The Power of One Accord Worship
Acts Chapter 4:24-35, And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, Thou are God, which has made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: 25 Who by the mouth of Thy servant David has said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? 26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ. 27 For of a truth against Thy holy child Jesus, whom Thou has anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28 For to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before to be done. 29 And now, Lord, behold their threatening’s: and grant unto Thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak Thy word, 30 By stretching forth Thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of Thy holy child Jesus.
31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
32 And the multitude of them that believed were of 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. 33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 35 And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
.
One Umbrella
Since the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; There have sprung up many umbrellas in the name of Jesus Christ. Each having partial truths about Jesus but never reaching the whole truth. Why is this?
Its because the followers of Jesus cling to their denominations [factions] of religious belief. They close their ears and their eyes out of fear of being led astray. Congregations fear they will lose their flock. Congregations feel that they must have all the answers to keep their flock, and any revelations should come through them. God teaches us not to fear.
Okay, first, I want to speak to the individuals that fear being led astray. Jesus taught us that His sheep; will know His voice and another they will not follow. This means if your heart is set on following Jesus the way He wants you to, you have nothing to be afraid of. Jesus searches the heart and guides you to His truth. Imagine for one moment that the One and Only creator started to teach you directly. Now ask yourself; could He or would He be able to reveal to you something you have never heard before? Of course, He could. Now ask yourself, how would I know if it is the Lord or my imagination? My first answer is simple; test the spirit and see if it is of God [reason your revelation against scripture and see if it holds up]. My second answer is you will know it is God; every part of your being will feel it; it will be undeniable once tested against scripture. You will be on your way toward completing the bigger picture. What Jesus did warn against were those to come after Him claiming to be the Christ [the Savior], stay away from them.
Now to the congregations, the people you teach are not your flock! They belong to Jesus just as you do. Do not become a modern-day Pharisee that is determined to keep control of God’s flock; if a man of God reveals something new to you. First, test the spirit always. Second, if it holds up, be humble. Rejoice, and embrace the revelations. Be excited that God sent someone to you to help perfect your faith and bring you closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus.
You have heard the saying, “United we stand and divided we fall,” There is truth in this saying. Concerning the church of God, it keeps the believers in Jesus stagnant in their walk with Him. They lack understanding, the fear that has been instilled in them [being led astray]; prevents them from receiving His word fully. They end up adding unnecessary burdens and not honoring God properly. God has taught us that His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. My sheep will know My voice, and another they will not follow.
Under many umbrellas, the different factions do not give; correction or share what they believe to be true. The result is zero growth with the Lord. Under one umbrella, there is a correction, sharing, and growth with God. God desires His people to be in one accord. He requires us to share the revelations He gives to us regardless of whether or not the revelation is popular. It is part of bearing up our cross and following Him.
Okay, now, which umbrella does God want us standing under? The same umbrella He has had since the beginning, the same vineyard, Judaism. Jesus Christ is the Head of His church Judaism; always was and always will be. The 1st testament was foreshadowing the coming of Jesus, and the 2nd testament was the completion of what Judaism was always destined to be. Consider the caterpillar for a moment. When a caterpillar first sees the light of day, its shape, movement, and form do not resemble what it is destined to become. Then the day comes when it forms a cocoon. After a time, it becomes a butterfly and takes to the air. And its beauty is seen by all. Even though the butterfly looks different, it remains the same entity. Judaism is similar because Christ [Savior] was always destined to come and fulfill, not change His religion. He did not come to destroy the law or the prophets; remember?
Just because some of the old followers did not accept Him as their Savior does not change anything; Jesus was and is the Savior of all Jews. So, the old Jews that denied the Savior were no longer Jews. They wanted to fuse their Hebrew flesh heritage with Judaism, but flesh and faith are two different things. Anyone who accepts Jesus into their heart becomes a Jew[a member of His religion] by faith whether they realize it or not. God did not give up His vineyard [Judaism] because some of the old Jews rejected Him. He lent His vineyard out to the rest of us to bring forth His fruit. [visit “The Vineyard” webpage to learn more, and see for yourself]
Christianity was the work of the Roman Empire. They treated Judaism as if it was a man-made religion. When, in fact, God Himself told the children of Israel how to build His altars, what His priests should wear, and what type of sacrifices they should perform and when they should perform them. Our God is the only living God with eyes to see and ears to hear, and a mouth to speak. This great God we serve; did not give up, the name of His religion and did not give Rome the authority to rule over His kingdom. The Roman arrogance did seem right to the flesh because the Hebrew Pharisees held control of Judaism before the coming of Christ and the rest of the world went along with it! This was wrong then and is wrong today. It is time to get this right and unite the believers in Christ under the correct umbrella [Judaism] and share what God has revealed to us and test it. What holds up, keep, and what is not scripturally correct will be corrected. God’s people will be worshiping Him in one accord.
Remember this:
Following God, His way is not the popular choice; but it is the right choice. Most Hebrews of today do not know; they are told to stay away from the Bible. Treat them with love and tell them the good news about Jesus that they may become a part of the Jewish religion in the eyes of God; As their ancestors were before the coming of Christ.
John 6:63, It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Matthew 3:9, And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Romans 2:28-29, For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Revelations 2:9, I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou are rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
Acts 11:26, And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. [They were called Christians, because of the Roman decree, Not God! The Bible helps’ are wrong].
Acts 26:27-29, King Agrippa, believe thou the prophets? I know that thou believe. 28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuade me to be a Christian. 29 And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.
[We see here King Agrippa refers to Paul as a Christian per the Roman decree. Paul, however, uses the term (as I am). He avoids using the term Christian to identify himself. If Paul would have used the term (Jew) while defending himself in court. He would have been found guilty of violating Roman law. Through wisdom, he avoided it altogether.]
Important: Throughout all of Paul’s writing, he never refers to himself or the believers of Christ as Christians; but makes a point to teach that we are Jews by faith.
