The setting for this story is what we now call the third missionary journey of Paul. At the close of the previous trip, Paul had landed briefly at the port city of Ephesus, and had time to speak at the local Jewish synagogue before continuing on to his home church in Antioch.

Ephesus had been the principle city of what was known as Asia; it was a port city on the main route from Rome, a route which also ran through Corinth. Ephesus was one of the three most important cities of the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea; it was a bustling commercial center where the caravan routes from the east met the shipping lanes from the west. However, by Paul’s time, the silt from the river had greatly lessened the value of the harbor, and in fact, nearly 20 miles of marshland now separated Ephesus from the sea. Ephesus also boasted in possessing one of the wonders of the ancient world, built around 550 BC, it was the temple in honor of the fertility goddess, Artemis (the Romans called her Diana). This temple once measured 425 ft long, 220 ft wide and 60 ft high. A huge tourist industry had grown up around this temple.

Shortly after Paul’s first brief stop there, Apollos, a learned teacher from Alexandria, came to Ephesus and taught about Jesus, although he was only acquainted with baptism as John had taught. However, a ministry couple, Priscilla and Aquila, companions of Paul, hearing Apollos teach, took him aside and “explained to him the way of God more adequately” (Acts 18:26). Apollos then sailed west to Corinth where he became one of the principle teachers for the Christians in that Greek city. Soon afterwards, Paul arrived back in Ephesus, as he had promised, and ultimately remained there for nearly three years.

When he first arrived, Paul found a group of 12 men who were believers in Jesus, but who had apparently been taught by Apollos during the time he only knew about the baptism of John. What we have in this brief story is the understanding of the three baptisms: the baptism for repentance, Christian baptism (in the name of Jesus), and baptism in the Holy Spirit. However, our primary focus is on the question asked by Paul, the answer given by these twelve men, and then what took place afterwards.

What was Paul’s question? "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"

The answer given by these twelve men was quick and simple, “We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

So what happened next?

Well, first, Paul gave an explanation about baptism. He in effect said, as just mentioned, that there are three baptisms: John’s, which was a sign of repentance from sin, Jesus’, which was a sign of full belief in Jesus the Messiah and Savior, and Holy Spirit baptism, which is the one we are especially interested in. This baptism in the Spirit is described this way: “When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.”

This third baptism, and the accompanying signs, especially that of speaking in tongues, has been a source of interest, desire, and even church controversy for a long time. Many people are curious about this Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, many even possess a strong desire for this experience, but there are also a great many who argue vehemently against this being something we can expect to happen today.

So let’s review what we know about this baptism, and what is called “glossolalia,” speaking in tongues.

It all started on the Day of Pentecost when a group of 120 followers of Jesus did as He had commanded them to do; they returned to Jerusalem after His ascension, and met daily for prayer, waiting (tarrying) until the promise would be fulfilled. When the Holy Spirit came, there were several remarkable occurrences; the most amazing of all, and the one which was repeated subsequently, was that they all spoke in other tongues, languages they had not learned. Later we learn that the words they spoke were prayers of praise to God.

Some time later, one of the deacons of the church, Philip, preached in Samaria; many believed in the Lord, and when the apostles came from Jerusalem, and laid hands on the new believers, they were filled with the Spirit. We’re not explicitly told what happened, but something took place of notable significance, because Simon the sorcerer wanted to add this to his arsenal of magic arts. It was also in Damascus where Paul was filled with the Spirit, and although no mention is made of tongues at that time, he later would say to the Corinthians, "I speak in tongues more than all of you."

When Peter preached the Gospel in the house of Cornelius, before he even finished his sermon, and before these new believers even had a chance to be baptized in water, they were baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in other tongues.

So even as predicted by Jesus in Acts 1:8, the Gospel was spreading from Jerusalem, to Samaria, and now it was on the way to the “uttermost parts,” that is, the Gentile world starting at Caesarea, a Roman port city. In our story of Paul in Ephesus, what we have is more evidence that this Gospel was continuing to spread, and continues even to this day.

Throughout history, the church has been hot and cold when it comes to the work and manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The pattern has been repeated numerous times; when the Spirit is active, and people are responding, there is great fervency, and there is rapid growth in the church. But when the size increases, so does the weight of organization and it begins to bog down as leadership becomes carnal with pride, greed, and the misuse of authority. Institutionalism and control stifle the Spirit and the fire goes underground, to be hidden for long periods of time. Finally, hunger for spiritual vitality takes over, and God raises up men and women to sound the alarm, and the cycle begins all over again.

