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The Acts of the Apostles
clearly taught in the word of God. Prophets and apostles have dwelt
upon this theme. Christ Himself calls our attention to the growth of
the vegetable world as an illustration of the agency of His Spirit in
sustaining spiritual life. The sap of the vine, ascending from the root,
is diffused to the branches, sustaining growth and producing blossoms
and fruit. So the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit, proceeding from
the Saviour, pervades the soul, renews the motives and affections, and
brings even the thoughts into obedience to the will of God, enabling
the receiver to bear the precious fruit of holy deeds.
The Author of this spiritual life is unseen, and the exact method
by which that life is imparted and sustained, it is beyond the power
of human philosophy to explain. Yet the operations of the Spirit are
always in harmony with the written word. As in the natural, so in the
spiritual world. The natural life is preserved moment by moment by
divine power; yet it is not sustained by a direct miracle, but through
the use of blessings placed within our reach. So the spiritual life is
sustained by the use of those means that Providence has supplied. If
the follower of Christ would grow up “unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (
Ephesians 4:13
),
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he must eat of the bread of life and drink of the water of salvation.
He must watch and pray and work, in all things giving heed to the
instructions of God in His word.
There is still another lesson for us in the experience of those Jewish
converts. When they received baptism at the hand of John they did
not fully comprehend the mission of Jesus as the Sin Bearer. They
were holding serious errors. But with clearer light, they gladly ac-
cepted Christ as their Redeemer, and with this step of advance came a
change in their obligations. As they received a purer faith, there was a
corresponding change in their life. In token of this change, and as an
acknowledgment of their faith in Christ, they were rebaptized in the
name of Jesus.
As was his custom, Paul had begun his work at Ephesus by preach-
ing in the synagogue of the Jews. He continued to labor there for three
months, “disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom
of God.” At first he met with a favorable reception; but as in other
fields, he was soon violently opposed. “Divers were hardened, and
believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude.” As they