or pleasure, we should all be able to join together in the message of the Gospel of Christ. That faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved. That Repentance is still a necessary part of salvation. That it still takes getting baptized in Jesus' name and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance to be born again. That you must live a holy and separated lifestyle from the world and continue to grow in God to be saved after being born again. That you need a church and a pastor and the preached Word of God and that God still performs miracles and changes life and that He is still worthy to be praised with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. That there is only one God and His name is Jesus, and that we must lay aside everything in order to have a personal relationship with Him! That one day He is coming back again to take a bride away that has "made herself ready." We should be able to agree on those which are all scriptural principles and be "with one accord" with one another to see this community and area reached with the powerful message of Christ!

I'm not preaching you believe like you believe and I'll believe like I want to believe and let's ignore doctrinal differences. That spirit is a lie from the pits of hell. Everything that I just preached is what the Bible teaches as truth and the very message the Early Church of Acts was founded upon. We don't have any right to change the message. In fact, part of the job description of the ministry is to preach and teach until the false doctrines are erased and until we all agree "in one accord" about the doctrine:

Also, in Hebrews the basics must be agreed upon:

That is why Paul used the phrase in the book of Romans:

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We must be "in one accord" in our doctrine, and "with one accord" with each other. Just because you have your doctrine right doesn't mean that you are "with one accord." The world is full of ministers who agree on salvational issues and yet are working against each other for their personal agendas.

Even the disciples of Jesus who all believed in His message, were not with one accord at first. The scriptures record several times where there was dissension and disunity among the disciples. Once James and John's mother went to Jesus to ask for her sons to be the "top dogs of the disciples."

At other times there was murmuring against the "inner three" of Peter, James, and John, by the other 9. Even in Acts 1, as the disciples are seeing the physical form of Jesus for the last time, one of the disciples asked "is then when you take over the Roman rule Jesus?" Somebody didn't get the purpose for which they were serving. Someone, even then, didn't get the fact that Jesus was coming to set up a spiritual kingdom, and not a physical earthly kingdom. That fact is even shown further by the lack of obedience to the command that Jesus gave. His last request on earth in flesh was for the disciples to go back to Jerusalem and wait until they received the power of the Holy Ghost. There were 500 disciples that heard that command. 10 days later, only 120 were in the upper room "with one accord." Before the Day of Pentecost, these men -- even though they had committed their lives to Jesus and given up everything to follow Him and believed the right message and knew first hand about the miracle working power of Jesus Christ -- they were not with one accord. They were still striving for their own agendas, what they thought the church should be doing. They were not joined together "with one accord."

With all of that in mind, it is very interesting to note that the phrase here in the Greek for "with one accord" occurs in the New Testament 12 times, 11 of them in the book of Acts. The one other use of the word is in Romans by Paul (Romans 15:5-6). Not one time does it occur in the Gospels during the life of Jesus Christ. But over and over again it is used to describe the Church of Acts.

It is first mentioned that the church was "with one accord in prayer" (Acts 1:14). As they began that week of tarrying for the Holy Ghost they joined together and put aside their differences long enough to pray for a common goal, the Holy Spirit and power that Jesus had promised to send with it. Is not a desire for receiving the Holy Ghost still the major factor that brings you and I -- different as we may be -- together at first!?

Then after a week of praying "with one accord," we find that it was said about them on the Day of Pentecost, that they were "with one accord" in one place. Somehow through the power of prayer, they had been willing to put aside their differences and personal goals and ambitions and focus on the common goal of the church of Jesus Christ. Instead of "tooting their own horns" they were willing to come together as an orchestra and produce a beautiful sound of unity.

I want you to realize that prayer did something that praise could not do. Prayer did something in the disciples that the Word of Jesus could not do. Prayer did something in the disciples that the physical presence of Jesus Christ with them day in and day out could not do! It was prayer that caused James and John to put aside their ambitions to be the top dog and to submit to the will of God. It was prayer that got those different personalities and wills into the perfect plan of God. And if we are going to be "with one accord," in perfect unity, it will come through prayer for and with one another. It will come through spending time with Jesus and submitting our will to His. When you are having trouble laying aside your differences with a brother or sister for the good of the body, then you need to pray through! You cannot get up from a true submissive prayer with an attitude against one of God's children. If you still are, then you have not really prayed! There is no shortcut to revival, prayer is still the key!

The way to get "with one accord" then is to pray until we get our eyes off others faults and our own faults and upon the work of Jesus Christ. We must pray until we are willing to be a vessel to be used in whatever area God wants us in. When we desire God's will and not our own. When we are willing to personally sacrifice so that the church of the living God benefits, then we have gotten "with one accord."

