Acts 19: Witnessing to Religious People

Introduction

"Can a Christian be born again without the Holy Spirit living in them?" That is how Pastor Chris opens his message, in the series South West Baptist Church is preaching through the book of Acts, verse by verse. The congregation answers right away, and the pastor repeats it: the Spirit of God comes to live in us the moment we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Yet, he observes, some people think they are saved without knowing anything about the Spirit of God within them. That is what Acts 19:1-7 shows: in Ephesus, Paul meets "certain disciples" who have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.

The title of the message is "Witnessing to Religious People." You probably know people who talk about God, who slip a few Christian phrases into the conversation when they know you believe, but who leave you wondering whether they truly know the Lord. In this passage, the pastor sees Paul's example and three attitudes for sharing your faith: be careful, aim to win people, and be confident.

Message Outline

1. Ephesus, a Very Religious City

Paul has just finished his second missionary journey and is starting his third. At the end of Acts 18, Apollos, a gifted speaker, had been helped and encouraged by Priscilla and Aquila: he knew only the baptism of John.
On his first visit, Ephesus had asked Paul to stay. He declined so he could report back to the church that had sent him, but he wanted to return. Now he is back.
Ephesus was home to one of the seven wonders of the world, the temple of Artemis, nearly as large as an Australian football field. The city honored Diana, goddess of fertility, hunting, and wild animals, often portrayed as a huntress with a bow and arrows.
It was a very religious city, "but not our kind of religion for the most part." Yet it became a central place for Christianity in Paul's day.
This historical passage is more than a story: the pastor sees in it practical help for witnessing to very religious people.

2. Be Careful: Not Everyone Who Calls Themselves a Disciple Is Born Again

Paul finds "certain disciples" (verse 1). A disciple is someone who follows another person. Mark 2:18 mentions the disciples of John, the disciples of the Pharisees, and the disciples of Jesus: three kinds of disciples.
So the word "disciple" is not enough to conclude that someone is a Christian. Judas followed Jesus. And in John 6:66, many disciples turn back and no longer walk with him, because some of Jesus' words did not please them.
These men in Ephesus may resemble the nominal Christians in our own country: they tick the "Christian" box on the census, but that does not mean they have been born again.
Paul asks them: "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" (verse 2). The King James Version reads "since you believed," and the pastor notes that charismatic Christians rely on that wording to distinguish two events: salvation, then a baptism in the Holy Spirit or a "second blessing." Almost all the other translations say "when," and for him the Spirit is received at the very moment of faith.
Why does Paul ask this question? Perhaps because the presence of the Spirit was not obvious in them. He did not take it for granted, and neither should we.

3. The Fruit of the Spirit, the Proof That He Lives in You

The Spirit's presence shows in his fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
"None of us is perfect": nobody lives out these nine things 24 hours a day. But we all grow, or we should be growing, and others should be able to say: "This person is different from what they used to be."
Jesus tells Nicodemus: "You must be born anew." The wind blows where it wants, you cannot see it, but you see its effects (John 3:6-8). The pastor points to the branches moving outside the window: you do not see the wind, you see the proof of the wind.
The answer of the Ephesian disciples is plain: "No, we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." Yet the Old Testament speaks of the Spirit, and John, whose disciples they claim to be, knew him.
The pastor points out that the preamble of the Australian Constitution mentions reliance on the blessing of Almighty God, and that prayers are read every day in the federal Parliament. Having become an Australian citizen in March, he chose the oath that includes God. But he asks the question: are we still a Christian nation? Immediately believing someone who calls themselves a Christian can be naive.

4. Aim to Win People: Ask Questions Instead of Accusing

Paul asks: "Into what then were you baptized?" They answer: "Into John's baptism" (verse 3). Paul does not make an accusation, he asks a question.
"Questions touch the conscience, but accusations harden the heart." Accusing without having all the information is foolish. One approach makes the other person put on their boxing gloves; another shows interest in them and lets the Holy Spirit convict them.
If you are thinking of a loved one who calls themselves religious but whom you doubt has been born again, be gentle and firm at the same time, polite, and do not accuse.
"Into John's baptism" does not mean that John the Baptist had baptized them himself, since he had died many years earlier. The pastor mentions churches he came across in Canada, the "Baptist Bride" or "Landmark" Baptists, who believe in a succession of baptisms going back to John the Baptist or the apostles. He considers this succession historically impossible to verify, and strange when it is used to think of oneself as better than others.
As a pastor, he often shares his faith. He compares himself to a doctor examining a patient: he asks many questions, sometimes saying openly that he is doing so, to find out where the person stands and whether they have believed in Jesus as Lord and Savior from their sin.
Then he listens. Paul starts from their answers to lead them to Jesus: John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus (verse 4).
John the Baptist knew the Son and the Spirit: "He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16); "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).

