May 11, 2026 | Be Connected
Baptism in the Name of Jesus
Scripture: Acts 19:1-7(NIV)
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 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 and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
Devotional
For centuries, people believed the earth was the center of the universe. This has since been disproven. But people faithfully believed it was true when they didn’t have all the facts. In our passage for today, Paul encounters a similar situation.
Arriving in Ephesus, he met a group of disciples and inquired whether they had received the Spirit when they believed. He was met with an unexpected answer. They said they had “not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Paul had assumed that one always received the Holy Spirit when they first believed. But news did not travel as fast in the first century as it does today. These believers in Ephesus had not heard about what happened at Pentecost and how the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon many.
When Paul asked about their baptism, he learned that they had only received John’s baptism. They had only heard the message John the Baptist taught and hadn’t heard about the Holy Spirit. They didn’t have all the facts. Some who followed John mistakenly believed that he was the Christ, even though John never professed this. As Paul explained to them, the baptism they received from John was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin and preparation for one yet to come.
(John) went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins..........“I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:3,16)
All they knew was they had been forgiven of their sins and were to await the Messiah. They had not heard about Jesus, his crucifixion, that he had risen from the dead and ascended to his Father. They didn’t have all the facts. Paul taught them Jesus’ message about love, redemption and eternal life. After they learned this truth, Paul was able to lay hands upon them as he baptized them in the name of Jesus - a sign of new life in Christ - which then allowed them to receive the Holy Spirit. They spoke in tongues and prophesied just as the Twelve did at Pentecost.
Baptism is a public declaration of faith in Jesus Christ and signifies acceptance into the family of God. If you have not been formally baptized, consider making your declaration before God that you love, believe in and pledge to follow Jesus.
For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. (1 Corinthians 12:13)
