1 Kings 16-18 | Luke 22:47-71

“When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14

Did we receive the Holy Spirit when we believed? Is the Holy Spirit living in us? Are we living the life of Jesus? In Acts 19:1-3, Paul went to Ephesus and found some disciples and asked them the same question: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Then, Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” They replied, “John’s baptism.” There were people who were described as disciples, believers; yet, Paul found that they were missing the life of God—the Holy Spirit in them.

Paul explained to the disciples, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus” (Acts 19:4). What Paul said was in accordance to what John the Baptist declared in Matthew 3:11, “I baptise you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Since these disciples received John’s baptism, they had obviously been repentant, but they had no life.

How did this come about? Acts 18:24-26 tells us, “A Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervour and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue.” Apollos had great zeal for the Lord and taught what he knew about Jesus to others that brought them to faith. Yet, Apollos was missing the most important element—the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

More than our declaration of faith in Jesus Christ, what matters most is having the life of Jesus living in us through the Holy Spirit. Some of us reading this devotion may call ourselves a Christian, go to church, have memorized Bible verses and even be baptized, but do we know whether we have the life of Jesus living in us? If we do not know, may we take the time right now to come before Jesus in prayer, acknowledging that we are spiritually dead, separated from the life of God. Then, confess our sins, which are the symptoms of a life apart from God. Afterwards, thank the Lord Jesus Christ that He died on the cross for our sins so that we are reconciled to God and ask for His Spirit to come live in us.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ, I am a sinner. Thank You that Your death and resurrection has given me new life. I ask for Your Holy Spirit to come live in me. Amen!