And I want you to notice from our text and the subsequent verses what happened when they were "with one accord." When the church got "with one accord" revival sprang forth. Notice the following things that happened:

1. The Holy Ghost started moving!

It came in like a rushing mighty wind! The Holy Ghost did not fall until they were "with one accord."

In our other text, we read that:

Notice that brethren who are in unity is like the "precious ointment . . . that ran!" Nothing gets the anointing power of God flowing like unity!

{Adlib the "dew of Hermon" refers to the mountain where there is such a heavy dew that even in the driest times of the year, life is able to flourish.}

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2. The leadership was unified!

No longer were people concerned with who is on the board and who is not. No longer were people concerned with who has an official position or not. The scriptures say that the eleven disciples stood with Peter in agreement and support (Acts 2:14). Even though He was the chosen vessel of the day, the others were there to support him. We also find out that after they got in one accord:

Notice what happened when they got in unity with the leadership that Jesus had established: multitudes of souls were added to the Lord (vs 14) and Peter's ministry and anointing was elevated so much that his shadow healed people (vs 15.) Being "with one accord" is the key to revival and to the key to the elevation of the ministry! Wish I was more anointed, then get behind me! Wish I could preach better? Then support me completely! Refuse to listen to people bad talk me! Your unity will determine the level of spiritual anointing!

It is used to be said when I was growing up that "any Pentecostal will preach if you give them a chance." It's time to realize that the most important pulpit is not this one which is filled three times a week, but the Bible studies and answers and witnessing that takes place throughout the week! That is the most important pulpit of this church! It's not about recognition but about reaching somebody from the throes of hell!

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3. Sinner's hearts were convicted.

It bothers me that in this day and time I can preach and teach the truth and yet we have so many people come time and time again without a real change in their lives. We need an old-fashioned move of Godly conviction in this hour. The Holy Ghost can convict people's heart of the truth, when the church is "with one accord." On the day of Pentecost, they cried out before Peter was even finished "men, and brethren what shall we do?" As a result, three thousand was saved!

I'm waiting for people to get the Holy Ghost in our song services. For people to repent of their sins in the pews before the preaching! We will inevitably have visitors that are not in one accord with the message of scripture. But if the church is "with one accord" then the anointing of God will be such that they either must get things right with God or leave!

I believe that the same anointing that pricked the hearts and even caused many to come see "what's going on" can still flow today! But it comes by getting "with one accord!"

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4. The church lifted up those who were troubled instead of killing them with gossip!

In Acts 12, we find that Peter was thrown in jail to be executed. The scriptures say that when the church heard about it, they did not cease to pray for him day and night. Think about that.

How do we react when someone in our church family has problems? Do we gossip about them with each other or do we pray for them continually until they come back to God? If Peter had been thrown into jail, then the church people started trying to figure out what it was that he was doing that caused him to get arrested and talked about it instead of praying about it, what would have happened!?

The tower of Babel in Genesis, God said this:

That's the power of unity, even for the wrong purpose! And the Lord knew how to break up their disunity by affecting their speech! Even today gossip and evil speaking is the worst hindrance to revival of all!

The scripture says that "out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." When you are quick to point out the faults of others you are telling everybody that you have faults in those same areas. Before you criticize somebody, ask yourself this question: "what have I done to teach and help them to change?" If the answer is "nothing," then keep your mouth shut! If you are trying to be an example and genuinely care about their soul, then you will not murder them through gossip!

I read a quote this week that hit home with me. A preacher named Wayne A. Knight said "There is one thing that the Holy Spirit and the devil have in common. Neither is able to work in the church without a yielded body to work through." I want you to know that the foremost title of Satan in the scripture is the "accuser of the brethren." Satan loves to point out the faults of others to discourage them. It is his primary avenue of discouraging Christians. If that is true, then when you gossip, you are yielding your tongue for the devil to work through it! It's not just a small sin, but God lists it as an abomination up there with all of the other horrible things that He detests!

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So we must be "with one accord." How did the Early Church stay "with one accord?" Listen to the formula found at the end of Acts chapter 2:

Everything that we have already mentioned is here:

1. They continued in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship.

2. They continued in prayer and fasting.

There are some other ways that kept them "with one accord."

3. They helped out their fellow man

4. They were faithful to the house of God.

5. They fellowshipped with one another.

6. They were faithful in their praise and worship.

The result was a great revival! So much that the Lord added "daily" such as should be saved! If God did that for us, that would mean that we could see 365 souls baptized in Jesus' name and filled with the Holy Ghost in one calendar year! I believe God can do it. He wants to do it. But we must be willing to be "with one accord."