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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Monday, 6 May 2024:
Acts 19:1-7 — And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 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.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 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.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all.
The first thing Paul did when he came to Ephesus was find some disciples. The Bible doesn’t say how the encounter happened, but likely Paul’s first priority in a new place was to find fellow believers with whom to fellowship and work. He understood that God intends to accomplish His will through the body of Christ, a Christ-centered community. (See John 17:22-23) The Bible never teaches a “Just you and me Jesus” theology. It is only through relationships that we can abide in Jesus, grow in Christlike character, and glorify Him as He intended. (1 John 4:12) Unity with fellow believers is a key indicator of spiritual maturity. Are you seeking out fellow believers as a top priority and working with them to demonstrate and communicate the Gospel to a desperate world? If not, consider into what you were baptized.
Information is not transformation, and knowing something is not the same as being something. Many people profess things they really don’t believe, believe things to which they don’t commit, and even commit to things they don’t really believe, perhaps due to pressure from the outside. In this case, Paul found some disciples (students) of Jesus who knew about Jesus but didn’t know Jesus personally. They had an intellectual knowledge but not an experiential knowledge – they believed in what they had heard, but they had not experienced it. They hadn’t received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. In fact, they had never been taught about the Holy Spirit. They didn’t understand that eternal life was life in the Spirit, and life “baptized” (emersed and saturated) in the Spirit.
God created all things to live within its essential environment. Trees and animals were created to live on dry ground and breath air for life. Fish were created to thrive in the water. Animals can’t live under water and fish can’t live on dry ground. Humans were created to live in (abide in) the essential environment of God’s Spirit. Apart from the Spirit, there is no life. A person living outside the Spirit is like a fish out of water, lacking the ability to live. Adam’s sin separated humanity from the life-giving Spirit, and mankind in their sin became spiritually dead, without the ability to live. Jesus came to fix what Adam broke to return us to eternal life in the Spirit where we can fulfill our created purpose of being vessels of the Holy Spirit, living with Him, in Him, by Him, and for Him. A life in the Spirit is a life empowered by His Spirit, where our will is only His will manifested in physical form, where we become the embodiment of His word. This is a baptism in the “name” (the character, essence, and life) of Jesus who lived the human life Adam was supposed to live but failed to live, the life Jesus has empowered us to live and showed us how to live. This is not just an intellectual pursuit and a battle of willpower toward a higher morality; this is a new life as new creations, fully yielded to the will of God, fully dependent upon His power doing in our lives what would be impossible for us otherwise. This is a life where we no longer live but Christ lives in us. The disciples in Ephesus hadn’t yet entered into this life by receiving the Holy Spirit.
John’s baptism was one of preparation, but Jesus’ baptism was one of power. The disciples in Ephesus had repented (preparation), but they hadn’t received the Holy Spirit (power). Only in the abiding could they experience what they had been taught.
Acts 19:15 – And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”
“There is no secondhand spirituality. No one else can develop Christian maturity on your behalf. A strong Christian heritage is an asset, but it cannot take the place of your own vibrant, growing relationship with Christ. Paul had a powerful walk with God. God used him so mightily that extraordinary miracles occurred through his life. Cloths that touched Paul were taken to the sick, and the sick were healed (Acts 19:10-12). Evil spirits were cast out. Paul’s preaching and teaching were instrumental in building a strong church in Ephesus. Paul’s ministry was so impressive, in fact, that others tried to duplicate it. Seven sons of the chief priest, Sceva, attempted to cast out demons the way Paul did. They confronted an evil spirit and attempted to exorcise it ‘by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.’ These men were trying to use a spiritual power that Paul had acquired after years of walking closely with his Lord. They could imitate Paul’s words, but they could not duplicate the power that was his through his personal relationship with God. The evil spirit retorted, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?’ The demon then viciously attacked them and humiliated them. The evil spirits were fearfully aware of Jesus (James 2:19); they were familiar with Paul’s influence over the powers of darkness. But the demons had no knowledge of the seven sons of Sceva. You can duplicate the words and deeds of a spiritually mature Christian, but you cannot inherit his or her walk with God. Christian maturity takes effort; it comes over time. If you ignore the place of prayer and if you neglect your relationship with Christ, you will not grow in your faith. Imitating the faith of others will not give you victory. Only as you nurture your own relationship with Jesus will your life be filled with spiritual maturity and power. (Henry T. Blackaby)
Acts 19:18-20 – Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all….
Revival came when people repented and confessed their sins in the church.
Acts 19:20 – So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
“Paul’s world worshiped idols. No idol was more revered in Ephesus than the goddess Diana. The great statue was housed in a magnificent temple and was recognized as one of the wonders of the world. An idol-making industry, providing a livelihood for many people, developed in Ephesus to support the widespread idolatry of the day. Paul did not go to Ephesus to condemn those worshiping idols but to unashamedly proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. As Paul shared the truths of God, and as people were set free from their sins, idol worship began to decline. The contrast between stone carvings and God’s power to change lives became obvious. The righteous lives of the Christians stood in stark contrast to the hedonistic practices of the idol worshipers. The victorious Christian witness was so compelling that the economy of the entire city was thrown into upheaval as idolatry diminished in favor of Christianity. An idol is anything that diverts our devotion from God. Our society is as idolatrous as Paul’s was. Rather than worshiping statues, we choose possessions, pleasures, or careers as our gods and pour our time, finances, and energy into these things. Each of us is called, as Paul was, to live a victorious, joyful, and purposeful Christian life in the midst of an idolatrous society. We do not have to seek out and condemn today’s idols. Rather, as we live out our Christianity, enjoying the abundant life God gives, our lives will discredit the idols around us. We may face opposition and hostility from those who are angered at the contrast between our God and theirs. People do not like to have their idols dethroned! Yet as we uphold Christ, others will see a difference and be drawn to Him and the life that He offers.” (Henry T. Blackaby)
Acts 19:23-41 – About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way….
Revival stirred up opposition among unbelievers.
Acts 19:26 – And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods.
Revival came when God alone was recognized as God.
Acts 19:27 – And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.
Revival threatened all other religions, world views, and value systems.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 6 May 2024: Today, pray that God will fill you with genuine spiritual maturity and the power of God in your life will be evident to those around and serve as a powerful testimony to God’s glory.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 