Acts 19:1-7 – 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 when you 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 tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
“While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.” Remember that the letter, book, word from Luke did not include punctuation and chapters. Here Luke is moving from his writing about Apollos in Chapter 18 to now picking back up with Paul.
What is referred as the “interior” here in the NIV is said in the KJV as “upper coasts” and in the ESV as “inland country.” Today we might say that he traveled the high lands.
“There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Luke, moving away from Paul, does seem to be tying some of Apollos story with what Paul encounters with the group. There is a similar experience between Apollos and this group of disciples that Paul meets. Both they and Apollos had been baptized in John’s Baptism, but not partaken in the baptism that Jesus taught. However, Apollos had strong knowledge of Jesus, and this group did not.
There is much discussion about whether the group that Paul encountered were Christians or not, and what was meant about when the Holy Spirit “came on them.” The discussions about these topics are too full for this short format. However let’s take a concise look.
Some say that these were Christians because they were referred to as “disciples.” If they were not Christians then this would be the only time in Acts that Luke referred to non-Christians as disciples.
Some say they were not Christians because they had not “received” the Holy Spirit and didn’t know anything about Him. It is true that if they were believers then they would have the seal of the Holy Spirit within, as all Christians do (2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30). It could be thought that since these were called disciples (synonymous with “Believer” in Acts) that they were believers and so had the Holy Spirit within. Proponents of this propose that the Paul was referring to the “baptism of the Spirit” in which the supernatural giving of power and gifts came upon them, as was promised by Jesus (Luke 24:29), in the book of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 36:26-27), and in the book of Joel (Joel 2:28-32) and was first fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2). After all, Paul did ask if they had received the Spirit “when you believed.” Therefore these were called, within a couple verses (V1, 2) both disciples and were acknowledged as believers.
“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.”” The baptism this group had received was John’s baptism, which was one of repentance. The repentance was to be ready for the coming Messiah. Now Apollos, while in Egypt had been taught of Jesus. It would seem possible that this group had heard of Jesus, but what they knew of Him was sparse and they had not heard of the Holy Spirit. John had instructed them to look for the Messiah and if they understood Jesus to be the Messiah that John had taught would be coming, they well could have become a disciple of Jesus, though their knowledge was sparse. However, it would seem that from what this group told Paul of their knowledge that they did not understand about Jesus and so Paul was led to tell them how Jesus was Messiah.
“When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.” Paul instructed the group so that they would understand that Jesus was the Messiah. He then explained who the Holy Spirit was and then placed his hands on them and the Holy Spirit came on them. The word that is translated in the NIV as “on” does not mean in, but upon, or on. When a person becomes a Believer the Holy Spirit comes within, or inside of the believer (John 14:17, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). So in this verse the Holy Spirit came upon them, not in them. Opinion varies whether this group, after Paul laid his hands on them, first received the Spirit as believers or, if being believers, received the supernatural empowerment of the Holy Spirit to be the witnesses of Jesus.
What transpired in this verse came after Paul placed his hands on them. It is tradition for one believer to place hands on another believer when praying for them. Yet it is good to remember that Paul also instructed Timothy “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands…” (1 Timothy 5:22). The laying on of hands is to impart blessings and to pray for the sick. It is for ministering to each other. But be circumspect how we pray for others, especially for the ones who opposes Christ.
Let’s pray for and bless each other, for all people, that the love and beauty of God be clear to all who want to see. Let our actions and words praise God! Yes, praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”