Daily Bread 2011 - Acts 19
Wednesday, June 1st
Paul in Ephesus
1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. 4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
What Does This Mean?
As Paul and Apollos part, and Apollos goes back to Corinth and Paul goes back to Ephesus, Paul meets up with some disciples and asks them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They give a very interesting answer, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
So Paul baptizes them in the name of Jesus and placed his hands on them and prays for them to receive the Holy Spirit which manifests through speaking in tongues and prophesying. John the Baptist’s baptism was a preparatory baptism preparing the way for belief to come through Christ. Perhaps these 12 men were even followers of John. Whatever the case, they had not even heard of the Holy Spirit, so Paul baptizes them in the name of the Lord Jesus and places hands on them and they receive the Holy Spirit in tangible ways (speaking in tongues and prophesying).
What Does This Mean For Us?
It is almost comical when the 12 men say, “We have not even heard there is a Holy Spirit!” Yet there are churches today, in their fear of becoming too Pentecostal, neglect teaching about the Holy Spirit. The Alpha Course, which is run in thousands of churches around the world, has a whole day devoted to teaching on the Holy Spirit. The three talks are: “Who is the Holy Spirit?”, “What Does the Holy Spirit Do?” and “How Can I Be Filled With the Holy Spirit?”
If you and/or your church might likewise exclaim, “We have not even heard there is a Holy Spirit!”, or lack teaching on the role and purpose of the Holy Spirit you can access the Alpha Course at www.alphana.org
We have run several Alpha courses at our church and have seen many people encounter the Holy Spirit in personal and powerful ways that change their life forever. The Holy Spirit is one of the greatest gifts any Christian has and is vital to life a fruitful and faithful life. The Holy Spirit is a person like the Father and the Son, and desires to be part of our life and everything we do! As the apostle Paul says in Galatians 5:16, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
Come Holy Spirit fill our hearts with the love of God and Christ, so we may live lives filled with the same power that fueled the early disciples. Amen.
Paul in Ephesus
1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. 4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
What Does This Mean?
As Paul and Apollos part, and Apollos goes back to Corinth and Paul goes back to Ephesus, Paul meets up with some disciples and asks them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They give a very interesting answer, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
So Paul baptizes them in the name of Jesus and placed his hands on them and prays for them to receive the Holy Spirit which manifests through speaking in tongues and prophesying. John the Baptist’s baptism was a preparatory baptism preparing the way for belief to come through Christ. Perhaps these 12 men were even followers of John. Whatever the case, they had not even heard of the Holy Spirit, so Paul baptizes them in the name of the Lord Jesus and places hands on them and they receive the Holy Spirit in tangible ways (speaking in tongues and prophesying).
What Does This Mean For Us?
It is almost comical when the 12 men say, “We have not even heard there is a Holy Spirit!” Yet there are churches today, in their fear of becoming too Pentecostal, neglect teaching about the Holy Spirit. The Alpha Course, which is run in thousands of churches around the world, has a whole day devoted to teaching on the Holy Spirit. The three talks are: “Who is the Holy Spirit?”, “What Does the Holy Spirit Do?” and “How Can I Be Filled With the Holy Spirit?”
If you and/or your church might likewise exclaim, “We have not even heard there is a Holy Spirit!”, or lack teaching on the role and purpose of the Holy Spirit you can access the Alpha Course at www.alphana.org
We have run several Alpha courses at our church and have seen many people encounter the Holy Spirit in personal and powerful ways that change their life forever. The Holy Spirit is one of the greatest gifts any Christian has and is vital to life a fruitful and faithful life. The Holy Spirit is a person like the Father and the Son, and desires to be part of our life and everything we do! As the apostle Paul says in Galatians 5:16, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
Come Holy Spirit fill our hearts with the love of God and Christ, so we may live lives filled with the same power that fueled the early disciples. Amen.
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