Good morning. So how
did the disciples in Ephesus answer Paul? No, we have not even heard whether
there is a Holy Spirit. Into what then were you baptized? And they said into
John’s baptism. Remember that Apollos was acquainted only with the baptism of
John. It is possible that he was responsible for them becoming disciples. Paul
said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to
believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus. When they heard
this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. This verse is used by
some people who say that to baptize someone in the name of the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit (which is never used in the book of Acts), is not proper;
you must be baptized in the name of Jesus. They are known as the “Jesus only“
group. And when Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them
(notice that it says came on them, not within them - you cannot see when the
Holy Spirit comes within someone), and they began speaking with tongues and
prophesying. That was clear proof that they had the Holy Spirit. This verse,
along with the one that says “since you believed“, is used by those who say
that receiving the Holy Spirit is a separate and distinct action from being
saved. Paul continued speaking out boldly in the synagogue in Ephesus for three
months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. Just like
everywhere else, they finally got upset with him. He spent two years there, so
that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
Father go with the reader and his/her family. Meet their needs, providing
everything.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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