(Through the Bible) Acts 18-19 — Chuck Smith

Paul's Ministry Begins in Corinth

Let's turn now to the 18th chapter of Acts as we continue our study through the Bible. At the end of the study last week, the end of chapter 17, we found Paul speaking to the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers there on Mars Hill, proclaiming to them the glory and the marvels of the unknown God whom they worshiped ignorantly.

And we found that again Paul's message left them with sort of divided feelings. Some believing and remaining with Paul and others sort of scoffing and going their way. Now after these things, Paul departed from Athens and he came to Corinth.

Now why Paul departed early is not stated. He was actually waiting for Timothy and Silas to join him. But from the account we find that Timothy and Silas did not join him until he was at Corinth. He had sent for them to come quickly.

Paul just evidently didn't care that much for Athens. And so he went on down to Corinth, which was the capital of vice in the ancient world. Whenever in the Greek plays they would depict a Corinthian, they would usually have them drunken in the plays.

It became sort of a byword to say, well, he lives like a Corinthian, which means a person was living a very sensuous kind of a lifestyle. The city of Corinth was a Roman city under direct Roman rule, though it was, of course, in Greece and was sort of a center of commerce.

The nation of Greece, it's almost like a waistline there at Corinth in that there's only about five miles at the most, maybe two miles from the one sea to the other. Greece is very narrow. It comes to a very narrow point there at the area of Corinth.

So that the ships coming from the east would usually come and deposit their cargo and then it would be taken overland and then again by sea to Rome. And it saved them going around the Cape at the lower end of Greece, which was very treacherous sailing.

In fact, they used to have a saying, if you're going to sail around the Cape, then make out your will before you go. So the common passage of the goods from the east to Rome and vice versa was through Corinth as they would bring it across land at this narrow portion of Greece.

Nero attempted to build the canal at this narrow point, but did fail. But later that canal was built and there is a Corinthian canal today where ships can pass through and save, like the Panama Canal, the great distance of sailing around the Cape of Good Hope.

Of course, it isn't that far around Greece, but they can save hundreds of miles of shipping by coming through the Corinthian canal. A very wicked city indeed at the top of the Acropolis above Corinth was the Temple of Aphrodite, which remains do exist in ruins at the present time.

The Temple of Aphrodite had 1 ,000 priestesses who were nothing more than public prostitutes, who in the evening would come down into the city of Corinth and the revenue from these prostitutes went to maintain the Temple of Aphrodite there at the top of the hill.

So Paul came to this city known for its licentiousness or its sexual indulgences for the lustful living of the people. And he found a certain Jew named Aquila who was born in Pontus, but had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had commanded all of the Jews to depart from Rome.

Now this command of Claudius was given in 49 A .D. So how long he had been here in Corinth is not stated, but had lately come from Italy as the result of this decree to get the Jews out of Rome. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them and he wrought, for by their occupation they were tent makers.

Now Paul was a Jewish rabbi. And it was said that every man should have a trade. This was a common feeling among the Jews. They taught their sons a trade so that always if things went bad, you could fall back on your trade.

Paul by trade was a tent maker. And wherever Paul went, if he was going to be there any length of time, he usually got a job as a tent maker. He was willing to work with his own hands in order to support the call of God upon his heart to minister the Word of God.

I do not see anything inconsistent with that. I believe that it is good for a minister of the Gospel to, if necessary, work with his own hands to provide for his needs so that he would not be chargeable, as was the case with Paul.

He didn't want to be chargeable to the Greeks. So Paul worked there with Aquila and Priscilla, who also were tent makers. He probably got a job from them, went to work for them as he was providing for his own needs.

He often would not provide just for his own needs, but for the needs of those that journeyed with him, as was the case in Ephesus. Paul continued to work as a tent maker until Silas and Timothy joined him.

And when Silas and Timothy came, they brought an offering from the church in Philippi, where the Philippian jailer was converted. They took up an offering and sent it to Paul. And when they came with this offering for Paul, then it was no longer necessary for him to work, and so he gave full time to the ministry there in Corinth.

So Paul was the kind of a fellow, if he needed money, he was willing to go out and work with his hands to provide. If the Lord would provide, such as he did with the Philippian offering, then he was wanting and willing to give himself full time to the work of the Lord.

