Acts 18:18

And Paul, after this, tarried yet a good while. Then he took his leave of the brethren and sailed into Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. He had shorn his head at Centuria, for he had a vow.

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 with them, he consented not. He bade them farewell, saying, "I must by all means keep this feast that comes at Jerusalem. But I will return again, if God will." He then sailed from Ephesus and landed in Caesarea. After going up and saluting the church, he went down to Antioch. After spending some time there, he departed and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.

Father, as we look into Your Word today, we ask that You would strengthen, instruct, and teach us. We pray for the Hoffman family, for Bill, for Wendy, and for their two daughters. We ask, Lord, for Your strength and comfort during this time of grief. We also ask that You would strengthen us in Your Word and give us clarity of thought as we look through this passage today. Lord, what we know not, teach us. What we have not, grant us. What we are not, make us. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, we pray. Amen.

You can be seated. As we come to this passage here in Acts 18 and part of chapter 19 today, we see three individuals: the apostle, the Alexandrian, and the almost Christians. Paul has now spent 18 months in the city of Corinth.

During that 18-month stay, the longest of his time in any city until that point, an insurrection arose with the Jews of Corinth. They did not like the message that Paul brought. Initially, they were very welcoming to him when he first arrived in their city because there was a great fervency among the Jewish community of the first century regarding the coming of the Messiah.

When Paul came to a city, he always started in the synagogue. He would begin to speak about the Messiah, drawing from the Old Testament scriptures and the prophets to lay the groundwork for the coming of the Messiah. Since there was such excitement among the first-century Jews about the Messiah's arrival, he was often welcomed with open arms.

Why was there such a fervent expectation in the first century that the Messiah would soon come? Every Jew knew and understood the prophecy of Daniel concerning the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. This may not be something you have studied, but in the book of Daniel, during the time that the children of Israel were exiles in Babylon in the sixth century BC, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had a dream one night that disturbed him. When he woke up, he could not remember the dream, but he knew he was troubled by it.

He called all of his wise men and magicians, saying, "I've had a dream, and I want you to interpret it." They replied, "Great, king, tell us the dream." But he insisted, "No, no, no. We're not going to play that game anymore. If you're really smart, if you're really magicians, then you tell me the dream and the interpretation, or I'll kill you."

They protested, "King, that's just not fair. You have to tell us the dream. How can we make up an interpretation if you don't tell us the dream?" The king responded, "No, you tell me the dream and the interpretation." They replied, "No one can do that, king." To which he declared, "Well, I guess you all die then."

Fortunately for them, Daniel was a prophet of the Most High God and was called before the king. He said, "I cannot tell you the dream, but God can. I will share with you what it was." He explained, "In your dream, you saw this great image, a statue. It had a head of gold, a chest and arms of silver, a body of bronze, legs of iron, and feet of iron mixed with clay."

And King, this is what God has spoken through your dream: you are the head of gold. I'm sure Nebuchadnezzar, that's right. But your kingdom, Babylon, is going to be taken over by another kingdom, the chest and arms of silver, the Medo-Persian Empire. Then they are going to be overtaken by the body of bronze, the Greeks, led by Alexander the Great. Ultimately, they would be subdued by the Romans, represented by the legs of iron. This would ultimately be destroyed, along with all world systems, by the rock that was cut from a mountain in your dream. It came and destroyed the whole image of these empires.

The Jews in the first century could look back and see that this prophecy had come to pass. The Babylonians were overtaken by the Medo-Persians, the Medo-Persians by the Greeks, and the Greeks by the Romans. Now, sitting under the empire of Rome, they expected the Messiah to come at any time. They believed he would destroy all world systems and empires, ruling and reigning from Jerusalem, with them ruling alongside him. They were excited and anticipating his coming.

Then Paul arrived, and there was already a fervency among the Jews in the synagogue. He began to talk about how he was from Jerusalem, a rabbi who had sat under Gamaliel, and he wanted to tell them about the Messiah. They were eager to hear him. For several weeks, he laid the groundwork for the coming of the Messiah, showing that the Messiah must come and suffer. He declared to them that the Messiah had come.

"What do you mean he has come?" they asked. He explained that he suffered and was put to death in Jerusalem, but he raised from the dead. At that point, they turned on him and kicked him out of the synagogue. Ultimately, they not only wanted to turn against him and expel him from the synagogue, but they also wanted to kill him and thrust him from the city.

