Paul Questions Twelve Men — Paris Reidhead

Paul's Questions to the Twelve Disciples

Will you turn, please, to Acts, the 19th chapter, speaking tonight, and let's feel and engage our hearts. Listen carefully. And it came as was that chorus of 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? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, A baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him, Christ Jesus.

And his hands came on them, and they spake with tongues and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve. And he went into the synagogue for the space of sputing and persuading. And to make evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one tyrannous.

And this continued by the Jews and Greeks, handkerchiefs or aprons. And the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirit. Perhaps that we're scheduled to speak in the future on this subject by Paul's hand.

Repentance and Faith in the Account of Acts 19

This is the portion from which it comes. But our concern tonight is with this first portion of the word. Here in the early verses of this nineteenth chapter. All questions to asking them which you believe.

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 you baptized? And they said unto, then they said unto John's baptism. John 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.

Asked by, concerned about, all question in verse three. And they said unto John's baptism. Heaven is at hand. There's one coming after me whose purpose is obscure. We do not know. It's pleasant that John much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

But this much we do know. That to the testimony of the necessity of repentance. To establish right at the very outtake. Concerning the name and wishes from page to page. Here. Repentance and faith had been genuine.

Complete. To the satisfaction of Paul. The first question would have had no relevance and no value and no meaning. And so when unto what certain things are absolutely clear. They aren't particularly clear because of what you have here.

But they're clear because of what is associated with John's baptism. A missionary is a secret believer. Those who are intellectually convinced that the question of the matter of faith is new. Of repentance.

And lest someone should think that this was superficial and unimportant. Let's remember what's involved in repentance. A change of mind. A change of will. A change of direction. A change of action. All of this is implicit.

Except you repent you will perish. And just as he said you must be born again. He said you must repent. It's as the same force. And so these people speak such insight from God. Such revelation from God.

Through whatever testimony they had heard. Now this is no little thing. It had been done so well that apparently there is no need for the spirit of God to indicate. That Paul had to correct it. Reinforce it.

Or stretch people have become truth and evangelical testimony. And have failed to meet him on that basic spirit of God. Preacher. That I had listened to my teachers actually heretic. Because repentance was Jewish.

And had nothing to do with repentance. All he preached was belief on the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I completely contradict this. In Acts 17, Acts 20, and in Acts 26. Teaching repentance towards the Lord Jesus Christ.

Repentance is not a work. If you define it as sorrow. It might have some meter. By which repentance is a change of attitude. It's an enormity of sin. And an inward. This has happened. And this has taken place.

There's no question about that. To my knowledge absolutely no question about the fact that they had heard of Christ. Not that they were to be baptized. Knowledge of Christ. And I am myself absolutely convinced that here in 56 A .D.

Some 30 to 33 or 36 years after the ascension of Christ. That these people have heard. Repented. And they have received him. Submitted to his sovereignty. They have embraced him. And I am absolutely convinced from the careful study of these people.

And they had him in his name. And I am so convinced of this. Is that immediately Paul baptizes them. And were there any chance of being baptized in order to be saved. Which would be an anomaly. The only place the saints have seen himself rule.

Baptism, Justification, and Regeneration

Believing of Jesus Christ is tremendously important. Because here he quickens faith. The centuries and the pages. Making real the presence of Christ in saving in these people. And so they are now to be initiated.

Baptism is a testimony of our relationship to Christ. It's an outward symbol of an inward work. And without further instruction. Without further dealing. He takes them into the water. If this is the case.

And I strongly affirm it is. Then the spirit. The point that you must understand is this. That one does not even need to know that there be a Holy Spirit to come that far. Faith in the Holy Spirit. Faith in the finished work of Christ.

Enabled. Is it necessary to know that there be such a person. As God manifest in his triunity. And his omnipresence. On the throne. Knitted. Christ in their life. In obedience to the. This they are. And yet they can be such.

Born of the spirit. Knowing their children of God. And correctly affirm that they do not even know that there be a Holy Spirit. Not necessary. Better with me. Something's wrong between. He's the spirit of God convicts.

When he is come he will convict. But he didn't identify himself in the doing of it. He did it. He caused the sinner to see it. But he didn't speak of himself. And it is the spirit of God that induces this one to repent.

To throw down the arms of his rebellion. But he doesn't identify himself. It's a relationship between the sinner and Christ. It's the spirit of God that enables him to look across two thousand years. And see a Jew hanging on a cross.

Outside of a little city. Despicable in the eyes of the Romans. And that that man hanging on that cross was God come to atone for the sins of a race of sinners. It is the spirit of God that takes away the fog and the smog.

