Sermons
A Message by the Rev. Harvey G. Throop
Palisades Presbyterian Church
San Diego, California
(12) The Apostle: Baptized Into the Spirit
(Acts 18:24-19:7)
“ They replied, 'No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit'.”
(Acts 19:2b)
There has always been a great deal of misunderstanding and disagreement in the church concerning the Holy Spirit and its work. The passage read for our Scripture lesson is not untypical.
After Paul had departed from Corinth, he traveled to other cities and eventually made his way into Ephesus. When Paul arrived in Ephesus, he found believers in the city. Naturally, he wanted to know how they had come to faith and they informed him that it had been through a man named Apollos.
According to Luke, Apollos, a Jew from Alexandria, had arrived in Ephesus prior to Paul's coming there and had taught in the local synagogue. He had come across as “an eloquent man, well-versed in the scriptures.” He was a person able to articulate well his thoughts so as to capture the minds and emotions of his listeners. More than that, he could open up the scriptures in such a way as to make them come alive to his listeners. His gifted manner and impressive speaking ability won him not only a curious audience but also, also, a wide following.
Further, Luke tells us, “He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord; and he spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John” (Acts 18:25).
In other words, he had a charisma that attracted much publicity and large audiences, but his message was not complete.
On one occasion, when Apollos had concluded his address in the synagogue there in Ephesus, Priscilla and Aquilla, two tent-making friends of Paul, had approached him to thank him for his message. Intellectually and even culturally, they probably had little in common with Apollos, but they shared his belief that Jesus was the Messiah. I'm sure they complimented him on his many fine words. Many thoughtful people do that.
Often, in fact, interesting things are said by worshippers to me as they leave worship on Sunday morning. Here's a sampling.
“I enjoyed your sermon.”
“God really spoke to me through your sermon.”
“I disagreed with everything you said this morning.”
“I wish my husband was here today to hear that sermon.”
“You must not be feeling very well today.”
“Your sermons are like water to a drowning man.”
“I really enjoyed last week's sermon.”
“So then you agree with the Apostle Paul?”
Once in a while, I'm given advice.
The teaching of Apollos concerning Jesus in the synagogue at Ephesus had been inspiring and accurate as far as it went, but to all appearances, the new Christian movement had escaped his notice. So instead of simply saying, “We enjoyed your message,” Priscilla and Aquilla took Apollos aside to where they could talk privately and they explained the Way of God to him more accurately” (Acts 18:26).
To Apollos' credit, he didn't respond to Priscilla and Aquilla and tell them, “Who do you think you are to tell me what to preach?” Instead, he listened to their words and eagerly received what they had to inform him concerning Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. And he became an even more effective witness from that time on.
Later on, we read in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians words affirming the ministry of Apollos in Corinth. Paul wrote: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). It seems obvious that Apollos became a strong, dynamic leader of the Church.
Before all of that happened, however, when Paul arrived in Ephesus and found believers, he wanted to know how they had come to faith and they informed him that they had been baptized by a man named Apollos into a baptism of repentance. But when Paul pushed the issue and inquired, “'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?' They replied, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit'” (Acts 19:2).
Paul then pointed out to them that their baptism was incomplete because John was the forerunner of the One who was to come, Jesus Christ. So Paul baptized them in the name of Jesus Christ.
The scriptures say that Paul laid his hands on them and "the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied" (Acts 19:6).
This passage has given rise to the belief, in some circles, that when one receives the Spirit, one knows how to speak in "tongues." The New Testament has made it very clear that "speaking in tongues," while a gift of the Spirit, is a very minor gift. As you read the New Testament record, "speaking in tongues" appears rather quickly in the movement of the early church and then it disappears almost as abruptly.
If the truth were known, I suspect that most people today are where the folks in Ephesus were when Paul asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed, and they replied, "What is the Holy Spirit" (Acts 19:2)?
Well, just what is the Holy Spirit, and what does the Spirit do?