We saw that insurrection in Corinth last week when they brought Paul before the Bema seat, the judgment seat of the deputy or governor of that region of the Roman Empire, Gallio. Gallio said, "I'm not going to hear this case. This is a case between your words and your religious matters, so I'm not going to hear it. It's not a judicial issue for Rome." By saying that, through his indifference, Gallio essentially put a seal of approval upon Paul, stating that he had just as much right to be there as they did. Therefore, they could not do anything to him. Paul stayed for 18 months in the city of Corinth.

It was really the safest time that he had experienced in his ministry up to that point. Now we see him here in Acts 18, verse 18, where Paul tarried with them for a good while. Eighteen months have come and passed, and now he is taking leave of the brethren. He sailed thence into Syria with Priscilla and Aquila, having cut his hair in Centuria. He had such peace when he was in Corinth and felt so safe that he even had enough time to get a haircut before he left. He went down to Del's barbershop in Centuria and got his hair cut.

Notice that it says in verse 1 that he took leave of the brethren who were there in Corinth. When Paul came to Corinth, there was no church and no brethren. However, by the time he left, there was a church that was growing and strong. Yes, it had its weaknesses, and Paul would write two letters to confront them about those weaknesses, but just like any church, they had their problems. They were growing and being sanctified.

We too recognize that we are not perfected. Even Paul the Apostle said to the Philippian church, "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." We are in that process of being sanctified, and yes, we have our rough edges.

Now, Paul takes leave of the brethren there and cuts his hair because we are told that he had a vow. The vow that Paul likely had was probably that of a Nazarite. If you want to study more about the Nazarite vow, you can do so in Numbers chapter 6. We don't have time to go into it today, but basically, a Nazarite vow was a vow of consecration. You were separating yourself to the Lord, consecrating yourself wholly and completely to Him for a period of time.

During that period of consecration, you would touch no unclean thing, you would not come near a dead body or anything unclean, nor would you partake of anything from the fruit of the vine—no grapes, no raisins, no wine, no grape juice, none of that. You would allow your hair to grow throughout the whole period of consecration, through the entire time of your vow. At the fulfillment of your vow, you would shave all the hair from your head and bring an offering to the Lord.

The offering that Numbers chapter 6 speaks of includes a sin offering, a burnt offering, a meal offering, and a peace offering to God. Paul apparently took a vow of consecration.

A Nazarite vow was taken by Paul while he was among the people of Corinth. He was completely and wholly devoted to the Lord. Probably throughout that whole 18-month period, he had not cut his hair. Now, at the end of it, he shaved his head and was going to return to Jerusalem.

Now, don't misunderstand here. Paul was not going to Jerusalem to offer a burnt offering, a sin offering, a meal offering, or a peace offering, because he was now under the new covenant, and that was not necessary. However, he still recognized the need to consecrate himself completely and wholly to the Lord. He understood the necessity of this vow and was going to Jerusalem, as we will see in just a moment, to partake of one of the feasts there in the city.

He left from Centuria, having freshly shaved his head, the east port of the city of Corinth, and then he went to Ephesus. Upon arriving in Ephesus, he left Priscilla and Aquila and went into the synagogue to reason with the Jews. Ephesus was the chief city of Asia Minor, while Corinth was the chief city of Achaia, the region of Rome. As he crossed into Asia Minor, he arrived at the capital city of the region.

You may remember that back in Acts chapter 16, just before Paul came to the city of Philippi, he and his companions had tried to go into Asia, but the Spirit forbade him. Now, he entered into the synagogue in Ephesus alone. He did not take Priscilla and Aquila with him, and I believe that was a strategic decision. Paul knew he would only stay in Ephesus for a very short time, maybe one or two weeks, before heading to Jerusalem. He also knew that Priscilla and Aquila would remain in the city.

I have a feeling, though I could be wrong, that Paul was concerned his reputation had preceded him to Ephesus, perhaps from Thessalonica or Corinth, and that the Jews there would not be receptive to him. Therefore, he did not want Priscilla and Aquila to be clearly associated with him. He decided to go in alone to preach and see what would happen.

So, he entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews, just as he had done in the cities of Corinth, Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. They were very open to what he had to say, again anticipating the coming Messiah.

