68 Acts 19:1-7 13 Men Stuck Between Two Faiths

February 04, 2025

Christopher C. Freeman

Title: 13 Men Stuck Between Two Faiths Text: Acts 19:1-7 FCF: We all struggle to with the tension of the diversity and uniformity that exists in the church. Prop: Because all kind of people will receive the Holy Spirit, we must call all to repent, believe on Christ, and be baptized in His name. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Acts 19. In a moment we will read starting in verse 1 from the New English Translation. You can follow along in the pew bible or whatever version you prefer. Last week Luke closed out the record of the second missionary journey of Paul. As he did this, he gave record of the work as it continued in Paul’s absence. Part of this work was to record an episode concerning another major figure in the work of the kingdom. Apollos the evangelist and apologist steps on the scene and heads off to Achaia to continue the work there refuting the Jews. Today, in what is obviously connected thematically to the previous episode of Apollos, Luke will record another interaction with 12 men who were also converts of John the Baptist. But this time we will see Paul address and correct their deficiencies in doctrine. In this narrative episode, we will learn a great deal about how the gospel call will be answered by a broad and diverse group of people, but the gospel effect is quite narrow and uniform. Let’s look at chapter 19 verse 1. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the reading of the Word of God. Invocation: Most High God, Father of the Nations, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, we come to You today as citizens of Your Kingdom. You have called and gathered us from the ends of the earth and granted us sight to see the wonderous truths of Your holy order. You have shone through our blind eyes to awake us to the hope of life in Your son Jesus Christ. You have plunged us into baptism, immersed us into the total work of the Godhead to save us from sin and death and free us to life eternal. You have given us your Holy Spirit to live in us and guide us in all things. Father these truths are so precious to us. Help us to see in Your word today how these truths affect how we engage our culture and even our enemies. Help our faith to be moved to action today by what You have revealed. Help us to love You more. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Transition: [Slide 2] It’s amazing how catastrophic the smallest piece of information withheld at the worst time can be. Whether it is a navigation system failing to give an audible direction on time, or a text not coming through to inform you of the change of a meeting time or location, or the failure of a coach to give the signal to steal. In these moments, had the information been given, certain catastrophe could have been avoided and all would have gone according to plan. Today we will meet 12 men who missed, by a good 20 years, a rather pivotal piece of information regarding the most important subject that exists… the future of their eternal souls. They had 90% of the message, but unfortunately for them the last 10% was so significant, they were now caught between two faiths, seen as a heretic by one and as lacking by the other. So, are they without hope? Are they too late? Are they just victims of bad timing? Let’s find out. I.) All who are genuinely part of Christ’s church have received the Holy Spirit, so we must call all to repent, believe on Christ, and be baptized in His name. a. [Slide 3] 1 - While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul went through the inland regions and came to Ephesus. i. Although Luke only said that Apollos was going to Achaia, as he continues, it is clear that the capital of Achaia was Apollos’ true destination. ii. We know from various other passages of scripture that Apollos made an impression on the city of Corinth. iii. While he was there, Paul comes to Ephesus by the inland regions. iv. We don’t quite know when this missionary journey began. v. The best estimates are somewhere between late AD 52 and AD 53. vi. [Slide 4] Paul travels through the inland regions meaning he comes by a direct route to Ephesus. He is visiting some of the churches he planted in the first missionary journey along the way. vii. But it is clear that Paul intends to come to Ephesus and spend a good deal of time there. viii. This verse provides a clear connection between Apollos’ story and what will follow. Apollos is referenced along with the beginning of the trip Luke already mentioned in chapter 18 verse 23. ix. It is obvious that the first 7 verses of chapter 19 are intended to be taken together with the previous account of Apollos. x. It is an unfortunate chapter division. b. [Slide 5] He found some disciples there 2 - and said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” i. When Paul arrives, he discovers a group of disciples, followers, learners who appear to be believers. ii. Nevertheless, something seems off about them. So, Paul asks them