Usa Practical Session 1969 — George Verwer

Financial Policy and Trusting God for Provision

Firstly, financial policy. Try to keep headings in your notebook. Financial policy. We are not saying that the method we operate financially is the only method to use. We're not saying that. We're not saying that this is a New Testament method.

We must follow this method or we're being disobedient to the New Testament. We're not saying that. We are saying that this is the way the Lord hath led us. That things may be done decently and in order.

That there may be maximum unity and the least amount of confusion. You read about this financial policy before you came. You had a discipleship manual. If you didn't like it, you didn't have to come. We expect cooperation.

What are some of the basic areas? Firstly, everyone is to be trusting the Lord as much as is within them for their own financial needs. Different countries, it's different amounts. Depending on the situation, the size of the mountain that they're facing.

Some of you have perhaps not exercised much faith in this area. May you take up the challenge to trust the Lord for your needs. And then as God gives you faith, to trust the Lord for the needs of other people.

Praise the Lord for the money that He has brought in. Just turned in at this conference now. We want to be in the open about it. So far we have a total of about $6 ,000. About 2 ,500 or so pounds. You can convert that to your own money.

And have you ever realized how little $6 ,000 is for 500 people? How long would the average person and the world live on his quota? It's not very much. What is it? A little over $10 each? Is that right?

And so a little over $10 each will carry us very far. And despite the fact that we have $6 ,000, we have around the world right now over $50 ,000 worth of bills that must be paid. Some of them are getting close to the stage and beyond the stage of being debts.

And we don't believe we should owe man anything. That's our ideal. That's a hard ideal to have. And so we want to unite in prayer that God will provide. The money is not in for the summer. There's enough money in, praise the Lord, to at least get out of here.

But after that, we have to really trust Him. Of course, we would like to see a lot of those bills paid before the end of this conference. That would be a great testimony. So let us trust and pray. There is to be no personal money carried by any team member.

And this is hard for some to understand. But we believe that this is the best way. All the money goes into the Lord's treasury. Then it goes out according to the need. How sensible. If you have some specific money that you're holding because of some particular definite God-led need at the end of the crusade, you can turn that money in, you get a receipt, and you can get it back at the end of the crusade.

I repeat that. If you have personal money that you feel you must keep for your needs immediately after the crusade, we, of course, prefer that you would have left this home, and you could send it home by money order if you want.

Otherwise, you turn it in and get a receipt. We don't want this problem of everybody on the team is running around with their few shillings or few cents emergency money, and some fellow flicks open his wallet one day to get his driver's license out, and the team that has been struggling along notices that he's carrying about a hundred dollars worth of personal money.

Some have done this because they were afraid the bottom might drop out, and they didn't want to be stuck. Well, if God hasn't given you enough faith to enable you to move out in Europe without a big wad of hidden money, then I suggest you don't go.

And so this is the policy. It's clearly written. We're not saying you have to give that money into us. That's between you and the Lord. But we don't want it in your wallet. Also, every summer, we have people pickpocketing.

We have money stolen, and I've had it. I was evangelizing in a market in Italy in 1963, and when I was through with the market, the market had been through my pocket. My wallet was gone. This includes all your valuable possessions.

Why some people bring some of the things they do, I don't know. But be very, very careful of your possessions. And I suggest that you try to keep in mind that sometimes our possessions can be a stumbling block to someone, and that we should learn to share sensibly, taking care, but sharing.

Sharing Possessions Without Resentment

Now, some people say, well, if I share something, it will be broken. Well, this is natural. For example, if ten people are using something, instead of one, you have ten, just normally, without any particular wastage factor, you have ten times the chance that it will get broken.

Also, if you continue to use it, it will be worn out ten times quicker. But it is also, if you think logically, which I know is hard for some, will get ten times the use. Because instead of helping one person, it's helping ten.

And so, it is true, if a whole lot of people are using someone's electric shaver all summer, that it may be worn out at the end of the summer. But, count how many shaves it gave, and you'll see whether it accomplished a job.

Some people have a psychological problem in relationship to the possessions. And, I'll just say this, to give you a little ease, I personally will replace anything that you share with a team member, or someone on a ram, you share, and they break it, I will be more than happy to designate the funds to replace it.

But whatever you do, don't go back embittered against the work, because someone broke your favorite little tape recorder or camera, shouldn't have many of those, or something else. The devil gets in like that.

