Beyond John's Baptism

A More Fruitful Baptism

(Acts 18:24-19:7, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, January 20, 2013)

[24] Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. [25] He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.

The two accounts that close Acts 18 and begin Acts 19 both deal with baptism and growth in the Christian way of life. The first is the story of a great preacher, Apollos, and the second is about twelve or so unnamed disciples in Ephesus.

Apollos was a great preacher of the early church who needed help from Priscilla and Aquila to be greater still. Look at what Luke says about him positively. He was eloquent. He was a very competent Bible teacher. He had listened well to others who showed him what it meant to live the life of a Christian. He was very zealous in spiritual pursuits. Finally, his teaching was accurate concerning Jesus Christ.

Yet he was missing something. He only knew about John's baptism. John the Baptist, the miracle child of the devout elderly couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth, prepared the way of the Lord. John proclaimed and performed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He also taught that a mightier One was coming who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire(!). This baptism began for the whole church at Pentecost. See Acts 2 and also Acts 10-11. But a greater fullness of the Holy Spirit also has an individual dimension.

It thrills our hearts that the Messiah came not only to die for our sins and to win for us eternal life. He also has given to the church the great gift of the Holy Spirit. This third person of the Godhead was hovering over the face of the waters in the days of creation. He filled the prophets of old, like Joel, who foretold of a greater era to come. In that day all of God's children in His kingdom would have the benefit of His truthful, mighty, gracious, and holy presence. See also Numbers 11:29. John could not give that gift in his baptism. The ascended Jesus, our King and Redeemer, has blessed us with the best of all donations that God could give or we implore.

[26] He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. [27] And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, [28] for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

Apollos was a great Bible teacher, but he had an opportunity to be a more fruitful man of God. The Lord used Priscilla and Aquila to explain to him the way of God more accurately. They helped him to know more about a Christian baptism that was more than the baptism of John. They may have used passages like Joel 2 to show how the Hebrew prophets prepared the church to expect the gift of the Holy Spirit. They may have used teaching received from Paul and others concerning the words of John the Baptist, like those recorded now for us in Mark 1.

Apollos received their instruction, and a great servant of God became greater still. He then was sent by the church in Ephesus to labor across the sea in Corinth. When he arrived there he was a great help to the believers in that city. It is by the grace of God that anyone in Corinth had come to believe that the Christ was Jesus. Those who had the gift of faith faced rigorous opposition from those Jews who did not believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. Apollos was a help in this fight, because he was able to show the truth from the Scriptures and had now received a more accurate understanding of Christian baptism that went beyond the baptism of preparation and repentance that characterized the ministry of John the Baptist.

[19:1] And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. [2] And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” [3] And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.”

Apollos was not the only one missing something. The account in the opening verses of Acts 19 tells us of some other disciples in Ephesus who had not even heard that there was a Holy Spirit. Why would Paul have asked them this question: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” Their answer was plain: “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

Their problem was like that of Apollos. They understood about John's baptism, but not about the baptism that John had foretold.

[4] And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” [5] On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. [6] And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. [7] There were about twelve men in all.Paul was able to correct their understanding with the same teaching that John himself had given. With the combination of some new Christian baptism (?) and the laying on of hands, these men were given a new measure of the Holy Spirit. Luke says, “the Holy Spirit came upon them.” The gift was evident in outward manifestations that were like those that had taken place in Jerusalem in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost and in Caesarea at the home of Cornelius in Acts 10. They were speaking in other languages in a reverse Babel experience and the Word of God was coming through them as it had to the parents of John the Baptist so long ago.

From these passages we can see that even those who have a very true and good understanding of Jesus Christ may be missing a very important blessing. They may have a very critical need for a greater work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. In Acts 19 about twelve Christians did not even know that there was a third person of the Godhead. That missing knowledge is less likely among our number after so many centuries of confessing the truth of the Trinity. Yet it is still very probable that we are lacking more blessing that will enable us to be more fruitful servants of Jesus Christ possessing a more accurate knowledge of the way of following our King.

But how do we know if we are missing something? Jesus told his disciples that they would be recognized by their fruits. Paul listed some of the fruit of the Spirit in his letter to the Galatians. Without some work of the Holy Spirit we cannot even be a part of the kingdom of God, but we can grow in our life of faith that our joy might be more full, and that our unnecessary agitation would be replaced by powerful prayer and loving kindness.

When we see a lack of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives what can we do about it? Jesus told us to ask, but how can we ask for something about which we have no knowledge? Someone must teach us, and then we must be willing to receive the blessing that God has for us. There is a greater fullness of the Holy Spirit for every disciple of Jesus who will receive. What a kind Savior we have! Our Lord loves to give Himself to His children. What a gift! The Holy Spirit!

Old Testament Passage: Joel 2:28-29, Gospel Passage: Mark 1:4-8

Sermon Point: Have you heard that there is a Holy Spirit? Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?