Sermon Tone Analysis

Receiving the Holy Spirit

1 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus.

There he found some disciples.

2 And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"

And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 3 And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?"

They said, "Into John's baptism." 4 And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus." 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.

7 There were about twelve men in all.

8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.9

But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.

10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

1 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus.

There he found some disciples.

2 And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"

And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." 3 And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?"

They said, "Into John's baptism." 4 And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus." 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.

7 There were about twelve men in all.

8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.

9 But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus.

10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

Here in several scenes are portrayed in ways in which the gospel impacted Ephesus and the surrounding region.

These scenes indicate the diversity and significance of Paul’s encounter with various groups in Ephesus.

Overall, the gospel of Jesus Christ and Paul had an amazing impact on this city.

A city, which was profoundly, influenced by magic and the cult of the goddess Artemis and other false religions.

Paul’s ministry to the twelve ‘disciples’ of John and not yet the disciples of Jesus in verses 19:1–7 makes an incredible statement.

Apollos had received the baptism of John as well as these disciples but because Pricilla and Aquila had pulled him aside they showed him the more accurately the way of God.

Now Apollos had come to recognize Jesus as the one to whom John’s testimony and baptism pointed towards.

Apollos needed this further instruction to become a truly effective witness for Jesus, himself.

However, the disciples whom Paul met in Ephesus had received John’s baptism but did not understand the purpose of John’s mission, they need more.

They needed more than John’s baptism.

They needed to be baptized in the name of Jesus and they needed to understand, that being baptized in his name guides our behavior and how we speak.

Let us pray...

Receiving the Holy Spirit… gives us more than John’s baptism.

1And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus.

There he found some disciples.

2 And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"

And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.

According to , Apollos went to Achaia, but now we are specifically told that he was in Corinth.

Meanwhile, Paul arrived back in the administrative center of the province of Asia, back at Ephesus.

Ephesus was also the commercial center of the region and the fourth largest city in the Empire.

Ephesus came into the Roman domain in 133 BC, but was not really elevated to the status of provincial capital until the reign of Augustus.

At that time, Ephesus experienced tremendous growth because of its advantageous situation, advantageous because it was the location of numerous important land and sea routes.

Ephesus was called ‘the first and greatest metropolis of Asia’.

The temple of Artemis was outside the city wall, and it was the chief glory of the city and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

It was about four times the size of the Parthenon in Athens and was richly decorated with the works of the greatest painters and sculptors of the age.

Luke’s later narratives illustrate the amazing impact of Paul’s ministry on the cult of Artemis and the practice of magic in the city, we will see that in a couple of weeks when we get to (19:11–41).

But first, however, he informs us about Paul’s encounter with an unusual group of Jewish disciples.

Why are they unusual pastor?

Well because the term here for disciples is mathētēs is extensively used in Luke and Acts for Christian disciples.

It inclusion here leads many to insist that these Ephesians must have been Christians.

But I want you to pay close attention to what Paul asked them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’

(v. 2), Paul is seeking here some evidence of Christian conversion.

Here we see a parallel with the experience of the Samaritan believers in , Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

17Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.”

They received the Holy Spirit.

Apparently in this unique case, where the gospel was first moving beyond the bounds of Judaism, the Lord sovereignly waited to give any manifestation of the full power of the Holy Spirit until some of the apostles themselves could be present (Philip was not an apostle), and therefore there would be no question at all that the Samaritans had received the new covenant empowering of the Holy Spirit in the same way that the Jewish Christians had.

This action would show that the Samaritans should be counted and regarded as full members of the one true church, the new covenant community of God’s people, founded and based at that time in Jerusalem.

Now, when asked by Paul, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ the Ephesian disciples answered, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit’.

Now here’s the problem for us!

How could genuine Christians make such a response?

Paul was expressing doubt about their spiritual condition when he asked his critical question in v. 2. Now their answer showed that they were definitely not fully disciples of Christ; but disciples of John.

They had acquired some knowledge of John’s teaching probably from a secondhand source and were baptized by someone else rather than having direct contact with John the Baptist himself.

This would explain why they did not understand or recognized the coming of either the Messiah or the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit through Jesus.

There was a missing piece in their profession that could have given them the possession of Christ and the Holy Spirit which they should have been seeking.

Had they dealt with John the Baptist directly they would have understood that he proclaimed that the Messiah would soon baptize his disciple with the Holy Spirit.

, As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, 16 John answered them all, saying, "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Jesus endorsed that prediction, proclaiming its imminent fulfillment and describing the Spirit as ‘the gift my Father promised.

, And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many day from now.”

What Jesus is alluding to here is the promise of an eschatological outpouring of the Spirit given to Israel in passages such as , and .

It is surprising that anyone who knew the Scriptures well could even say; we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.

It is particularly puzzling also that anyone who had received John’s baptism could be ignorant of his teaching on this subject.

When they believed, they apparently did not appropriate this vital aspect of John’s legacy.

Luke does not explain the reason for this, but continues his account of the way they came to acknowledge Jesus as Messiah and receive the Spirit promised by John.

, And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?”

They said, “Into John's baptism.”

Again note Paul’s further question (‘Then what baptism did you receive?’) indicates some surprise that they had not received baptism ‘into’ the name of Jesus Christ, in which the outcome of was normally the reception of the Holy Spirit.

, And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself."

They then disclosed that they had received only John’s baptism.

John the Baptist’s ministry was a summons to definitive repentance initially expressed in baptism and the motivation for the imminent coming of the Jesus and His salvation.

I fail to explain this well last week and it has haunted all week, my explanation was not inaccurate but it was inadequate.

, And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" 7 He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers!

Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits in keeping with repentance.

And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'

For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

9 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.

Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."10

And the crowds asked him, "What then shall we do?"11

And he answered them, "Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise."12

Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"

13 And he said to them, "Collect no more than you are authorized to do."14 Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?"

And he said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages."15

As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ.

16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.