We had one boy, another year, he ran around the whole conference in a panic, because he lost his camera. God may allow you to lose something. It's a good test of whether you know the rest. I remember one conference in Chicago, a girl lost her contact lens in the lettuce salad.

Well, that was something worth getting concerned about. Not just for the sake of her eyes, but for someone's stomach. But these are areas that have to be cast on the Lord. When you get 500 people moving hundreds of thousands of miles, going back, many for the first time, you're going to have all kinds of interesting things happen.

Like watching the front wheel of your vehicle roll all off the road ahead of you. That hasn't happened much lately. We've tightened up on that. So keep in mind the policy in regard to possessions and finance.

I am basically on the exact same financial policy as you. I don't have personal money. I have to go to the treasurer. If you think you could give me a pound, I'd like to buy my wife some food today. So we're all together, and for some people this is hard.

Those of you who find this easy, do not judge the brother who finds it rather difficult. Or who you may discover in the middle of the summer never did get the grace to surrender his money. Everyone knows that the OM bark is much bigger than the OM bite.

In fact, I have yet to bite anyone physically since the beginning of the work. Finances. It's important to realize that American money is not valid in France. You have to change it. And so even for this reason, carrying our money into these countries becomes less sensible.

In the area of finances, if you haven't yet seen the treasury department, finance department, to get your emergency money, please do. Everyone, once they turn in their personal money, there are a few exceptions.

Some guests, we don't expect guests to turn in their personal money. And some visitors, etc. Even visiting speakers. But if you haven't got your emergency money, pick it up sometime today from the office.

It's only a few francs, but it'll at least help you make a phone call or get something you may need. And then there's the little requisition system. There's a little form that you fill out. You can get them in the registration office.

I don't have one here. It's about this size. Anything you need, it's a definite need, fill it out and we get it. And that's the other side of the story, isn't it? No one has any idea of all the things that OM does along this line.

Most people don't know, for example, that our garage here spends about 20 of its time repairing the vehicles of other missionaries and other people all over Europe. It's not that we're trying to be selfish.

Our burden is to give. And we just want it to be done right. Now, most of you should have brought your own toothpaste and toothbrushes and soap and all these things. But if you haven't, we will get it for you.

But please don't stash away your soap and your toothpaste till the end of the summer and put in a requisition for ours. I mean, that's completely ridiculous. And you should be taking care of those things yourself.

Do not put a requisition in for something that you can get at the end of the summer. If you have a definite need, and some of you need longer skirts, forgive me for saying so, and you haven't got it, and you don't know how to sew, you should talk to your discussion group leader and get this taken care of.

We have Charlie, and he's not here. I think he's in Zarlinton. But for definite needs, something can be arranged. There's no need generally to go out and buy clothing. Some of you then maybe have extra things you might mention to your discussion leader.

If someone needs this, I'd be willing. I have a couple of suits, for example. I'm just looking to give away. We save every year through the use of used clothing, I estimate close to several hundred thousand dollars.

That's right. More than the entire cost of a summer crusade. That's what we save through used clothing. This suit you can see is a pretty good suit. It's worth about $70 or more. My mother picked up for $2.

And that I consider pretty high. I prefer free myself. But sometimes you have to compromise when your faith totters a bit. So, let us know. But basically, people who come for the summer should not be freeloading on Charlie and go home with a better wardrobe than they came with.

It's more for people that really have definite needs. And then there's Operation Reverse Charlie. And that's when you give things that you don't really need. These can be turned in at the information office.

I'll ask them to put a big box out if they haven't done that already. Jonathan's taking note on that. And if you have extra shirt, extra trousers, something you want to see used better than you're using it, put it in there.

Quite a bit of that will go to India. Our brethren in India are in desperate need for shirts and trousers. Not neckties, they don't wear them. And so if you have an extra shirt you don't need, you can turn it in.

Now, a lot of times, a nylon shirt, we'll take to India. We'll sell it and buy four normal shirts because nylon is worth so much. Or four Indian, three Indian costumes. So remember our Indian brethren, if you have extra, give it in to Charlie.

And if you think this is ridiculous, read me the Book of Acts. These people gave that others need maybe not. It's a thrill to give. If it isn't a blessing for you to give, don't give. Don't give. Don't go in repressing your love for some particular little thing.

