Acts 18:18

And Paul after this tarried yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila, having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow. And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews. When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not; but bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus... and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.

Three men—an apostle, an Alexandrian, and a dozen almost Christians—reveal what truly separates genuine faith from mere religion.

The Apostle: Eighteen Months of Peace in Corinth

In this passage we meet three individuals: the apostle, the Alexandrian, and the almost Christians. Paul has now spent eighteen months in Corinth—the longest stay of his ministry to that point. Early in that time, an insurrection arose among the Jews of Corinth, just as in every city. They welcomed Paul warmly at first because there was a great fervency among first-century Jews about the coming of the Messiah.

Paul always began at the synagogue. He didn't immediately preach Jesus; he laid the groundwork from the Old Testament scriptures and the prophets, speaking of the coming Messiah. Because of their excitement, he was often welcomed with open arms.

Why the Jews Expected the Messiah

Every Jew knew Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. While Israel was exiled in sixth-century Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him but which he could not remember. He demanded his magicians both tell him the dream and interpret it—or die. Only Daniel, a prophet of the Most High God, could reveal it.

Daniel described a great statue: a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, body of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron mixed with clay. The head of gold was Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon. After it would come the silver Medo-Persian empire, then the bronze Greeks under Alexander the Great, then the iron Romans. Finally, a rock cut from a mountain would destroy all these world systems.

By the first century, the Jews could look back and see the prophecy fulfilled: Babylon fell to the Medo-Persians, they to the Greeks, the Greeks to the Romans. Now, living under Rome, they expected the Messiah to come at any moment, destroy all world empires, and rule from Jerusalem with them reigning alongside him.

So when Paul came teaching the Messiah, they eagerly listened. For several weeks he laid the groundwork, showing that the Messiah must come and suffer. Then he would declare: the Messiah has come—he suffered, was put to death in Jerusalem, but rose from the dead. About that point, they would turn on him, expel him from the synagogue, and seek to kill him.

We saw that insurrection last week when they dragged Paul before the judgment seat of Gallio, the deputy of the region. Gallio refused to hear the case, saying it was a matter of their own words and religion, not a Roman judicial issue. Through Gallio's indifference, he effectively put a seal of approval on Paul—saying Paul had as much right to be there as they did. As a result, Paul stayed eighteen months, the safest time of his ministry to that point.

Paul's Nazarite Vow and Return to Jerusalem

Paul had such peace and safety that he even had time to get a haircut before leaving Cenchrea. But Scripture tells us he had a vow—likely a Nazarite vow described in Numbers 6. A Nazarite vow was a vow of consecration: separating yourself wholly to the Lord for a time, touching nothing unclean, partaking of no fruit of the vine, and letting your hair grow. At the end, you would shave your head and bring offerings to the Lord—a sin offering, burnt offering, meal offering, and peace offering.

Don't misunderstand: Paul was not going to Jerusalem to offer those sacrifices, because he was now under the new covenant and that was no longer necessary. But he still recognized the need to consecrate himself wholly to the Lord, and he was heading to Jerusalem to keep a feast.

He left the brethren at Corinth—and notice that when Paul arrived in Corinth there were no brethren and no church, but when he left there was a growing, strong church. Yes, it had weaknesses; Paul would write two letters to confront them. But like any church, they were being sanctified. We too are not perfected. Even Paul told the Philippians, "I am not perfect, nor have I attained, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me."

A Wide-Open Door He Would Not Enter

Paul came to Ephesus, the chief city of Asia Minor, leaving Priscilla and Aquila behind while he entered the synagogue alone. I believe that was strategic. Back in Acts 16, Paul had tried to enter Asia and the Spirit forbade him. Now the door is open—yet he goes in alone, perhaps because his reputation from Thessalonica or Corinth had preceded him and he did not want Priscilla and Aquila clearly associated with him, since they would remain in the city.

He reasoned with the Jews, and they were open to his message. When they asked him to stay longer, he refused. This surprised me—Paul had so longed to enter Asia, and now a wide-open door stands before him where there had been a closed one, yet he does not stay. He would not stay because he had made a vow and intended to keep it.

I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will.

Paul recognized he was sent of the Lord and lived at the will of the Lord. He believed God had called him back to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast—likely Pentecost. Pentecost had become important to the church because it was on Pentecost in Acts 2 that God poured out His Spirit.

But Paul's understanding of the feasts was now greater as a Christian than before. Every Jew observed the seven feasts of Leviticus 23—Passover, unleavened bread, first fruits, Pentecost, trumpets, the day of atonement, and tabernacles—but they observed them with a historical, patriotic focus on their nation's past. As a Christian, Paul saw they all are ultimately fulfilled in Jesus: He is the Passover lamb, the unleavened bread, the first fruits from the dead, and the one who poured out His Spirit at Pentecost. Interestingly, today, May 23rd, is the feast of Pentecost.