And the atheism and agnosticism and infidelity and unbelief and doubt. And enables one's heart to leap across two thousand years of history. And embrace that man. As their all sufficient savior. Now it is of course understandable.

Why can sinners listening to us preach think that the gospel is nonsense? How can the death of a man two thousand years ago have any relevance to me living in the twentieth century? Is an honest question.

And the answer is. There isn't any real relevance in his eyes until he comes to realize that that man is God. God come in the flesh. And that he came for the purpose of redeeming sinners. And the only way that he can possibly become relevant.

Is when the sinner realizes the sin. And realizes this man died for him. And reaches out across the centuries to embrace him. With an embrace that's all encompassing and all dependent. When that happens.

Then I said these two miracles happen. In heaven he's justified. For God counted all of his sin laid upon Christ. And then now though in respect. As Lord in his righteousness of Christ to him. His legal standing before God is as sinless and holy as that of Christ.

But while he's justified legally at that moment. The same moment he's regenerated by the Holy Ghost. And God comes into his heart. And he partakes of life in the person of God by the spirit. And it is thus said that Christ is in him.

But all of this done I say and affirm again. Without his so much as knowing that the agent by which it is affected. Is God the Holy Spirit. Now. It is quite possible then for this to happen. And for people to be able to say.

Due to the absence of teaching and instruction. We have not so much as heard. Whether there be any Holy Ghost. And to have been genuinely born of God. Because God has not made it requisite. That one know about the Holy Spirit.

To have saving relationship with Christ. Let's see that. That's the first thing. Now what is the second question that was asked by Paul. As he questions these twelve men. If you'll turn to the second verse.

You'll see it as it is in the King James or whatever. And I want you to notice every word. Because every word is significant. Have you since you believed. Did you receive the Holy Ghost. Have before us here.

That is the matter. The fulcrum on which the. It's the verb. In this sense. Received. You see. From this particular transfer. Recognize that this is an active. Usually carries with it a passive sense.

As we would commonly use it. Have received. Would be. In us a passive idea. Something that happened without any particular. Since you believed. Have you taken. Have you taken. The word. Infinitive word.

Labate hagios. To hear. Have you taken. He didn't say. Did he come. When you believed. As is stated. Because if they believed. He came. You see. If he believed. He came. But if one. Savingly received.

Spirit of God. Has joined himself. To that person. Bringing life. For this. If any man have not. The spirit of Christ. He's none of his. He didn't say that. He didn't say. Have you received. In that passive sense.

Did he come. When you believe. Because that would be a contradiction. Of time. If he hadn't come. They hadn't. Savingly believed. Hadn't come. To bring. Life. In regenerating effect. That isn't. What he said.

He said. Have you. Taken. Have you. Taken. The Holy Ghost. Since you. Believed. Or did you. Take him. When you believed. If you wish. To go back. To that. What does he say. Came here. To the present. Which I stated.

That there were. Repentant sinner. To the repentant sinner. Isn't that. What we've just dwelt on. To the sinner. And. Savingly. Uniting. That sinner. To Christ. But you see. It was the work. Presented.

The sinner. Christ. But now. What are we. We're moving. Into another area. A completely. Different area. We now. Find. That it is. The Lordness. To the saint. But he wasn't. Born. Full of the spirit. He was born.

Of the spirit. But he wasn't. Born. Full of the spirit. For the spirit. Of God. Came. With that work. Which was. Essential. To uniting. That one. To Christ. Which was. To savingly. Impart. Divine light.

The Holy Spirit's Work in Regeneration and Fullness

The Lord. Jesus. Christ. Is saying. That the one. Who awakened. You. And to faith. Is God. The spirit. And now. The Lord. Jesus. Christ. Is offering. Himself. Through. The person. Of the spirit. To this believer.

This. I say. Is the aspect. That's presented here. Not so much. Did he come. To bring life. This is synonymous. With believing. But. Have you. Been aware. Of this. To you. And to your children. To as many.

As far off. Even. To as many. As the Lord. He is giving. To his people. Are you aware of that. He said. Have you. Have you taken. Have you been. Instructed. Have you been. Taught. Do you realize. That it isn't just.

Repentance. And faith. And justification. And regeneration. And certainty. That if you die. You'll go to heaven. This. Is of primary interest. To you. Because. You're concerned. About your destiny. But Paul.

And I might put words. In his mouth. To have him say. Are you interested. Are you interested. In what God's concern. For you is. God's interest. In you. It wasn't just. To take you where. He is. When you die.

