True Concord

Thursday, May 4, 2017

Acts 4:31: Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.

Dear God and Father, lead us by means of the Holy Spirit to be of one heart and soul as Your children. Lead us to receive Your love and love one another. We pray this in Jesus' name. And all God's children say...

It's the beginning of the Christian Church. She is weeks old. And already there are thousands of people who believe in Jesus and His saving act of love. And what is awesome is that large of a group were "of one heart and soul." The Holy Spirit was knitting this group of people from Jews in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, along with people from all over the world. What held them together? What caused them to leave and sell their homes and give it to the ministry? What caused them to live communally? It was, "One Lord, One faith, One baptism." (See Ephesians 4:1 - 8).

Pastor James and I just returned yesterday from the Texas District Theological Convocation. The theme for the gathering was "True Concord." The lectures and discussions were based upon our Concord, which is our unity as pastors and congregations, in the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. Like the very early Church, we are "of one heart and soul" in our belief and trust in God through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins and new life now and forever.

And it is the Scriptures, the stories that lead up to Jesus and proceed from Jesus that is the source of our Concord, unity, and being of "one heart and soul." That is why we set aside what divides us and bind ourselves to what unites us. Let us bind ourselves to Jesus.