Disciples Making Disciples-Acts 19:1-10-Pastor Scott Lindner

Devotional

Day 1: Spiritual Discernment in Recognizing the Needs of Others

A true disciple possesses the ability to perceive where others are in their spiritual journey. This discernment is not about judgment but about noticing what may be lacking or incomplete in a person's understanding of faith. It is a gift from the Holy Spirit that allows us to see beyond the surface and identify areas where growth is needed. Such insight is crucial for effective discipleship, enabling us to come alongside others with grace and truth. This discernment helps us build up the body of Christ in love. [30:28]

And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” (Acts 19:2 ESV)

Reflection: As you interact with other believers this week, ask the Holy Spirit to heighten your spiritual awareness. What is one specific way you can become more attentive to the spiritual state of those around you, not to criticize, but to better understand how you can encourage and support them in their walk with Christ?

Day 2: The Call to Fill in the Gaps for One Another

Discipleship is a ministry of completion, where we help others move toward spiritual wholeness. It involves assessing where a person is, teaching them the truth in love, and then helping them take the next step of obedience. This process is not about creating a checklist but about lovingly guiding someone into a fuller experience of God's grace and power. We are called to come alongside each other, just as Aquila and Priscilla did for Apollos, to explain the way of God more accurately. Our role is to build up and encourage, not to embarrass or condemn. [37:02]

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. (Acts 18:26 ESV)

Reflection: Consider your own spiritual journey—who has God used to "fill in the gaps" for you? Now, think of one person in your life whom you might be able to encourage in a specific area of their faith. What is a gentle, loving step you could take to help them understand God's way more accurately?

Day 3: The Power Available Through the Holy Spirit

The normal Christian life is meant to be lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. This power is not a secondary, elite level of Christianity but the essential resource for every believer to be an effective witness. It is the divine enablement to live beyond our own natural abilities and to make an eternal impact. Without tapping into this power, we risk operating in our own strength, which leads to spiritual exhaustion and ineffectiveness. God desires for us to experience the fullness of His power available to us each day. [46:13]

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8 ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life or ministry have you been relying on your own strength and abilities instead of consciously depending on the Holy Spirit's power? What would it look like for you to intentionally ask for and rely on His power in that specific situation this week?

Day 4: Understanding the Holy Spirit's Work In and Upon Us

Every believer has the Holy Spirit dwelling within them from the moment of salvation. This indwelling is the seal of our redemption and the source of our new life in Christ. However, there is also a filling and empowering of the Spirit that we are to continually seek. This empowering is for a purpose: to be effective witnesses and to build up the body of Christ. It is not a one-time event but a daily reliance on God's strength rather than our own. This distinction helps us understand both our identity in Christ and our need for His ongoing power. [54:13]

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18 ESV)

Reflection: The command to "be filled with the Spirit" is in the present continuous tense, implying an ongoing action. What daily practice or habit could you incorporate to consciously depend on the Holy Spirit's filling and empowering, rather than your own resources?

Day 5: Trusting God's Timing in Opening and Closing Doors

God sovereignly opens and closes doors of opportunity for ministry according to His perfect wisdom and timing. A closed door is not always a permanent no; it may simply mean "not right now." As disciples, we are called to be sensitive to the Spirit's guidance, persistently seeking God's will while trusting His timing. Paul experienced this when the Spirit initially forbade him from preaching in Asia, yet later, a wide door for effective work was opened there. Our role is to remain faithful and ready, trusting that God knows the right season for every work. [01:04:43]

And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. (Acts 16:7 ESV)

Reflection: Is there a specific desire or ministry opportunity you have been praying about that seems to have a closed door? How might you discern if this is a permanent "no" from God or a "not yet," and what would it look for you to wait on His timing with patient trust?

Sermon Summary

Acts 19:1–10 unfolds a practical portrait of disciple-making in Ephesus. Paul encounters a group who call themselves disciples but lack the experiential fullness of the Holy Spirit. He discerns a spiritual gap, probes their faith with direct questions, clarifies that their baptism reflected John's call to repentance, and then baptizes them into Jesus' name. After laying hands on them, the group manifests Spirit-empowered signs—speaking in tongues and prophesying—illustrating that conversion and empowerment can occur as distinct, ordered experiences. Paul then commits to intensive, sustained teaching: he withdraws from unyielding synagogue opposition and reasons daily in the Hall of Tyrannus for two years so that residents across the province hear the gospel.

The narrative emphasizes four leadership commitments for making disciples. First, spiritual discernment matters; accurate assessment reveals whether new converts grasp the Bible’s full claims or simply echo partial truths. Second, discipleship fills gaps; intentional correction and follow-up move people from initial faith toward obedience and power. Third, expectation about Spirit-abiding life remains central: the Spirit works “with” people (drawing them), “in” people (indwelling at conversion), and “upon” people (empowering for witness), so empowerment belongs to normal Christian life rather than an elite tier. Fourth, ministry requires attentiveness to God’s timing; doors open and close by divine design, and seasons of waiting or access require different responses.