if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed. iii. The Holy Spirit’s indwelling is THE sign of a person being a citizen of the kingdom of God. iv. Paul does not ask first if they believed on Jesus. He doesn’t ask first if they have been baptized. He doesn’t ask first if they are involved in a local church somewhere. v. The book of Acts makes it clear that the only way we really know that someone is of the Kingdom of God – is if they have received the Holy Spirit. vi. That is the sign given to us that we are redeemed. vii. Furthermore, Paul links the coming of the Holy Spirit with belief. Receiving faith in Jesus Christ for a genuine member of the church is, at least in Paul’s mind, linked with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. viii. This is NOT the Spirit’s work of regeneration, which happens prior to belief as we have seen in several of our book studies over the last few years. ix. That work is like a wind and happens unpredictably and without warning, like Jesus says to Nicodemus. x. But the Indwelling of the Spirit is a predictable outcome upon genuine belief. At least this is what Paul is assuming. xi. Now because these men answer in the way they do it is very obvious that they are not truly disciples of Christ. 1. There is an untranslated word in the Greek that indicates something that is in addition to in an amplifying manner. 2. In English we often use the expression “not only, blah blah blah, but also blah blah blah” in these instances. 3. The NET translators have done an excellent job expressing this efficiently by simply supplying the word “even” in the text. 4. Not only have they not received the Holy Spirit… but also we have not even heard that there IS a Holy Spirit. 5. This could mean that they have never heard of the third person of the Godhead, but because they are Jews, it is far more likely that they had not heard that the third person of the Godhead was present in this way and was available to be received by anyone or by any means. xii. Since their response obviously indicated that they were not indwelled by the Holy Spirit Paul has another question. c. [Slide 6] 3 - So, Paul said, “Into what then were you baptized?” “Into John’s baptism,” they replied. i. Had their statement been either that they had received the Spirit, or that they THOUGHT they had received the Holy Spirit, we might expect Paul’s question to be different. 1. In other words, the test of whether or not someone has the Holy Spirit is not what that they have been baptized into the triune God. 2. From other texts of the New Testament, we find that the true test of whether or not someone has been indwelled with the Spirit is knowledge of God on an intimate level. 3. Although assurance can be lost for a time, the New Testament makes it seem that most Christians should live in a constant awareness of the Spirit’s indwelling presence. 4. Indeed, so much of the New Testament is given as a means to see, experience, recognize, or assure ourselves of the Spirit’s indwelling presence in us. 5. And not only for us but also for assurance of the Holy Spirit’s presence in others. 6. And His presence is greatly tied to His changing and grace giving power in us to be and do what God has remade us to be and do. ii. So, notice here Paul’s immediate question following their confession that they did not realize that the Spirit was available to be received. iii. Paul immediately associates the indwelling of the Holy Spirit with baptism. iv. In Acts, while sometimes the Spirit comes before water baptism, sometimes after, and sometimes at the same time, there is a close association of the indwelling of the Spirit and baptism. v. Just as there is a close association with the indwelling of the Spirit and belief on Christ. vi. In this, Peter’s message at Pentecost remains the definitive test for the normal indicative experience of every person entering the family of God. vii. As Peter puts it “Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” viii. Repentance and belief on Christ lead to the indwelling of the Spirit of God and baptism in Jesus’ name proves the commitment of one who is indwelled with the Spirit of God. To Paul – all three should be present because all three are necessary, even if they are not necessary in the same way. ix. Paul has taken these men as disciples of Christ and even assumed that they were baptized members of the church. But if they haven’t been indwelled with the Spirit of God… then he needs to find out more about their baptism. x. If their baptism wasn’t in submission to the indwelled Spirit of God… what was it for? xi. And in this we find that they were baptized into John’s Baptism. xii. Since, as we said, Luke has put the stories of Apollos and these men back-to-back, it is clear Luke wants us to see that both Apollos and these disciples were faithful Jews who had been taught from John’s school. xiii. Jews baptized to prepare them with repentance for the coming forgiveness of sins through the immanent Messiah. xiv. What is also clear is that the baptism of John, including all John