But that he might. Come where you are. The freedom. That he desires. Are you prepared. To become. To quantitate him. A person. Have received. The spirit. At life. At birth. New birth. How can you. Receive the spirit.

After all. He's a person. And a person. Can't come in parts. Therefore. If he came in. He came in. As a person. And as a person. Didn't he come. And the answer to that. Is yes. Of course. There's no problem here.

However. Because you see. The word is said. As he is. So are we. In the world. Now remember. Mary. Was overshadowed. By the Holy Ghost. And one cell. In her body. Was quickened. By the Holy Spirit. And that holy thing.

Born of her. Was Emmanuel. God. Come in the flesh. And he was God. From the moment of his birth. Even before that. The presence of Elizabeth. Whom leap. For there was. Emmanuel. Being clothed. Upon. With humanity.

And personality. Ours. And. The mystery. Of the fact. That the babe. That lay in. Mary's arms. And drew life from her breast. Was none other than God. Is incomprehensible. To the mind. That's limited.

By the things of time and sense. But this is. The faith. That the Holy Spirit. In the faith of our own house. Three kings. That knelt at his. Manger. Bed. And. Worshipped him. Were driven. Of God. From their paganism.

To come to the place. Where God. Had invaded. Humanity. And they worshipped God. As they gave gifts. To him. And from that time. He was indwelt. By the fullness. Of the Godhead. Bodily. But there be no mistake.

About that. No question. About that. This is true. From that time. Now you know. That at the council of Nicaea. And we have the Nicaean creed. Incidentally. In the front of our hymn book. And I'm so glad.

And I hope that you'll. Memorize it. And learn it. But at the council of Nicaea. You needn't turn to it. For it's only partially relevant. At the council of Nicaea. This issue was settled. For there were heretics.

That said. Jesus Christ. Did not have a human body. Did you know that? Did you know that? Did you know that? Did you know that? Did you know that? That was one of the great heresies of the early church.

Christ did not have a human body. Are you aware of that? Oh yes. That his body was an imaginary body. But it wasn't real. That was one of the aspects of the area in heresy. That was. So. Devastatingly.

Many. Then there was another side. To the same era. Just a man. Until. It was God-man. For until that time. He was just a man. A man. A legacy that twisted and wracked the church for decades. And at the Council of Nicaea that matter was settled.

A very man. His humanity perfect, perfection of divine character. It means that the Christ Jesus, come in the flesh, was perfectly God, perfectly man, in every sense of the word. And yet, and yet, he wasn't ready for his ministry until the Holy Ghost came upon him.

Christ's Baptism and Surrender to the Father's Will

And at his baptism, which was a picture of death to his rights, the right to his rights. Oh, he had died to them before, but he is acting out now what had transpired. When he is putting himself, allowing himself to be put beneath the water, agitations of my humanity.

He couldn't be baptized in a sense of death to sin as it would appear to us, because in him there was no sin. But to what could this death be related? To the fact that from eternity past he'd been God, and by him all things were done that were made that were made.

And now for the purpose of redemption, he'd taken upon himself a body like yours, and so he accepted the limitation of that body. And he is outwardly saying to the Father, by his baptism, Father, I am now accepting the limitations of my humanity publicly.

Ten years now, or twelve, he's been a carpenter, a master carpenter, engaged in pleasing the Father by pursuing his trade. And now he's saying, Father, everything that I've done, I've done to please you, and all that I shall do hereafter shall be done by you, vanquishing publicly the right to his rights.

For he was to say subsequently, I don't speak of myself, I speak as I receive commandment of the Father. I don't do the works, the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the work. And thus our Lord Jesus is bringing to issue now the fact that the means by which God's work is to be done in the world from that time forward is by men who have completely abandoned the right to their rights and have surrendered all to God.

And it would be God working through them rather than men working. And so it descended upon realization of what had happened, but our Lord says it's happened. What was it? Wasn't the Spirit of God in him?

Yes. How could the Spirit of God be in him and not come upon him? I'll tell you how. Because he's God. He's God. And when you really have to reveal how he is God worked, you can't reason. When a person comes, he comes in all of his personality and he's there, because the analogy breaks down.

God isn't like me or you. He's God. And thus he was in Christ, in nature, making him very God of very God, and he hadn't come upon him to clothe that divine human nature. And in the same manner, when you were regenerated, God the Holy Spirit joined himself to your spirit, causing you to become a new creation, partaking of his life.

But it remained for you to understand that God wanted you to join Christ in death, to reckon yourself to be dead, to consciously relate yourself to the cross by realizing he died for you, but he also died as you.

