Agreement

 "If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care — then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends." - Phil. 2:1-2 (MESSAGE). For many of the people in our present society, having others consider them as being correct is paramount. A serous difficulty with this is that there are many people who have different opinions and attempting to gain consensus from all of them is next to impossible; gaining consensus with a majority is a tremendous challenge. However, consensus is a futile struggle unless the reference for determining agreement is based on God's Word. The Holy Spirit has worked to preserve the written Word and the teaching it contains to provide this reference. Bluntly, if our opinions are not based on God's truth, they are not as valuable as we think. Regarding His disciples, Jesus said, “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.” Jn. 17:14-17 (ESV). As Christians, we should attempt to dedicate or sanctify ourselves to God’s word. Then, we have a suitable to standard on which to base our opinions and when we gain agreement with others the consensus is valuable.