God has given us the power to agree with one another. It is His desire for us to join His work and cooperate with others to accomplish His tasks on the earth. However, not every agreement is a good agreement neither does it fulfill God’s desire. A good agreement is one that is based on truth and the character of individuals.
Definition of “agreed” (G3982) according to Strong’s Concordance is: to persuade, i.e. to induce one by words to believe, to make friends of, to win one’s favor, gain one’s good will, or to seek to win one, strive to please one, to tranquilize, to believe: to have faith: in a thing to believe, to listen to, obey, yield to, comply with to trust, have confidence.
Based on the above definition, it is clear that we can come into agreement with someone based on having confidence in them. We can yield to one another based on truth which is a good agreement.
Nehemiah brought together a group of weary and distressed people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. This man was a trustworthy man who had no self-interest. His desire was to help his fellow citizens to rebuild their city and to rebuild their lives.
So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work. Nehemiah 2:18b
Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem was a good work which was directed through prayer and fasting. Nehemiah asked each family to rebuild a portion of the wall by working shoulder to shoulder to complete the entire wall around Jerusalem. While Nehemiah’s work had adversaries, he continued to stay on task and not be shaken by the enemies. They finished this project in a short period of time despite opposition because God was with them; the Lord continued to give them strength and wisdom on how to accomplish the task. A good, Godly agreement produced life and good fruit.
Jesus called his disciples to come together who had varied personalities and issues. However, after walking with Jesus for over three years, they took on God’s vision instead of their own ideas and agendas. They became more united in purpose because they came under the agreement of Jesus and what He had been teaching them for three years.Through the unity and agreement with Jesus and the Holy Spirit the disciples together changed history and the world forever. This was a life-giving agreement that continues to produce eternal fruit in those who believe it.
The power of agreement is unquestionable, and that’s why we have to be cautious about our agreement with other people. Our focus and desire should be to bring glory to God and allow God to produce good fruit through the agreement.
Some of the points to consider before we come into agreement with others:
-How well do we know the person’s character?
-Do they have a personal problem/issue that motivates them to take a certain position?
-Are our discussions/conversations with them full of back-biting, speculations, and gossip rather than being honorable, loving, & kind towards others?
-Do we have our own issues of hurt and insecurity that motivates us to be in agreement with those who identify with our pain?
-Do we have fear of losing a relationship if we don’t agree with a person or a group of people?
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