He wanted you to present your body to him, that it would no longer be your using God, but God, no longer you working for the Lord, but the Lord working through you. Just as it was no longer Christ working for the Father, but the Father working through Christ.

Receiving the Holy Spirit by Faith

This is what he wanted. This is what he taught. And so he said, have you taken the Holy Spirit, yourselves to the cross in abandonment, presenting your bodies to him, have you reaching out, reached out and taken him to be the life of your life and the power of your power, the strength of your strength?

Have you consciously recognized that the one who came bringing life wants to cover you and clothe you? That's why our Lord said in Acts 1 .8, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. He didn't say come in, he said upon.

It's an epi of an upon anointing, an upon covering, an upon endowment. He came in at regeneration. Now it's an upon. And his question wasn't, has he come? The question was, have you taken? There's a difference.

I might come to you and say, well I hear that she's in need and I have a little extra. I'll just go to the bank and deposit it. And the hundred dollars that I put into your account, you've received. Oh yes, you received it.

But it doesn't do you a bit of good until the month comes around and your record shows that somebody deposited a hundred dollars to your account. And you say, well I don't know who it was, but I'm terribly grateful.

And then you take it. But until you've taken it, what you've received has no relevance to you, see? And so it was that he said, have you taken the Holy Spirit? Now where did he have to come from? Where did he have to come from?

Where does the Spirit of God come from when he comes to clothe you and immerse you and submerge you and anoint you? Where did he come from? In him we live and move and have our being. All geographical limits that you place upon God are erroneous.

God's as near to you now as he is to the angels in glory. He's here. But you see you don't see him with your eyes or hear him with your ears or taste him with your tongue or feel him with your fingers.

He's not the air. The air is in his presence just as you're in his presence, and all things are imminent in his presence. But God, you see, it isn't that he has to come from somewhere. It's like a bottle in the ocean.

And the ocean's all around the bottle, but there's a cork in it. And all you need to do to have the bottle filled with ocean is take the cork out. Where does the ocean come from? Well, it isn't so much that it comes from somewhere, it's relationship to what's in it.

And so you're in Christ through faith in his finished work. But now, when you recognize that God by the Holy Spirit wants to fill you, it isn't that he has to come from so far. He's there. It's a matter of your attitude.

It's a matter of your taking. It's a matter of your recognizing that he wants to fill you with himself. And so he said, have you taken? Well, that's a good question. It's one you have to ask your own heart.

Have you taken? Have you taken? The Holy Spirit sent you, believed. Did he come? Have you taken him? Have you taken him? Have you realized that this is the gift of the Father? And the gift is the promises to you and to as many as the Lord our God shall call.

If your call of God promises to you, have you taken? That's what Paul said. That's what God said. Received in one sense, yes. But we're using the word now in its active significance, its active sense.

Have you taken him? Have you invited him? Have you reached out in appropriating faith, your faith joined to the faith of others? Now, as there was genuine evidence of God's work of grace in their hearts, regenerating these people, when they came up out of the water, I'm sure he spoke to them and encouraged them, taught them, instructed them.

And he laid his hands upon them, joining his faith to theirs, giving them that release that came from his encouragement and his identification, enabling them, seeking to help them to reach out and take the fullness of the Spirit of God.

Tongues, Prophecy, and the Fullness of the Spirit

And the Holy Ghost came on them. There was an awareness. It wasn't that he had to come from so far, but they were aware of his presence. And they spake with tongues and prophesied. Now, shortly, I'm not just sure when, I'm going to speak directly to the matter of tongues, a sign or a gift.

I haven't yet chosen in my heart whether I should use this next week, but shortly. And I shall give due notice on it, because I believe that it is a matter of tremendous importance. But let's not become involved with that now.

Let's just notice the text, what happened. They spake with tongues and prophesied. Some of them spoke with tongues, and some of them prophesied, but all, he came on all of them. You see, some of them spoke with tongues, and some of them prophesied, and he came on all of them.

And they didn't all speak with tongues, and they didn't all prophesy. The whole structure is that some, that some spoke with tongues, and some prophesied. And what's the significance we see? When the Spirit of God comes upon you with an anointing, baptism, or with an endowment, or in filling, or the crisis of the deeper life, or you call it what you will, because I've long since lost interest in terms, somebody comes to me and says, well, that isn't what we were taught, but you know that's what happened.

Well, I just, all I can do is rejoice and say, well, that he has met your heart. You've reached out to take him, to invite him, to fill you. Now this is true, exactly as it is here. The Spirit of God came on them.

