The Holy Spirit and the Twelve
Bob Yandian
Acts 19:1-7: (ESV)
“And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all.”
Similar to the day in which we are living, when Paul came to the upper coasts of Ephesus, the first thing he found were believers wanting to grow and serve God but were not yet filled with the Holy Spirit. The hunger in them was crying out, “There must be more than this.” Paul arrived in Ephesus and asked, “Have you received the Holy Spirit?” and they responded, “No, we haven’t heard anything about the Holy Spirit. We’ve accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, but that is all we know.”
Acts 19:3-4 (ESV) says, “And he (Paul) said, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ They said, ‘Into John’s baptism.’ And Paul said, ‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance (being born again), telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.’”
The twelve men were saved because John’s was a message of true salvation. He preached for people to repent and believe in Jesus. However, John’s baptism pointed to the upcoming kingdom of Jesus. Today, we are baptized into a kingdom that has already come. Jesus went to the cross to introduce it. This is the reason Paul re-baptized them; they were now baptized into the New Testament dispensation.
Verses five through seven continue, “On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all.” This is where the revival in Ephesus began.
Ephesus was a heathen city. Prostitution was part of the worship of Diana, perversion was rampant, and the name of Jesus was virtually unknown. Paul introduced twelve new converts to the Holy Spirit. At the end of this chapter, Ephesus will be unrecognizable. Diana, the goddess of fertility and sex, will be replaced by worship of Jesus Christ. The entire continent of Asia will be shaken by revival, evangelism, and the miracle power of God.
Three Participants in the Infilling
Three things happened in Paul’s encounter with these twelve men:
Number one: Paul laid his hands on them.
We cannot fill the people with the Holy Spirit; we can only do our part. And Paul’s part was to lay hands on them.
Number two: The Holy Spirit came on them.
The next part is the Spirit’s responsibility; He fell on them. The Holy Spirit didn’t have to come down from heaven; He was already there. The only time He came from heaven was on the day of Pentecost. Since that day He has always been here.
When we are first born again, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us and from that point on remains with us. Jesus said, “The Holy Spirit who’s with you shall be in you” (John 14:17). This is a description of the new birth. However, beyond the experience of the new birth, the Holy Spirit wants to come upon us for power.
In Acts chapter 2 the Holy Spirit “came on them” in the upper room. In Acts chapter 8, the Holy Spirit “came on them” at Samaria. In Acts chapter 10, the house of Cornelius, the Holy Spirit “fell on them.” And in this verse of scripture (Acts 19:6) Paul laid his hands on them and the Holy Spirit “came on them.” Paul did his part, and the Holy Spirit did his.
Number three: They began to speak with tongues and prophesy. The third responsibility belongs to the individual person.
After Paul laid hands on the twelve, and the Holy Spirit came on them, verse 6 says, “…and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.” They spoke with tongues, not the Holy Spirit.
In ministering the baptism in the Holy Spirit to people I like to instruct them, “Three things are going to happen. Number one and two: I’m going to lay hands on you, and I guarantee you, the moment I do, the Holy Spirit is going to do His part; He’s going to come on you. Then, the third part is up to you. You do the speaking. Don’t expect the Holy Spirit to make you speak. He will give you the words to speak, but you do the speaking.”
These twelve men not only began to speak with tongues, but they also prophesied. Prophecy is not evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Speaking with tongues is the evidence. But speaking with tongues is the doorway into the gifts of the Spirit and they immediately began operating in the gift of prophecy, which is the first gift mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14:1. Prophesy does not automatically follow the baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues, but it can.
The Holy Spirit for Every Culture
In many of our churches today, speaking in tongues has become irrelevant. It is not denied but many say it’s not culturally popular or our culture is different today. Let’s talk about culture for a moment. Acts chapter two occurred in Jerusalem, which was the Hebrew culture.
Acts 2:5-12: (ESV)
“Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phyrgia, and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
On that particular day, devout Jews out of every nation under heaven were there, and 3,000 were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke with tongues; these were Jews who were filled.
A few chapters later, people from Samaria were filled with the Holy Spirit. Samaria had a completely different culture. Its people were half Jew and half Gentile, yet they too spoke with tongues.
In chapter 10, even those from Roman culture spoke with tongues. Cornelius lived in Caesarea; a city named for Caesar. It was a city built by Rome as a place for their military leaders to retire. It was a very wealthy city, and Cornelius was a military leader. He was a Roman, a Gentile, who had a hunger for the things of God. Peter was sent from Joppa along with others who were in the upper room in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. Peter and the men with him came from a different culture than Cornelius. Cornelius and many who had gathered in his home listened as Peter preached.
Acts 10:44-48: (ESV)
“While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.”
While Peter was preaching, the Holy Spirit fell on all of them. They all began to speak with tongues and magnify God. And the men who came with Peter said, “This is what happened in the upper room. We hear them speak with tongues just like we did at Pentecost in Jerusalem.”
Imagine that! Jewish culture, Samaritan culture, Roman culture, and in Acts 19 it is the Greek culture. In every case, regardless of culture, they spoke with tongues. The big question is why would it be any different today?
All Roads Do Not Lead to Heaven
Many, even born-again Christians, have the attitude, “All roads lead to heaven. I’m okay, you’re okay.” But this is not true. Without Jesus we are not okay. Without Jesus, we will one day suffer in hell. Jesus is the only means of salvation. God has established principles that will never change. This is how the entire universe runs. The sun will always rise in the east and set in the west. Scientists can tell us the exact second the sun will rise 125 years from today. The universe runs on principles that never change.
Matthew 7:13-14: (ESV)
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
Every religion, every system of belief, and every brotherhood could stand side by side and fit on the road to destruction. Jesus said, “Narrow is the way that leads to eternal life” (Matthew 7:14). There is only one road leading to eternal life and that is Jesus Christ: the plan of the cross, the way of salvation. It is narrow because Jesus is the way, the only way. It is the only way for all, the educated, uneducated, Jew or Gentile. It is also the same message to all to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Revival is Still the Same Today
The same pattern for revival holds true today. The difference between the healing movement of the 1940s and 1950s and the Charismatic movement of the 1960s and early 1970s is the revival in the 40s and 50s took place primarily outside of mainstream America, in the rural areas of the country, small communities and small churches. The Charismatic movement of the 60s and 70s brought revival to universities across the country. It also crossed denominational lines touching Catholics, Episcopalians, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians; most of the major denominations.
Just as there is a pattern for many things in our world, like the rising and setting of the sun, the pattern for revival remains the same. Before revival spreads to the world, it first occurs in the hearts of believers. Something cannot be re-vived if it hasn’t been ‘vived’ to begin with! Revival doesn’t happen to sinners because they have never been saved, made alive through the new birth. Christians often think revival is winning souls when it is actually believers being revived who have lost their fire to win the lost.
If this message on the Holy Spirit and revival has stirred your heart, I want to encourage you to go deeper and get a copy of my just released book, A Root Out of Dry Ground. This book takes a powerful look at how God brings revival to barren places and renews His people with fresh life and purpose. Just as revival transformed Ephesus, it can transform your life, your church, and your nation. Be sure to get your copy today and discover how God can bring streams of living water into the dry places of your life.