A Duty-Bound Apostle

Paul departed Ephesus in early spring, around AD 53, landed at Caesarea, went up to Jerusalem, saluted the church, and went back to Antioch. There was no great ceremony, no celebration—just a brief greeting before he moved on. Why? Paul understood his calling. He was an apostle, an ambassador of Christ, one sent with a message. Though the fellowship in Jerusalem was wonderful and home in Antioch was sweet, God had called him to the field.

So he traveled back through Galatia—the churches of his first journey—and Phrygia—the churches of his second—strengthening the disciples at Iconium, Lystra, and Antioch of Pisidia. And I believe he had Ephesus in his sights the whole way, for God had great work to do in Asia Minor.

The Alexandrian: Eloquent and Fervent

And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.

While Paul traveled, this determined young preacher arrived in Ephesus. Apollos was from Alexandria, the intellectual capital of the Roman Empire, established by Alexander the Great, home of a great library said to contain over 700,000 volumes. It was there in the third century BC that the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into the Greek Septuagint, and a large Jewish population lived there.

Apollos was well-schooled, "instructed in the way of the Lord"—the way of God—and "fervent in the spirit," which in the original means boiling over with enthusiasm. When I think of Apollos, I think of Pastor Josh Olson; you could never accuse him of not being excited about the Scriptures. Apollos taught diligently—clearly and exactly proclaiming the word from the Old Testament.

But he knew only the baptism of John. Some hearers or disciples of John the Baptist had apparently gone down to Alexandria while John preached his message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand—the Messiah is coming." Apollos knew that baptism of repentance, but little more.

Taught the Way of God More Perfectly

Priscilla and Aquila were in the synagogue when this young man stood and began declaring the Scriptures, teaching much like Paul—until he stopped at John in the wilderness with his camel hair and locusts. They surely looked at each other and wondered, "Who is this man?" Afterward they took him aside and expounded to him the way of God more perfectly, sharing the truth: the Messiah has come, died on the cross, and risen from the dead. Apollos received it.

They sent him on to Corinth with a letter of commendation. I suspect they may have told him that Paul, who had shared this gospel with them, would soon return to Ephesus—and that Apollos, respecting Paul, chose to move on to Corinth.

He mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

This is amazing, because Paul could not do this in Corinth. I think it had to do with Apollos's eloquence. Paul told the Corinthians, "When I came to you, I came not with excellency of speech... but declaring nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified." Paul could preach, but Apollos was the better speaker, with a fuller command of Greek from his Alexandrian upbringing, able to reach Hellenistic Jews. He convinced many publicly from the Scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

This created a problem in Corinth: factions arose. Some said, "I am of Apollos," others, "I am of Paul," and when Peter came, "I am of Cephas." Paul rebuked them—"Are you not carnal?"—because it is fleshly to divide that way, since it is God who gives the increase. Paul was not bothered by Apollos's following; he was bothered by how the people reacted. But clearly Apollos was well received.

The Almost Christians

And finding certain disciples, he said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

When Paul returned to Ephesus, he found about a dozen men who seemed to be followers of the Way—they walked the right walk and talked the right talk—yet something was amiss that made Paul question their profession. I call them almost Christians.

This should teach us that not all who profess to be followers truly are, and not all who pay lip service to Christianity truly know its truth. Scripture is clear that there should be evidences of saving faith, because the saved have received the Spirit. Paul tells the Corinthians, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith" (2 Corinthians 13:5), and the Romans that "the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Romans 8:16).

What evidences? In Philippians 2:13 Paul says, "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." A believer who has received the Spirit both desires to obey God and, by God's power, obeys. The verse before says, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling"—and the person without the Spirit truly toils in fear and trembling every day, wondering whether he will ever get there.

It may not be politically correct to question someone's profession, but it is biblically correct. Paul did exactly that. When they said they hadn't even heard of the Holy Spirit, Paul probed. In John 20, the risen Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost," because even those who are outwardly religious can be inwardly spiritually dead.

You Must Be Born of the Spirit

Consider Nicodemus in John 3—the teacher of Jerusalem, the man to find if you wanted to know religion. He came by night with flowery words, and Jesus stopped him cold: "Ye must be born again." Nicodemus, who always had something to say, was suddenly blubbering, asking how he could enter his mother's womb a second time. Jesus said, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

Jesus did not withhold the answer or tell him to study longer. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man would be lifted up, "that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." Nicodemus needed to put his confidence not in his works or his identity, but in the work Jesus would do on the cross.