When they desired him to tarry longer, verse 20 says he did not consent. I must admit my surprise with that. Paul had so desired to go into Asia early in his second missionary journey, and now he has a wide open door where before there had been a clearly closed door, yet he does not stay. He doesn't stay because he had made a vow to the Lord, and he was going to make good on that vow. He desired to go to Jerusalem, as he tells us in verse 21, but he bade them farewell, saying, "I must by all means keep this feast that comes at Jerusalem, but I will return again if God wills." Then he sailed from Ephesus.

You see, Paul had come to recognize that he was sent of the Lord, and he was at the will of the Lord. He was in the hands of the Lord, and he would go where the Lord would have him go. He believed that the Lord had called him to go back to Jerusalem at this point in time because he wanted to celebrate the feast.

Now, why would a man released from the Jewish laws and customs as a Christian be compelled to go to Jerusalem to partake of the feast? We must recognize that he was not doing this because he had to. He was not being forced to go to Jerusalem. He was not required to go and celebrate the feast, but he desired to go and celebrate it. He had just finished his vow of consecration, and he wanted now to go to Jerusalem. It is very likely that the feast he was going to partake of in Jerusalem was the feast of Pentecost.

The feast of Pentecost had become an important feast to the people of the church as well as to the Jewish believers. Why? Because it was on the feast of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2 that God poured out His Spirit upon the church, and so the church rightly recognized that the feast of Pentecost was significant. I believe that Paul's understanding of the feasts was even greater now that he was a Christian than it was before he knew the Lord.

Every Jew observed the seven feasts described in Leviticus chapter 23. They all recognized the feast of Passover, the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of first fruits, Pentecost, the feast of trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the feast of tabernacles.

Paul observed the feasts from a historical perspective of his own nation. They were very patriotic people, deeply in love with their history, and all the feasts were observed to remember that history and keep it fresh in their minds. However, when Paul became a Christian, he realized that the feasts had much more meaning than that; they were ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. He is the Passover Lamb, the unleavened bread, and the first fruits from the dead. He poured out His Spirit on Pentecost. Thus, Paul had a greater understanding of the feasts as a Christian than he ever did as a Jew.

Interestingly, today, May 23rd, is the feast of Pentecost. This is the day observed by the children of Israel and also by the early church, wherein God poured out His Spirit in Acts chapter 2, fulfilling His prophecy to Joel that in the last days, He would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh.

Paul now returns to Jerusalem, and we read in verse 22 that when he had landed in Caesarea and gone up, he saluted the church and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time there, he departed and traveled throughout the country of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. Paul departed from Ephesus in the early spring of that year, probably 53 AD, and headed toward the land of Israel. He arrived at the main seaport of Israel in the city of Caesarea, went up to Jerusalem, and notably did not stay there long. He saluted the brethren and then returned home to Antioch.

When he was in Antioch, there was no grand entrance or celebration mentioned. It simply states that Paul stopped in Jerusalem, greeted the brothers there, and exchanged pleasantries. After celebrating the feast of Pentecost, he returned to the brothers who had sent him and Silas out on the mission field about two years prior. They surely rejoiced at his return, and he spent a little time with them. However, it then says he departed and left.

Why was there no great ceremony or celebration? Why did Paul not stay longer? You see, Paul understood his calling. He knew...

He was an apostle, one sent with a message, an ambassador of Christ. He recognized that God had not called him to stay in Jerusalem, although surely the fellowship of the church there was wonderful and the joy of being at home in Antioch was great. God had called him out into the field.

It says that he went back through Galatia, visiting the churches he had planted during his first missionary journey, and then on through Phrygia, where he had established churches during his second missionary journey. I believe that Paul had his sights set on the city of Ephesus the whole way, as there was great work that God was going to do there in Asia Minor. He went strengthening the disciples, visiting Iconium, Lystra, and Antioch of Pisidia, where he encouraged the churches.

We see the movement of the apostle, the journey of Paul, a duty-bound apostle. Now we turn to the Alexandrian. In verse 24, we read about a certain Jew named Apollos, born in Alexandria. He was an eloquent man, mighty in the Scriptures, who came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord and, being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and expounded to him the way of God more perfectly. When he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him. When he arrived, he helped them much, having believed through grace. He mightily convinced the Jews, publicly showing by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.