taught, was not enough to fully transition a Jewish persons’ faith into a Messianic, New Covenant faith. It was not enough to push them to take the next step of Judaism and become a Christian. xv. The way the book of Acts crafts this whole discussion is that there are not two different faiths, Judaism and Christianity. Instead, there is True Judaism which was for the Jews to receive Jesus as their Messiah and join the church to become Christians… and there were those Jews who had rejected their own Messiah and become dead branches and cut off from their covenant promises. xvi. But in regard to these men, they are somewhere in-between. They are stuck in the Old Covenant still. They haven’t rejected Christ; in fact, they are prepared to receive Him… but they have not yet understood what to receive and how. xvii. So, the real question is – are they allowed at this late hour to be admitted into the Kingdom of Christ? Is it too late for these Jews who have not yet rejected their Messiah, to receive their Messiah? xviii. We’ll have to see what Paul does with them in a moment. d. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: Luke begins this third missionary journey with the record of Paul testing the profession of a group of 12 men. In this we see Luke’s point, that the Kingdom of God produces certain uniform and verifiable results to all who enter it. The very first of these is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, which is inextricably linked to receiving faith in Christ and baptism in His name. In this we can draw the teaching that the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence is the standard by which we test if someone is part of Christ’s church or not. It is not mere profession alone, nor mere baptism alone. Evidence of the Spirit’s indwelling is absolutely essential. And the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit is only given to those who have repented and believed the correct doctrine concerning Jesus. And The Spirit’s indwelling presence is first evidenced by obedience in submitting to baptism in Jesus’ name as a picture of their faith in Christ. Since all this is true, just as Paul did, we must be sure that all who would be part of the church have received the Spirit through repentance and faith in Christ and have evidenced the Holy Spirit’s indwelling through obedience first by baptism in Jesus’ name. Transition: [Slide 8(blank)] So now that Paul knows the problem, what will be his tactic to deal with these men who are stuck between two faiths? Are they disqualified? If not, how will he prove to them that they lack understanding concerning the Messiah? Let’s look. II.) The gospel call will be answered by all kinds of people, so we must call all to repent, believe on Christ, and be baptized in His name. a. [Slide 9] 4 - Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” i. How does Paul engage these Jews who are on the edge of taking the next step in Judaism? ii. He engages them in what he knows John taught. He started from what they believed and knew. iii. A wonderful tactic we should emulate when we take the gospel to others. iv. John taught them to be baptized in repentance and to believe in the one who was going to come after him. v. Well John’s been dead for about 25 years, and apparently, they had not heard, or had forgotten that Jesus had actually came to John to be baptized, at which point John identified Him as the one who came after. vi. Either they had not heard or had forgotten that John prophesied that the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit. vii. Paul’s message is – my friends, have you not heard? The One who was to come after John has come. The One who baptizes with the Spirit has come. viii. He is Jesus. b. [Slide 10] 5 - When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, i. Again, we see baptism, belief, and repentance rolled into one event. ii. Baptism is again affiliated strongly with the conversion of a person and not their preparation for conversion. We as Baptists really like to point that out. iii. They were baptized into a new and better baptism. iv. Where John’s baptism was anticipatory (like many baptisms in Christendom today seem to be), Jesus’ baptism is a declaration of affiliation. v. Where John’s baptism was never meant to be the final baptism, baptism into the triune God is final. vi. Where John’s baptism was in preparation for a hope of something to come (again like many baptisms in Christendom today), Jesus’ baptism is a physical sign of that hope being fulfilled. vii. John’s baptism required repentance and admission of sinfulness and desire for forgiveness, but it was not enough. You must believe on Jesus and be baptized into Him in order to be part of the church. viii. Luke recording this immediately following Apollos’ experience sheds more light on what is going on here. ix. It is probably safe to conclude that even though Apollos taught rightly about Jesus in what he knew, he too was only acquainted with the teachings of John. Meaning that he too needed to receive faith in