Spirit's Gift

Acts 19:1-7 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.
 
ONCE again Luke was very brief with Paul’s travels. When Luke writes Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus, we can learn from other sources, including Colossians 4:13, that Paul ministered in Colosse, Laodicea and Hierapolis. We mention this because the church in Colosse later received Paul’s letter to the Colossians. And Laodicea is one of the seven churches to whom Jesus wrote (Revelation 3:14-19) In Colosee and Laodicea Paul planted churches that would help us learn of Jesus’ love, grace and truth.
   Another church we learn from is Ephesus. Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos have been to Ephesus. And now Paul will work from here for about three years. Paul’s letters, Ephesians and 1 and 2 Timothy, tell us Ephesus was a diverse church having strong periods of ministry and also many challenges to Christian unity as churches often do.
   Paul met disciples who had not heard of the Holy Spirit. These were men who, like Apollos, had received John the Baptist’s baptism of repentance. But they had not been taught of the Holy Spirit’s baptism to faith in Jesus. They were in the same step of their journey as the apostles had been before the Spirit anointed them at Pentecost.
   In response Paul taught them the full gospel. The Spirit then gifted these men to speak in tongues. This means they spoke in a foreign tongue they could not normally speak.
   Because of this and the apostles speaking in tongues at Pentecost, some teach that one is not a true Christian until he speaks in tongues. This is a severely limited view of salvation by grace through faith. The purpose of tongues – as well as the gifts of healing, preaching, teaching, etc. – was to overcome unbelief. Acts teaches us the Spirit does not follow any set pattern. He came into believers before baptism, at the time of or after baptism and by the laying on of apostolic hands.
   Yes, the Holy Spirit does indwell true believers. Romans 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But we must remember the Spirit’s gifts are many. He anoints people to particular gifts and ministries for God’s purposes. Our purpose, in turn, is to faithfully respond to the LORD God’s gift to eternal life.