Paul at Ephesus – Winning Ministry (Not complete in Christ)
Written by Kevin A. Hall (07.16.2016)
Acts 19: 1 – 7 (NASB)
It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth,
Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some
disciples. 2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you
believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a
Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said,
“Into John’s baptism.” 4 Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of
repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that
is, in Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the
Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came
on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. 7 There were in
all about twelve men.
These 12 men were in the same
position as Apollos – they did not have
the full truth. They knew only of the baptism of John (Acts 18:25). So Paul
asks “Whether they believed in the Spirit, whose operations on the minds of
men, for conviction, for conversion and comfort they were acquainted with?” Also,
extra ordinary gifts were imparted to the Apostles and Disciples after Christ’s
ascension… did they participate in these gifts? Therefore, the question “Have
you the seal of the truth of Christ’s doctrine in you”? (M.H.)
2 Corinthians 1:22 “Who
also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge” – NASB. The Apostle Paul mentions 2 gifts that we
receive at Conversion: (1) A seal of ownership to show who our master is (2)
The Holy Spirit – guaranteeing that we belong to Him and will receive all His
benefits. We will receive so much more upon His return. In the meantime, we
receive a pledge, a down payment of eternal benefits.
Ephesians 1: 13-14 In Him, you also, after listening to the
message of truth, the gospel of your salvation -having also believed, you were
sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of
our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the
praise of His glory”. The Holy Spirit in
us demonstrates the genuineness of our faith, proves that we are God’s children
and secures eternal life for us. His power works in us to transform us now;
only a taste of what we will experience in eternity (NASB).
We should ask ourselves these questions, as the twelve: (1) Am I
known by the Fruit of the Spirit?(2) Am I led by the Spirit? (3) Do I walk in the Spirit? (4) Am
I under the government of the Spirit?
Back to the 12:
They owned up to being baptized
into John. Paul explains further. The baptism of John required the people to be
sorry for their sins, to confess them and to turn from them. But he (John) also told them that “they
should believe on Him who should come after John. It is Jesus Christ who would
take away their sins.
The twelve accepted that they were
missing something and were baptized in the name of Jesus, now that they
understood better. Jack Cottrell uses an applicable term for this scenario – “available
light”. Available light leads to further action. Do you see a conversation happening in our
churches? Are we missing something? I will always repeat Cottrell’s statement –
“True Doctrine = Right Doing” (36)
Paul then prayed that God would
grant them the Holy Ghost signified by laying on of hands on them {Isa. 44:3 – promise of the Spirit}. When Paul laid his hands upon them, they spoke
in tongues and prophesied, just like the Apostles and first Gentile converts
did. It was a sign of God’s presence. The Spirit of prophecy empowered them to
understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Before now they had not even
heard of the Holy Ghost. Now they possessed Him for themselves. Amazing! Can
you see this happening every time we have a ministry opportunity?
References:
Cottrell, J. The Faith Once For
All. The United States of America: College Press Publishing (2002)
Matthew Henry Commentary.
Retrieved online: http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/
NASB. Biblegateway. Retrieved from: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts+19&version=NASB
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