Oneness and the One Accord, the book which contains these messages in printed form, states in its Preface:

In the beginning oneness had everything to do with God and His economy. Oneness existed in the Triune God and now has been enlarged through Christ into His mystical Body. The Lord prayed for the organic oneness in John 17. We see the fulfillment of this prayer in the early church life, manifested in the saints living in one accord in their prayer, continuing in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, and breaking bread from house to house with exultation and simplicity of heart.

The practical oneness and one accord are addressed in the epistles of Paul. Romans shows that the living in one accord is an issue of organic salvation. First Corinthians reminds us of our need to honor the Lord’s servants who are exercising the one unique ministry. In Ephesians we are exhorted to endeavor to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. Philippians gives us an illustration of a healthy church life that lives out the reality of oneness between the saints and the Lord’s servant by living in purity and joyfulness focused on the pursuing of Christ. Finally, in Colossians, we are charged to hold Christ as our Head, the One in whom is life and vitality and all that is necessary for us to live out the organic oneness of the Body.

May the Lord use this book to encourage us in our keeping of the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Our prayerful hope is that the Lord will gain an expression of His one Body issuing out of the oneness of the Spirit.

Source of Messages 1-5: 2002 Labor Day Weekend Conference in Cleveland, Ohio

Dates of Messages 1-5: August 30 to September 2, 2002

Source of Messages 6-7: 2002 Fall Conference in Cleveland, Ohio

Dates of Messages 6-7: October 26 and 27

Location: All meetings were held at the main hall of the church in Cleveland.