Unsaved Church Members

Acts 19:1-7

One of the places Apollos went was to Corinth. While Paul’s ministry in Corinth had been primarily to Gentiles, Apollos’ was mostly to Jews. Human nature being what it is, the people in Corinth began comparing the two men, as a way of feeding their pride, which resulted in conflict. They began to base their measures of spirituality on who had taught them, and as I Corinthians 3:1-4 stresses, the very fact of conflict demonstrated a total lack of spirituality, that prevented growth in other areas.

“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?” (I Corinthians 3:1-4)

The conflicts in churches today still proves the lack of spirituality in modern churches. The problem was not Paul or Apollos, but the people who chose to focus on them rather than on Christ.

"And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding 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.” (Acts 19:1-2)

The church at Ephesus had apparently been started by Christians fleeing persecution in Jerusalem. After his trip to Jerusalem, and visiting the churches he and Silas had started or worked in in Antioch and the surrounding areas. Paul returned to Ephesus where he had left Aquila and Priscilla. When he came to the church, he found a group of church members that troubled him, although no one else seems to have noticed anything. While they were doing the same things as everyone else in the church, he saw no evidence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had said, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them,” in Matthew 7:20. Works or actions are not the same as fruit, contrary to what many believe. Fruit is produced because of the nature of the being. It can only be produced by that particular type of being, while works may be produced by similar living beings. For example, while all trees break down carbon dioxide into oxygen and carbon to grow and produce wood, roots and leaves, their works, only an apple tree produces apples, their fruit.

Because he saw no fruit, Paul asked these church members whether they had received the Holy Spirit. After all, as Romans 8:9 states, “…Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Their answer was that they didn’t even know there was such a thing. Obviously there was a problem.

“And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.” (Acts 19:3)

Many in the modern church are in much the same position, with no concept of the Holy Spirit in their lives, although some will point to some emotional feeling such as the Mormons refer to as a burning in their bosom as proof. Paul immediately asked why they’d been baptized or joined the church. It’s a question that a lot of church members need consider. They had been baptized because John taught that they should be baptized if they were sorry for their sin.

“Then said Paul, John verily 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.” (Acts 19:4)

John had made one other command, which many overlooked, that people should be baptized as a sign of repentance for their sin, but that they should believe on Jesus when he came. In doing so he established a precedent of baptism as an evidence of obedience to what was being taught, just as circumcision was a sign of practicing the Jewish religion. This group, though they were in the church knew only of repentance.

“When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 19:5)

Like many today, this group believed that baptism saved them. When they understood that it was by faith in Christ, they accepted him and were re-baptized to show their new belief. As members of the church they had been hearing the teaching regularly, but never realized their own lack.

“And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve.” (Acts 19:6-7)

Before the men had demonstrated no spiritual fruit. When they accepted Christ they received the Holy Spirit, and at Paul’s touch, the Holy Spirit demonstrated his presence in their lives by enabling them to speak in tongues and prophesy. Clearly, it was the belief in Christ, and not the baptism that caused them to receive the Holy Spirit.

Because the modern church so often fails to distinguish between good works and spiritual fruit, there are thousands of unsaved people just like these twelve in modern churches, who believe they are Christians, and nobody ever notices.