Living the Christian Life Magazine

WE are told in these simple words what the Apostles did immediately after the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven. Fresh from the wonderful and touching sight of their beloved Master being taken away from them, — with the message brought by angels, bidding them expect His Second Advent, still ringing in their ears. — They returned from Mount Olivet to Jerusalem, and went at once “into an upper room.” Simple as the words are, they are full of suggestive t thoughts, and deserve the close attention of all into whose hands this volume may fall.

Let us fix our eyes for a few minutes on the first place of meeting of Christians for worship of which we have any record. Let us examine the first congregation, which assembled after the great Head of the Church had left the world, and left His people to themselves. Let us see who these first worshippers were, and how they behaved, and what they did. I venture to think that a little quiet contemplation of the subject may do us good.

We should notice, firstly, the unity, which characterized this first meeting in the “upper room.” We are told expressly, “that they were all there with one accord,” that is, of one mind. There were no divisions among them. They believed the same thing. They loved the same Person, and at present there was no disagreement among them. There was nothing of High, or Low, or Broad in that “upper room.” Heresies, and strife's, and controversies were as yet unknown. Neither about baptism, or the Lord’s Supper, or vestments, or incense, was there any contention or agitation.

 Happy would it have been for Christendom if this blessed state of things had continued! At the end of eighteen centuries we all know, by bitter experience that the divisions of Christians are the weakness of the Church, and the favorite argument of the world, the infidel, and the devil against revealed religion. Well may we pray, when we see this blessed picture of the upper room, that God would heal the many ecclesiastical diseases of the nineteenth century, and make Churchmen especially become more of one mind?

We should notice, secondly, the devotional habits of this first congregation in the “upper room.” We are told expressly that they “were continuing in prayer and supplication.” Here, again, we should mark the original Greek. The expression denotes that prayer was a continued and habitual practice at this crisis.

What things these holy worshippers prayed for we are not told. Like our Lord’s discourse with the two Apostles journeying to Emmaus, one would like to know what their prayers were (Luke 24: 27). We need not doubt that there was much prayer for grace to be faithful and not fall away, — for wisdom to do the thing that was right in the new and difficult position which they had to take up, — for courage, for patience, for unwearied zeal, for abiding recollection of our Lord’s example, our Lord’s teaching, and our Lord’s promises.

But in perfect wisdom the Holy Ghost has thought fit to keep back these things from us, and we must not doubt that this is right. One thing, at any rate, is quite certain. We are taught clearly that nothing is such a primary duty of a Christian assembly as united prayer and supplication. Let us never forget the first charge which the great Apostle of the Gentiles gave to Timothy when he wrote to him about his duties as a minister of the Church. “I exhort, therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; for kings and all that are in authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceable life”

(1Tim. 2:1, etc.).

In the next place, let us learn the source of true power in the Church. This little upper room was the starting-point of a movement which shook the Roman Empire, emptied the heathen temples, stopped gladiatorial combats, raised women to their true position, checked infanticide, created a new standard of morality, confounded the old Greek and Roman philosophers, and turned the world upside down. And what was the secret of this power?

Extracted from a sermon by J C Ryle entitled  "And they went up into an Upper Room"

Acts 1:13 The first Meeting place of Christian Worship

The characteristic of first century professing Christians was unity, soundness in the faith, holiness, and prayers and intercessions. It is these things that are wanting, the grandest architecture and the most ornate ceremonial will do nothing to mend the world. It is the presence of Christ and the Holy Ghost which alone gives power.

Devotional