The Holy Spirit is a part of the Trinity. We believe that God has revealed Himself in three distinct ways -- as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We do not believe in "three gods."
In the Old Testament, God was remote and seemed almost unapproachable. The people he had created had often disappointed him. He had sent patriarchs, judges, and prophets and had given them kings to rule over them, but they were often "like sheep who went astray, everyone unto his own way."
In the New Testament, God came to us incarnate -- in the flesh -- in his only Son, Jesus. Jesus walked among humans and lived as we live. Jesus was rejected. He suffered as we suffer, was crucified and died as we die. After his death, he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. His Spirit was let loose in this world to speak with power to your heart and mine.
Through the Holy Spirit, God is with us today, working in us and through us, enabling us to experience the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives.
As the teachings of Christ are made real to us, we are convinced, convicted of our sin, challenged and changed. This is the work of God's Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings power to strengthen us to overcome things that are broken in our lives, power to cope with the things with which we must deal day after day and power to repent of our sins. But the essential task of the Holy Spirit is to make the teachings of Jesus Christ real in your life and in mine.
Now, in this context, there are many interesting things that happen. Because the Holy Spirit is invisible, some people have a way of projecting onto the Spirit all kinds of ideas and messages - some of which they bring to me directly! They will say that the Holy Spirit told them this or told them that or the Holy Spirit has led them here to me today to give me this message or that message. And I always listen! But I apply this test: Is this message consistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ? Sometimes, it isn't. It may be a human message in origin, but it's not of Christ.
One of the things I have noticed in my ministry is that there are some well-meaning people who regard the Holy Spirit almost as their personal possession … like they have the Holy Spirit on a leash. And that always makes me a bit uncomfortable.
They will say that God's Holy Spirit led them to this particular car dealer to buy a car or the Holy Spirit led them here or did that. I listen to these claims and I feel very uneasy … especially when there are so many things happening in our world that are crying out for the Spirit of God to address and to deal with. I just think buying used cars and the like is a long ways down the list.
There's another thing that some people seem to believe and that is that if one is truly "in the Spirit," one will experience an on-going spiritual high. Well, as nice as that might seem, you cannot stay in a constant state of spiritual revival. You move from inspiration to nurture to perspiration .
There's the entry into the faith and then there's the ongoing growth and nurture and service in the faith. New Christians must grow! If they don't grow, they will soon drop out. If you are growing, you will be a part of the church -- the community of faith. That's where the disciplines of the Christian life are emphasized: worship, daily Bible reading, prayer and the like. These disciplines are as important as the mountaintop experiences. You can't just park on the mountaintop. There's work to be done for Christ in the valley below.
Do you remember the words of that one hymn: "Where cross the crowded ways of life, where sound the cries of race and clan…”? There's work to be done! None of us can make it without the nourishing strength that comes from the covenantal community that is the church.
So, just what does the Holy Spirit do? For one thing, it fills us with its fruit. Jesus said, "You will know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:20).
The Apostle Paul, in Galatians, told us what those fruits would be. There are nine. The first three are gifts of God: " Love, joy and peace ." The second three are those that reveal who we are, qualities that should emanate from our lives: " Patience, kindness and generosity ." The final three are products of human choice: " Faithfulness, gentleness and self-control ." These are our equipment!
During World War 2, there was a publication entitled a Second Lieutenant's Handbook . It was a handbook printed for soldiers before they went into battle. It identified the following things they needed to take with them onto the battlefield: a bag, a canteen, a cup and meat can, knife, fork, spoon, case helmet, tags, masks, gas masks, pistol, ammunition, a watch, compass, field message book and first aid kit (Swindoll, "The Practical Life of Faith," Insight For Living , Word Publishing [Dallas, 1989] p. 129).
Well, each one of us who claims to follow Christ needs the fruits of the Spirit as we challenge the world for Jesus Christ. That's our task -- to live out all nine of these qualities.
Our task today and always is to let God's Spirit take up residence in our lives and take charge of who and what we are! When that finally happens, it will be obvious to others by the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control by which we live.
