What’s Missing?
Acts 18:24-19:7
Many of you may be familiar with John Wesley, the English protestant and unintentional founder of the Methodist Church. He was born a little over 300 years ago in 1703. His early life suggested he would certainly become a minister. He was the son of a minister, Samuel Wesley. His mother Susanna was the daughter of a minister. John studied at Oxford, receiving both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. He went on to be ordained, was appointed as a professor of Greek, and also became his father’s assistant.
While in school he became a member of the Oxford group simply known as “The Holy Club.” It was nicknamed as such by other students because they so seriously attempted to cultivate their spiritual lives. This spiritual pursuit in his life eventually led him to be appointed as a missionary to of all places, Savannah, Georgia. He came to America in an attempt to evangelize the American Indians. His mission was an utter failure and he returned to England. In his journal he recorded these words, “I went to America to convert the Indians; but oh, who shall convert me?”
But the journey to America was not a total loss. On his journey he encountered some Moravians whose confident, living faith deeply impressed him. So much so that when he returned to London he sought out one of the leaders of the Moravians. What was his motivation? Wesley said he had become, in his own life, “clearly convinced of unbelief, of the want of that faith whereby alone we are saved.” On the evening of May 24, 1738, Wesley wrote these words in his journal:
“In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”
For Church historians this event is referred to as John Wesley's Aldersgate conversion, because the meeting took place on Aldersgate Street in London. And so began one of the most powerful times in the history of the Christian Church. Well, just what was it that Wesley was referring to when he said he felt, "his heart strangely warmed." That warming was actually what the Bible calls the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. It's what Jesus refers to as being "born again" or "born from above."
And the amazing thing about Wesley is this: before his conversion Wesley knew more theology, knew more Bible than most of us will ever know; Wesley was more intelligent than most of us are; Wesley was more dedicated to Christian causes and Christian ministry than most of us will be. And yet, for all intents and purposes, Wesley before Aldersgate was not converted; he did not know Christ, and was damned for a devil's hell. Lost!
I draw your attention to John Wesley's heart being strangely warmed by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit because it reflects what we will see in our text today. We will see two examples of people who have religious activity, but they are missing Holy Spirit reality. One is at the end of chapter 18, the other is at the beginning of chapter 19.
We can't see into each other's hearts, only the Lord can do that. And he does that through His Spirit. And I wonder if today, as the Spirit moves in this room as we contemplate and consider his Word; I wonder if he will not light upon someone, revealing to their heart that though there is religious activity, there is not spiritual reality. I would challenge you this morning, do not resist the Holy Spirit. I would ask you to consider the question as Paul poses it in our text today, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed."
Because the reality is this: right now, sitting in churches across our land there are thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of people who have expressed some sort of belief in Jesus, who are involved in Christian activity, who are upright morally, who contribute generously, who eat at the Lord's Table, who appreciate Bible preaching and yet they are as lost as John Wesley before Aldersgate. There's no fire, no passion, no fervency - why? Because there's no Holy Spirit because they've not been genuinely converted.
But guess what, I'm not responsible for the hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions sitting in churches this morning under a false sense of security because of their religious activity. However, I am responsible for those in this room. I am responsible before God for each and every one of you. And the reality is, one day I may preach your funeral, put you in heaven to the gathered mourners when you are somewhere else. And the difference between the two is the difference between religious activity and Holy Spirit reality. That's what's missing.
Well, Dr. Luke provides insight into this matter with a couple of case studies for us to consider. The first one on your outline is...