Giving and Gospel Ministry

You remember that Paul, in writing to the Philippians, made mention of the offering, thanking them for sending the offering to him. He said, not that I particularly had a need, but I desire that fruit might abound to your account.

And I think that that is an important thing to think about and to remember when you're giving to the work of the Lord, that whatever fruit comes from the lives of those that are being supported in that ministry that you have sent to, whatever fruit comes from that goes to your account.

Paul said, I thank you for the offering that you sent. Not that I had a special need, but I desire that fruit might abound to your account. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he reminded them that he had labored among them, and that he was not chargeable unto any of them.

Witnessing Christ and Responsibility for Souls

Now he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and he persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. And when Silas and Timothy were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the Spirit, and he testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.

So, this is interesting in that it would seem that Paul was just teaching concerning God's promise of the Messiah and all until Timothy and Silas came, and then he was moved in the Spirit to go ahead and to declare unto them, having laid the foundation, that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.

And when they, that is the Jews, opposed themselves and blasphemed, he shook his raiment and he said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads, I am clean. From henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.

You remember when Pilate was pressed by the Jews to deliver Jesus to be crucified, he took a basin and he washed his hands and he said, I am innocent of this man's blood, see ye to it. And they responded, His blood be upon us and upon our children.

Now Paul felt that responsibility to share Christ with these people, to share Jesus as the Messiah. We have a responsibility of witnessing. We don't have a responsibility of converting people. In fact, we have an inability to convert people.

But our responsibility is to witness. Paul fulfilled his responsibility. And in so doing, he felt freed then from the blood of these people. In other words, he felt such a heavy obligation to witness for the Lord that he felt that he was sort of responsible for their salvation if he failed to witness.

You remember that God gave to Ezekiel a special challenge. And when I say unto the wicked, they shall perish. And if you warn not the wicked, they will perish in their sins, but their blood will I require at your hands.

Now Paul felt that very same kind of a challenge in his ministry to the Jews. But having witnessed to them, now as they are blaspheming and rejecting, Paul says, alright, that's it. Not going on and arguing and trying to press them to make a change, but just, hey, I've delivered my soul.

I'm free and innocent of your blood. And he felt that his obligation was complete when he had witnessed to them. Which indeed is so. I am pressed by God to bear witness of the truth of Jesus Christ, that Jesus is the Messiah.

If a person believes that, glory. But that's the work of God's Spirit in planting faith in their heart. If they don't believe it, then I can't do anything about that, but at least I am free from a responsibility as a witness.

I have borne my witness. That's all God requires of me. I get paid a salary. I don't get paid commission. I get the same pay no matter how many people you see receive the Lord. And so thus, you know, I don't feel pressed at all to push people into a relationship with Jesus.

I only bear witness of God's truth to their hearts. And then the responsibility is theirs, what they do with it. So he said, I am clean. Your blood is upon your own heads. I am clean. From now on, I'm going to go to the Gentiles.

And so he departed from the synagogue and he entered into a certain man's house named Justice. One that worshiped God and whose house was joined hard to the synagogue or probably shared a common wall with the synagogue.

And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all of his house and many of the Corinthians hearing believed and were baptized. Now you remember when Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians and you A students did read that epistle this week, I trust.

Baptism, Salvation, and the Corinthian Church

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he said unto them who were in these little factious groups because Apollos later went and preached to Corinth and many people were enamored of Apollos. Peter had evidently been there and some were saying, well, I'm of Peter.

Others were saying, I'm of Paul. And others were saying, I'm of Apollos. And he said, that's a mark of carnality. You haven't grown up. You're dividing yourself into these little factious groups. And he said, I thank God I didn't baptize any of you but Crispus and Gaius.

And if there is any other, I don't remember it because God didn't send me to baptize but to preach the gospel. So this Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, was one of those that Paul baptized. The other was Gaius who was Paul's host as Paul writing his Roman epistle declares that he greets those in Rome from Gaius who is my host.

So again, remembering that the Roman epistle was written from Corinth, a city that was given over to all of this lustful, licentious kind of living. We remember the first chapter of Romans as Paul describes men of reprobate minds who had been given over to the lust of their own minds and were doing all of the evil, vile things.

