A Sorry State: The Ephesian 12

Colossians 1:27 "To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

In Acts 18 we read of Apollos - one of the great men of the faith in the early church. He had come to Ephesus with incomplete knowledge, knowing only of the OT and the baptism of John. When Priscilla and Aquila met him, they took him into their home and taught him the deeper truth of Christ - lighting a fire that burned within him as he headed to Corinth.

But there was one problem - in his prior zealousness, he had spawned some disciples in Ephesus. In Acts 19, Paul comes across twelve of them, and asks them if they've received the Holy Spirit. They hadn't, they were still stuck in John's baptism - which was a baptism of repentance. Now repentance is a necessary step to salvation - if you don't think you're sinking why would you cry out for a Savior - but it is not to be a permanent dwelling place. So basically, Paul runs into a group, asks them how they're doing, and gets the response: "We're really sorry. Sorry about everything! Isn't that great?"

No, it's not. It's a lousy place to live, so he then introduces them to what they need: the fullness of Christ and His Spirit in their lives. He reveals the mystery: Christ in them. This is an astounding revelation that we take very lightly. Many of us prefer to live in the baptism of John - constantly sorry for all we've done but never experiencing the fullness of Christ within us. I know - it's one of my favorite places to be. Repenting, sorrowful, feeling guilty - you know the drill.

However - the baptism of John was only a preparing of the way for the triumphal entry of Christ. We tend to see Christ only in terms of the salvation He brings us - which is crucial, of course. Let's not forget that it's more than that - it's an indwelling of God. When Christ fully indwells you, the filth and the garbage are automatically forced out. There's no striving, no vows, no resolutions.

Listen: Christ does not co-habitate. His holiness does not allow Him to dwell with your sin. He must be allowed to have full control, to live in you from head to toe. This scares people, so they would rather spend their lives being sorry, but still in their sin. They don't realize what He is truly offering to us.