Then what baptism did you receive?
John's baptism, they replied.
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.
On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
There were about twelve men in all.
Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.
But some of them became obstinate.
They refused to believe and publicly maligned the way.
So Paul left them.
He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
This went on for two years, so that all of the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick,
and their illnesses were cured, and the evil spirits left them.
Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed.
They would say,
In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.
Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.
One day the evil spirit answered them,
Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?
Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all.
He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus,
they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.
Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds.
A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly.
When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to 50,000 drachma.
In this way, the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
Thanks very much, Ross.
Well, keep your Bibles open there at Acts 19.
And we'll have a look at this together.
Well, let's pray first.
Our Father, thank you again for your word.
Thank you for its impact upon many lives.
Thank you for the evidence of its work on campus in student life.
And we pray that as the uncover, the Luke's Gospels, go and are read and are discussed with people,
that they would find the real Jesus through those books.
And we pray for ourselves now as we read and study Acts, that we also would meet Jesus.
And we would understand more of who God is and what it is to be his church and to be his people.
So we ask for your help in this this morning.
In Jesus' name. Amen.
Well, when I was growing up at home, my mum had a great way of diagnosing if we were sick or if we were healthy.
She basically had two very simple tests.
One was bleeding and the other one was temperature.
So if I woke up in the morning complaining of a sore tummy or an aching head,
well, she would apply her diagnosis test,
which she said had been in her family for generations and done her very well and the same for us as well.
So there I would be with my sore tummy and sore head and she'd say,
Are you bleeding anywhere?
No.
Have you got a temperature?
And we'd check the temperature.
Well, you haven't got a temperature, you're not bleeding, you're okay.
So get up and off you go to school.
And that was basically the way that it was.
Who needs a GP when you have a sophisticated health test like that?
But the question we want to be asking is,
How do we diagnose or how can we assess the health of the church?
How do we know if this church is healthy or is it sick?
How do we know if it's healthy or sick?
Well, as Paul went on his church planting trips,
he sought to establish churches that were healthy.
Having returned from his trip to Europe,
which we were looking at over the last couple of weeks,
he makes it his business to go back to all of those churches
that he's planted over the last five years to strengthen them.
So chapter 18, verse 23, we read,
After spending some time in Antioch,
Paul set out from there,
and Antioch was his home church,
and he set out from there and he travelled from place to place
throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia,
which is modern-day Turkey,
strengthening all the disciples.
Chapter 19, verse 1,
While Apollos was in Corinth,
he was doing the same things there,
Paul took the road through the interior
and arrived at Ephesus.
So for the next two chapters,
Luke, who's the author of Acts,
spends considerable time recording for us
this particular visit to the city of Ephesus.
And chapter 19 is primarily about his first visit
as he establishes the church,
and then chapter 20 is primarily about his second visit
as he goes and strengthens the church,
because he's all about wanting healthy churches.
So what we want to do this morning
is to go with Paul to Ephesus,
and as we do,
we'll discover what makes a healthy church.
And there are four tests
that we are going to apply
to see if we are a healthy church
or a sick church.
And before we do that,
I just wonder,
is the recording device,
has that been turned on?
Does anybody know?
It is, yeah.
Thanks.
So the first test is this.
Are we genuinely converted?
Well, look at chapter 19, verse 1.
We're told there that he arrived at Ephesus,
and there Paul found some disciples.
Now there's a question mark over this.
Are they really disciples?
Because he asked this question in verse 2.
He asked them,
Did you receive the Holy Spirit
when you believed?
Because the mark of a genuine believer
is that you have received the Holy Spirit.
Verse 2.
They answered,
No, we have not even heard
that there is a Holy Spirit.
Now that seems very odd, doesn't it?
Because how can you be a true disciple?
How can you really be a Christian
if you've never heard of the Holy Spirit?
And that seems to be Paul's point.
So verse 3.
He asked them,
Then what baptism did you receive?
John's baptism, they replied.
And Paul said,
Well, John's baptism
was a baptism of repentance.
