Acts 19: The Holy Spirit Is Given So That You Can Be a Witness

Introduction

"Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" That is the question Paul asks a handful of disciples he meets in Ephesus (Acts 19:2). He doesn't ask how many years they have been saved, or which church they attend. He goes straight to what matters.

A pastor from Kobe Christ Glory Church in Japan preached on Acts 19:1-7 at the first service on September 20, 2026. The title of his message asks a single question: why did the Holy Spirit come down?

His message follows the text verse by verse: disciples who had stopped at the stage of preparation, a baptism that says "I belong to Christ," a frank clarification about speaking in tongues, and then the purpose of the Spirit, which is to make us witnesses. He closes with an unexpected personal story set on a comedy competition stage, and a word of encouragement for everyone who feels small.

Outline of the Message

1. A Question That Goes Straight to the Point

• The story begins while Apollos is in Corinth (Acts 18). The focus then shifts to Paul, who travels through the inland regions and arrives in Ephesus.
• Paul meets some disciples there and asks whether they received the Holy Spirit when they believed. They answer that they haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.
• The pastor points out that these men probably knew the Spirit of God spoken of in the Old Testament. What they didn't know, in the reading he finds most likely, was the new work of the Spirit accomplished through Jesus.

2. Stuck at the Stage of Preparation

• Paul asks them what baptism they received. The answer: John's baptism. Like Apollos, who was "knowing only the baptism of John" (Acts 18:25).
• John the Baptist was sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus. His baptism, in the Jordan, was a baptism of repentance: recognize your sin, return to God, get ready to welcome the Lord. And he added: believe in the one who comes after me.
• John was not the light; he came to testify about the light (John 1:8). These disciples had received his message, but they had not yet fully heard or understood the salvation Jesus accomplished: the cross, the victory over death, the resurrection, and the Spirit poured out from heaven.
• Repentance is essential. It is a change of direction, in the Christian life as in everyday life. But it is not the destination: it points us toward the Messiah, toward Jesus.

3. What Do You Really Believe?

• The pastor asks his listeners: has something in us stopped at John? If so, it is better to notice it early.
• It can take a legalistic form: "I must repent more, pray more, read the Bible more." All of that is good and important. But if we stop there, the center shifts without our noticing: it is no longer Jesus, it is what I have managed to do.
• The gospel does not say: try harder to be accepted by God. It says: believe in Jesus Christ, who came for you, and you will be saved.
• The pastor has the congregation read Romans 10:9-10: "that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." When the question "what do I believe?" comes up, this is the word he wants everyone to be able to confess.

4. Baptism: Belonging to Christ

• In verse 5, these disciples hear about Jesus, respond, and are baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
• The pastor recalls the joy in his church: the week before, a young couple and their children, five people in all, were baptized, and a schoolchild is preparing for baptism the following week.
• Baptism is not a mere religious ritual. It says: I belong to Jesus Christ. Romans 6 presents it as union with his death and resurrection. It is also described as a spiritual marriage, a burial and a resurrection.
• Galatians 3:27: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." It is not enough to know Jesus in your head: the Christian belongs to Christ and remains in him.
• The Christian life is a series of responses. God chose us, he loved us first, and we respond. Nothing starts with us.

5. Speaking in Tongues, Read Calmly

• Verses 6-7: Paul lays hands on them, the Holy Spirit comes on them, and they speak in tongues and prophesy. There were about twelve of them.
• The starting point: every Christian has received the Spirit, since "No one can say, 'Jesus is Lord,' except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:3).
• So, must every believer filled with the Spirit speak in tongues? The pastor says people often ask him, "Do you speak in tongues?" and that he has seen pressure at youth camps to "bring it out." He doesn't want to criticize anyone, but to reread the Word calmly.
• Speaking in tongues is a gift, listed alongside healing, miracles and faith (1 Corinthians 12). Yet, he notes with humor, nobody asks him how many sick people he has healed or how many mountains he has thrown into the sea.
• The text stays open: "about twelve," "some disciples." We don't know whether there were more of them, or whether all of them spoke in tongues. One thing is clear: the Bible does not say here that everyone filled with the Spirit speaks in tongues.
• He names two excesses. Claiming that you are not filled with the Spirit unless you speak in tongues goes too far. Seeing tongues as a kind of telepathy for receiving new revelations is dangerous, because it can override the authority of the Bible, the Word of God.
• On the other hand, saying that the work of the Spirit, tongues and prophecy have ceased is "a pity." Limiting the Spirit brings nothing good, and we have no authority to limit the one who works freely.