Concrete pastoral questions surface: when does rebaptism make sense? Two practical criteria arise—was the original baptism a personal, informed decision, and was it explicitly into Jesus’ name and authority? Likewise, the account reframes spiritual gifts as tools for building the body and expanding witness, not as mere spectacle. Finally, the passage calls for dependence on God’s power instead of solitary effort: discipleship that relies on the Spirit bears fruit that human skill cannot replicate. The scene closes with an invitation to seek the Spirit’s filling for bold, effective witness in everyday contexts—home, work, and community.

Key Takeaways

1. Discern spiritual condition quickly Spiritual discernment identifies whether faith expresses inner transformation or only religious form. Asking pointed questions clarifies whether a person knows Christ experientially and needs deeper teaching or simply needs time to grow. Discernment prevents false assurance and directs targeted discipleship toward real change. [30:28]
2. Fill gaps through intentional discipleship Discipleship multiplies when helpers address specific doctrinal and practical holes in new believers’ lives. Private correction and patient teaching move people from partial belief to full surrender and participation in the kingdom. Intentional follow-up converts initial faith into sustained obedience and fruit. [37:02]
3. Pursue Spirit's power daily The Spirit works with people (drawing), in people (indwelling at conversion), and upon people (empowering for witness); empowerment qualifies as normal Christian life rather than an optional extra. Regular dependence and asking for filling changes prayer effectiveness and witness impact. Expect God to equip ordinary lives for extraordinary, kingdom-minded influence. [47:28]
4. Watch for doors God opens God times ministry seasons; what proved closed at one moment can swing wide in another. Recognize when to persist, when to wait, and when to move because timing shapes fruitfulness more than mere effort. Attentive obedience to divine openings prevents wasted labor and multiplies reach. [61:57]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[26:09] - Announcements & personal news
[27:54] - Reading Acts 19:1–10
[30:28] - Spiritual discernment in Ephesus
[37:02] - Filling gaps through discipleship
[39:43] - When rebaptism matters
[47:28] - Spirit: with, in, and upon
[59:14] - Pentecost and power for witness
[61:57] - God opens and closes doors
[70:01] - Invitation and prayer for filling

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Acts 19:1–10 (ESV)
And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all. And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

Observation questions

What question did Paul ask the disciples in Ephesus, and how did they respond?
What two specific actions did Paul take after explaining John’s baptism to them?
How did Paul adjust his ministry strategy when he faced stubborn opposition in the synagogue?

Interpretation questions

Why might Paul have asked specifically about receiving the Holy Spirit, rather than another aspect of faith?
What does the sequence—belief, baptism, laying on of hands, and spiritual manifestation—suggest about how God sometimes works in stages? [48:53]
How does Paul’s shift from the synagogue to the hall of Tyrannus demonstrate responsiveness to divine timing rather than mere persistence? [01:04:43]

Application questions

Spiritual discernment helps identify where someone truly is in their faith journey. What are some gentle, loving questions you could ask to better understand where a fellow believer is growing—or lacking? [30:28]
Discipleship often means helping others take next steps they haven’t discovered yet. Who in your life might need you to “fill a gap” for them—whether in understanding, practice, or experiencing God’s power? [37:02]
The Holy Spirit empowers us not for our own benefit but for witness and building up others. In what areas of your life (home, work, community) do you most need the Spirit’s power to be an effective witness? [58:48]
God opens and closes doors of opportunity in different seasons. Are you currently facing a closed door? How can you discern whether God is saying “not now” or “no”—and what would it look like to wait expectantly? [01:05:04]
Paul expected believers to be Spirit-filled. Do you expect the Holy Spirit to actively work in and through you each day? What would change if you began each morning asking for His filling and power? [46:13]
Have you ever been water baptized as a personal, informed decision in Jesus’ name? If not, what is holding you back from taking this step of obedience? [40:00]
Reflect on a time you tried to serve God in your own strength. How might relying more on the Spirit’s power change your impact in relationships or ministry? [01:08:48]

Sermon Clips

48s

#DependOnSpirit

“because I'm gonna I'm gonna say this with an all lovingness and I'm speaking I'm speaking to you, always do this with the youth. It's like me too. I'm pointing a finger at me so it's all of us together. If we're trying to do this without the power of the Holy Spirit and on our own giftings, abilities, that stuff, that's a prideful thing. Think about that. Say, God, I can do this. I I don't need I I I got this. And it's like we need to make sure that we realize that when Jesus said, without me, you can do nothing. He wasn't saying without me, you couldn't drive your car here to church on Sunday and you can't go to work tomorrow. What he's saying is without me, you will do nothing of any spiritual eternal value.”

25s

#MissedPowerDiscovery

“You ever been missing out on something great and then you find out later, like you've been driving a car for like three years and somebody goes, did you know it did this? And you're like, what? And it's like, that's all I had to do is flip that switch and I've this this whole time and I've been dealing with it. And it's kinda like that where it's like it was available in this power. They didn't they didn't know. They hadn't tapped into it. You know what I I this reminds me of?”

Ask a question about this sermon

Cornerstone Church Anaheim This sermon · AI assistant

How does spiritual discernment reveal discipleship gaps?

When is rebaptism warranted for committed believers?

How do with, in, and upon differ?