And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 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.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 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.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

8 And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 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. 10 This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. (ESV)

Although this chapter opens with the words, ”And it happened…’‘, the truth is that Paul eventually found himself in Ephesus because it was the will of God (see 18:21). This was no coincidence.

In the first place, Paul found some people there who were both ”disciples” and believers, but their understanding and experience were incomplete (a little like Apollos’s). Like him also, they showed a complete openness to receive new truth, and enter in.

‘Paul could not build a church on men with an inadequate spiritual experience, nor can we today.’ Warren Wiersbe

God brings good out of bad (9). Paul’s ministry in Ephesus was to have widespread repercussions; the ripples were to travel far and wide. He was about to enter a season of special, and unusual, blessing. ‘ People who had come in to worship at the shrine of Diana gave themselves to Christ, and the Christian faith became disseminated through the province, Ephesus itself being mightily moved.’ F.B. Meyer

PRAYER: ‘It is no secret what God can do’…Do it again Lord!