49. The Anointing! Or not…

Announcements

EBC Youth Conference

Sign up if you want to come and need to be driven on the bus or by a leader.

High School Activity

Friday, October 16th, 6-9pm

@Church

Middle School Activity

Friday, October 23rd, 6-9pm

@church

Random Question

If you could own any animal (safely), which one would you chose?

Lesson

Recap

Last week we talked about a very special guy…

Does anyone remember who we talked about (18:24)? (Apollos)

This guy was one of John the Baptist’s followers. Problem is, he didn’t know about what Jesus had done. Priscilla and Aquila took this guy aside and instructed him more fully in the ways of the Lord.

In today’s lesson, we find some more of John the Baptist’s followers…

Vs. 1

Acts 19:1 NKJV

1 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples

Apollos made his way to Corinth… Where was Paul at? (Upper regions, Ephesus)

Logos map: “Apollos Begins to Teach” “Paul Starts His Third Missionary Journey” “Paul’s Second Visit to Ephesus”

- We know this to be around the summer time in 53 AD.

Ephesus had risen to popularity because of its expansive trade and commercial side, but that popularity was shifting toward the worship of the goddess Diana. The temple of Diana was so incredible that it was ranked as one of the seven wonders of the world at the time…

Photos: Temple of Diana (Then vs. now)

400ft x 200ft

127 white marble columns, each 60ft high

There was a very diverse population, and a LOT of Jews…

Paul is walking around in Ephesus, serving and sharing the gospel…

Who does he find at the end of vs. 1? (Some disciples; we’ll see later that these are the disciples of John the Baptist)

Vs. 2

He starts talking with these people, and at some point a question came to Paul’s mind…

Acts 19:2 NKJV

2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

Don’t all believers receive the Holy Spirit when they believe? Why is he asking this question?

Can you be saved and not have the Holy Spirit?

Romans 8:9 NKJV

9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

So, what kind of doubts might be going through Paul’s mind? (I don’t think they’re saved)

At some point of their conversation, Paul picked up that something’s not clicking.

You ever have a conversation with someone and this happens? You just know they aren’t tracking what you’re trying to tell them. Or they’re explaining themselves, and you can tell they don’t get it.

This was happening, so Paul asks them if they have the Holy Spirit.

What was their answer? (Don’t even know there was a Holy Spirit)

Vs. 3

So, Paul asks the next natural question…

Acts 19:3 NKJV

3 And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”

These disciples of John were not as advanced as Apollos was. John the Baptist did in fact speak of the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16), but they had never heard of that. So, all they knew was the ministry of John the Baptist. Specifically, all they heard of was John’s initial preaching of repentance and preparation for the Messiah.

They were unaware that Pentecost had even happened.

Now, would you say these are religious people? Or no? (They sure are, they follow John the Baptist & the Old Testament)

Do religious people need the Gospel too?

These were religious people, yet Paul saw it was still his responsibility to share Christ with them.

Just because someone is “religious” does not mean they shouldn’t hear the Gospel.

Ill: Going to the Mosque…

Vs. 4

Paul takes on the opportunity, in vs. 4,

Acts 19:4 NKJV

4 Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

iPad Whiteboard: Timeline graph

(Cross in the middle)

- John’s baptism = look forward to the Messiah

- Christian baptism = look back to the finished work of the Messiah

Now, all they knew was of John’s baptism…

So had they heard about Jesus? (No

Jesus has come already…

If they didn’t know about Jesus, then their problem is ignorance; they needed to get the bigger picture and be told about Christ.

Ill: We do plenty of things out of ignorance, sometimes we use that to get out of trouble…

“I didn’t know!!!”

It seems like they just don’t have the full picture. But that’s why Paul was here sharing the Gospel with them.

Vs. 5

What happens once they hear the Gospel? (They were baptized)

We can assume they got saved first, Paul would’ve never allowed them to be baptized without first being saved…

Were they baptized before?

This is the only time we see a re-baptism in the NT, is it okay to be baptized a second time? Why is it okay for them to be baptized in this case? (Their first baptism didn’t count; baptism is a public profession that you belong to Jesus as you associate yourself with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection)

Vs. 6

It’s super important to notice the order of the events here…

iPad Whiteboard:

Q: What has happened so far? (They believed, baptized)

Q: Then what happens in vs. 6? (Paul lays his hands on them)

Q: Here’s the key, what happens AFTER Paul lays his hands on them? (They get the Holy Spirit)

How does the order usually go? How long does it take for us to get the Holy Spirit after we’re saved? (It’s instant)

But what initiated the Holy Spirit coming down on them? (Paul’s laying on of hands)

Interesting huh….

What happens after they get the Holy Spirit at the end of vs. 6? (Speak in tongues and prophesy)

Can you think of a denomination that might love this verse? (Pentecostals)

iPad whiteboard: Sanctification

Pentecostal/Wesleyan view:

- Saved…Christian but carnal…anointing (filled with the Holy Ghost)…sinless perfection

Biblical view:

- Saved, filled with the Holy Spirit…grow…falter…grow…grow…falter…falter…grow…grow, etc.

Since we find this in Scripture, should we expect this to be the normal way people get saved? Does anyone know why this isn’t the norm? (It wasn’t repeated after Acts 19)

What reason do these people all of a sudden speak in tongues? Why them? (they needed tangible evidence they had the Spirit. This was needed since they previously had not heard that there even was a Holy Spirit.)

These signs were visible demonstrations of the Spirit indwelling these new believers

Vs. 7-8

Acts 19:7–8 NKJV

7 Now the men were about twelve in all. 8 And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God.

That’s a record for Paul staying out of trouble with the Jews!!

Vs. 9

Did everyone appreciate the Gospel message? How do we know they didn’t?

Acts 19:9 NKJV

9 But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.

The opposition didn’t start with persecution as it typically does, it started with a stubbornness. Paul was probably getting into some intense debates that really went nowhere. Some of the Jews there just wouldn’t crack, they closed their ears and hearts to the truth. And it got to the point where they mocked Paul and the Christians for their faith.

What did they call christians? (Followers of the way)

Can you imagine why we might be called this as Christians? (John 14:6)

Once again, the Jews didn’t appreciate Paul’s preaching, so Paul moves on to minister to the Gentiles…

Where does he go? (The school of Tyrannus)

This was a lecture hall

Maybe rented

Teach there between 11am-4pm (Siesta hours!)

Vs. 10

Acts 19:10 NKJV

10 And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Application

Religious people need the Gospel too

The Holy Spirit is crucial to our Christian lives