Scripture: Acts 19:1-12
Video Link: https://youtu.be/k3K5R935iaQ
Structure:
- Introduction
- Christian initiation
- Evangelism strategy
- Conclusion
Introduction:
Good morning everyone.
In his book, ‘That they may have life’, Sri Lankan pastor, Daniel Niles writes: “Evangelism is witness. It is one beggar telling another beggar where to find food.”
Evangelism comes from a Greek word meaning ‘good news’. For Christians evangelism is telling others the good news about Jesus Christ. Evangelism can be as simple as one person telling another person how Jesus has helped them.
Evangelism is as necessary for life and survival as eating food. Evangelism is not a top-down thing, it’s a side-by-side thing. Those who do the evangelising are not better than those being evangelised, both need the bread of salvation.
Evangelism can be quite challenging in our society because most people do not think of themselves as beggars. Most people are not aware of their spiritual need.
Today we continue our three week series in the book of Acts in support of the Arotahi Renew Together campaign. Arotahi is the missions arm of New Zealand Baptists. Once a year we renew our commitment to pray for and support the work of spreading the gospel in New Zealand and overseas.
This week’s sermon focuses on Acts chapter 19, verses 1-12, where we learn how the apostle Paul did evangelism in the city of Ephesus. From Acts 19, verse 1, we read…
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit whenyou believed?”
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they replied.
4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tonguesand prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all. 8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. 11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.
There are two halves to our message today. In the first half we consider Christian initiation; that is, what’s involved in becoming a Christian.
And in the second half we observe Paul’s strategy of evangelism; in other words, how Paul went about reaching people with the gospel of Jesus. We begin with Christian initiation.
Christian Initiation:
For seeds to germinate they need the right amount of four things: water, oxygen, temperature and light.
Water is essential for seed germination. A baptism in water softens the seed so it swells and ruptures. Most seeds need to absorb between 25% and 50% of their weight in water before they will germinate.
Oxygen provides the energy the seed needs to grow. If seeds are planted too deep in the soil, they might not get the oxygen they need to sprout.
The temperature has to be right too. Different seeds germinate at different temperatures, but most activate between 16 and 25 degrees Celsius.
The fourth requirement for seed germination is the right amount of light or, in the case of some plants, the right amount of darkness.
In the same way the germination of a seed involves the right amount of water, oxygen, temperature and light, so too Christian initiation involves four things: repentance, faith in Jesus, baptism in water and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Repentance means turning away from sin. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a positive change in behaviour. Repentance is when we stop walking away from God and start walking towards him.
Faith in Jesus means trusting our lives and our eternity to Jesus. Believing in his death and resurrection. Relying on Jesus’ righteousness and not our own. Holding to the sure hope that Jesus will save us.
Faith in Jesus is made possible by the work of the Holy Spirit. Without God’s Spirit, we cannot truly believe in Jesus or start walking toward God.
Baptism in water is an outward and visible sign of our faith in Jesus.
Water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. To be baptised then is to signify that you have begun to follow Jesus with the help of the Holy Spirit.
In the New Testament, repentance, faith in Jesus, baptism and the Holy Spirit are always present when someone becomes a Christian. The order in which these things happen may vary, but all four belong together when it comes to Christian initiation.
When Paul arrived in Ephesus he found some disciples. As he talks with them Paul notices something is off. These men seem to be missing something.
So Paul asks them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit whenyou believed?”
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
Now, that cannot be right. The Holy Spirit is mentioned many times throughout the Hebrew Scriptures and during his earthly ministry Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to his followers. Clearly, there is a gap in these disciples’ understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.
Paul knows that no one can truly believe in Jesus without the Holy Spirit, so he asks, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they replied. Now everything becomes clear. They are not disciples of Jesus; they are disciples of John the Baptist.
Paul explains, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”
These 12 men could not have been Christian before meeting Paul, because they had not believed in Jesus up to that point. They were aware of their sin and committed to repentance, but they did not know Jesus personally, through the Holy Spirit.
From verse 5 we read: 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tonguesand prophesied.
As I understand it, the Ephesian disciples received the Spirit and believed in Jesus on the same day they were baptised. When Paul laid his hands on them to baptise them in water, they received the Spirit as a gift from Jesus.
