ABSTRACT
When Jesus was arrested, accused, scoffed, whipped, forced to put on a crown of thorns, and finally crucified, he was deemed a failure and his work seemed to have come to an end. His disciples, who were common people of little education and no power, could do nothing for him although they had not suffered death. But after the ascension of Jesus, there were one hundred and twenty persons who made their way back to the city of Jerusalem and met together in an upper room. They planned for the work of the church with all their might. This revived the church and led it into continual progress. It is certain that no effectiveness could have been secured unless there had been a special kind of spirit manifest in that meeting. I am now going to analyze and describe the spirit of this meeting of one hundred and twenty persons:
The spirit of fearlessness. When Jesus was suffering, the disciples left him and ran away: even Peter, the first one who recognized Jesus as Christ, had denied Jesus three times. It is true that the disciples had shown openly how timid they were. But there were still one hundred and twenty persons who met together in mutual love and fellowship after the ascension of our Lord. In spite of those people who opposed Jesus personally, and the atmosphere of persecution prevailing in society, these persons fearlessly helped each other to develop the work. They were of good courage. They struggled bravely as if they had sent an ultimatum to their opponents. This spirit of fearlessness makes them good examples for those who are anxious to be loyal soldiers of Christ Jesus.
The spirit of activity. Before the death of Jesus, the disciples were quiet followers; they relied entirely upon Jesus. Jesus was the leader; the disciples bore little or no responsibility. Now in this meeting they were changed from passive followers into active workers. They carried on church work by following the inner dictates of their conscience instead of waiting for the directions of others. They were no longer at the mercy of others. This their new
spirit of active service was the beginning of the self-preaching, self-supporting and self-governing church of to-day.
The spirit of cooperation. When Jesus was nailed on the Cross, there were only his mother and a few women standing at a distance watching him. All the disciples had scattered and were separated in different places. The short-sighted Jews saw no possibility of further cooperation between the disciples. They thought that even in these later meetings of the followers of Jesus there were only those few loyal women who had stood by the Cross. But when Pentecost approached, a meeting was held in Jerusalem and the attendants thereon were not only a few women, but a body of more than one hundred and twenty persons. With united wisdom and strength they worked together. This spirit of cooperation might well serve as an example for the unifying of the church to-day.
The spirit of waiting. The disciples followed Jesus for three years and received a great deal of instruction from him. But very few of them were able to understand thoroughly his teaching. In some cases, indeed, they misunderstood Jesus and his work. Some of them contended as to which would be the greatest, while others asked for a place at Christ's right or left hand. Without the revelation of the Holy Spirit, these disciples who had no clear perception of truth, would never have been able to understand the doctrines of our Lord. This is the reason why Jesus, as he was leaving the disciples, instructed them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit that the Father had promised. The disciples did as they had been instructed. They flung off their worldliness, sacrificed their time, and assembled in Jerusalem to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit by means of which they might be helped to witness for our Lord. This spirit of waiting showed us clearly that all of them had won to resolute endurance.
The spirit of prayer. All the different religions in the world lay stress upon prayer which is spiritual communion with God, and the source of spiritual power. In Christianity there is a special meaning concerning prayer. We know God likes to hear the prayers of men. Unless we ask amiss or are insincere in our petition we know He will hear. If we ask in faith, believing, He will surely hear and answer. In the meeting of these one hundred and twenty persons, they prayed with sincere hearts and they also knew that God is the God who likes to hear men's prayer. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit that the Father had promised, truly came. They were filled with spiritual power. Hence the church members were increased up to three thousand in number. So the spirit of prayer is the motive power by which the church can be revived.