I. The CAPABLE Preacher
His name is Apollos and we are introduced to him at the end of chapter 18. Now Paul is not part of this event. We know from the previous verses that he was in the process of back-tracking through all the cities where he had planted churches, presumably on his way to Jerusalem. I say that because it seems in verse 18 he had committed himself to what's known as a Nazarite vow. A Nazarite vow was when a man made a vow to God to not do certain things like drinking strong drink, or cutting his hair for a period of time. It was done as a means of preparation for service to God, and really as a prayer for God's blessing and favor in that service. When the vow was completed a man would cut his hair and then take the locks to Jerusalem and there with an animal sacrifice make an offering to God. That seems to be what Paul is doing during this episode. Perhaps those of us who are losing our hair, that's one way to look at it - I'm making an offering to God. Maybe at least you'll feel better about it.
So Paul is not involved in this brief episode. But two believers we've already been introduced to - Priscilla and Aquila - they are involved. And the focus of their involvement is with a very capable preacher, Apollos. And Luke presents for us three glimpses into Apollos' life: Before, during, and after.
A. Before: ELOQUENT and EDUCATED
24Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures.
Apollos was the kind of man that would stand out in any crowd, not only because of his natural abilities but because of his developed skills and acumen. Luke describes Apollos with two adjectives. The ESV translates them as eloquent and competent in the Scriptures. The adjective eloquent is the Greek word logios, - a word that’s only used in this verse in the entire Bible. It’s a form of the noun logos which simply means “word.” So he is skilled in language, he is a natural orator, he possesses the natural ability to speak well. Some of you who were alive in the 70’s to remember the commercial, “When EF Hutton talks, people listen.” When Apollos talked, people listened. He was eloquent, powerful communicator, orator.
The text also says he was competent in the Scriptures. I think the ESV translators missed it here. When we think of competent we usually think of possessing the minimum requirements to accomplish a task. One definition of competent I read this week said, “adequate but not exceptional.” That is certainly not what Luke intended to communicate. He uses the word dynatos, from which we get dynamic or dynamite. It means strong or mighty, to excel in something.
So he was mighty, he was strong in the Scriptures. How so – he was well educated. Verse 25 tells us why he was strong in the Scriptures: He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. Additionally, Luke tells us that Apollos was from Alexandria. Alexandria rivaled Athens as the intellectual center of the world. Alexandria had the greatest library on the planet; some of the greatest minds were from Alexandria.
So when you combine Apollos’ natural ability of eloquent speech with his tremendous education and strength in the Scriptures, that makes for a powerful combination. He was a spellbinding communicator. He could hold a crowd in the palm of his hand. But though he possessed these qualities, his information was limited. He had not yet received full instruction on the present state of God’s activity among his people – namely through the infilling and empowering of the Holy Spirit.
Remember, as we’ve gone through the book of Acts I’ve remarked on the transitional nature of this period of time in the church. There were no smartphones where you had access to instant information at your fingertips. If there was a major event that occurred somewhere away from where you lived it could be months or even years before you would hear about it – if ever. News spread primarily by word of mouth. So though he knew OF Jesus, he did not KNOW Jesus. And so it says in the second half of verse 25: And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.
Whatever he knew of Jesus, and what he had been instructed about Jesus was accurate, but it was limited. He taught what he knew, but his knowledge was not complete knowledge. He was acquainted with facts about Jesus – his birth, life, his teaching. But he did not know yet of the cross, the resurrection, or Pentecost. But what he did know, he communicated it accurately. But Luke further says he “knew only the baptism of John.” It’s because of that phrase that I’ve combined this passage at the end of chapter 18 with the passage at the beginning of 19 in this message. These passages are linked because they both record encounters with people who knew only the baptism of John.
The baptism of John is that of John the Baptist. His baptism was a baptism of repentance. His baptism was one in preparation for the coming of Messiah. But the baptism in the name of Jesus that Peter proclaimed in Acts 2 was evidently unknown to him. He could not yet be called a “Christian.” He had not yet received the Holy Spirit. That’s the before. Notice the “during.” The way I would describe Apollos during his conversion is…
B. During: HEARING and HUMBLE
Think about the dynamic of this episode. Here’s Apollos. In that day orators were the rock stars, the celebrities of the day. If you could hold an audience spellbound by your powers of communication you were in the upper echelon of society. But what we find in Apollos is one who is both willing to hear further instruction, and he humbly receives it. Notice verse 26: He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
Now this is all it tells us about his reception of the Holy Spirit. But in this one verse we see something very beautiful. Apollos is beautiful because of how he received correction, and Priscilla and Aquila are beautiful because of the way they provide that correction.
