COV LIFE BLOG

Acts 19:1-10 The Necessity of True Belief and Conversion

Paul noticed that something was missing–which was the power and the fruit of the Holy Spirit–in the spiritual lives of these men in Ephesus. Their hearts had been prepared to receive Christ–they were in the process of being saved–but they had not yet been born again. They were like the fetus in the womb: possessing life, but not yet having been born.

The Holy Spirit is given as the gift of God for all who place their faith in Jesus Christ. The missing link for these disciples was not teaching on how to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, but how to place their faith in Jesus Christ who would then give them the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The apostle had the joy of sharing with these men the full story of redemption, for only in Christ can man be redeemed. Christ became a curse for us, thus setting us free from the curse of the law and from the slave-market of sin and death. His death on the cross therefore was the price of our redemption. As Paul wrote later to the Ephesians, “In Him we have redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us.”

As a result of our redemption we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, who then endows us with spiritual gifts which we use to glorify God both within and without his church.

Christianity, you see, is not a religion but a relationship with the risen Lord Jesus. In him we have righteousness, peace and joy as we live day by day in the power of the Holy Spirit. In this new relationship we will have excitement, adventure and hope, as we serve our God in his plan of redemption for mankind. How is all of this possible? It is because “in Christ we have our redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”

To those of you who have not yet been redeemed I say, confess Jesus now as Lord. There is salvation in no one else… And to those of you who have made Jesus your Lord and Savior I say, Have you opened your gift which was given to you at your new birth by the Holy Spirit? You won’t have to buy batteries to make this gift work. The Holy Spirit himself will empower you to use it. Or, if you have already found your gift, are you wrapping your life around it? These are the questions we should be asking ourselves.

Ron Ritchie

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Heart Preparation
Read Acts 19:1-10. What is necessary for salvation? Are these elements present in your life? How do you counsel those who claim to follow Christ, but do not seem to have these things present in their life?