Christ and be baptized into Him. x. And even though Luke did not record such an event, because of what we see happening only a few verses later, we can reasonably assume that he too was baptized into the triune God. c. [Slide 11] 6 - and when Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy. 7 - (Now there were about twelve men in all.) i. As we’ve seen in each of the cases where a new group of people have come to faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit’s indwelling is accompanied with the sign gifts of tongues and prophesy. ii. The same sign indicates that all these different kinds of people are joining the same church. iii. There is not a Samaritan church, a God-Fearer church, a gentile church, a Jewish church, and now a Baptistic Jewish Church. iv. All the different factions of humanity homogenize into one church who are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and are indwelled with the Holy Spirit. v. Some may ask, “Why did the Holy Spirit come after belief and baptism and only when Paul placed his hands on them? 1. To the Jews in Acts 2, the apostles were filled with the Spirit and spoke in tongues yet we have no passage in the entire New Testament where they were baptized in Jesus’ name. 2. Then they preached to other Jews who accepted the message and were baptized, but the timing of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling is not mentioned there nor that they displayed sign gifts. 3. To the Samaritans in Acts 8 they accepted the message and were baptized but did not receive the Spirit until Peter and John came down and prayed that they would receive the Holy Spirit. After this, it is said they did receive the Spirit but not how that was known. We assumed it was due to sign gifts. 4. To the God-Fearers and Gentiles in Acts 10, they heard the message and in their receiving of faith, the Holy Spirit fell on them evidenced by sign gifts such as speaking in tongues. With this evidence, Peter concludes that baptism should be offered immediately since they have the Spirit. 5. Finally, here in chapter 19 we see the apostle Paul (much like Peter and John toward the Samaritans) laid hands on these twelve Baptistic Jewish after they had believed and were baptized and they received the Holy Spirit as evidenced with sign gifts. 6. So, our question is… is the lack of a pattern teaching us a lesson? 7. The lesson is that the Holy Spirit came when He wanted upon those whom He wanted and when He arrived that was a sign not only meant for the person who had just believed, but primarily for those who were already a part of the Kingdom to recognize that this new group of people could join and were now part of the church. 8. People who aren’t pure Jews could be part of the church. People who weren’t Jews at all but were somewhat Jewish in their faith could be part of the church. People that were neither Jewish in faith or nationality could be part of the church and finally those who were not quite Jewish but not quite Christian… could be part of the church. 9. With this, the last demarcation of human existence is toppled. God so loved the world… All kinds of different people… that He gave His only Son that ALL the believing ones in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. d. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: Although Luke’s first point was the rigidness and uniformity of the path to become part of Christ’s church, his second point shows the diversity and breadth of those who will answer the gospel call. As Baptistic Jews these men were borderline Jewish heretics while at the same time being borderline Christian heretics. They were truly a group of people caught in the middle with no belonging. But just as we have seen the gospel go to the nation of the Jews who rejected their own Messiah, just as we’ve seen the gospel go to the Samaritans who were Jewish cultists and heretics, just as we’ve seen the gospel go to those who could never be Jewish like the Ethiopian Eunuch, Just as we’ve seen the gospel go to God-Fearers who were gentile Yahweh worshippers, just as we’ve seen the gospel go to gentile pagans who were polytheists, just as we’ve seen the gospel go to the wealthy, the powerful, the poor, the weak, so now we see the gospel go to this group who don’t belong to any faith at all. Religiously ousted by the Jews and not quite Christian either. Yet they respond and come to Christ. Luke’s point – is that the gospel is for all kinds of men. The gospel call goes out to all people. And it will be heard by all kinds of people. So we must be sure to call all to receive the Spirit through repentance and faith in Christ and evidence the Holy Spirit’s indwelling through obedience first in baptism in Jesus’ name. Conclusion: So, what have we learned today CBC, and how shall we live? Doctrinal takeaway: [Slide 13] Two points of doctrine coalesce into the funnel of the Kingdom of God. The gospel call will be answered very broadly. Men and women from all kinds of backgrounds will hear the call of God and receive faith in Christ and be