Oh, I want this, I want this. But George Forrest said, must sacrifice. I must be a soldier. Oh, I hate this crazy life. But anyway, somehow, don't go in. Keep it. The Lord knows. It's a psychological need.

Keep it. And I believe people can only forsake all to the degree that they are psychologically and physically able. I will give my own explanation on that. Okay. Next. Food. If you're not willing to eat different food than you're normally used to eating in sometimes a rather different style.

Food, Adaptability, and Freedom from Judgment

Some of you have been eating on your knees down there in the dining room. That's good. You could come up and get a chair if you weren't so lazy. But it is impossible to please so many people in the area of food.

Do not think that we as leaders necessarily agree with the diet you're getting on the team. We try. We even have a catering manual. Big thick book on how to feed people and all the rest. But sometimes some leaders have their own little interesting ideas and it's an area to practice brokenness and a big area.

Our stomach is a lot closer to our heart than we think. Do not think that you are getting an American diet. Some of you continentals. Oh, this American food. If you think this is what we eat in the United States our diet is an international composure of unidentifiable...

Actually, I feel the food is quite good. Every year we get people who complain. Not many, praise God. I think it's one of the miracles. We don't get many who complain. And every year we get some who think that O .M. wastes money in giving people too much food.

You cannot please people. Impossible. You'll have people who think we're not eating enough. You'll have people who think you're eating twice as much as you should. Do not judge people in regard to food.

The Bible even speaks about that. And do not think on your team that this big fellow, I've seen one big German boy here, must be at least 7, 10 feet the way we Americans describe things. And it's quite obvious that he is not going to live on the same diet that I can live on.

Or that some little secretary sitting at her desk all day needs. Some people need more food. My basic need, unlike other people, is for more ice cream. So when you see me in my office eating ice cream, you must not judge me.

That's purely an aspiration that has never taken place at these conferences. The first thing I did with my team in 1962, people say, oh, things have changed, they've loosened up on OM. First thing I did with my team in 1962 in Italy when they arrived, what do you think it was?

I gave them more ice cream. And we have this wrong idea that things we can enjoy are wrong. That's false. There's nothing wrong with enjoying food. The man who doesn't enjoy eating, probably, he might have an ulcer or some other problem.

There's nothing wrong with enjoying a good bed. There's no virtue in sleeping on the floor. There is virtue in adaptability, being ready for anything. That's what we want. It's the inner attitude that counts.

And many times, someone criticizing may be right in what they say, but wrong in their attitude. A girl may say, well, I don't agree with having the skirts quite that long. I don't think that's necessary in our country.

And I may be willing to agree, well, basically, I think in your country it perhaps isn't that important, one or two inches doesn't make that much difference. And we're faced with a very unique problem as we go into Spain and Italy and other countries.

But the big issue is never usually what the girl is saying. The big issue is the attitude. It's not the length of the skirt, it's the attitude of the heart that makes the difference. It's not the food on the table, but the attitude of the heart.

And without this broken and willing attitude, we will not only get trouble here, but we will get trouble later on, especially when we get married. Because if there's anything a man doesn't want to marry, it's a rebel.

All the men that end up with wheels going in five directions because they have a contentious, rebellious wife. And one of the best things we can all learn is submission one to another in all these areas.

So let's be careful of the food. Let's not judge. Let's maintain the balance. Let's not get caught up in the details. So if the leader spent too much on food. Some people think OM wastes. Such people are so immature.

You don't know what wastage is. I can tell you about real wastage. Of course we waste. Wastage is a basic part of life. You cannot exist without wasting something. We all have our ideals. OM at times has almost killed itself with its ideals.

We'll end up nervous wrecks. And I know that I see wastage in OM. And if I didn't know this rest casted on the Lord, well, I don't know what I'd do. Time gets wasted. Food gets wasted. Nurture gets wasted.

Despite all of our efforts. But I want to tell you something a lot worse than wastage. Worry. Tie your stomach into a knot worrying about your team leader who you feel spent too much on butter instead of sticking to the margarine rule.

Or who broke the rule and bought a bottle of coffee or some other ridiculous thing. And your stomach's churned up and you're getting excited and you want to go back to first principles. Let's phone the director.

All of that is far worse than wasting money. So, learn balance in these areas. Get ready for things you don't agree with, you don't like. Learn to eat what's put in front of you. Before I knew Christ 70 of all foods I wouldn't eat.

