Acts 19:1-7 (NRSV)
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Chapter 19While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. Verse 2He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" They replied, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." Verse 3Then he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They answered, "Into John's baptism." Verse 4Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus." Verse 5On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Verse 6When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied- Verse 7altogether there were about twelve of them.
Devotion
After the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus’ original disciples, along with early converts to the Christian movement, began to spread the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. The first thing that happened when people heard and believed this message was that they were baptized. When the apostle Paul stumbled on some newly baptized Christians in Corinth and asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit, they replied that they had never heard of a holy spirit but had been baptized with John’s bapt-ism (of repentance). So Paul told them about Jesus and baptism into him, which would bring them the Spirit of God and new birth. Then he baptized them with Jesus’ baptism and they received the Holy Spirit, along with the forgiveness of sin, newness of life, and salvation. In baptism, this same Spirit brought them into the church where their new spiritual gifts could be exercised.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, when we were baptized we also received these same gifts; including the Holy Spirit. Many among us seem to have forgotten this wonderful gift, even though we know we couldn’t even say “Jesus is Lord” or pray without the help of the Spirit. Open our minds to be taught about this by the early Christians (in the New Testament) so that the Holy Spirit may renew our faith. For when the Lord speaks, then it is so. Amen.