What's going on in your fellowship?

Beautiful Sunday, isn’t it?


So, in our fellowship today, we were all set to dive into the book of Ephesians. But guess what? We took a little detour, backtracking to Acts 19 to discover the roots of this remarkable fellowship. It’s like rewinding a great movie to catch the first epic scene again.



As Apollo sailed off to Corinth, Paul went inland to Ephesus, and that’s where the story kicks off. He strolls into the city, only to stumble upon a synagogue—a gathering of at least ten men in progress. These were believers, mind you, but there was a slight hitch in their fellowship. They were just twelve in number, a tight-knit crew, but something was missing. 



Paul, always the curious one, asks them the most intriguing question, and their response? It’s pure comedy gold. Here’s a snippet from Acts 19:1-5:


“While 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 in the name of the Lord Jesus.”


Did you catch that? They hadn’t even heard of the Holy Spirit! Their innocent, “We haven’t even heard of this Holy Spirit thing” is such a raw and honest response. It’s almost like they’re saying, “Is this a new app we should download?”


But beyond the laughs, today I learned three crucial lessons about Church planting: what can stop it, what can grow it, and what can sustain it.


WHAT CAN STOP IT? THE COZINESS.

You see, the twelve brothers in Ephesus were pretty content as they were. Their fellowship was warm and homely, so much so that they didn’t feel the need to grow in numbers. It’s like being snug under a warm blanket during a cold season. Everything is perfect—why would you want to change that? Now, imagine someone comes along and asks you to scoot over and share that blanket—no way! That warmth and comfort kept them from growing, and they would have stayed that way if Paul hadn’t come along and introduced a catalyst. The Church is meant to be an open house with a wide entry point but a narrow exit—always ready to welcome more, never just cozying up with the few.



WHAT CAN GROW IT? THE HOLY SPIRIT.

This was the missing ingredient in their fellowship. What they didn’t know actually did hurt them. Paul enlightened them, they embraced the Holy Spirit, and suddenly their posture toward the world changed. They went from being a cozy little group to preaching, prophesying, and proclaiming the Gospel all over Ephesus. They were so fired up that Paul had to conduct a three-month crash course for them. I imagine he was teaching them all about evangelism, church planting, and leadership. Their group of twelve was perfect for this—no Judas in sight! This Holy Spirit-driven growth led to a multiplication of believers, and by the time we get to Revelation, we see that many more church fellowships were birthed from this one. The secret wasn’t in clever strategies or speeches but in the power of the Holy Spirit.



WHAT CAN SUSTAIN IT? THE HELP.

Paul didn’t just pass through Ephesus; he stayed for two years. What was he doing? Besides making tents and making money, he was helping them equip the believers who were being added to their number to do the work of ministry. The bottom line of helping the Church grow is teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training so that the believers are thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). This is what the Word of God does when it’s systematically taught and read.



So, here I am, a happy lad this afternoon, looking forward to rereading Ephesians and seeing word for word how this Church progressed. It might take us three weeks, but I’m ready for it.


What's going on in your fellowship?

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