When 120 people including the disciples of Jesus prayed earnestly together in Mark’s upper room, the Holy Spirit was upon them and the first church began. What was the motive they prayed in Mark’s house? The disciples thought the Messiah would overthrow the Roman government that ruled Israel and becomes a King who rules around the world. But Jesus died on the Cross and was raised from the dead on the third day, and said to the disciples, “Wait for the Holy Spirit to come on you.”(Acts 1:8)
The disciples prayed earnestly on their knees. “My God, the Lord is gone and He said, in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth when the Holy Spirit comes on you. Then, let the word come true to us.” As Jesus said, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and the church of Jerusalem was finally founded. The disciples prayed hard as Jesus commanded without the use of human methods or means, as a result, they received the Holy Spirit and boldly preached the gospel of Jesus. Those who heard the word repented their sins and came to God. The church increased in number every day. The church can be founded only by prayer, not by learning or knowledge.
I prayed night and day before I started a ministry because I knew about this. While I was looking for a place for a church, my first priority was the place where I would not be disturbed no matter how loud I cried. That’s because I believe I can build the church only by prayer, suitable to the will of God. So I looked for a place where I can pray to God wholeheartedly not thinking if there are many people coming and going or it is convenient for transportation.
Everywhere you have Jesus, people get together. When I prayed wholeheartedly there, God heard my prayer and revived us to become today’s Yonsei Central Church. Without praying, the church can’t grow. The prayer is the first step of the church and spiritual life.
Pastor Seok-Jeon Yoon
Extracted from Yonsei Newspaper #675