Now we see the Alexandrian, the determined young preacher who comes into Ephesus while Paul is traveling from Ephesus down to Caesarea, then to Jerusalem, and then to Antioch, and all the way through Galatia and Phrygia. While all this is going on, this man from Alexandria shows up and goes into the synagogue in Ephesus. He was a Jewish man, born in a city that was very important in the Roman Empire—Alexandria, established by Alexander the Great.

Intellectual capital was a place where there was a great university. Even archaeologists today have unearthed the library at Alexandria, which is believed to have contained over 700,000 volumes. The Library of Alexandria was well known throughout the ancient world. It was there, in Alexandria, in the 3rd century BC, that the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek, what is called the Greek Septuagint.

There was a very large Jewish population in Alexandria, and this man Apollos was of that group. He was probably well-schooled and instructed. We are told here that he was instructed in the way of the Lord. This is probably not speaking about the way of Jesus but rather the way of God. He was fervent in spirit, which means the original language speaks of being "boiling over." So, this guy was bubbling over with enthusiasm. When I think of Apollos, I think of Pastor Josh Olson; you could never accuse Josh of not being excited when he shares the Scriptures.

Here was Apollos, excited about the Scriptures, diligently speaking and teaching. This means he was clearly and exactly proclaiming the word from the Old Testament. However, we are also told that he knew only up until the baptism of John. It seems that there were hearers of John the Baptist, or even disciples of John the Baptist, who, while John was preaching in Judea before Jesus had been revealed to the people of Israel, left Judea and went down to Alexandria. They were sharing the same sort of message that John was sharing.

What was John's message? "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent, because the Messiah is coming." That excited message was something the people loved in the first century. Apollos had heard about John; he knew about the baptism of repentance that John brought. John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, calling people to turn and be ready for the coming of the Lord, that they might put their faith in the Messiah. But that was about all that Apollos knew.

There were Aquila and Priscilla seated in the synagogue on a Sabbath day when this young guy came in from Alexandria. They said, "Hey, share with us," and he stood up and began to declare the Scriptures.

He was teaching very similar things to Paul, and yet he got right up to this whole thing about a crazy guy in Judea. This man was dressed in camel hair and ate wild locusts and honey. I imagine that Aquila and Priscilla, although the women and the men were divided in the synagogue, looked at each other and wondered, "Who is this guy?"

Afterward, it is said that they took him aside by themselves and expounded unto him the way of the Lord more perfectly. Clearly, Apollos was ready to receive the gospel, so they shared with him the truth of the Messiah: that He has come, died on the cross, and was raised from the dead. Apollos was receptive to that, and we are told that right after that point, they sent him along to Corinth.

Now, I speculate, but I think it might be the case that they told young Apollos, "Listen, Paul, the one who shared this gospel with us, has already been here. He shared a little bit of what you shared today, but he is coming back." I have a feeling—again, I could be wrong—but I think that Apollos, respecting that Paul was going to come back, said, "Alright, I'm going to go on to Corinth." So they sent him with a letter to go to Corinth.

When Apollos arrived in Corinth, it says that they received him. They had a letter that said, "Hey, this guy's right on; listen to what he has to say." He strengthened those who already believed and the disciples at Corinth. Verse 28 says he mightily convinced the Jews, doing so publicly and showing from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

This is amazing because Paul could not do that in Corinth. What Paul could not do, Apollos was able to do. I think it has something to do with the fact that he was very eloquent. Remember, Paul says in 1 Corinthians that when he came to them, he did not come with excellence of speech or great power and man's wisdom; he came declaring nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. This does not mean that Paul could not preach eloquently; it just means that he was not as good a speaker as Apollos.

I also think that Paul did not have as much command of the Greek language as Apollos did. Apollos grew up in the region of Alexandria and probably understood the Septuagint, which enabled him to preach clearly to those Jews.

There were individuals of a Hellenistic background, and it says that he convinced many of them. He did it publicly and showed from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. This also caused a problem in Corinth, which Paul ultimately had to address.

In the city of Corinth, when Apollos showed up, he was warmly welcomed, and the people loved the way he spoke. He was an eloquent speaker, and as a result, factions began to form within the church at Corinth. Some said, "I am of Apollos," while others claimed, "No, I am of Paul." Then Peter also arrived, and there was a group that said, "Hey, I am of Cephas; I am of Peter."