I wouldn't touch. All kinds of things. Tomatoes. Rubbish. All kinds of basic good food. My mother put it on the table. I wouldn't eat it. I was real on steak, pork chops, top grade meat and everything else you can possibly think of.

Of course, it doesn't look it. I realize that. But when I came to know Christ shortly after that I asked the Lord to enable me to eat anything that was put in front of me. And I'm up to about 97 victory.

There's a few things yet that when they come my way I really squirm. And one of them was liver. How many don't like liver? Be honest, you don't like liver. Quite a few. Well, when it comes your way grab for the tomato sauce and dig in because it's good for you.

Anyway, I like it now. A lot of these foods we don't like I can tell you it's a psychological thing. You had an experience. It's definitely proven that parents who try to force food down a child when they were little like spinach later on they discovered they couldn't stand spinach.

And you can get over that. And you can definitely offend local people by not eating what's put in front of you. We must go on. Books. You should have finished reading the required books. If you haven't please read them as quickly as you can.

Christian Literature and Responsible Use of Resources

Books of course are available here. We will have an explanation later on again about this on a parent Christmas basis. Our burden is that some of you will purchase some of these English books to distribute this summer.

We cannot supply you on a team basis with books in minority languages. It's too difficult. Too much damage, loss, everything else. But you can take a supply of books with you and then if you sell them during the summer you can always get more later on.

But I challenge you especially those who know English to have some English books for people you read or know English you want to witness to them personally. Also you will be hearing about a special bargain box of books that if you bought them at the original published price would cost you 10 times as much as what you can get them here.

And you can get them here at some fantastic price the whole box of 50 books and you can have them shipped to you in England or you can take them with you so that the moment you get home you can move out on the doors.

And this is a fantastic bargain that Brother Ron Forsberg will tell us about later on. You ask about the special bargain box of 50 books for the price of about 5 good hardback books. Pretty good deal.

For those who really are serious about the use of literature. Reading is a vital part of the summer. The backs of the trunks waiting here and there redeem that time in reading revolutionary literature.

Get some books off the table that you want to sink your teeth into this summer. Don't presume at any time that a book is public property. If you want to keep a particular book put your name in it. One of the first things you do when you get one of these bags put your name on it.

By the way my friend Peter suggested that we give one free to anyone who wants to exchange it for one of their lavish American attache cases. So, you know, if you want to make a switch and see your attache case sold in India and turned into work you see Peter, he gives you one free.

It will carry almost as much. Anyway, that's just his idea. I'm not sure if it's valid. Next point. Testimonies. Please prepare your testimony properly. Some of you or most of you will have to give your testimony sometime.

Giving Clear, Concise, and Truthful Testimonies

It's one of the things that I prefer not to hear. Some of the testimonies, the way they're given. You're told to speak for three minutes. You get up, speak for twenty minutes and the speaker ends up with ten.

Learn to give your testimony clear, short. Watch out for exaggerations. Don't describe yourself as world's greatest gangster when all you did was steal candy from the local candy store. Talk about the deep sins that you were engaged in before you were saved.

You were converted at eleven. And if you don't have a wild Bill Hickok adventure testimony don't make one up. Just be yourself. And this area of testimony and public presentation is very, very important.

Linked with this of course are a lot of other things. Have someone evaluate your testimony the first time you give it. That's a good opportunity to see how Mr. Self is doing. You know, when he gives you a fair criticism.

Prayer Support, Accurate Communication, and Practical Initiative

We have to move quickly. Free literature. There may be someone who you send a piece of literature to this summer who will become a real prayer warrior with us. We need prayer words. When you write to someone you can tell them, you can quote what I'm saying.

I've been amazed that basically we have less people who have written us this year saying they were praying than we had in 1963. We need God's people standing with us in prayer. Nothing to do with whether they're going to give any money.

Let God handle that. But we need to see people who are praying. Encourage people to write. Turn out a prayer letter if you have someone who can do that for you. And I would insert, remind year program people that I must receive a copy of all prayer letters.

Not necessarily before it goes out. Though it's good to have someone check it. Please, before you send out public information even sometimes a typed letter some of the statistics that go out about this work I don't know where they came from.