He was only describing the way people were living around him there in the city of Corinth. And so if you want a good view of what the Corinthian lifestyle was like, read the latter half of the first chapter of the book of Romans and Paul is describing the life around him there in the city of Corinth as he was writing from the house of Gaius and the two men that he baptized, Crispus and Gaius, and he couldn't remember if there were any others for he said God didn't send me to baptize but to preach the gospel.

A difficult scripture for those persons from the church of Christ who come up and wonder why we do not instantly baptize the believers. Take them immediately down to the beach and baptize them because they believe in baptismal regeneration.

You're not really saved until you're baptized. Well, if their doctrine is correct then Paul is utterly blasphemous in the fact that he thanked God he didn't baptize any but Crispus and Gaius and if there be any others he said I don't remember them for God didn't send me to baptize just to preach the gospel.

So there were many people converted in Corinth during Paul's ministry there and yet Paul was not really engaged much in baptizing the believers. But Crispus the chief ruler of the synagogue believed on the Lord with all of his house and many of the Corinthians hearing believed and were baptized however not by Paul.

God's Protection and the Need to Teach the Word

Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision and he said be not afraid. Now whenever God says be not afraid it usually means that you are afraid and Paul had reason to be afraid just about everywhere he preached it ended in a riot and he had been imprisoned he had been beaten he had been stoned and now the Jews are getting stirred up here in Corinth and they had created problems wherever he had preached and he was probably fearful of what might happen and so the Lord said be not afraid but speak hold not your peace be not afraid and what is the cure the answer for fear for I am with thee.

Oh how the presence of the Lord and that consciousness of the presence of the Lord dispels fear. If ever I get afraid all I have to do is remember all the Lord's with me and fear is dispelled. Fear only comes when I lose the consciousness of the presence of the Lord.

Be not afraid the Lord said I am with thee and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee. I'm going to protect you Paul. Now you wonder why the Lord didn't protect him in the other places. Why didn't the Lord protect him at Lystra?

Why didn't he protect him in some of these other places where he was beaten and in prison and all? I don't know. But here in Corinth the Lord is saying okay Paul now don't be afraid I am with you and no man will be as able to lay his hand on you to hurt you for I have much people in this city.

One of the most wicked cities in the world and there is where God has a big harvest. Where sin abounds Paul wrote to the Romans there from Corinth where sin abounds grace does much more abound. And he saw that overabounding grace of God in the city of Corinth as the Lord testified I have many people in this city.

Now looking at the people and the way they lived you wouldn't guess it I'm sure. But yet God is able to work in those cases that we are so often prone to classify as hopeless. And God has saved so many people I've given up on.

So many people that I've declared there's no way they could ever be saved. And yet God saved them anyhow in spite of my judgment. So the Lord said go ahead speak out Paul don't be afraid. I've got a lot of people in this city no one's going to be able to hurt you.

And so he continued there a year and six months teaching the word of God among them. So he probably spent close to two years total time in Corinth. He spent another 18 months teaching the word of God among them.

One of the greatest needs for the believers are to be taught in the word of God. And I think that it is relevant that here it didn't say he spent 18 months preaching to them but he spent 18 months teaching them.

And that is the great need in the church at all times is to be taught in the word of God. Now when Galileo was the deputy of Achaia the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat.

That judgment seat is still there in the city of Corinth. If you go to Corinth today they'll take you to the middle of the town and they'll show you this one flat area and it is the judgment seat the very seat where Galileo was and where Paul was brought to trial by the Jews.

Galileo is a man that has received a lot of unwarranted abuse because of his response and his reaction here. But Galileo was the brother of Seneca of Roman fame. And Seneca said of his brother Galileo there was never a kinder more loving person who ever lived than my brother Galileo.

Now, Galileo is sitting there in the judgment seat in Corinth. And the Jews brought Paul in and they said this fellow is persuading men to worship God contrary to the law. That was their accusation. That would be contrary to the Jewish law and that was their interpretation of what Paul was teaching but I'm certain that Paul when he attempted to give his answer would have disputed that claim.

