Vision for the Future

Acts 19:1-10:

Paul in Ephesus

 ¹ While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples ² and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when^[a] you believed?”    They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
 ³ So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
   “John’s baptism,” they replied.
 ⁴ Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues^[b] and prophesied. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.
 ⁸ Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

*New creation - new life
*Key things- believing in the Holy Spirit
*Putting trust in Jesus but to also allow Him to come and live with us

1. We are called to a mission not a particular strategy, model or institution
*Why did they get baptise?
*2 schools of thought
-Parents decide that their children when in infancy stage are baptised
-Individuals make the effort for about 2 to 3 years to get baptised

*But it is not like that in the Bible, we encounter God and then get baptised
*Baptism happens at the state of conversion
*There is a link between baptism and forgiveness of sins
*Faith helps them but baptism is like a pathway for salvation
*Not being baptised is like not having a wedding for your marriage
*Paul gets them as missionaries (v8-10)
*He engages and tries to understand the word
*Paul saw a road block and detoured. He never gave up but continued to reach the disciples
*Paul has given his life to a mission, not a method
*Some are addicted to the church, not the mission
*God allowed a road block so that we are able to shift
*In sovereignty, things will definitely change

2. We will celebrate all that God has done over the past 2 years
*Many will step up and grow in faith

3. We want to emphasize that you follow Jesus, not us.
*We make our own choice to follow Jesus
*If we are a Christian, we are responsible for ourself
*We could start something
*We are free to follow Christ instead- we have a choice!
*We will celebrate with whatever decision we make

4. We are actually more confident than ever that we can raise up heaps of leaders and plan many churches
*If we want to plan more churches, we got to raise up more leaders
*Luke 10:20: ²⁰ However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**