In the second century it was the Montanists, but by the fourth, speaking in tongues was seen only as an aid to missionaries like Francis Xavier traveling to strange places. For the next thousand years, very few fires burned, or at least we don't know about them because during these "Dark Ages," the official church made sure such reports were kept out of the history books.

In the 16th century it was the radical Anabaptists in Germany; in the 17th century there were the Camisards and Jansenists in France. The 18th century witnessed the Shakers in America, and in the 19th century there was the Cane Ridge Revival in Kentucky, and the Irvington movement in Scotland.

Near the beginning of the 20th century, as modes of travel and communication began to quickly develop, what were previously to be likened to short lived and localized "brush fires," began to turn into a great world-wide revival. It started in several places in America around 1896, and broke out in Wales in 1905. But the primary year to remember is exactly 100 years ago, 1906, when revivals broke out in several countries, for example in India, Brazil and Sweden, at the same time and shortly after, what is now called the Azusa Street Revival. The modern Pentecostal Movement had begun.

In America, the seed was planted in a little Bible School in Topeka, Kansas, as students began to notice that several times in the New Testament church, when people were filled with the Spirit, they spoke in tongues. A young woman student, Agnes Ozman, was the first to speak in tongues, and soon other students were baptized in the Spirit, and began to spread the message, which finally reached Huston, Texas where another Bible School was opened. One African American student by the name of William Seymour became convinced of the truth of this Pentecostal message, and ultimately carried it to Los Angeles, having been invited to preach there by a member of the Nazarene church. His sermon that Sunday morning was taken from Acts 2:4, the account of the first century Pentecost, and when he returned to preach for the evening service, he found the church door locked and a message indicating he was not welcome there anymore because he was perceived to be teaching false doctrine. For a short time, Seymour conducted services in a private home on Bonnie Brae St., and then arranged for the use of an old Methodist church that had been converted into an apartment house. It was there, at 312 Azusa Street, that the great revival of 1906 broke out and lasted for over three years. But it was not contained there, for visitors from many parts of the U.S. as well as missionaries from other countries came through that humble meeting place, and from that small beginning, today there are hundreds of millions of people who embrace the Pentecostal teaching, and have become the greatest evangelistic force the world has ever seen.

In fact, according to some observers, "Pentecostalism has become the largest and fastest growing segment of Christianity in the world." (Religious Movements Homepage - http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/penta.html) In 1982, The World Christian Encyclopedia, edited by David B. Barret estimated there were close to one hundred million Pentecostal adherents world-wide. Today, less than a quarter of a century later, Pentecostals represent a quarter of all Christians, and some estimates are that there are over 600 million Pentecostals (Pentecost: International Report - http://www.pctii.org/pwf/news/2005_Fall.pdf.), and of these, over 50 million belong to Assemblies of God churches. According to our own General Superintendent, Thomas Trask, this is "not because of our programs; it’s not because of our resources; it’s not because we’ve learned how to grow an organization. It is only because of the enablement of the Holy Spirit." (Pentecostal Evangel)

However, even in the midst of such apparent success, we can only wonder if the question Paul asked the Ephesus 12 in Acts 19 is still pertinent today. "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" After all, Pentecostalism must not merely be a proposition, but a personal reality.

Perhaps many people today would have to answer the question the same way they did:

“We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." Of course someone might ask, "But why is this important?"

It is important for many reasons. From our study of the Bible we learn that the Holy Spirit, as the third person of the Trinity, has several important roles. The Spirit convinces us of our sinfulness, and warns us of the judgment to come. But even more fundamentally, it is the Holy Spirit who reveals to us the truth about God the Father and His Son, Jesus. In fact, this is why, some might say, we should not put emphasis on the Holy Spirit; after all, He is only there to help us see Jesus. The Spirit is likened to a windowpane - you don't want to see the pane at all, you only want to see through it. However, please notice what happens when a piece of plywood or cardboard is put in place of that pane of glass. This then is one reason why so many people have wrong ideas about God - the Holy Spirit is not there to clearly show them God and Jesus, and we end up with a god of our own creation - instead of believing we are created in God's image, He is created in ours, or in some other image.

