Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple
Ephesians 1:13 is a DIRECT REFERENCE to these very people he ministered to in Acts 19. When he mentioned THEM receiving the Spirit all you have to do is look at Acts 19 to see EXACTLY the situation he had in mind.
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Uh... not
"EXACTLY."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple
1: 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,
2: He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3: And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
4: Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5: When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6: And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. Acts 19:6
So when you see Ephesians 1:3 look back to the very experience Paul is writing about in Acts 19:6.
It CONFIRMS the doctrine that the Holy Spirit baptism is not automatic.
As to "rivers of living water" that is by no means automatic. It is a real experience. It is the "outpouring" prophesied by Joel. |
Paul's ministry to the Ephesians spanned many more experiences than just those related to the former disciples of John. See
Acts 18:19 (Jews in the synagogue),
Acts 18:27 (Apollos who "believed through grace" and was thus added to the church), and continuing through all of chapter 19, we read of the numbers of believers growing).
The epistle to the Ephesians wasn't addressed to just "twelve men" (
Acts 19:7), but to "the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus." In that epistle Paul makes it a point to remind the Ephesians just how they were saved (
Ephesians 1:7) and emphatically points out that it was a sovereign act of God Himself that brought salvation to the Ephesians ("from the foundation of the world" -
Ephesians 1:4).
Just what did the disciples of John do at the "foundation of the world?" What were you doing?
None of us even existed yet! And yet, God was making a provision for our salvation.
Matthew 25:34;
John 17:24;
Acts 15:18;
1Peter 1:20;
Revelation 13:8,
Revelation 17:8.
Our salvation is the result of God's acts and His plans. He brought it about, not we ourselves (
Ephesians 2:8-9).
You can't earn this gift. You don't deserve this gift and nothing that you or I do will change that. If we could change that fact, then it would no longer be a gift (
Romans 4:4).
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