Someone will surely write this was a great conference in Belgium 5 ,000 people gathered to worship the Lord had moved out across Europe. Just a minor point, only one zero. More. Don't get burdened down by details.

Details. Is there anyone that has not registered? Raise your hand. You have not been in the information office and received a bag and a name plate. Card. Raise your hand. Anyone has not registered. Jonathan McCrosty has not registered.

Anyone else? Amazing. I don't think we've ever had this. I don't know whether you're all asleep or what. Anyone who hasn't registered? Ron Forsberg, have you registered? See? I'm not psychic, I just figured maybe you're in the literature department and forgot to register.

Please register even if you're a permanent O .N. fixture. You think that, anyway. We must find out how many are here so that we can release a proper statistic. 500 is basically what it is I think there's about 480 or 990 registered and there's always some that aren't.

So please do that. How many have not yet written home? Stand up. Not with earphones. You stay down. Others stand up. Haven't written home. I wrote to my two sons already. My parents as well. All right.

Raise your right hand. Raise your hand. I promise to write my mummy and my daddy. Okay, sit down. What conference would you go to and have all the postage and air forms supplied free of charge? You're without excuse.

And if you don't do this, they phone us. What are you doing with my daughter? I haven't heard from her. And what some of your parents think you're going through right now. And when you write home, be positive.

Don't tell your mother and father about things you know are going to upset them. Because it just, especially if you don't know how to communicate it, a lot of people don't. I could tell your parents about the same thing with definitions and explanations and they'd probably be very happy.

But you just give one little sentence and it just confuses them. Encourage them. Tell them what's happening and be positive. Linked with this, we can mention that you can turn in your used postage stamps in the information office.

As you know, we sell them. And throughout the summer, try to continue doing this and throughout the year. If all of us who went back this year would just save these stamps and send them in, within one year from what you send in, I'm sure we could publish more than a million to two million pieces of literature.

That's right. Just for saving postage stamps. At night, you have the opportunity to practice love in the area of not disturbing people. Some people need a good eight hours sleep. That means they must get to bed right after the meeting.

And if you leave the light on in the dorm and the light should be out at 10 .30, if you want to study, you come in here. If you want to talk, you can talk here in the corner, quietly. Do not talk in the dormitories at night.

It's discourteous. And it can hinder the whole next day for someone who you keep awake. And any movements at night should be as quiet as possible. Because somebody gets woken up and they don't get to bed.

If you want to pray at night, you better come up here and pray or ask us for someplace. But don't, in the dormitory, start pounding your fist as one brother did one year. Praying like, Oh, yes, yes, Lord.

Poor fellow trying to sleep next to him. Never did get to sleep till the morning. Don't be afraid to report to us and put in the suggestion box things you feel are going wrong. Do you think we can keep track of everything going on here?

Very difficult. We still need improvement in the area of dress. If some of you boys don't have any decent clothing, see your discussion group leader. We don't want to be an evangelical circus, as Peter says, with a lot of evangelicals.

Taking Initiative and Caring for Physical Health

Next area. Time is almost gone. It is gone. Taking initiative. If you see a piece of rubbish laying somewhere, don't go away meditating on who may pick it up. Or going away, well, I always heard that this organization wasn't tidy, bend over, it's good exercise, and pick it up.

And you'll find places around where trash can be thrown. By the way, I congratulate you men, I don't know about the girls, for your wholehearted participation in the exercises. That encouraged me more this morning than anything else.

It's funny, I'm a rather sensitive character, and when I don't see them come out for the exercises, I have a real battle. And to this day, I've never seen so many in the first day. Married men were not in attendance generally.

Women, give your cooperation, and kick him out of bed at 6 .30. I don't care if you sleep in a little bit. I want to see your husband. Already he's bulging too much at the belly, and he needs his exercises.

And you think this is funny, it's because you don't realize how much this can do for your basic health. Billy Graham states that this is one of the keys of his health. And many other men, even Keith Miller, in his book Taste of New Wine, mentions this.

And many others, evangelicals, have tended to neglect the body and overemphasize the spiritual. Got to get off prayer time, got to get to work, and yet their physical bodies become weak, and eventually, I believe it's a poor testimony.

It's rather difficult sometimes for some of you, but God will bless you. Get someone to help wake you up. And the same with girls. So important to keep your bodies in tune. These exercises are very brief, they're more or less like waking up exercises.