There it is again, epi, upon. This is a clothing, an anointing, an endowment. You might be greatly benefited if you were to read that little book that I've recommended so many times, F .D. Meyer, The Christ Life for the Self Life, and the chapter on the anointing of the Spirit.

Tremendous blessing. Or you might like to read Andrew Murray's splendid little volume, The Full Blessing of Pentecost. For this is nothing new, you know. This isn't just discovered, these glorious truths.

Either 1900, this has been the, this is the history of the Church. And oh, how your heart would be thrilled if you'd read Gilchrist Lawson's little book, Deeper Experiences of Famous Christians, and find that the whole continuity of Church history has been that God has answered hungry hearts.

And when they've been prepared to meet him on his terms and conditions, he's been prepared to meet their need and fulfill his purpose. You see, the normal Christian life is to be filled unto all the fullness of God.

Now, you were born of his Spirit, but you weren't born full of the Spirit. And he says, be filled with the Spirit. And that Christ may take up his lasting dwelling place, that you might be filled unto all of the fullness of God.

The Call to a Spirit-Filled Christian Life

Now, my dear, the great concern of your heart ought to be Paul's question. And let's go back to it. Have you taken the promised Holy Spirit, inviting him to possess you, to control you? People are seeking an experience so they can use God.

It isn't that, my dear. It isn't that somehow you get a corner on God so you can use him. It's quite the contrary, getting a complete hold upon you so that he can use you. And like our Lord Jesus, who said, I can do nothing of myself, I can only do what I see the Father do.

This is to be your relationship. This is to be your relationship. How wonderful it is. And here is the word. This is his word. So simple, so clear. Well, we will deal with it in the days to come, the question that I see rising up out of this.

And I shall hope, I don't know, I would, either I will have it mimeographed before or after, for the sake of those who might like the scripture references. But I rather thought I might have gotten to it tonight, but I haven't.

But I've come far enough to press to your heart this, that God wants you to be a normal Christian filled with his fullness. This is his desire. And I'm not interested in your biography. Oh, dear. Someone says to me, well, I'm not just sure when.

His old brother Bias would say, honey, I don't care about that. I don't care about that. All I want to know is, are you walking in the fullness of God? That's the important thing. That's the important thing.

You can, you know, and you should. And less than this is abnormal, second best. Oh, let's go on together, shall we? And not be detoured by anything less than himself. Once it was the blessing. Now it is the Lord.

Once the gift I wanted, now the giver owned. Just himself, just himself forever. That's what we want. See him only the Lord Jesus as he's manifest and revealed to us through the word by the spirit. Well, let's pray.

Prayer for the Holy Spirit's Fullness

Word, our father, the word's a lamp unto our feet and the light unto our way. There is a way, way of holiness, and the wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein. When men err, it's not because the word is obscure or difficult to understand.

Error isn't in truth. There's no truths that tend to error. We know that, father. Error is in the hearts of men. There's no truths that tend to excess. Excess is in the hearts of men. No truths that tend to imbalance.

Imbalance is in the hearts of men. And our heart's cry to thee tonight is, thou by thy spirit shall enable everyone to answer, I have taken the Holy Spirit and possess me and control me and live through me the life of Christ, presenting my body to him as a temple, my will, my whole being to him, that he might live in me his own life.

O grant that this shall be answered to that end. And grant that we shall understand the word and teach us how to teach and how to help. And might the day come that's far away, Lord, when we'll be able to help people here just as much as Paul was able to help these dear people.

Look to thee to teach us how we can become by word and practice everything thou dost want us to be. Now seal to our hearts what we've read. Grant, Lord, we'll ever stay in the word. Don't get us out of it.

Don't let us get out of it. We know our hearts better than we do. And if we even should want to, hold us back, Lord. Trip us up and bring us back right into the center of the word. We thank thee for this.

Invitation to Repentance and Spiritual Counsel

And Lord, should there be some who now are speaking that do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, might this be the night, might they be just chained to their seat and unable to leave, to live repentant and open their hearts to receive Christ.

We give an invitation, you know, always. Sometimes we invite you to come forward during the service, and sometimes we invite you to come forward after the service and make known your need, but we're always giving an invitation.

We want to help you. Tonight we're going to say that if you have a need, come forward, come to me or one of us after the service, and we'll be so glad to help you in every way we can, praying with you and open the word to you.

But now we're going to stand the benediction. All the young people, the college and career group will go upstairs to the time of fellowship there. Let us stand. May the love of God, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be in abide with each of us now until we meet again.

Amen.