I say Apollos is beautiful here because, again, he knows he’s gifted, he knows he’s well-educated. But yet he’s humble enough to receive further instruction in the truth – not from a university professor, but from a simple married couple. Do you remember what their trade was? They were tentmakers, leatherworkers. So here come these blue-collar Christians without the Alexandrian education, rough and calloused hands and they’re coming to give instruction to the educated and eloquent Apollos. And he receives their instruction; he receives their correction. And this is a beautiful thing.
And I say Priscilla and Aquila are beautiful in the way they provided the correction. They didn’t stand up and object publicly when they heard something was amiss. They didn’t scorn him or reject him, but they took him aside, privately and explained to him the way of God more accurately. This is significant because we aren’t naturally like that – we like to say what we think right on the spot.
I rarely scroll through my FB newsfeed, and here's why - I get so frustrated when I see people publically ridicule and blast other people; even their own spouses! Are you kidding me?!? But Priscilla and Aquila follower the Matthew 18 principle of going to someone in private. What an important practice to follow.
And just an aside here with regard to this episode of their instruction of Apollos. We understand from Scripture that the office of elder/pastor – that office which is charged with the primary responsibility of preaching and teaching in the church, that office is described as an exclusively male office in the New Testament.
That is not a chauvinistic thing; that is simply by God’s design and created order. However, that certainly does NOT mean that men cannot receive correction or even instruction from women in certain venues. Here Apollos is receiving instruction from Priscilla, along with her husband, in the venue of a small group setting.
When Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned in Scripture, it is she who is almost always mentioned first. For a first century culture, that would have been unheard of – you would always mention the husband first. More than likely she was mentioned first because she was the more knowledgeable and Scripturally informed of the two. So when they gave instruction, when they did ministry, it was Priscilla and Aquila.
Illustration: Sometimes when I’ve challenged men to be the Spiritual leaders of their household, to lead out in family devotions, some have confessed to me – I feel inadequate to do that. My wife knows so much more about the Bible than I do. My response is always – “being the spiritual leader in your home does not necessarily mean you’re the one who does all the talking. It simply means you’re the one who sets the tone.” So it might look something like this. Kids, lets gather at the table for morning devotion. Y’all listen to your mama as she teaches us.” That’s being the spiritual leader of your home.
And here Priscilla is with her husband, under the Biblical authority of her husband, is giving instruction from the Scriptures to a man. And this also points to the humility of Apollos. In the first century culture he’s humble enough to receive instruction from a woman. And they communicate to him the way of Christ more accurately. No doubt they communicated to him the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus; they communicated to him the Spiritual Baptism of the Holy Spirit since all he knew of was the water Baptism of John. And I believe at that moment, with the fuller knowledge of Jesus and his work, he believed the full truth of the gospel, he was marvelously born again and received the infilling of the Holy Spirit. The reason I believe that is because what we see after…
C. After: PURPOSEFUL with POWER
For Apollos his religious affections and pursuits moved from being an academic exercise to being a mission for life. 27And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, 28for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
The key idea here in verses 27-28 is that Apollos became a powerful and purposeful minister of the gospel of Jesus. He moves forward after his meeting with Priscilla and Aquila with missionary zeal. He purposed to leave the familiar and take the gospel out.
Now Holy Spirit power, divine enablement was coupled with his natural eloquence and disciplined education to produce a missionary that some believers considered to be superior to the apostle Paul. Of course neither Apollos or Paul would be happy with that comparison. Notice what Paul said to the church at Corinth as some were saying, "Apollos is our favorite preacher." And others were saying, "Well Paul is our favorite preacher!"