How were you initiated into the Christian faith? As I reflect on the Ephesians’ experience, I’m conscious of how different it was from my own experience of Christian initiation. When I came to faith in the early 1980’s, there seemed to be three stages to becoming a Christian.
Praying the sinners’ prayer and asking Jesus into your heart, stage one.
Then, after some time had passed, getting baptised in water, stage two.
And then after some more waiting, being prayed for to receive the Holy Spirit.
Others of you may have a had different experience again. Perhaps you were baptised as a baby, then later confirmed your faith in Jesus as a young person.
This idea of Christian initiation involving two or three separate events over a period of years was a foreign concept to Paul and the other apostles. Must Christian initiation conform to the pattern we read of in the book of Acts?
Hmmm. We should not be too dogmatic about how the Spirit of God brings people to faith in Jesus. The Holy Spirit does not have to conform to our rules and formulas. Our part is to be open to the work of the Spirit and to trust and obey Jesus out of love for God.
What we can say with confidence is that Christian initiation, both now and then, involves repentance, faith in Jesus, baptism in water and the gift of the Holy Spirit. But the order and timing may vary from person to person. Are any of these four aspects missing for you? What might God be saying?
Another question we may stew over is how do we know we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit? Repentance can be measured and baptism in water can be seen, but it may be more difficult to sense the Spirit.
Verse 6 says the Ephesians spoke in tongues and prophesied when they received the Holy Spirit. Does that mean tongues and prophecy are the signs you have received the Spirit? Well, they can be. But not always.
The Holy Spirit gives all sorts of different gifts. Not everyone who receives the Spirit speaks in tongues or utters words of prophesy like the Ephesians did.
So if you don’t speak in tongues, then don’t worry. The Spirit may give you assurance of your salvation in other ways. Some may feel their heart strangely warmed. Others may be filled with a profound sense of peace.
For me, the Spirit sometimes comes with tears. It is the feeling of being overwhelmed by grace. Humbled by God’s goodness so I cannot talk. Speechless in the presence of the Lord.
Whether you have had a special experience or not, the primary sign of the Spirit is faith in Jesus. You know the Holy Spirit has been given to you when you trust in Jesus. The Spirit makes Jesus close and real.
The question remains for each one of us, do we believe in Jesus? Believing in Jesus is not just a one-off event. Faith in Jesus is on-going, the journey of a lifetime. Therefore, we need to go on being filled with the Holy Spirit to keep faith with Jesus. Don’t stop believing.
Evangelism strategy:
Okay, that is Christian initiation. Now let us consider Paul’s strategy for evangelism. How did Paul share the good news about Jesus with the people of Ephesus?
You’ve probably heard of the story of the three little pigs. You know the one. The first pig built his house out of straw and the big bad wolf blew his house down and ate the little pig. The second pig built his house out of sticks and the wolf blew his house down and ate him too.
But the third little pig built her house out of bricks and no matter how much the wolf blew, he could not blow her house down.
I suppose the moral of the story is this: to keep the wolf from your door you need to be prepared. It may take longer to build your house out of bricks and it may cost more, but it will be worth it in the end.
In line with the wisdom of being prepared, there’s a Chinese proverb which says: “If you are planning for a year, plant rice. If you are planning for a decade, plant trees. If you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.”
When Paul went about evangelising, he planned for a lifetime. Paul invested a lot of time and energy educating people in the way of Jesus, so their faith would be brick house strong, built to last.
When Paul arrived in Ephesus, he started in the Jewish synagogue. Paul spoke boldly about the kingdom of God, using reason to persuade people that Jesus is the Messiah and therefore people should repent and believe in him.
Starting with the Jews was good evangelism strategy. There was already common ground; Paul did not have to start from scratch. Jesus and Paul were both Jewish and the Hebrew Scriptures point to Jesus.
Despite the common ground though, some of the Jews refused to believe Paul’s message and started to bad mouth the Way. The Way is code for the way of Christ. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus the Son.
Being maligned and rejected by his own people grieved Paul deeply. It was no easy thing for him walk away. In Acts 20, verse 19, Paul says of his time in Ephesus: “I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the Jews”.
When Paul’s evangelism was rejected, Paul did not waste energy fighting those who were entrenched and stuck in their ways. He left the synagogue and took the disciples he had baptised with him.
Paul then carried on educating people about Jesus and the kingdom of God in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. This lecture hall was neutral ground. It was a public space that anyone (Jew or Greek) could access.
