Almost There

“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, 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. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.” (Ac 19:1-3 AV)

 

It appears Apollos was at Jerusalem at the preaching and national baptism of John.  Further, it appears he was there prior to the appearance of Jesus and thus did not know who the Messiah was.  Having been called away and eventually arriving in Corinth, Apollos never received further revelation as to the person of Christ and the personal application of the baptism of John.  The previous chapter of Acts reveals Apollos was mighty in the scriptures yet all he knew of was the baptism of John.  It was Aquilla and Pricilla who expounded unto him the way of salvation more perfectly.  In our passage, Apollos was left at Corinth to continue what he has started but far more effectively, while Paul came to Ephesus and found the same case to be with disciples there.  The question Paul posed was intended for them to discern their true standing with God.  Did they have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and if so, how was it manifested?  What struck me is the understandable ignorance of Apollos and the disciples, yet they could not discern something was missing.

I’ve only traveled internationally once.  That is if you don’t count Canada.  We flew from O’Hare airport in Chicago to Boston, MA.  Then from there, we flew into Shannon, Ireland.  On the way back we retraced our steps.  I cannot remember if we had to show our passports when leaving a country.  But I do distinctly remember having to produce them when we arrived.  Having never had to do this before, it was a bit intimidating.  I have traveled into and out of Canada many times.  Growing up thirty minutes from the border and very close to Niagara Falls, we averaged about four trips or more a year.  When we crossed the peace bridge, the examining officer would ask each of us our place of birth and citizenship.  No big deal.  Sometimes he or she would quickly scan the car or bus to see if we were carrying anything illegal.  We were asked a reason for our visit.  This all took mere minutes.  However, when we arrived in Shannon or back in Boston, it was a bit more than that.  Proof of citizenship was required.  What didn’t matter was our accent.  Speaking clear American English was insufficient to prove our country of origin.  Having an unshakable chain of events from birth to the present day with no contradictions in our account was not going to please the examiner.  The truth behind our eyes would not cut it either.  We could plead with the most sincere of all spirits that we were indeed born in the United States, but that did not satisfy as proof of citizenship for the officer.  As he or she wanted to see was our passport.  The passport was the only acceptable proof of who we were and from where we came.  No other proof would be accepted.

When I read the passage above, what struck me was how close to being a genuine saint Apollos and the disciples at Ephesus were, yet they had never been sealed by the Holy Spirit.  They had almost all the truth they would ever need, yet that lacked that one thing.  Apollos was a mighty preacher.  The disciples at Ephesus had not been discouraged from the faith which they did have.  What they lacked was an encounter with the person of Christ.  They may have had many doctrines.  They may have been able to articulate it well.  But they had not the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  The evidence which comes from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was missing.  There was no manifestation of His presence.  We know what that is today.  It is the fruit of the Spirit as found in Galatians.  This fruit is internal and growing.  Paul tells us to examine ourselves and see that we are in the faith.  He tells the Corinthian church this because they had a history of insufficient doctrine.  They were missing a personal encounter with Christ where repentance from sin and faith and trust in a specific person (Jesus Christ) for their soul’s need is required.  I fear there are many just like this.  They are as about as close to salvation as one could get, yet so far away.  They are trusting their religion.  They are trusting the insufficient light which they do have.  They are trusting their tradition.  They are trusting their experience.  Yet no personal encounter with Christ.  I trust if that be the case for you, you will bow the head and call upon Christ as your Savior.  He is waiting for you!