4For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men? 5What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 1 Corinthians 3:4-6
My point is that Apollos, after the reception of the Holy Spirit upon his faith in the crucified and resurrected Christ, he became a powerful tool in God's kingdom.
John Wesley’s radical transformation upon his conversion at Aldersgate would prove to be a monumental moment in British history. Remember, the 1700's was the century of revolution - the American Revolution, the French Revolution being the most prominent. And many historians believe what prevented revolution to take place in England was the influence of one man - John Wesley. Following his conversion at Aldersgate he was used by God to bring revival - not to England's elite - but to the commoners. He would go on to preach 40,000 sermons, rode some 250,000 miles on horseback criss-crossing the nation with his gospel message which he took to the forgotten people of England. All the while unintentionally founding a Christian denomination - the Methodist Church.
How was he able to make such an impact? The same reason Apollos was. Though he was highly educated in the Scriptures, he was lost, unconverted and therefore not indwelt by the Holy Spirit. But that day, he had his heart "strangely warmed." That's the Capable Preacher. Secondly notice...
II. The CONNECTED Disciples
Luke's historical chronicle now returns back to Paul's ministry after describing Apollos' conversion. We pick up with Paul's third missionary journey in the city of Ephesus - a city, and church, that would be significantly influential in the early formation of the global church.
When Paul first arrived in Ephesus, however, he came across 12 disciples, and it was obvious to him there was something missing in their faith as well. They too had limited information, they were disciples of John the Baptist similar to Apollos' situation.
19:1And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2And 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.” 3And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.” These disciples - which the word disciple simply means "a learner" - these disciples didn't have full information. It's like they're spiritual Rip Van Winkles, having slept through the most powerful period of church history. They were baptized into repentance through John's baptism which, again, was looking forward to Messiah. But they had not yet put their faith in Jesus as the perfect, crucified, resurrected Savior. So Paul explains these things to them clearly:
4And 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.”
Now we have to read between the lines here. Paul told them to believe in Jesus, and we are left to assume that they did in fact believe in Jesus because of what happens next: 5On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. They were re-baptized because when they were first baptized, it was with limited information, limited understanding. Because they did not have full knowledge they were now baptized as an act of profession of faith in Jesus as Messiah.
I was re-baptized as well. I was first baptized at 7 years old. But I didn't have full understanding and full knowledge of Christ. But at the age of 13, I truly believed, I repented and placed my faith in Jesus. And following that faith in Jesus I was truly baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Notice what happens next, and this is the curious part:
6And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7There were about twelve men in all.
This marks a new phase of the church's expansion in Ephesus. With each new phase in this first generation of the church, apostles were present. And we see the apostles performing this physical act of laying on of hands of the new believers. The laying on of hands served as an authoritative witness that affirmed "here we see legitimate faith." It didn't impart faith, simply affirmed it. Two weeks ago we ordained Dusty Tuders to gospel ministry. As part of that we gathered around him and laid our hands on him. That was not an impartation of gospel ministry, but an affirmation of it.
What happens next is like a mini-Pentecost. The Holy Spirit came upon them, they began to speak in tongues and prophesy. There are several instances like this in Acts. The first Pentecost came upon Jews in Jerusalem.
Then there was a mini-Pentecost with Stephen in Samaria.
Next when Peter was in the house of Cornelius, a household of Gentiles. So we see this happen first with Jews, then half-Jews the Samaritans, then a household of Gentiles. Now here in Ephesus some dispersed disciples of John the Baptist. And when you consider the force of these words, it's obvious this is a powerful moment in their lives. I would imagine they would identify this in a way similar to John Wesley - my heart was strangely warmed. They're crying out in praise, prophesying, worshiping God in languages they hadn't spoken before, tears running down their faces. It was an emotional, heart-wrenching time for them. It was a great springtime in the life of these 12 disciples of John who had now become converted to Christ here in the city of Ephesus.