If you want to do more strenuous ones, the field is there, you can do it. However, it's very, very important to remember the social rules. We're going to end here, so I won't go into this. People are allowed to fellowship with the opposite sex at the conference.

Purity, Boundaries, and Christian Conduct in Relationships

We're very free, basically, on this. But, they should not be just giving attention to one particular girl unless they've had a previous interest. This is not match-make. If you've had a previous interest, definitely before God, especially people on the year program, you can at this time, I suggest you walk in the light to some leader about it, but you can at this time speak and fellowship together.

We do not want to see flirting. People that have never met, all of a sudden, getting together. And that includes people who just met at the Chicago conference. We don't call that a previous interest. Two weeks ago at the Chicago conference.

And we're very, very concerned that we'd be here to seek the Lord to get involved in the warfare and not get sidetracked. And people who destroy this or break this rule are going to force us into a tighter position in other years.

So far, we haven't had much trouble. There's been a liberty and a freedom. It's all right to converse with a girl. But it's one thing to be seen conversing with the same girl every time there's a break.

Now, at the same time, we must not judge people. Someone may be talking to a girl who's been praying about speaking to her for two years. So mind your own business. Mind your own business. And if you do have a doubt about somebody doing something, maybe you can go just ask the person.

If you've got enough courage, most people don't. We don't want public displays of affection because it confuses people. We don't even want married couples to go out into the field and neck up their wives.

They have private rooms to do that. That means kiss. Because... It's for the interpreters. Not to kiss, but to interpret it. Also, out in the streets, people just won't believe, some of these people, I can tell you, that boys and girls are living in here in purity.

We had a policeman in Belgium tell us a couple of years ago, he said, I don't mind if you're all in bed there together. It doesn't bother me. But not out in the streets in the cars, please. That's all he said.

He just presumed that we were all going to bed with one another because that's the way he's lived all his life. But he didn't want us doing it in the Volkswagens out in the street. And a rumor tried to get started that year about one of the vehicles.

And we just want to avoid, and this is our real goal, it's not that we think this or that's going to happen. It's that very little of that. It's appearance. Appearance. Naturally, it's all right to kiss your wife.

I've taken my wife for walks in the woods and to remember old times and neck with her. Perfectly acceptable. But if that's going to be a stumbling block to someone who's around, then I think it should be avoided.

And so this goes more, really, for engaged couples. If you're not sure of the social rules, re-read them. Re-read them. It's not the keeping of the rules that's the big thing, it's your heart attitude toward this.

And God is so blessed and helped us in this area. We must avoid all appearance of evil. Already, if people pass this factory and see the way some girls are sitting on the front steps, they're going to wonder what's going on in here.

And these may seem to be little things, but they aren't little. They aren't little. And the devil just gets in. And this whole town, if any rumor gets out about impurity, the whole of this town will hear it very quickly.

Or many people anyway. And this town doesn't know anything about evangelical Christianity. There's no witness here. We're the first ones. We've got to be living demonstrations. We've got to be, as the word of God says, above reproof.

We will be discussing this more in individual sessions. And if you don't feel you can keep this policy, then we just recommend you wait till next summer. That's it. Once we leave here, it's basically separation.

You're to work and fellowship separately. You can have contact on your team. You will. But basically when you leave here, there's no more dating. Even engaged couples, only during the summer, are not allowed to work together in the summer.

Because it confuses other people and brings a lot of other problems. There's no more time to explain this. Well, these are a lot of practical issues. It has been the interest in these practical issues and the claiming of the victory in these practical areas that have kept this work going.

Unity in Practical Obedience and the Closing Exhortation

That's right. We could be so spiritual and so dedicated, but many groups have done, completely sincere, and go out of here without these practical principles and in two weeks, the devil would just break this movement up.

I've seen it happen. And some of the people who disagreed with these things when they first came are the strongest supporters. And young people from every nation, from all kinds of backgrounds, have come to the place of unity on these things.

People of all different temperaments, all different nations, all stages in Christian conversion, have come to unite about these things. Why can't you? There's a verse in Corinthians that I close with.

You came in 10 minutes late, so I've taken 10 minutes extra. And I close with this. 1 Corinthians 1 .10. Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing.

Isn't that something? What are you going to do with that verse? That there be no divisions among you, even though you may not fully understand certain things, for the sake of unity, as unto the Lord you will unite.