And when Paul was about to open his mouth Galileo said unto the Jews if it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness oh you Jews reason would that I should bear with you. But if it is a question of words and names and of your law then take care of it yourselves for I will not be a judge in such matters.

And so he drove them from the judgment seat. These Jews that were trying to accuse Paul. And all of the Greeks took Sosthenes the chief ruler of the synagogue and probably the chief accuser of Paul and they beat him before the judgment seat and Galileo cared for none of those things.

That is he he did not stop them from beating Sosthenes and that is why Galileo is brought into ill repute in so many commentaries but if you go to the secular history you'll find that he was a very fair honest and a loving person.

Now Paul after this tarried there yet a good while and then he took his leave from the brethren and he sailed his intention was to return back to Syria. Antioch was in Syria and his intention of course was to sail back to the church in Antioch.

And he took with him Priscilla and Aquila having shorn his head in Censurea for he had a vow. Now the shaving of your head was really the Nazarite vow and you would take the Nazarite vow when you wanted to consecrate yourself unto God for a period of time and usually the time of the Nazarite vow was for 30 days.

So at the beginning of the Nazarite vow you would shave your head and then you wouldn't take a razor to your head for that 30 days nor would you eat any meat nor would you drink any wine during the period of the 30 days in which you had this vow of consecration to God.

Then at the end of the 30 days you would shave your head again whatever hair had grown during that period of time and you would burn it as an offering unto the Lord. So Paul took this Nazarite vow shaved his head to begin this Nazarite vow probably to sort of prepare himself to go to the temple and to worship at the feast that he was endeavoring to get back to Jerusalem in time for one of the three feasts.

On his way they came first to Ephesus and there he left Priscilla and Aquila but he himself entered into the synagogue and he reasoned with the Jews. Paul just can't stop himself. And when they desired him to tarry longer with them he consented not but he bade them farewell saying I must by all means keep this feast which is coming up in Jerusalem but I will return again unto you if God wills.

Remember James said go to now ye who say tomorrow we will do this and that you would be better to say if the Lord wills we will do this and that for you really don't know what a day is going to bring forth.

And so here's Paul saying if God wills I'll return again. I don't know what God wills at this point I don't know what the Lord has in mind but if the Lord is willing that's a part of God's will I will return again.

But you notice his desire I want to get to Jerusalem for this feast. And so he sailed from Ephesus and when he had landed at Caesarea which of course was the major port closest to Jerusalem at that particular time the Roman port of Caesarea and had gone up and saluted the church he went down to Antioch.

Now he just greeted the church it evidently wasn't a very it evidently wasn't warmly welcomed by the church. Paul didn't really get along too well with the church fathers in Jerusalem. And so Luke passes off Paul's visit to Jerusalem tells us nothing about his attendance at the feast tells us nothing about his time there except that he just greeted the brethren there and then came on back to Antioch from which he had begun his journey years earlier.

And after he had spent some time there and again Luke is indefinite as far as how long he stayed in Antioch he departed and went over all the country of Galatia and Pergia in order strengthening all the disciples.

Now, in verse 18 -23 Luke in five verses covers a journey of Paul of some 1500 miles walking by ship perhaps some of it by horseback. 1500 miles passed off in just five little verses. All of the things that were accomplished in that length of time and through those journeys are something that were not recorded.

Apollos and Growth Through Instruction

They're just a portion here of the record that is left blank. And a certain Jew named Apollos born at Alexandria who was an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures came to Ephesus. Now Paul was only in the synagogue there reasoning with them.

They requested that he stay longer but he was desirous to get to Jerusalem. So as Paul is on his way to Jerusalem and now making his rounds through Pergia and Galatia coming back towards Ephesus prior to his arriving another Jew arrived.

An eloquent man. A brilliant man. He was from Alexandria. And he was mighty in the Scriptures. And that word means not only had a good knowledge but was able to explain carefully the Scriptures. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord and being fervent in the Spirit he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord knowing only the baptism of John.

Now, he was no doubt a disciple of John. He knew the baptism of John. What do we know about John's preaching? John said, I am not the Messiah. There is one who is coming after me who is mightier than I am, the lachet of whose shoes I am unworthy to unloose.