I wonder what they were like inside? How did the indwelling Holy Spirit impact their lives. Well in closing today, I'd like to give a brief lesson in pneumatology - the study of the pneuma, the Spirit. This is the work that the Holy Spirit performs in the life of every Spirit-filled believer who is yielded to Him. I want us to consider 6 things the Spirit does in us, and through us, and for us. These are not the only 6, but these 6 are of tremendous value and benefit.
The Ministry of the Spirit in the Life of a Believer
Time doesn't permit me to expand on any of these, but let's just consider them for a moment:
• CONVICTION of sin
But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. John 16:7b-8
• INSTRUCTION in truth
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. John 16:13
• COMFORT in distress
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. Acts 9:31
• ASSURANCE of salvation
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Romans 8:16
• UNCTION in prayer
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26
• POWER for ministry
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
Sometimes I think we tend to believe, "Boy, if I could have just been around when Jesus was on the earth. To hear him teach, to have his physical presence with me - my faith would be so much stronger than it is." How did that work out for the disciples of Jesus? Not so good. Jesus said it would be better for him to go because then you don't have the 2nd person of the trinity with you, but you have the 3rd person of the trinity INSIDE you. Before the indwelling presence of the Spirit you see the first believers trembling in fear, huddled together in the upper room. But after they receive the Spirit, they're going out as bold and powerful witnesses for Jesus.
In Conclusion: This morning, in this room I would say there are 3 categories of people. There are those who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit, who have the vitality of him in your life. And when I walked through those 6 bullet points of the Spirit's ministry in the life of a believer, you resonated with each one.
There are others here who are unconverted. In terms of the Holy Spirit, you've never been regenerated. You may be like John Wesley, a lot of religious knowledge and activity, but no spiritual vitality, no spiritual life. How do you move from that point to a point where you have the life of the Spirit? The same way John Wesley did. Look again at his words in his journal on that day: I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine.
That's the answer - genuine belief in Christ, in his sacrificial act on the cross to take the punishment for your sins, even yours.
The third category of person who I believe is in this room is that person who has been genuinely converted, who is born again - but the life of the Spirit working in you powerfully seems like a distant memory. You do recall a time when there was a power for ministry and unction in prayer that was real and present, but if you were honest, you would say it's not there now. How do you return?
Well interestingly, in Revelation 2, Jesus gives the answer. Remember, these 12 disciples of John the Baptist were the beginning of the church in Ephesus. Some time later the church in Ephesus had left the Spirit-filled vitality that marked their beginning. So none other than Jesus sends them a message to instruct them how to regain that Spiritual vitality. In Revelation 2 Jesus' message to the church at Ephesus was, 4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Revelation 2:4-5
Jesus says, "Remember." Remember the freshness of the Spirit when you first believed? Remember the purpose you had for life; remember the keen awareness you had for personal sin and the desire for personal holiness; remember how the Scriptures became alive to you and you had an insatiable appetite for the Word. Remember, Jesus says, and repent. Confess your sin to Christ, turn from personal pursuit and turn to Christ. And finally, do the works you did at first. What's that? What "work" did you do at first. This is not revolutionary - this is simple. The simple "work" is simply believing in, trusting in, relying upon Christ as Savior.
Paul put it this way in Colossians, Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him. Colossians 2:6
How did you receive Christ Jesus the Lord? By recognizing your complete lostness without him and casting thy pour soul at the Savior's feet, placing your complete faith in him. How do you walk in the vitality of the Spirit? By recognizing your complete lostness without him and casting thy poor soul at the savior's feet, placing your complete faith in Jesus. And if we are going to be a church on mission filled with believers on mission, Spirit-filled, Spirit-controlled living is imperative. And that leads to my...
Last Thought: To accomplish the mission Christ has called us to, believers need an ongoing appropriation of the VITALITY and LIFE of the Spirit of God.