baptized in His name. People coming from various religious backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, political perspectives, ethnicities, skin colors, the powerful, the famous, the weak, the deplorables and every one in between, the Lord is gathering, in the broadest possible way, His Kingdom together. But this is a funnel because as He gathers them from a diverse and broad background, He funnels them into the same narrow gate. They must receive the Holy Spirit through repentance and faith in Christ alone and that reception of the Spirit must be evidenced by obedient and submissive hearts to publicly declare with their words and actions that Christ is their Lord and Savior, first in baptism in His name and every day following by living upright and holy lives. Though we may have been very different people before we came to Christ – after coming to Christ we are all more alike than we are different. Why? Because the things that made us different before are insignificant when compared to the thing that makes us the same. Since this is true… we must call all kinds of people from various backgrounds to the exact same gospel. Repent, believe the gospel of Christ and be baptized in His name. You will receive the Spirit of God and then all the world will know you are His. Sealed until the day of redemption. But let me apply this more specifically to us today. 1.) [Slide 14] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must believe that the gospel call will be answered by people from a wide variety of backgrounds. a. Why must we love our enemies? b. Why must we love those who persecute us? c. Why must we pray for those who spitefully use us? d. Why are we not free to treat others as they treat us? e. In the political realm, in the social realm, at work, in our families – why can’t we fight fire with fire? Trade insult for insult? Scream louder? Fight harder? f. My friends, in a moment, according to the will of God, His Spirit can regenerate a heart and prepare it to receive faith in Christ and with faith the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. g. Such a miracle can happen to literally any person we know who still draws breath on this earth. h. Died in the wool democrats with the most liberal agenda, wealthy autocrats, corporate stooges, porn stars, drag queens, transgender people and pundits, Mormons, Modalists, Managers, Swiss people, German people, black, white, red and yellow, bumpkins and geniuses, southerners and northerners… and yes, apparently even Ohioans – My friends the gospel call goes to all and the gospel call is received by all kinds. i. The vision of the New Kingdom is global and the Lord is gathering His church from all the nations of the earth. j. Even these 13 men, forgotten in the middle of these two religious systems., but friends they were NOT FORGOTTEN by GOD! k. He had elected them before the foundation of the world and although they were late to the party… they were given the truth and welcomed to the fold. l. You and I cannot afford to be at war with anyone on this earth. Why? m. Because even if they aren’t now… they may one day be our brother or sister in Christ. n. So what does that mean for us? 2.) [Slide 15] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must take the gospel to all people. a. I’m not saying we should not fight to keep morality and godly principles as the law of the land. b. But when we are talking about actual people. Not organizations or groups… but people… we must assume that even they, if the Lord so allows, will be brought to Christ through His Word. c. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by what? The Word of God. d. And what does the Lord say about His word in Isaiah 55? It will not return to him void. It will accomplish the purpose for which it was sent. e. The Word of God always accomplishes the purpose that God sends it to do. f. We preach the word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ and we call all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel and be baptized in Jesus’ name. g. God’s purpose for His Word is different for different people. For Pharoah, it hardened Him. But for you and I… it broke us. h. If the gospel call goes out to all men, then all kinds of men are being drawn with that gospel Word. i. We must faithfully give it to all. Even those who persecute us. Even those who spitefully use us. j. Don’t get sucked in to fighting battles over policies and earthly issues. k. Preach the Word of God and share His gospel. l. They may hate you for it… but at least then you are doing what your Lord has required of you. 3.) [Slide 16] Refutation: “What lies must we cast down” or “What do we naturally believe, or have been taught to believe, that this passage shows is false?” We must deny that people can enter the narrow way by various gates. a. But we would also do well to remember that although the ones whom the Lord has called to His Kingdom are from a diverse background… all who come, come by a narrow way. b. In some very unimportant things, we have great diversity in the church. Music preferences, certain doctrinal convictions on dress standards, movie preferences and more. c. But listen, where it counts, in what matters… we are exactly the same. d. We believe in God the Father almighty maker of heaven and earth. e. And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord. f. Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified died and was buried and descended into hell. g. The third day he rose again from the dead, he ascended in heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. h. From there He will come to judge the living and the dead. i. We believe in the Holy Spirit and His indwelling in all who truly believe. j. We believe in the Holy Universal Church which was predestined, called, justified, is being sanctified and will one day be glorified. k. We believe in the communion of this church known in the scriptures as the saints. l. We believe in the forgiveness of sins by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. m. We believe in the resurrection of the body in whom Christ was firstborn of many siblings. n. We believe in eternal life which is given to all the believing ones in Christ. o. This set of beliefs and all the ramifications it has on us are the core of what we are. p. So much so, that to deny any of these points sets one’s profession immediately into question. q. There is no room for diversity in these things for those who have entered the narrow gate. r. And for us, CBC, we also believe in being baptized in the name of the Triune God as a picture of belief in Christ and that we will one day be raised to life eternal which begins the moment we are baptized in the Spirit. s. That those who are truly Christ’s followers must follow in baptism. There is no such person in the New Testament who after receiving Christ by true faith, was not baptized shortly after if it were possible. t. My friends… doctrine matters. Paul did not tell these men… well… close enough guys. u. Instead, he preached the gospel to them. And baptized them again in the triune God. v. And they are so very glad that he did. w. What does this mean for us? 4.) [Slide 17] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don’t naturally do or aren’t currently doing?” We must test professions of faith for evidence of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. a. Although we preach the gospel to all because all may come… b. Once a person comes, we must expect them to be more the same than they are different. c. In our hyper individualized world, we sometimes forget the communal aspect of the church. d. You cannot join us and be who you wish to be. e. The church is one body. We must function together. We must be more alike than we are different. f. This is why the Scriptures exist. This is why church discipline exists. This is why Elders exist. To ensure that we are all of one body and mind. Unified in doctrine and practice. g. We can have room for diversity in matters that the scriptures do not make plain. h. But there can be no unity when we disagree over issues to which the scriptures clearly speak. i. In this passage Paul expects the Holy Spirit to be present, and a profession in Christ and baptism in His name to be necessary. j. To this list we can add all that the scriptures plainly declare to us concerning all things most important of which being the way of redemption. k. When we find those who lack this by doctrine or practice – we must investigate and reprove, rebuke, correct, and instruct in righteousness so that they will be furnished for every good work. 5.) [Slide 18] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God won’t deny any who faithfully seek Him. a. These 13 men faithfully sought the Messiah. b. They believed John and were baptized into his teaching. c. They were simply ignorant of the Messiah’s identity and mission. d. God does not forget them. He doesn’t leave them behind. He doesn’t say – so close… but too late. e. Our friends, relatives, those we love, and those who hate us – if they faithfully seek the Lord… He will reveal Himself to them. f. For our God is a good and gracious God. [Slide 19 (end)] Let me close with a prayer by the English Puritan John Bunyan. Lord, we profess the faith, and yet care not for the dying. We profess, and yet long not for the coming of the day of God. We profess, and yet by our whole life show to them that can see how little a measure of it we have in our hearts. Lord, lead us more into the power of things. Then the virtues of Him who has saved us, and called us out of darkness into His marvelous light, will be made known to others. It is in His name we ask this. Amen. Benediction: May He who builds His lofty palace in the heavens And sets its foundation on the earth, Who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out over the face of the land Grant you an awareness of His love that you may be always joyful, praying continually and giving thanks in all circumstances and bearing witness of this to all For this is the will of God for you. Until we meet again, go in peace.