Perhaps you heard about the independent candidate for governor in Texas. His name is Kinky Friedman, a Jewish man, and he says some things we are happy to hear. For example, he boldly proclaims that the Ten Commandments need to be back in the schools. "I want them back, they belong there," says Friedman. "Maybe I'll have to change their name to the Ten Suggestions, you know. But they were taken out, not by separation of church and state, but by political correctness gone awry. One atheist stands up and says, 'I don't like the Ten Commandments,' and suddenly out they go. And, of course, we all know what happens to an atheist when he dies. His tombstone usually reads, 'All dressed up and no place to go.' " (CBS - 60 Minutes) By the way, Kinky is also a musician, and one of his greatest hits bore the title, “They Ain’t Making Jews Like Jesus Anymore.” Of course this offended a lot of people, as did his comment likening himself to Jesus. In defending himself, Friedman explained, "Well, I just said that Jesus and I were both Jewish and that neither of us ever had a job, we never had a home, we never married and we traveled around the countryside irritating people."

But here's the point that relates to what we're talking about today. Friedman also said, "I'll tell you right now. I'm for prayer in school. I say what's wrong with a kid believing in something? I don't care if it's a tree or a rock or something, he should believe in something."

Really? Do we really think that believing in a tree or rock is the same as believing in God? You see, without the Holy Spirit, that's what happens.

Oh, one other thing this would-be politician said was, "I also support gay marriage. I say they have every right to be just as miserable as the rest of us."

Seriously though, it is extremely important that we experience the Holy Spirit - it is our best hope of realizing the eternal truth about God and Jesus.

But the Holy Spirit is available to us for other reasons. He provides the power to be pure, and He gives the energy and the wisdom to spread the Word. It is no wonder that ever since the appropriate emphasis has been placed on the person and work of the Holy Spirit, that world-wide evangelization has moved forward so rapidly. As Missionary Rials points out in his recent book, of the three segments of Christianity, Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Evangelicalism, only the third of these is growing, and that is primarily due to the Holy Spirit empowering Pentecostal believers.

However, what concerns us now is the possibility that we in the American Pentecostal church are on the downward side of the historic cycle we described earlier, there's been the inspiration, the growth, and prosperity; but now we have begun to slip into apathy, pride, greed and institutionalism. Unless we repent and realize a fresh renewal imparted by the Spirit, Pentecostalism in America will become a mere footnote in church history.

When John the Baptist introduced Jesus, one of the statements he made was, "God gives the Spirit without limit." (John 3:34) This apparently is a statement which specifically had to do with Jesus. The KJV translates the verse this way, "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him." This simply means that Jesus was filled with the Spirit, and that's what happened to the disciples at the first Pentecost, "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit." And when Peter gave an explanation in his sermon later that day, he said, "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 is for you and your children and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:38, 39) This clearly means it is for us, but it's not automatic.

And this brings us back to the story of Paul in Ephesus. Obviously the 12 people he met there were believers, but something else needed to happen. So he prayed for them, and it happened - they were filled with the Spirit, with the confirmation being that they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

So the question persists, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"

In this case the KJV offers a more correct translation of this question when it says, "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" Yes, to be born again is to be born of the Spirit, but to be baptized in the Spirit is to experience God in a new and different and powerful way. Yes, there is the baptism of John that promotes repentance, and the baptism of Jesus that declares belief; but there is also, subsequent to salvation, the Baptism in the Spirit that is demonstrated by the speaking in tongues.

May God grant this Baptism, this fullness of His Spirit in our day.

1. What were some of the distinguishing marks of the city of Ephesus?

2. How do people such as Apollos, Priscilla and Acquila fit into the story about Paul in Ephesus?

3. What question did Paul ask the Ephesus 12, and what was their answer?

4. What three baptisms were referenced in Paul's encounter with the believers he met in Ephesus?

5. What happened after these men had been baptized in the name of Jesus?

6. Speaking in tongues has been a source of interest and desire, but also controversy. Why the controversy?

7. When the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost, what were the physical signs, and of them which were one-time and which were repeated?

8. Who were the preachers associated with the revivals at Samaria, Caesarea and Ephesus, and what is the significance of these locations in relation to the spread of the Gospel?

9. Throughout history, what are some of the repeated factors that contributed to the quenching of the fire of Pentecost?

10. Although many centuries since the first have witnessed significant revivals, the most enduring began exactly one hundred years ago. Where did it begin, and what have been the results?

11. What are some of the important roles of the Holy Spirit?

12. In general, where do you think the American Pentecostal church is on the historic cycle of inspiration, growth, prosperity, apathy, pride, greed and institutionalism?

13. If the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not automatic, what does a person need to do to become a recipient of this gift?