He told the people
that they were to believe
in the one coming after him,
that is, in Jesus.
So it seems that these
so-called disciples
that he's just bumped into
had completely missed the point
of John's teaching.
Well, what was John's teaching?
Well, go back to Luke's Gospel,
chapter 3.
Keep your finger in Acts 19.
Go back to Luke's Gospel,
chapter 3.
So this is Luke's Gospel,
which he wrote,
and he also wrote Acts.
And in Luke, chapter 3,
we read there
that John's preaching
was all about the way
of preparing the way for Jesus.
So he didn't want people
to follow him.
He wanted people
to follow Jesus.
So in Luke, chapter 3,
verse 3,
we read that
John went into all the country
around the Jordan
preaching a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins.
As it's written in the book
of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
a voice of one
calling in the desert,
prepare the way for the Lord.
Make straight paths for him.
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
In other words,
there's going to be an equality,
a level playing field.
The crooked road
shall become straight,
the rough way smooth,
and all mankind
will see God's salvation.
Now go down to verse 15.
The people were waiting expectantly
and were all wondering
in their hearts
if John might possibly be the Christ,
if he's Jesus.
Verse 16,
But John answered them all
and said,
I baptise you with water,
but one more powerful
and I will come.
That's Jesus.
The straps of whose sandals
I am not worthy to untie.
He will baptise you
with the Holy Spirit
and with fire.
Now go back to Acts 19.
You see,
it's clear that these people,
well,
they'd heard about John the Baptist
and it seems
they were just simply
followers of John.
They were not really
true disciples.
They weren't followers
of Jesus.
They had claimed to be disciples,
but they had never actually
believed in Jesus
and so they had never received
the Holy Spirit.
So in Acts 19,
verse 5,
we read after Paul
had spoken to them
on hearing this,
they were baptised
into the name
of the Lord Jesus.
Baptism being that
outward sign
that they were now
inwardly trusting
in Jesus.
And verse 6,
When Paul placed
his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit
came on them
and they spoke
in tongues
and prophesied.
And there were about
twelve men
in all.
So from this account,
we can have a clear picture
of what genuine
conversion really is.
And I have it there
on the screen.
First and primarily,
it is a trust
in the person
of Jesus Christ.
So in verse 4,
Paul is referring back
to John the Baptist
and he said,
he was telling people
to believe in the one
coming after him
that is in Jesus.
So it is only faith
in Jesus
and his work
on the cross
that is going
to save us
and make us right
with God.
And then second,
as a result
of our trust
in Jesus,
is the receiving
of the Holy Spirit
in verse 6.
So when they had come
to believe,
Paul placed his hands
on them
and the Holy Spirit
came on them.
You see,
the Spirit comes
at our conversion,
not at some subsequent
or later time,
kind of years later
or months later.
It comes at our conversion.
And then third,
as a sign
that we have trusted Jesus
and that we have received
the Spirit,
there was the sign
of baptism.
In verse 5,
on hearing this,
they were baptized
into the name
of the Lord Jesus.
And that's the pattern
that we see
all the way through Acts
that people heard,
they believed,
they received the Spirit
and they were baptized.
Baptism isn't a means
to salvation,
it is simply a sign
of our salvation
that we have come
to trust
in the Lord Jesus.
So Paul was concerned
to establish
and make sure
that they were
actually genuinely
believers
in the church.
But I'm sure
we're all asking
the question,
what about verse 6?
That they spoke
in tongues
and prophesied.
Is that not a mark
of genuine conversion?
Should I be speaking
in tongues?
Is that not
what it's about?
Well, here is where
I believe
my Pentecostal friends
and I have them
and I'm good friends
with them,
but I think
this is where
they've got it wrong.
Go back to
chapter 2 of Acts
where we are first
told of the Spirit's
coming.
So the Spirit
has come,
the disciples
have been
prophesying,
they've been preaching,
they've been telling
of the great things
of God
and here is how
Peter understands
the coming of the
Spirit at Pentecost
in verse 32.