6. The Purpose of the Spirit: Making Us Witnesses

• Before ascending to heaven, Jesus said it plainly: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
• The tongues and prophecy of Acts 19 are concrete manifestations. But if we focus on them so much that we seek the Spirit in order to speak in tongues, we have changed the target.
• The Spirit is not given so that I become someone extraordinary, or to gain "superpowers." The pastor smiles: people who think that way may be watching too much anime.
• Forgetting this purpose leads to two mistakes: calmly saying that the work of the Spirit is over, or reducing it to a personal level, a kind of individual skill-building.
• Even today, the Spirit is at work in the Church. According to John's Gospel, he convicts of sin and turns hearts toward Jesus. He glorifies Jesus. He is the Comforter, the one who helps, and Jesus promised: "I will not leave you orphans" (John 14:18). The pastor adds the promise of his presence "always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).

7. Bearing Witness, Even When You Feel Small

• The pastor tells of a Friday, his day off. With another pastor, he took part in the first round of the M-1 Grand Prix, the big Japanese manzai (comedy duo) competition. They were to meet at 10 a.m. in Namba, in Osaka, followed by an unexpected hour and a half of waiting on a bench.
• During the wait, his partner gave him a "private lesson": whatever you do, do it with the Holy Spirit, that is communion with the Spirit. As he walked from the wings toward the microphone, he said: "Holy Spirit, be with me."
• Their sketch quotes two verses to show simply what faith and the Church are: "Always rejoice" and "Ask, and it will be given you."
• It was his fourth time taking part, the fifth if you count the one with his children. The room is often icy. From the first verse, the atmosphere changes: on some faces, he reads "oh, religion."
• Only one person reacted differently: an elderly woman in the front row, right in front of the microphone. She listened seriously from the first verse, and at the second she folded her hands as if praying. Neither he nor his partner knows who she is, or whether she is a Christian.
• The duo was eliminated in the first round. But the pastor tells himself that this moment may have encouraged that woman, and that if Jesus was glorified, he wants to try a fifth time.
• Back to verse 7: "about twelve men in all," in a big city like Ephesus. A very small group. And yet, in verse 20, "the word of the Lord was growing and prevailing mightily."
• If you feel small, this text is for you. The pastor admits he lacks confidence on stage: he is not a professional, and he doesn't know whether his message reaches the audience. But the question is not how many they were. The question is: who used those twelve, and where did their power come from?

Key Takeaways

• The disciples in Ephesus had stopped at John's baptism: repentance is essential, but it leads to Jesus; it is not the destination.
• The gospel is not "try harder to please God," it is "believe in Jesus Christ, who came for you" (Romans 10:9-10).
• Baptism declares that you belong to Christ. The Christian life is a response to the love of God, who loved us first.
• Speaking in tongues is one gift among others. Don't make it a mandatory proof, and don't claim that the work of the Spirit has ceased.
• The Spirit is given so that you may be a witness of Jesus. Even a small group, filled with the Spirit, sees the Word spread with power.

Personal Application

1. If someone asked you today, "What do you believe?", could you answer with Romans 10:9-10, without first talking about your efforts?
2. Is there an area where you still live "at the stage of preparation," trying to earn what Jesus has already accomplished for you?
3. How do you look at the gifts of the Spirit: as a sign of spiritual level, or as tools in the service of witness?
4. This week, before a conversation, an appointment or a task, can you simply say: "Holy Spirit, be with me"?
5. Where do you feel too small to matter? Reread Acts 19:7 and 19:20, and ask yourself who can use what you have.

Verses Cited

• Acts 19:1-7
• Acts 18:24-26
• John 1:8
• Romans 10:9-10
• Romans 6:3-5
• Galatians 3:27
• 1 John 4:19
• 1 Corinthians 12:3-11
• Acts 1:8
• John 14:16-18
• John 16:8-14
• Matthew 28:20
• 1 Thessalonians 5:16
• Matthew 7:7
• Acts 19:20

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Paul ask the disciples in Ephesus whether they received the Holy Spirit?

These disciples knew only John's baptism, a baptism of repentance that prepared the way for the Messiah. They knew the Spirit of God from the Old Testament, but not the new work of the Spirit accomplished through Jesus, who died, rose again and ascended to heaven. They had remained at the stage of preparation.

Do you have to speak in tongues to be filled with the Holy Spirit?

Acts 19 says that these men, about twelve of them, spoke in tongues and prophesied, but the text does not claim that every believer filled with the Spirit necessarily speaks in tongues. Speaking in tongues is one gift among others, alongside healing, miracles and faith (1 Corinthians 12). The preacher also warns against the opposite idea, that the work of the Spirit has ceased.

Why is the Holy Spirit given to believers?

Jesus said it before ascending to heaven: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me" (Acts 1:8). The Spirit is not given to make us extraordinary people, but so that we bear witness to Jesus to the uttermost parts of the earth. He comforts us, helps us and strengthens us along the way.