Paul uses the same Greek word, lambano—"receive"—in 1 Corinthians 6:19: "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" In Ephesians 1:13, believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. In Romans 8:9, Paul says plainly, "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." If you don't have the Spirit, you're not saved—you may look like a Christian, attend church, even go on mission trips, but without the witness of the Spirit, you are not a Christian.

It is not the pastor's job to give you assurance of your salvation. That is the work of the Holy Spirit, whose Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

John Wesley and the Strangely Warmed Heart

Consider John Wesley, father of the Methodist movement. Raised by godly parents, he was so devoted that peers mockingly called him a "Methodist"—rising at four to study Greek and Hebrew and spending hours in prayer. He looked deeply religious. In his early twenties he came to the Americas to minister, but on the voyage a great storm struck. Wesley was terrified, yet a group of Moravian missionaries had absolute peace, singing hymns through the storm. He began to realize something was different about them.

Wesley was eventually driven out of the colonies and returned to England with his tail between his legs. A year later, at a Bible study on Aldersgate Street, the leader read from the preface of Luther's commentary on Galatians. As he spoke of the gospel of grace and justification by faith, Wesley said, "I felt my heart strangely warmed." Before that moment he was not saved, though he looked very Christian. Judas Iscariot also looked very Christian. Not all who profess to be followers truly are.

Baptized into the Name of the Lord Jesus

Paul explained to the Ephesian disciples that John had baptized with a baptism of repentance, calling the people to turn to God and be ready for the Messiah—but only with water. Baptism itself was familiar to the Jews as a ceremonial cleansing; John's great message was "Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Now Jesus had come.

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve.

Now they received the Spirit, and a transformation took place. One evidence is the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, self-control—not manufactured by the believer but produced by the Spirit. Another is the desire and ability to obey God. Before receiving the Spirit, people try to do God's will and toil endlessly, as God told Zechariah: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord." The almost Christian wants to get things done but does it in his own strength. Jesus said, "Ye shall be witnesses unto me"—not "try to be."

What the Almost Christian Almost Never Has

The almost Christian almost never has two things. First, humility—because he sets up a standard for himself, thinks he is keeping it, and looks down on everyone else, like the Pharisees. Second, joy—because joy is a fruit of the Spirit he does not have, and because deep down he knows he is not as spiritual as everyone thinks, living a sham.

To live the life of Christ in your own strength is impossible. To live out the Sermon on the Mount by your own effort is impossible, and you will be defeated and joyless. As one great Christian said, "It is no good giving me a play like Hamlet and telling me to write a play like that, because I couldn't do it. And it's no good showing me the life of Jesus and telling me to live a life like that, because I couldn't do it. But if the genius of Shakespeare could come and live in me, I could write plays like that—and if the Spirit of Jesus could come and live in me, then I could live a life like that."

That is the reality of the Christian: the temple of the Holy Spirit. As Paul told the Colossians, "This is the mystery... Christ in you, the hope of glory." I wonder if any among us are almost Christians, kicking themselves because they can't seem to measure up to the next person—while the Lord says, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest... and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

Willing to Look the Fool

In Ephesus, Paul found twelve men with an appearance of godliness who even spent time with believers, yet something was not right. Paul was willing to look like a fool and ask, "Have you really received the Spirit?" He did it not in arrogance but with a heart of compassion, because he knew not all paths lead to God. It is foolish to think every road arrives at the same destination—as foolish as expecting that if we all drove out of the parking lot in different directions, we would all end up in the same place.

As we'll see next week in Acts 19, an awesome revival followed. When these individuals were transformed by the Spirit, the believers in Ephesus gathered all their occultic wares and burned them—worth, in modern terms, well over fifteen million dollars. The peddlers of wickedness, even those profiting from the temple of Diana, began to go out of business.

I was at Cruisin' Grand on Friday with my wife and walked past the F Street bookstore. I thanked God the police put an outpost next door, and once again I prayed, "Lord, would you put that place out of business?" Do you know what would close it? Not legislation, not picketing—a revival in Escondido. If they lost all their patrons, they would close. When the Welsh revival came, the pubs went out of business and people held Bible studies in the taverns, because God transformed the people by His Spirit. It was not the church trying to make people holy—it was the Spirit of God giving new desires and new power. More than anything, that is what we need.

Closing Prayer

Father, I thought it interesting that James shared this morning from 2 Chronicles: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will heal their land." It says "if my people"—not the government, not the heathen, not the atheists, but if my people would humble themselves. Lord, perhaps today we need that kind of humbling, for your Spirit is able to convince us of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. The believers at Ephesus had wickedness within, and Paul said they must destroy it—but because you stirred their hearts by your Spirit, would you stir our hearts and draw us back to you? We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.