3. Did You Receive the Holy Spirit When You Believed in Jesus? (Acts 19:1-3)

What kind of gospel did Paul preach? He preached the gospel of Jesus’ baptism and His blood. Acts 19:1-2 says, “And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’” However, these people believed in Jesus while leaving out the meaning of Jesus’ baptism. They didn’t know the beautiful gospel that leads to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. That is why Paul’s question, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” was a very unfamiliar question to some disciples at Ephesus. Other people would have asked them, “Did you believe in Jesus?” But Paul asked the question in this extraordinary way so that they could receive the Holy Spirit by renewing their faith in the beautiful gospel. Paul’s ministry was to preach the beautiful gospel of Jesus’ baptism and His blood. Paul, Peter and John also testified to Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist.