Acts 19:1-23 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus… 1. Something had occurred since Paul was last at Ephesus. Apollos had been exercising his ministry, and some twelve men had answered the persuasion of his matchless eloquence; but Paul found them out, and noticed that something was absent. He said, "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" If you had a new life would have lifted you up to higher levels of thought and feeling and utterance; what is wanting here is the Holy Ghost. Looking upon us today, what would Paul inquire? If he saw us world bound, if he saw our truant minds running out of the Church for the purpose of collecting accounts and alleviating temporal anxieties — if he saw our prayers like birds with bruised wings that could not fly, he would say, "What is wanting here is the Holy Ghost — Spirit of fire, of light, of love!" There is no mistaking His presence, for there is none like it. "The fruit of the Spirit is...joy." 2. The twelve men who followed Apollos were like their eloquent leader. Apollos knew only the baptism of John, and what he knew he preached. If you come to me knowing only the first four rules of arithmetic, I must not begin your education by throwing into contempt the only four rules you do know; my object must be to lead you on until you feel that these rules are only for infants. Paul did not attempt to undervalue the work of Apollos — he carried it on to holy consummation. One minister must complete the work which another minister began. The instructive teacher must not undervalue the eloquent evangelist. They belong to one another. We must put out no little light, but be thankful for its flicker and spark. The yoking man likes to hear a fluent speaker. He goes to the church where Apollos preaches long before the doors are opened, and willingly stands there that he may hear this mighty wind of sacred appeal. But Time — teaching, drilling, chastening Time — has its work upon the mind, and we come to a mental condition which says, "There was more in that one sentence of Paul's than in that Niagara whose bewildering forces once stupefied our youthful minds." But do not condemn any man. Let him teach what he can. 3. If Paul did not discredit the work of Apollos, the disciples of Apollos did not discredit the larger revelation of Paul. The inference is, that the disciples of Apollos were well taught. They were not finalists; they felt that something more might be possible. That is the highest result of education. Christians are always "looking forward and hastening unto." When did Christ say, "This is the end"? We know what He did say. "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." "Thou shalt see greater things than these." "When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth." This enables me to look hopefully upon some persons who do not know the full extent of Christ's name. Such men are not to be won by denunciation, but by recognition. 4. There were only twelve of these men; and yet there is no whining about a "poor" Church and a "weak" Church. We must burn such adjectives out of the speech of Christians. A Church is not necessarily strong because its pews are thronged and its collections are heavy. It may be that the handful of copper given by some village Church may be more than the two handsful of gold given by the metropolitan congregation. 5. The gospel in Ephesus produced its usual two-fold effect. Some received the Holy Ghost and advanced, while others "were hardened and believed not." It must always be so. The gospel is a savour of life unto life, or of death unto death. Every sermon makes us worse or better. 6. In ver. 11 we have an expression which is out of place in the cold speech of today's Christianity. We are afraid of the word "miracles"; we have almost to apologise for its use. But the writer of the Acts not only speaks of miracles, but of "special miracles." Until the Church becomes bold enough to use its native tongue it will live by sufferance, and at last it will crawl into a dishonoured grave — the only tomb which it has deserved. (J. Parker, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, |
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