- Covered In His Dust
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- Acts Chapter 19
"When disciples followed a rabbi, they followed him closely so they would never be out of his sight, never be someplace where they couldn’t hear him speak. They followed him so closely that his sandals often kicked up dust."
May you be covered in His dust.
If this is your first time getting Covered in His Dust, WELCOME!
👉🏽 Read Chapter 19 HERE before reading my notes. If you don’t, my notes won’t make as much sense.
Miss a chapter? Grab my notes on Acts and Luke HERE.
Good morning Saints! ☀️
At the end of Acts 18, Priscilla and Aquila took Apollos aside and explained the way of God more accurately.
Apollos was passionate. Eloquent. Bold. He taught about Jesus, but his understanding was incomplete—he only knew the baptism of John.
Priscilla and Aquila didn’t embarrass him or call him out publicly. They pulled him aside and discipled him. Apollos listened.
This matters. Some people are eager to serve God but lack a full understanding of the gospel. And when we need correction we should be like Apollos—humble enough to receive it.
Right at the end of Chapter 18, Apollos leaves Ephesus for Achaia (where Corinth is), encouraged by the brothers, and armed with a letter of recommendation.
Paul would later write,
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”
Paul in Ephesus: Let’s get into it.
Ephesus was a massive port city in what is now Turkey. It was rich, powerful, and full of trade. With a population of around 250,000, it was one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire.
At the heart of Ephesus stood the Temple of Artemis (Diana to the Romans). It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World—bigger than a football field, supported by 127 massive columns. People traveled from all over to worship Artemis, make sacrifices, and buy silver idols. Idolatry wasn’t just a religious practice—it was a business. Silversmiths made a fortune selling shrines of Artemis.
Paul wasn’t just preaching against false gods. He was messing with their money. If Jesus is Lord, Artemis is nothing. If people stop buying idols, silversmiths lose everything. The gospel didn’t just challenge their beliefs—it threatened their economy.
More on that later.
Ephesus was also a center for magic and the occult. People paid big money for scrolls on spells, sorcery, and demonic power. But when the gospel spread, many who believed in Jesus burned their magic books—publicly and at great cost.
It was a dark city.
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.”
How did Paul know something was missing?
Maybe the Holy Spirit revealed it to him. Paul was filled with the Spirit, and we’ve seen God give him insight before.
Or maybe he just saw the lack of fruit. These men were called disciples, but something must have stood out. No joy? No boldness? No evidence of the Spirit’s work?
Paul didn’t ask this randomly. He expected believers to have the Holy Spirit. If they didn’t—something was wrong.
So he asked:
“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
Their answer?
“We haven’t even heard there is a Holy Spirit.”
That told him everything. They hadn’t been taught the full gospel.
If you think about it, that’s intense.
If the Holy Spirit is in you, people should see it. Feel it. Charles Spurgeon put it like this:
Give a man an electric shock, and he will know it; but if he has been filled with the Holy Ghost, he will know it even more.
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.”
They knew some truth, but not the full truth.
They had John’s baptism of repentance, which means they were expecting the Messiah. They probably even knew that Jesus was the Messiah and that people needed to repent and believe.
But they didn’t know that He had died, risen again, and promised the Holy Spirit.
They were following what they knew, but their knowledge was incomplete.
John’s baptism looked forward—to the One who was coming. The Messiah. The Lamb of God.
Christian baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit looks back—at what Jesus has done. His death, burial, and resurrection. The finished work of salvation.
John himself said:
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
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.
Ok, let’s sort a few things out.
This passage brings up a lot of theological debate that people way smarter than I am, disagree on.
Were they saved before Paul arrived?
Some argue yes—they were called disciples, meaning they were sincere followers of God.
Others say no—they hadn’t even heard about the Holy Spirit, which is a clear marker of salvation in Acts.
My take—Paul baptized them in Jesus’ name. If their first baptism had been enough, why would he do that?
Speaking in Tongues & Prophesying.
Some say this shows that every believer should expect to speak in tongues when receiving the Holy Spirit (a common Pentecostal view).
Others point out that not every conversion in Acts includes tongues and prophecy.
My take: I’m staying out of it. But the pattern in Acts seems to be that when major new groups receive the gospel (Jews, Samaritans, Gentiles, and now these disciples of John), God confirms it through signs. 🤷🏽♂️
Here’s what I’m confident about. Wanting the gifts of the Holy Spirit more than the Holy Spirit Himself is a problem.
And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
Three months.
That’s how long Paul stayed teaching in the synagogue in Ephesus. And that’s the longest recorded time he ever lasted in a synagogue before getting forced out.
Normally? He didn’t get that long. Thessalonica? Three weeks. Corinth? A short time before moving next door. In most places, opposition came fast.
But Ephesus was different.
At first, the Jews let him stay. Maybe they were more open. Maybe they liked debating. Maybe it helped that Paul had been there before (Acts 18:19-21).
But after three months?
The same pattern played out.
Some hardened their hearts.
Others attacked “the Way.”
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.
“The Way” was an early name for Christianity.
Believers may have called themselves "The Way" to identify their movement. Outsiders also used the term, likely recognizing it as a distinct group within Judaism.
Jesus called Himself “the way,”
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
The Hall of Tyrannus
Paul taught here every single day—for two years. That’s longer than anywhere else he stayed. Ephesus got more of Paul than any other city.
The Hall of Tyrannus was a lecture hall. A school. A place where philosophers and teachers debated ideas.
Some ancient manuscripts say Paul taught from the fifth to the tenth hour—11 AM to 4 PM. Right in the middle of the day when most people rested.
So what did Paul do in the mornings? He worked. Making tents (Acts 20:34). Then, for hours in the afternoon, he preached.
The Hall of Tyrannus gave Paul access to more than just the Jews in the synagogue. And he stayed. Longer than anywhere else. Two years.
Every day.
Today’s notes were a little light. My wife was in the States last week, and I was keeping our three littlest alive. It was either that or a deep Bible study… and survival won.
My oldest son visited Ephesus a few years ago. Ephesus was dark. The gospel still won. Here’s a glimpse of what Paul saw.
One Minute Inspiration
Have an amazing week.
I love you,
George
Uncovering Scripture
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George Sisneros is a full-time missionary in Guatemala and the founder of Ordinary Missionaries and the El Rosario Christian Academy for Boys.
He’s been married to his wife, Vonda, for 26 years. He’s a father to nine children, five adopted.
In 2024, George and his wife expanded to Cuba, joining forces with nine pastors committed to transforming lives through the gospel.