Chapter 2,
verse 32,
it says,
God raised this
Jesus to life
and we are all
witnesses of the fact.
Exalted to the
right hand of God,
he has received
from the Father
the promised
Holy Spirit
and has poured out
what you now
see and hear.
verse 37,
when the people
heard this
they were cut
to the heart
and they said
to Peter
and the other
apostles,
well what should
we do?
And Peter
replied,
repent.
Repentance there
is always in
connection with
faith or with
trust.
Repent and be
baptized,
every one of you
in the name of
Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness
of your sins
and you will
receive the gift
of the Holy Spirit.
The promise,
that's the gift
of the Spirit,
is for you
and for your
children
and for all
who are far
off,
for all whom
the Lord our
God will call.
Now the promise
of the Spirit,
he's saying
it's not just
for the Jews
because that's
who he was
speaking to there,
but he also
says it's for
those who are
far off,
meaning not
just for Jewish
people and not
just here in
Jerusalem and
not just for now,
but for people
who are Gentiles,
who live far
off and for
those who will
in time come
to Christ.
People from
every nation,
even for people
in far away
and Gentile
places like
Ephesus.
The Spirit is
for all people.
So when these
Ephesians in
chapter 19
when they
received the
Spirit,
they did begin
to speak in
tongues and
prophesy.
It was God's
unique sign,
his special
confirmation
to these people
that yes,
the Spirit
does come upon
them.
In other words,
speaking in
tongues is not
an essential
mark of
genuine
conversion.
Rather,
through the
flow of Acts
we see that
he is saying
that yes,
the Spirit
is also for
Gentiles,
for people
who are
non-Jews.
They too
receive the
Spirit.
It doesn't
come at some
subsequent
later time.
It doesn't
come when we
necessarily speak
in tongues.
It comes at
our conversion.
So the true
marks are
trust in
Jesus,
receiving the
Spirit,
and the sign
that we have
done all of
that is being
baptized.
Now, before
we move on,
we need to
ask ourselves
the question,
are we
genuinely
converted?
Have I
trusted in
Jesus for
myself?
Have I
received the
Spirit?
Is there
evidence of
his work in
my life?
I may say
I'm a disciple,
but is there
evidence of
the Spirit's
work in my
life?
And if
there isn't
that evidence
as Paul
discovered with
these disciples,
then it has
to go back a
step and say,
well, have
you trusted in
Jesus?
Well, when we
do, we
receive the
Spirit, but
maybe we have
never been
baptized as a
sign to
others, that
public confirmation
that yes, I
have trusted,
and yes, I
have received
the Spirit.
Have you
been baptized?
These are
questions we
need to ask,
and we need
to deal with.
So that's the
first test.
Are we
genuinely
converted?
The second
test is this.
Are we
committed to
discipleship?
Verse 8.
Paul entered
the synagogue
and he spoke
boldly there for
three months,
arguing persuasively
about the
kingdom of God.
Now, the
kingdom of God
is a summary
term for the
same message
that Jesus
preached to
his disciples
just before
his return
to heaven.
We read
that in
Acts 1.
And Jesus
was about
telling people
that he was
God's promised
Messiah, God's
chosen king,
who would come
to establish
his loving rule,
calling people
to repent,
and was offering
the promise of
restoration.
And the
proof that
Jesus was
God's king
was that he
was alive,
that he had
risen from
the dead.
and this
was the
same message
that Paul
began to
teach.
So in
verse 9
we read,
but some
of them
became
obstinate
and they
refused to
believe
and publicly
maligned
the way.
But Paul
didn't give up
on them.
Rest of
verse 9.
So Paul
left them
and he
took the
disciples,
these new
believers,
with him
and he
had
discussions
daily
in the
lecture
hall
of
Tyrannus.
You see,
Paul wasn't
just about
conversionism,
he was
about
discipleship.
He wasn't
just about
wanting
bums on
seats and
to say,
oh look how
many people
have come
to Christ.
