Principal among the practical qualities which manifested themselves among the Christians in those days, and which ideally should be evident among members of the Church today, were love and boldness.

One of the most characteristic features of the early Church was its corporate compassion and care for needy people, and the motive behind was that charity or Christian love which St Paul extols in the 13th chapter of 1 Corinthians.  In this “famous hymn of love we get a picture of the human character of Jesus.  In other words, in this display of fellowship the Church was reproducing in every field of its life the characteristic attitude of Jesus Himself.  It was demonstrating in the most direct way the truth that it was really filled with His Spirit”. (1)

Secondly, the Church in Jerusalem in those early days was characterised by boldness, “a glad fearlessness, such as comes when men feel that they are at one with themselves, their fellows, and with God”. (2)

As St Luke describes it for us in the Acts of the Apostles, “…they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness” and ”With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus…” (NRSV, Acts 4:31,33).

We may ask why the activity of the Spirit was so potent in those members of the early Church.  The reason is plain; and its lesson for us is equally plain – they were blessed with that singleness of mind, clarity of conscience and openness of heart which allowed the Spirit to act freely and without restriction in them and their lives.

References

1. Bicknell, E.J. (1928) ‘The Acts of the Apostles’, in Gore, C., Goudge, H.L. and Guillaume, A. (editors) A new commentary on Holy Scripture.  Part II The New Testament, London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.

2. Bicknell, E.J. (1928) ‘The Acts of the Apostles’, in Gore, C., Goudge, H.L. and Guillaume, A. (editors) A new commentary on Holy Scripture.  Part II The New Testament, London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.