Paul did not just give lectures though. Paul held discussions, he dialogued with people, using reasoned arguments to educate and persuade. The Alpha Course is a contemporary version of evangelism modelled off Paul’s strategy of reasoned discussion and persuasion. Alpha is worth doing.
Not everyone goes down the Alpha path though. Some come to faith in Jesus after hearing an emotional appeal. The music plays, the smoke machine purrs, the mood lighting comes on and the speaker pulls on everyone’s heart strings (or guilt strings). Then, in the heat of the moment, people come forward to make a commitment to Jesus.
These sorts of emotionally based commitments don’t usually last, unless followed up by someone who intentionally comes alongside the new believer to nurture and disciple them.
Paul did not build his house with the straw and sticks of raw emotion and stage tricks. Paul built his house with the bricks and reinforcing steel of sound argument and truth. Paul planned for a lifetime.
Verse 10 tells us; this went on for two years so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
Ephesus was like a hub for the province of Asia in the first century. People from the surrounding towns came to Ephesus to do their shopping, visit their family or watch the games. While in Ephesus they got to hear the gospel through Paul.
Some took what they heard back home with them. And so the gospel spread by word of mouth.
In Acts 20, verse 20, we learn that Paul also went house to house telling people to repent and have faith in Jesus. A strong work ethic was woven through Paul’s evangelism strategy. And the Spirit of God was clearly with Paul, upholding and empowering him every step of the way.
In verses 11 and 12 of Acts 19, we read how God did extraordinary miracles through Paul. The people of ancient Ephesus were spiritually aware. Some dabbled in magic and the occult. When people saw the power of God to heal and deliver, many turned away from sorcery and the dark arts to follow Jesus.
The miraculous signs and wonders done by God, verified Paul’s gospel message as authentic and true. If you read on in Acts 19 you will see how Paul’s evangelism eventually divided the city. People were confronted with the truth about Jesus and had to choose a side. Evangelism takes ground for God’s kingdom.
Although it is not covered in our reading today, an important part of Paul’s evangelism strategy was establishing an organisational structure to take care of the young church after he was gone. In Acts 20 we learn that Paul had appointed pastors and elders to protect and care for the new believers.
In verse 28 Paul says to the elders of the church at Ephesus: Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.
Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
Perhaps the most important part of any evangelism strategy is love. Persuasive arguments and intelligent apologetics only get you so far. If we do not love the people we are trying to reach, the message won’t sound true.
Paul’s love for the Ephesians and their love for him is evident in Paul’s farewell speech to them in Acts 20. From verse 37 we read: They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again.
Conclusion:
Paul’s Herculean efforts of evangelism are intimidating. It may feel like too much of a leap to try and imitate Paul exactly. Let me offer a few practical strategies for evangelism which most Christians can attempt…
Look for people of peace. That is, people who are open to talking about faith and friendly in their attitude to things Christian. Paul started with the disciples of John the Baptist, people of peace. He did not start with the witches and gangsters of Ephesus.
Pray for someone who does not yet know Jesus. Pray for them by name, daily, that the Holy Spirit would make Jesus close and real for them.
Know what you believe. Educate yourself. Read your Bible and think about how Jesus has been good for you personally. Be ready, prepared to talk about what Jesus means to you and what you really believe.
Love others. To love others means being kind and fair. Listening generously. Showing up when you are needed. Doing no harm. Being patient and respectful.
And when you are given the opportunity to talk about Jesus, be brave without being arrogant. Don’t be ashamed or embarrassed. Be straight up. Own your faith with humility. Stand by it and trust your testimony to the Holy Spirit.
Let us pray…
Gracious God, you love those who don’t yet know you. May the good news about Jesus be real for each of us, personally. Give us wise words and a winsome Spirit to tell others about Christ. Glorify yourself we pray. Amen.
Questions for discussion or reflection:
- What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?
- Who first told you about Jesus? How did they do this?
- What is evangelism? Why is evangelism important?
- How were you initiated into the Christian faith? Are any of the four aspects of Christian initiation missing for you? If so, which aspect(s)? What might God be saying to you?
- How do we know we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit? How does the Spirit make Jesus close and real for you?
- Discuss / reflect on Paul’s evangelism strategy in Ephesus.
- What can you do to share the love and truth of Jesus with others?
Tawa Baptist 