He was
wanting to
train them,
ordinary
people,
to see them
committed to
discipleship,
to grow
them in
their faith.
Because coming
to faith in
Christ was
crucial,
but growing
in Christ
was essential.
So each
day about
mid-afternoon,
when people
took a rest
from work,
or they'd go
and have
their lunch,
they would
go down
and meet
Paul down
at the
local
lecture
hall of
Tyrannus,
and there
they would
begin to
discuss
things and
talk things
through about
what the
kingdom of
God was
all about.
This was
perhaps the
first intentional
discipleship
program.
the believers
gathering around,
learning and
growing and
deepening in
their faith.
And look at
the results of
this discipleship,
verse 10.
This went on
for two years
so that all
the Jews and
all the Greeks
who lived in
the province
of Asia,
not just in
Ephesus,
but in the
whole province,
heard the
word of the
Lord.
That means
that these
young Christians,
as they were
discipled,
became mature,
church
planters.
They grew
in their
faith and
as they
began to
move out
into the
province of
Asia,
so all
these other
people began
to hear the
word of
the Lord.
They were
equipped to
introduce people
to Jesus and
to encourage
them to do
the same.
Now I don't
think it's any
different for us
today.
And
discipleship is
crucial for us
as a church
family.
It happens
formally as
we meet
together like
this on a
Sunday morning
and in some
sense we are
doing discipleship
right now as
we open up the
Bible and learn
what God has to
teach us.
But it also
happens informally
as we meet in
our gospel
communities on a
Wednesday or as
we meet one to
one with each
other.
We open up the
Bible together.
We gather around
God's word.
We want to hear
what God is saying
to us, to listen
to it, to
discuss it and
to apply it to
our lives.
Now if we're not
taking time to
learn about the
kingdom of God
like these
disciples did,
then we're going
to become very
unhealthy.
Our Christian
life is going to
become sick.
We're never going
to mature.
We're never going
to grow up and
we're never going
to be the church
that God calls us
to be.
So let me ask
you that question
again.
Are we committed
to discipleship?
Because a healthy
church takes
discipleship
seriously.
So that's the
second test.
The first one,
are we genuinely
converted?
The second one,
are we committed
to discipleship?
And the third
one is this,
are we following
the authentic
gospel?
Now Ephesus was
a large city
with lots of
goings on,
all kinds of
religions were
there,
and there was
all kinds of
magic practices.
Verse 19
tells us that
because there
were a number
of people there
who practiced
sorcery,
a form of
magic.
So the question
here is,
well what were
the people to
believe and
who are we
to believe?
How are we
to work out
what is
counterfeit
and what is
actually
authentic?
And there's
lots of teaching
going on which
we can hear from
all kinds of
different churches
and you can
turn on the
television and
watch the God
channel and
we've got to
work out what's
counterfeit and
what's authentic.
What are we to
actually believe?
Well as Paul
taught the
gospel,
God confirmed
the truth of
his message so
that we can
know this is
the truth.
Look at verse
11.
We're told
there that God
did extraordinary
miracles through
Paul.
Now we're used
to miracles as
we read through
Acts, but we're
told here that
this is
extraordinary,
this is beyond
what happened,
this never
happened.
And what did
happen?
Verse 12,
so that even
handkerchiefs and
aprons that had
touched Paul,
commentators
suggest that they
were probably
rags that he
used in his
workshop whenever
he was doing
his tent making,
these rags were
taken to the
sick and their
illnesses were
cured and their
evil spirits
left them.
Now that is
extraordinary.
And it's not
some kind of
mind manipulation
to try and
trick people into
coming disciples.
This was a real
miracle.
People were
healed and evil
spirits left
people.
So what's it all
about?
Well I think it's
God's way of
confirming that the
gospel that Paul
was preaching to
these people was
authentic, it
could be believed
and it was true.
In fact the
following event
proves the point
in verse 13.
There were some
Jews who went
around driving out
evil spirits and
they tried to
invoke the name
of the Lord
Jesus over those
who were demon
possessed.