5. Be Confident: God Can Use You

This is not confidence in yourself or in your ability to persuade, but confidence in God and in the power of the gospel.
You may think God could never use you to share your faith. "If he can make a donkey speak," if he can make the stones cry out, he can make your voice useful to him (Numbers 22:28; Luke 19:40).
"When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" (verse 5). They had already received John's baptism, but now they believe in Jesus.
The church practices believer's baptism, by immersion, after the new birth, and not the baptism of infants. The candidate first gives a testimony, because the church wants to know that the person is born again, and it rejoices with them.
The pastor dreams of a long line of people waiting to be baptized: when the church bears witness to family, neighbors, and coworkers, God multiplies the result.
In verse 6, Paul lays his hands on them, the Holy Spirit comes on them, and they speak in tongues and prophesy. For the pastor, it is not Paul who passes the Spirit on to them: the Spirit is in them because they have been born again. Tongues enable them to speak languages they had not learned, notably to reach other people, and prophesying means speaking the truth of God's Word.

6. No Christian Without the Holy Spirit

These twelve men (verse 7) are sometimes compared to Apollos. Yet they are very different: Apollos "had been instructed in the way of the Lord" and was "fervent in spirit" (Acts 18:24-25). These twelve did not know the Holy Spirit and were not Christians until Paul told them about Jesus.
"If any man doesn't have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his" (Romans 8:9). "There is no such thing as a Christian without the Holy Spirit."
Just as leaves blowing down the street in autumn show that there is wind, a person who bears this fruit shows that they are led by the Spirit.
When you put your faith in Christ, the Spirit takes up residence in you, and he has promised never to leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). We can grieve him by our failings, but he does not leave us.

7. A Mission Field All Around Us

The pastor cites the Australian Bureau of Statistics: in 2021, 93.1% of the population answered the question on religion, up from 90.9% in 2016. 43.9% say they are Christians and 38.9% say they have no religion. "The mission field is right here, all around us."
43.9% born-again Christians? He thinks that figure is "greatly inflated": it would mean a lot of love, joy, peace, and patience in the country, and that is not what we see. He does not claim to know the real number, but he knows that many profess the faith without having been born again.
He knows it because of Matthew 7:21-23: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." And Jesus will say to some: "I never knew you." A verse he finds very sad.
When you meet religious people who may still need Jesus, do not run from the conversation. Get to know them, ask wise questions, listen, and their answers may open the door for you to tell them about the love of Christ.
We often forget to bring the person to a decision. There is nothing wrong with asking: "Won't you turn to Christ today? Won't you repent of your sin today?"
The pastor ends with an appeal: have you put your trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior? Is the Spirit of God in you? "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13). And to those who already believe, he asks whether they are ready to obey and to share their faith.

Key Takeaways

The Spirit of God comes to live in you the moment you believe in Jesus: there is no such thing as a Christian without the Holy Spirit.
Do not assume that everyone who calls themselves a Christian is born again: the fruit of the Spirit is the proof of his presence.
To witness, ask questions and listen: questions touch the conscience, accusations harden the heart.
Your confidence rests not on your ability to persuade, but on God and on the power of the gospel.
Do not be afraid to invite the person to a decision: turning to Christ today.

Personal Application

Have you put your trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior, and does the Spirit of God live in you?
What fruit of the Spirit can others see in your life, and which one do you need to let grow?
Which religious loved one, neighbor, or coworker comes to mind, and what question could you ask them this week?
In your conversations about faith, do you tend to accuse or to listen?
What keeps you from inviting someone to turn to Christ: fear, lack of confidence, habit?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you be born again without having the Holy Spirit?

No, says Pastor Chris. The Holy Spirit comes to live in us the moment we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. Romans 8:9 says it: if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him. There is no such thing as a Christian without the Holy Spirit.

Why does Paul ask the disciples in Ephesus questions instead of accusing them?

Paul did not have all the information, and accusing them would have been foolish. For the preacher, questions touch the conscience while accusations harden the heart. Asking questions and then listening shows where the person stands and steers the conversation toward Jesus.

Why were the disciples in Ephesus baptized a second time?

They had received only John's baptism and did not know the Holy Spirit. When Paul tells them about Jesus, they believe in him and are baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Pastor Chris sees in this believer's baptism: a person is baptized after being born again.