And he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. So he knew that John was telling that the coming of the Messiah was at hand and that the Messiah would be baptizing them in the Holy Spirit.

But his basic forte was in the Scriptures and explaining the Scriptures and no doubt showing that the time of the Messiah's coming was at hand. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue, whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them and expounded unto him the way of God more completely, more perfectly.

At this point, I have to have great admiration for Apollo. He is a man who is mighty in the Scriptures. He is a man who is fervent in spirit. He's eloquent. He's brilliant. And yet two of the people who were there listening to him understood more fully the things of which he spake than he did himself.

For through Paul they had come to know that Jesus was the Messiah and the empowering of the Holy Spirit in their lives. And so I admire Apollo that he was willing to listen to a couple of the congregation who understood more completely than did he the ways of the Lord.

I also admire Aquila and Priscilla for taking this eloquent man and sharing the way of the Lord with him. Notice that it does say that Aquila and Priscilla, both of them, were used as instruments of God in explaining to Apollo the way of the Lord more completely.

There are some who would try to exclude women from any place of teaching or instructing, but God obviously used Priscilla for that purpose and with this man Apollos. And when he was disposed to pass unto Achaia, the brethren wrote exhorting the disciples to receive him.

Now, of course, Priscilla and Aquila had come from Corinth. And so when Apollos is now ready to go to Corinth, they wrote letters to the disciples to receive him who, when he was come, he helped them much which have believed through grace.

For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah. So this man Apollos had a powerful ministry, a good knowledge of the Word, an ability to prove that Jesus indeed was the Messiah from the Scriptures, and that publicly when he came to Corinth.

And that is why, no doubt, the Corinthian church began to have their favorites and say, well, I'm of Paul. And others were saying, well, we're of Apollos. And God nor did Paul or Apollos ever intend that the people should take sides like this.

Paul said, I watered. I mean, I planted. Apollos watered. And God gave the increase. Now he who plants is nothing. He who waters is nothing. It is God. In other words, don't get your eyes on me. You that are saying I'm of Paul.

Nor should you get your eyes on Apollos. You should have your eyes upon the Lord. He's the one that's really done the work in your heart. But man, it seems, looks to the human instrument. But Paul is trying to point them away from him and point them to the Lord.

He that plants is nothing. I planted. I'm nothing. He that waters is nothing. Apollos watered. But he's really nothing. It is the Lord. That's the one you want to get your eyes on. Here again is something interesting.

Paul's ministry in Corinth was that of planting. Apollos came along and watered that which Paul had planted. Apollos had planted in Ephesus. Now Paul is coming to Ephesus as we get into chapter 19. And he is going to water what Apollos planted.

So the glorious way by which God works in the ministry, at one place, He may have you planting. In another place, He may have you watering what someone else planted. But again, we must keep our eyes upon the Lord because if there is to be any increase, that's His work.

All I can do is plant seed. All I can do is water seed that is planted. But any increase is the work of the Lord and is to His glory. So it came to pass that while Apollos was at Corinth watering what Paul had planted, Paul having passed through the upper coast came to Ephesus and there he found certain disciples that no doubt had been planted by Apollos.

The Holy Spirit's Empowering Presence

And he said unto them, Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? Now there are those who object strenuously to that translation and the revised version of the Bible demonstrates their objection or the revised version translates this.

Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? The question, have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed, would indicate a separate, subsequent work of grace beyond initial saving faith. And because Baptist doctrine declares that you receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit upon conversion and deny any further work of grace subsequent to conversion, the question, have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed, would totally dispute that Baptist position and so they preferred the translation, did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?

However, even that presents difficulty to their position because it would seem to indicate that a person could believe without receiving. Otherwise, why would Paul ask it? The very question itself would indicate that it was possible to be a believer and not have received that fullness of the Spirit.

Now it was a very common thing to receive the fullness of the Spirit when they believed. Peter, on the day of Pentecost, when he was asked by the people, what shall we do seeing we have crucified the Lord of glory?

He said, repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For this promise is unto you and to your children and to those that are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

So he gave to them the promise of the Spirit as an experience coincident with, but subsequent to their repenting and being baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And it generally followed in the book of Acts that when they believed and were baptized, that they were oftentimes immediately filled with the Spirit as was the case in the house of Cornelius. When Peter went there and as he was preaching unto them, actually, well, no, that wasn't the pattern, was it?

