A Fortuitous Meeting

I hope that you also, as hearers of the Word, are excited to become recipients of all that is being exposed to us in this meditation. We come on this day when many of you, with people all over the world are celebrating love in a variety of ways. I know that much of this is about secular love, but regardless of how Valentine’s Day is or is not celebrated by you, regardless of how love is being portrayed and celebrated, I am sure that not one of us will ever forget the love of our Heavenly Father for us. Therefore, I offer these words, taken from a hymn by Stuart Townend. I offer them in deep love, tribute, gratitude, and response to God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

How deep the Father’s love for us,

How vast beyond all measure,

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure.

I will not boast in anything,

No gifts, no power, no wisdom;

But I will boast in Jesus Christ,

His death and resurrection.

May our boast be in our Lord Jesus Christ, who has risen and ascended into heaven, so that you and I can receive the Father’s Love Gift of His Holy Spirit.  May we be so keen of hearing and hungry of heart, to love and serve our Lord that we will desire nothing but His Baptism. Amen!

I make a confession here. I must admit that as the entire hymn, How Deep The Father’s Love For Us, was playing daily, over and over on my mind, for these past weeks, I was suddenly struck, as if to awaken me from some slumber about this fact. It is the depth of the Love of the Father at Pentecost. As shameful and totally ungrateful as it sounds, sadly it is true. I never saw God’s Love in giving us the Holy Spirit. It was the Love of our Lord, which broke me down to see His ever-present, ever-pursuing, ever-calling love for His disciples. It is this ever-offering love, which we are experiencing in that fortuitous meeting with Paul and those twelve disciples at Ephesus.

However, before we receive any thoughts to ponder and have worked out in us, let’s listen to what this fortuitous meeting is all about. I use the word fortuitous, meaning that this meeting of Paul and those believers, was not some planned meeting. Neither Paul, nor the group of twelve, had each other in mind, nor were they looking for each other. What I mean is this. Paul was not looking for disciples of Jesus, to give them the Gift of the Holy Spirit and the party of twelve was certainly not looking for someone who could place hands on them and have them receive the baptism of Jesus, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Indeed this was all the perfect design of the Spirit Himself, an act of perfect love, beyond our human comprehension. Do you believe this?

I have been charged to quote this meeting for you, for two distinct reasons. One: It is for those who are unfamiliar with this meeting that they may hear and know. Two: It is for those who know, but need to be fully refreshed in mind and heart about what transpired. Here is Acts 19: 1 – 7. 

When 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 into 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. 

Having heard the Scripture, what thoughts are you being made to ponder? It is through Paul that we are given the fullness of Jesus’ love for His disciples that they will be one with Him in love and unity, as He is with the Father.

We conclude this tomorrow.