You see there
were all kinds
of magic practices
and religious
beliefs in
Ephesus and
they were all
claiming to be
the power.
They were all
saying well if
you follow me
if you do
this if you
do that it's
going to go
well for you.
So it wasn't
uncommon for
people to use
or to rob what
seemed to be
working.
So they'd heard
about Paul and
all the things
that he was
doing and they
thought well maybe
if we kind of
use the words
that Paul does
maybe we can do
the same things.
So look at the
rest of verse 13.
They would say
in the name of
Jesus whom Paul
preaches I command
you to come out.
seven sons of
Sceva.
Well who was
Sceva?
Well he was a
Jewish priest and
his sons were all
involved in it.
One day the evil
spirit answered
them.
Jesus I know
and I know
about Paul
but who are
you?
now that's
frightening for
them isn't it?
Even the demons
know what is
counterfeit and
what is authentic.
They know who
has the ultimate
power.
They know that
it's only the
risen Lord Jesus
who gives the
power to be able
to do this.
But who are
you?
Who are you
telling me to
come out?
I don't respond
to you.
Verse 16.
Then the men
who had the
evil spirit jumped
on them,
overpowered them
and gave them
such a beating
that they ran
out of the
house naked
and bleeding.
Well I bet
that was a story
that went round
the town.
What excuse
did they give
when they got
home with no
clothes on I
wonder?
Hmm?
You see the
name of Jesus
is not magical.
It has no
power.
Just somebody
saying Jesus
is no more
powerful than
somebody saying
Johnny.
it doesn't
do anything.
But the
person of
Jesus,
the risen
Lord Jesus,
he does have
ultimate power.
He has supreme
authority over
all evil
and he continues
to exercise
that power
when and how
he wills.
Because it
wasn't Paul
who did the
miracles.
Look at
verse 11.
God did
extraordinary
miracles through
Paul.
and the
purpose of
all of these
miracles was
to confirm
the authentic
gospel that
Paul preached.
You could
believe the
message because
of what had
happened but
also to
convince these
Ephesian people
who were deeply
involved in
magic that
Jesus, the
risen Jesus,
has supreme
power and
authority.
So verse
17.
When this
became known
to the Jews
and the Greeks
living in
Ephesus, they
were all seized
with fear and
the name of the
Lord Jesus was
held in high
honour.
Now God may
choose to do
extraordinary
miracles today.
Who are we to
stop what God
does?
He may choose
extraordinary
things to
prove the
authenticity of
his gospel.
However, what
God has
already done
and these
miracles are
also recorded
for us today
is evidence
for us today
and that's
what the
Uncover book
Luke is all
about because
there's evidence
there to tell
us that this
is all true
that we can
believe the
authentic gospel
of the risen
Jesus.
So here's the
third test.
are we
following the
authentic gospel
or are we
chasing some
other kind of
counterfeit?
Are we running
after other
things?
It's not
unnormal to
turn on the
telly to the
God channel
and you will
find people who
will say send
us in your
money and we'll
send you this
hanky or this
little bit of
water and you
will get this
happen to you
and this
healing and
everything else
and people
do it.
I certainly
wouldn't want to
hand my hanky
to anybody and
nobody would
want my hanky
either.
What is
authentic?
What is
counterfeit?
We have
evidence here
through the
miracles recorded
for us that
we can believe
the gospel.
And the
fourth test is
this.
Are we
practicing
ongoing
repentance?
Now very
often we think
of repentance
as a one-off
event.
But real
repentance,
genuine
repentance,
is ongoing
in our lives.
Verse 18.
Many of
those who
believed now
came and
openly confessed
their evil
deeds.
Now I
understand it
here that
these were
genuine
believers who
because of
what has just
happened and
the evidence
of what they
have seen
have come to
see that they
need to go on
and change
things in their
behaviour and
in their life.
And I think
that's true for
all of us.
When we become
followers of
Jesus we don't
have everything
sorted out all
at once.
It takes time.