As he was preaching, the Holy Spirit fell upon them and then they said, well, who can hinder now water to baptize these people seeing they've received the Holy Spirit. So they received the Holy Spirit and were baptized.

But the general pattern was baptized and then received the Spirit. There was a time gap in Samaria. Philip went to Samaria and preached Christ unto them and many believed and were baptized when they saw the miracles that were done.

And among the believers was a man whose name was Simon who beforehand was a sorcerer and had really hoodwinked the people by his sorcery. But he also believed and was baptized. Now when the church in Jerusalem heard that the Samaritans had received the Gospel, they sent unto them Peter and John, for as yet the Holy Spirit had not come upon them.

This endowment of power when the Holy Spirit came upon their lives. And here again points out this little Greek preposition hippy, which signifies that empowering of the Spirit in the life of the believer to be a witness.

Jesus had said to His disciples in the 14th chapter of John that He would pray the Father to give to them another Comforter, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth in not, neither knoweth Him.

But you know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you. There there are two Greek prepositions used to describe the relationship of the Holy Spirit to the believer. First of all, He is with you.

Secondly, He shall be in you. Prior to your receiving Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit was with you. He was the one that convicted you of your sinful state. He was the one who was pointing Jesus Christ as the answer for your sins.

He was the one that was drawing you to the Lord. For no man can come except the Father draw him. And the Spirit is the agent that the Father uses to draw men to Jesus Christ. But when you receive Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit began to dwell in you.

And every believer has the Holy Spirit dwelling within him. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, said, Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you? You are not your own. You have been bought with a price.

Therefore, glorify God in your body and your spirit, which are His. Your body, the temple of the Holy Spirit. That's true of every believer. But Jesus declared a time would come when those that believed on Him would experience a glorious work of God, for out of their innermost being there will begin to flow or gush torrents, rivers of living water as He spoke of that ultimate relationship of the Spirit.

You see, God always looks at you, first of all, subjectively, because God wants to work in your life His work of the Spirit. But God's work in your life is never finished when it is just a subjective work.

God always looks at you objectively for what He can do through your life. Norman Grubb, in his book The Deep Things of God, declares that man's greatest capacity is that of a vessel. For God has created man with the capacity to contain God.

We have this treasure in earthen vessels. And so he declares that the greatest capacity of man is that of a vessel that can contain God. And he goes on, and he got me quite excited one day when I was listening to him at Forest Home about being a vessel containing the eternal God, the Creator of the universe.

Oh, how glorious. But as I began to study it, I realized that Norman Grubb came short. And as I was reading the book, having listened to him, and I came again to this concept, I said, Norman, you're wrong.

The greatest capacity of man is not that of being a vessel to contain God, but it is being a channel through which God can flow to a needy world. The instrument that God can use. Unfortunately, too many of us are vessels to contain, but we've bottled it up.

And there's no flow going forth from our lives. And the work of the Spirit is only subjective. He's working in me. Conforming me into the image of Christ. Glory. That's beautiful. I need it. I want it.

But I should not be satisfied with it. I should not be satisfied until my life has become a channel from which God's Spirit is just flowing out and touching the needy world around me. And this is the hippie.

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Hippie. The Greek preposition means upon or over. And as I said, I have translated it overflows you. When you're so full, you can't contain it anymore.

And it just starts to flow out from your life and continues to flow out until it becomes like a river of living water. And if you cannot look at your life and say that my life, there is a flowing forth from my life of the Spirit of God, like a river of living water.

If you can't say that of your life, then God has a deeper relationship for you to experience in the power and the anointing of His Spirit upon your life. There is something more for you. That gift of the Holy Spirit where He becomes that empowering force as a river of living water now gushing forth out of your life and the thirsty world around you being touched and ministered to from that overflow of God's love in your own heart.

So, this is the hippie experience. And so, get out your concordances. I'm not going to do it for you. You're getting lazy. Get out your concordances and go back through the book of Acts and notice the hippie preposition in relationship to the Holy Spirit upon the believers.