Within the church at Corinth, divisions emerged, with people identifying themselves as followers of Paul, Apollos, Calvin, or Arminius. Paul wrote to them and said, "Do you not know you are carnal? This is fleshly to divide yourselves in this way and to say, 'I like this guy better' or 'No, I like this guy better.'" Ultimately, it is God who gives the increase. Paul was not concerned about the following that Apollos received; he was more worried about how the people reacted to Apollos. Clearly, Apollos was well received.

While Apollos, the Alexandrian, was in Corinth, the apostle returned to Ephesus. In Acts chapter 19, verse 1, it came to pass that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper coast, came to Ephesus. Finding certain disciples, he asked them, "Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?" They replied, "We have not so much as heard whether there is any Holy Spirit."

Paul then asked them, "Unto what then were you baptized?" They answered, "John's baptism." Paul explained, "Well, truly John baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him who would come after him, that is, on Jesus Christ." When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

After Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in total. In this first section, we saw the apostle, then the Alexandrian, and now the almost Christians—a dozen almost Christians. Why do I call them almost Christians? Well, Paul came to them and found this group of about a dozen individuals.

They seemed to be followers of the way. They seemed to be followers of Jesus. They walked the right walk and talked the right talk. Everything seemed to be in order, but there was something amiss that caused him to begin to question their profession. He began to question their belief, and this should cause us to understand that not all who profess to be followers truly are. Not all who pay lip service to the things of Christianity are completely familiar with the truth of Christianity.

There should be evidences. The Scripture makes it very clear that there should be evidences that an individual has received saving faith because they have received the Spirit. Thus, it is important. Paul tells the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 13:5 that we are to examine ourselves to see that we be in the faith. He tells the Romans in Romans 8:16 that His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Paul begins to question this group of believers: Do you have the witness of the Spirit? Have you received the Spirit?

What evidences might Paul be talking about? I can think of a number of evidences that would be important. If you look at Philippians 2:13, Paul says it is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure. One of the evidences that should be present in a believer who has received the Spirit is that, number one, they desire to obey God, and then, number two, by the power of God, they obey God. It is God who works in them to will, to desire, and to do God's good pleasure.

Now, the verse just before that, in Philippians 2:12, says to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. The person who has not received the Spirit is truly working out their salvation with fear and trembling every single day, saying, "Man, I wonder if I'm going to get there. I wonder if I'm actually going to heaven because I haven't done this very perfectly. I've got to keep on striving and trying."

Now, it certainly is not politically correct to question someone's belief or their profession, but I would say it is biblically correct to question.

Whether or not someone has a right profession or a right belief is exactly what Paul was addressing here. He says, "Hey, have you received the Spirit since you believed?" They responded, "We don't even know what you're talking about. What do you mean, have we received the Spirit?"

Paul continued, "Well, you know about the baptism of John. John said, 'I baptize you with water, but there's one coming who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.' You know that whole thing about the Holy Spirit?" They replied, "Oh yeah, I don't know much about that. What does it mean to receive the Spirit?"

In John chapter 20, after Jesus had raised from the dead, He appeared to His disciples and breathed on them, saying, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit." Why did they need to receive the Holy Spirit? They were spiritually dead. Even though a person can be outwardly religious, they can be inwardly spiritually dead.

How do we know this? In John chapter 3, Jesus is met by a religious leader named Nicodemus, who came to Him by night. Nicodemus was very religious; Jesus referred to him as "the teacher in Jerusalem." If you wanted to know about religion, you would go find Nicodemus.

So, Nicodemus came to Jesus at night and started with some flowery conversation, saying, "Hey, we know that you're a teacher come from God because no one could do these things that you do except God be with him." Jesus responded, "Hey, Nick, you must be born again or you ain't going to heaven." This completely shocked Nicodemus, who didn't know what to say. The guy who always had something to say was now blubbering, asking, "What do you mean? I have to enter into my mother's womb a second time to be born?"

Jesus clarified, "No, that's not it at all. What I'm saying to you is you must be born of the Spirit. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of Spirit is Spirit." Nicodemus then asked, "Well, how does that happen? I don't understand this whole thing about the Spirit."

Jesus explained, "The Spirit goes where He will, and you don't know where He comes from or where He goes. It's just like the wind; you see how it affects things, but you can't see the wind." The Spirit brings evidences. Jesus didn't withhold the answer from Nicodemus; He told him, "It's just like when Moses lifted up..."