We live under
Christ through
and when he
shows us
things in our
life that
don't match
up to
Christ we
change them
and we
deal with
them and
that seems
to be the
case here.
Verse 19.
There were a
number who
practised
sorcery and
they brought
their scrolls
together and
they burned
them publicly.
I think this
is a sense of
ongoing repentance
here.
Bringing all
of their lives
under the rule
of the risen
Jesus and
then changing
things that
need to be
changed.
And perhaps
what marks
this as
real repentance
and look at
it here in
verses 18 and
19 is the
public nature
of it all.
Repentance
isn't always
private.
Look at
verse 18.
First they
openly confessed
what they had
done.
You see
they wanted
people to
know that
they themselves
knew that
they had
done wrong.
Other people
could see that
their practice
was wrong
but they also
wanted other
people to see
that yes I
also see in
my own life
that I've got
it wrong.
And they
owned up to
it.
They wanted
people to see
how they had
turned from
their evil
deeds and
were now
committed to
living a
different way.
They openly
confessed.
But more
than that
verse 19
those who
had scrolls
burned them
publicly.
because repentance
is so much
more than
just words.
It's not
just a case
of saying
sorry and
that's it.
Move on.
Thanks very
much.
Well here
was evidence.
Here was
demonstration that
what they said
with their lips
what they said
in their minds
was actually
true.
They went and
got their
scrolls,
brought them
publicly and
then set fire
to them and
got rid of
them.
People could
see by their
deliberate action
that they
had turned
from their
past lifestyle.
They were
turning from
these practices
that didn't
line up to
Christ.
And that's
what real
repentance is.
It's ongoing.
It's confessed
publicly and
it is proved
by action.
And let's
remember real
repentance is
costly.
Look at the
rest of verse
19.
when they
calculated the
value of the
scrolls, the
total came to
50,000 drachmas.
Now a drachma
we're told is a
day's wage.
And from my
calculation that's
a combined total
of 5 million
euro all up in
smoke.
In other words,
their money,
their reputation,
their respect,
their comfort,
was no
substitute for
the riches that
they were now
beginning to
discover and
find in Jesus
Christ.
They were quite
happy to put all
of that to one
side.
All for the
riches that they
would find in
Christ.
So the question
is, do we
practice real
repentance?
Or do we just
say sorry and
kind of move on
and that's it?
Is there any
evidence, is there
action that we
are turning aside
from these things
that we need
to?
A healthy
church needs to
get into the
habit of
repenting well.
So here are
four marks or
signs of a
healthy church.
Genuine
conversion, true
discipleship, the
authentic gospel,
gospel, and
real repentance.
And look what
happens when there
is a healthy
church, verse
20.
In this way the
word of the
Lord spread
widely and
grew in
power.
People looked
in on these
believers, this
church in
Ephesus, and
they could see
the change that
it was having
in people's
lives and in
their families,
the radical
change that it
was doing.
And it
began to
spread and
began to
grow in
power and
other people
came to
Christ.
Paul was
concerned to
establish a
healthy church.
And here in
Carragoline we're
concerned to go
on growing as
a healthy
church.
But we need
to ask these
questions again
in our own
lives and
together to
make sure that
we are going
the way God
calls us to.
Because it is
essential to
God's ongoing
mission.
If we want to
see the church
grow, we need
a healthy
church.
So let's
pray that God
will continue to
help us to be
that.
Lord,
our Father God,
we ask that you
would give us
grace, that you
would empower us
with your
Spirit, that you
would go on
changing us and
transforming us
so that each
day when we
meet together
formally like
this or
informally during
the week, that
we would grow as
your disciples,
filled with your
Spirit, following
the one true
gospel, repenting
and confessing to
one another, and
making those
radical changes
that we need
to in our
lives.
We ask for
your grace, that
we would go on
being healthy.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Well, let's sing
together as we
seek to apply
this and I
guess to sing
some of these
truths into our
lives.
Let your
kingdom come,
let your will be
done, so that
everyone might
know your name.
Let's stand
together as we
sing this.
Amen.