On his third mission trip Paul spends two years in the city of Ephesus and, during this time, a large church grows there. When Paul came to Ephesus, he came upon some disciples of Jesus who had probably come to faith under Apollos, who himself had only a very partial knowledge to share. So, these disciples had not heard about the fullness of what Jesus had brought about. They had not heard, for example, of the gift of the Holy Spirit. They believed Jesus was the Messiah and were prepared to follow his ways. But discipleship involves more than this, and this story is valuable precisely because it highlights this fact. To be a Christian is to have Jesus dwell in your heart by the Holy Spirit. We don’t just follow Jesus, we, in a sense, embody him. To be discipled by Jesus is to have his transforming power at work within us. To serve Jesus is to have his transforming power working through us as we love others and share our faith. We don’t just have an idea or set of facts to talk about; we have something real to impart! I don’t have to keep convincing myself of the truth of what I believe because it is no mere theory to me. Christ is in me and transforming me. It is happening to me and so, when I share my faith, I can share a present experience of liberation, peace and joy. Let’s not settle for abstract beliefs. Let’s be filled with the Spirit and live in the reality of what God is doing.
Ask God to fill you with his Spirit and surrender your life to him.
Read Acts 18:18 – 19:7
