Acts 19:1-7
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they replied.
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.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all.
What a strange little story. Who were these twelve, why did they only know about the baptism of John? Why are they called disciples when they know little about Jesus and even less about the Holy Spirit?
I suppose it points towards the idea that we all need to go on learning, experiencing, and learning again. I can only speak for myself when I say that I have been trying and to some extent have succeeded in learning much about the things of God, and how to walk with him. I have been on this learning journey for about fifty years, and I am still as excited as ever I was to learn new things in my brain and new experiences in my heart. A key thing for us all to learn and experience is how to receive the Holy Spirit. At some point in our Christian lives we need to be baptised in the Spirit. Then begins the great journey of walking in the Spirit.
Lord Jesus,
I open my mind to think about your Spirit.
I open my heart to drink of your Spirit.
I open my whole life and soul to be baptised in your Spirit.
Amen.