The serpent in the wilderness was a symbol of salvation; whoever looked upon it was saved after being bitten by the snake. Similarly, the Son of Man is going to be lifted up, and whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. Nick, you need to put your confidence not in your works or in who you are, but in the work that Jesus will do on the cross. Put your trust, your belief, your faith, and your confidence in Him, and you'll be born again. You'll be born of the Spirit.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 6, speaking of receiving the Spirit, Paul says in verse 19, "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have of God? And you are not your own." The very same Greek word is used there when Jesus says, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit." He uses the Greek word "lambano." When Paul asks the church at Ephesus if they have received the Spirit, he says, "Have you lambano? Have you received Him?" If you've received the Spirit of God, you are not your own.

The same idea is used in Ephesians chapter 1, where Paul speaks of the church being marked by the Spirit of God. In verse 13, he writes, "In whom you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, after you believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise."

Paul, in Romans chapter 8, verse 9, states, "But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man receives not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." If you do not have the Spirit, you are not saved. You might look like a Christian, you might go to church like a Christian, and you might even go on mission trips, with people saying, "Hey, that's a Christian." But if you do not have the witness of the Spirit, you are not a Christian.

You may say, "Hey, Pastor, I thought you were here to encourage me in my walk." I will say this: it is not my calling, nor is it the job of the pastor, to give you assurance of your salvation. It is the job of the Holy Spirit to give you assurance of your salvation. His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. How does this practically work out?

How many of you have heard the name John Wesley, the father of the Methodist movement? As a child, he was raised by two very godly individuals in the things of the Lord. By the time Wesley was a teenager, he began to be called a Methodist by his peers because he was so devoted to the things of God. He would wake up at four in the morning to study Greek and Hebrew, spending hours in prayer. He understood the Scriptures methodically, and he had such a systematic approach to his life that people referred to him as a "methodist." It wasn't used as a compliment; it was an insult.

In his early twenties, he came to the New World, to the Americas, to minister on a mission trip. While he was on the boat coming from England to America, there was a great storm. On that boat was a group of Moravian missionaries. John Wesley was scared to death; he thought he was going to die. Yet, he saw these missionaries, the Moravians, who had absolute peace, singing worship songs and hymns in the midst of the storm. He started to realize there was something different about them.

After being kicked out of the colonies, he returned to England with his tail between his legs. It wasn't until a year later, after toiling over what had happened, that he went to a Bible study at Aldersgate Street in England. The person leading the Bible study read from the preface of Luther's commentary on Galatians. As he was reading, John Wesley said, "I felt my heart strangely warmed," as the preacher spoke of the gospel of grace and justification by faith.

At that point, this man was saved. Prior to that, he was not saved, although he appeared very Christian. To that, I would also say that Judas Iscariot looked very Christian—a scary thought. Not all who profess to be followers truly are.

So, Paul says to them, "Have you received the Spirit since you believed?" They replied, "No, we haven't received the Spirit. What's that all about?" Paul explains to them that John did come and baptize, but he baptized with a baptism of repentance. He was calling the people to repent and turn to God so that they would be ready for the coming of the Messiah. But he was just baptizing.

The Jews understood baptism; it was a pretty standard practice in the Jewish faith. It was a ceremony of cleansing. You would go down under the water, be fully immersed, and come up ceremonially clean. So, John was out there baptizing, dunking people under the water. It wasn't a big deal in itself; the big deal was his message: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The Messiah is coming." He was preparing the way of the Lord.

John baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in Him who would come after him, and this is Jesus Christ. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Paul laid hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came upon them. They received the Spirit, and a transformation took place when a person receives the Spirit.

What evidence is there of this transformation? One evidence is the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. These are not things manufactured by the believer but are brought forth by the fruit of the Spirit. It is not the fruit of the Christian; it is the fruit of the Spirit, along with a desire to obey God and the ability to obey God.

Prior to receiving the Spirit, people often try to do God's will. Did you ever try to do the things of God before you actually professed faith in God and received the Spirit of God? You toil the whole way, and God would speak to Zechariah the prophet, saying, "Tell Zerubbabel the builder, 'It’s not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' saith the Lord." We kick ourselves, trying to go and go, but we can't do it. The almost Christian desires to get things done but does so in their own strength.

Once you receive the power of the Holy Spirit, remember Jesus said, "When the Spirit comes upon you, you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria." You are not going to try to be witnesses unto Him; you will be witnesses unto Him. However, the almost Christian functions entirely on their own might, power, and effort. Therefore, there are two things that the almost Christian almost never has.

Has number one, they almost never have humility. Why? Well, because the almost Christian sets up a standard for themselves and thinks they're living it. They become so high and mighty, like the Pharisees of Jesus's day, looking down on everybody else and saying, "Well, I guess you aren't doing it right. Too bad for you." Because of their pride and spiritual arrogance, they lack humility.

In their private life, the second thing they always lack is joy. Why? Remember, one of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. The other reason is that they have little joy internally because they know, in the depths of their heart, that they're actually not quite as spiritual as everybody thinks they are, and they're living a sham. You see, to live the life of Christ in your own strength is impossible. Living the life described in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, 6, and 7, is impossible in your own strength, and you will be defeated, lacking joy all through your life if that's your focus.

One great Christian once said, "It is no good to give me a play like Hamlet and tell me to write that play like Shakespeare could. I couldn't do it. 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. If the Spirit of Jesus could come and live in me, then I could live a life like that.

The reality is that the Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Paul explained it like this to the Colossians: "This is the mystery that is revealed: Christ in you, the hope of glory." I wonder, even though it's not something we generally like to discuss, are there any in our midst today that are almost Christians, kicking themselves all the time because they can't seem to get it done like the next guy?

The Lord is saying, "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; you will find rest for your soul."

There in Ephesus, Paul found about twelve men. They had an appearance of godliness and even spent time with other believers, but something was not quite right. Paul was willing to ask, willing to look like a fool, and say, "Have you really received the Spirit?" Why? Because Paul knew that not all paths lead to God. It is logically foolish to think that if we all went our separate ways, we would end up in the same place.

Imagine if every single one of us left the parking lot today and went different directions. Some of you might go out to Seven Oaks, while others head to Rock Springs, and some might go east on El Nordy, while others go west. By the end of the day, how could we all possibly end up in the same place? That would be foolish.

Paul was willing to look the fool and say, "I don't know if you are right where you need to be." He did not do this in an arrogant way; he approached it with a heart of compassion, recognizing that they seemed to be struggling.

As we will see next week when we continue in Acts chapter 19, an awesome revival took place in the city of Ephesus. When these individuals were transformed by the Spirit of God, the believers there gathered all their junk, all their occultic wares, and brought them to be burned. In modern terms, it was well over fifteen million dollars' worth of items. God brought a great revival, so much so that the peddlers of wickedness in Ephesus began to go out of business.

Ephesus was the city that had the temple of Diana, a pornographic, sensual goddess. I tell you, I was down at Cruising Grand on Friday night with my wife, and I walked by F Street Bookstore.

I am so thankful the police department put an outpost right next door to it. Once again, as I walked by, I thought, "Lord, would you put that place out of business?" You know what would put that place out of business? A revival in Escondido. No legislation is needed, no picketing. If they lost all their patrons, they would go out of business. How awesome would that be?

A few minutes later, I walked by Pounders. My wife looked at me and said, "Who would go to that place? This looks strange to me." I don't know, maybe you were there. I'm sorry, what would put it out of business? You know, when the Welsh revival took place in Wales, all the pubs went out of business. People started having Bible study in the pubs and taverns because God transformed the people by His Spirit. It wasn't the church trying to make people holy; it was the Spirit of God that gave them new desires and a new power. I think more than any other time, that's what we need.

Let's stand and pray. Father, I thought it was so interesting that James shared from Second Chronicles this morning: "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 I will hear from heaven and heal their land." Interesting, Lord, because it says, "If my people." It doesn't say, "If the government." It doesn't say, "If those wicked heathens." It doesn't say, "If those atheists." It says, "If my people would humble themselves."

God, perhaps today we need that kind of humbling, and Your Spirit is able to convince us of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. The believers at Ephesus had sin; they had wickedness within. The Apostle Paul said, "You have to destroy this." But because You, by Your Spirit, Lord, stirred the hearts of the people, would You stir our hearts and draw us back to You, we pray.

We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. God, You have been our Savior.