We have already spoken of the importance of not only realizing the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives but of being sensitive to that presence and following His leadership. In our text Paul tells the church at Ephesus that they need the power of God's Spirit working in them. Ephesus was a doctrinally sound church (see Revelation 2:2, 6). However, by the time the Apostle John penned the first of the seven letters to the churches of Asia, they had lost their zeal and their honeymoon love for the Lord, even while they remained doctrinally strong. Thus, it is possible to be straight as an arrow doctrinally but cold as ice and hard as a rock spiritually. May that not be our problem today. Are we controlled by God's Holy Spirit and sensitive to His leadership in our lives? If we are, it will show in the following ways.

  I.  IN OUR WALK WITH THE SPIRIT -- VS. 18.

 II.  IN OUR WORSHIP OF THE SAVIOR -- VV. 19-20.

III.  IN OUR WITNESS AMONG THE SAVED -- VV. 19, 21.

How much of God and His Spirit do you have in your life? You can have as much as you want! Elisha sought a full fellowship with God. He wanted the kind of life God wanted for him. Today, we say we want power, to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. However, this is often a "prayer meeting request" and is easily uttered then forgotten. Would you be as determined as Elisha who said, "As the Lord liveth, I'll not let up until I'm filled up." These verses list four steps to being so filled, so controlled by God's Holy Spirit. We must have:

  I. A STEADFAST DETERMINATION -- VV. 1-7.

 II. A SPIRITUAL IDENTIFICATION -- VV. 8-9.

III. A STRONG SUPPLICATION -- VS. 9.

IV. A SIMPLE APPROPRIATION -- VV. 10-14.

How much of God and His Spirit do you have in your life? You can have as much as you want! Elisha sought a full fellowship with God. He wanted the kind of life God wanted for him. Today, we say we want power, to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. However, this is often a "prayer meeting request" and is easily uttered then forgotten. Would you be as determined as Elisha who said, "As the Lord liveth, I'll not let up until I'm filled up." These verses list four steps to being so filled, so controlled by God's Holy Spirit. We must have:

  I. A STEADFAST DETERMINATION -- VV. 1-7.

 II. A SPIRITUAL IDENTIFICATION -- VV. 8-9.

III. A STRONG SUPPLICATION -- VS. 9.

IV. A SIMPLE APPROIPRIATION -- VV. 10-14.

This is the first message in a series I call "Forgotten God." It deals with our relationship to the third member of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit. I believe that many times we as believers and members of true churches tend to overlook, ignore, or forget the work of God's Spirit in our lives. Thank you for prayerfully listening to "The Holy Spirit And God's People."

  I.  THE PROBLEM WE FACE.

 II.  THE PROCESS THAT FOSTERED IT.

III.  THE PRESENCE WE NEED.

The difference between Christianity and the religions of the world is that we serve a resurrected Lord. Jesus rose from the dead, came out of the tomb, walked among men, and then ascended up into Heaven, and today He is at the right hand of God, as the Scripture says, to make intercession for us. And, we know that one day soon, He is coming back for us. There have been many attempts by men to deny and to discredit the fact of the resurrection of Jesus. Those attempts began immediately after the resurrection. Matthew 28:11-15 tells of the story that was created to deny Christ's resurrection. Of course, the Sadducees denied the resurrection of Christ because they denied any and all ideas of a resurrection. The Pharisees denied the resurrection, saying that Jesus was not the Messiah. The denial even got into the church at Corinth when some false teachers got into that church and began saying there was no resurrection. However, we know that the resurrection of Jesus is true and is necessary to all we believe. In our text Paul points out some very basic truths about the resurrection. We see:

  I. THE RESURRECTION IS A DISTURBING TRUTH -- VS. 6.

 II. THE RESURRECTION IS A DIVISIVE TRUTH -- VS. 7.

III. BUT THE RESURRECTION IS A TRUTH THAT DELIVERS!

Do you think of the Apostle Paul and the word "fear" in the same sentence very often? Yet, Paul stated that he feared some things. In First Corinthians 2:1-5 he said he feared promoting and drawing disciples after himself. In Second Corinthians 11:3 he said he feared the instability and unfaithfulness of those believers. We should have similar concerns ("fears") today. Many true churches are falling into error in our day, and we must not think of ourselves as immune to the "wiles of the devil." As Paul addresses the Ephesian elders for the last time, he warns them (and us) of false teachers and shows the best way to avoid being deceived by them. We must:

  I. REMEMBER THE BIBLICAL PREDICTION OF THEM -- VV. 29-31.

 II. RESORT TO THE BIBLICAL PREVENTION AGAINST THEM -- VS. 28.

III. RELY ON THE BEST PROTECTION AGAINST THEM -- VV. 31-32.

As the Apostle Paul prepared to leave Ephesus for what he knew would be the last time, he addressed the elders of the church there. He reminded them that he had been with them "at all seasons" and that in doing so, he had faithfully served God. A review of Paul's life and the things he endured for the cause of Christ (found in Second Corinthians 11) shows us the faithfulness of this man of God. Believers today need to be "all season Christians," faithfully serving the Lord in all ways and under every condition. As we examine this message we will see that all season Christians are:

  I. WILLING TO SERVE AT ALL TIMES.

 II. WILLING TO STAND FOR ALL TRUTH -- Vs. 27.

III. WILLING TO SHARE ALL THINGS -- Vs. 20.

Does it seem to you that God's Word is not as powerful today as it once was . . . in the lives of the lost . . . in the lives of the saved . . . in your life? A great problem we face today is that the Word is being robbed of its power by the lives of believers! Verse twenty says of the Word of God in Ephesus that it grew (increased; enlarged) mightily and prevailed (was strong; had ability). These verses also suggest what we need in our lives today if we are to see the Word grow and prevail. As we look into these verses, we will see:

  I. THE MIRACLES GOD WROUGHT -- VV. 11-12.

 II. THE METHODS SOME SOUGHT -- VV. 13-16.

III. THE MESSAGE PAUL BROUGHT -- VV. 17-19.

Some claim that these first few verses of Acts chapter 19 are an issue of salvation. However, we must note some things from the Scripture. These men were already saved. Upon questioning them, Paul did not try to get them to accept Christ. Instead, he questioned the authority behind their baptism. Apollos had done well in leading these men to Christ, but as we saw in the last message, Apollos himself needed the way of the Lord explained more perfectly. What Paul found when he arrived in Ephesus was an assembly of twelve saved individuals who knew only the baptism of John the Baptist. John's authority had ended, and the Lord's churches held the authority to baptize believers. As we go through this message we will closely examine these things and point out the reason that Scriptural baptism, if it is not necessary to salvation, is so important. We will see:

  I. WHAT PAUL FOUND.

 II. WHAT PAUL DID.

III. HOW THESE MEN RESPONDED.

Apollos was a mighty worker for God. He was a man that was used greatly by God. We know, from the book of First Corinthians, that Apollos spent some time in Corinth because some in this church, which was divided over preachers, some were saying, "Well, I am of Paul," and others said, "I am of Apollos," and so on. It appears that Apollos was an educated man and a eloquent man, but his greatest attribute was that he was an available man. He made himself available, and thereby useful to God. This just goes to show us that God can use anyone. If a person will repent toward God and put their faith in Jesus for salvation and then make themselves available to God, He can use them to do many wonderful things in His service. So as we examine this man Apollos, we will note of him that:

  I. HE WAS FERVENT IN THE SPIRIT.

 II. HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE SCRIPTURES.

III. HE WAS FAITHFUL IN THE SERVICE.