"The promise"

        "When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the 

         Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy

         Spirit came on them.                                    ----Acts 19:5/6a

         Paul's return to Ephesus fulfills his promise to the Jews there that, "'God willing'" (18:21). He would come back. But on his arrival he first encounters not the Jews, not aquila and Priscilla (who have vanished from the narrative), and not the believers mentioned 18:27

Instead, he finds a group of 12 men. Like call the "disciples," but it appears that Paul quickly develops doubts about them, for he asks a question designed to help him perceive where they stand with Christ: "'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"' If they have truly trusted Christ, they should answer with a resounding "'Yes." However, they reply that they have even heard of a Holy Spirit.

         This is unthinkable; as Dr. Simon Kistemaker notes, "a Christian with out the Spirit is a contradiction in terms. Faith ( or, belief ) without the Spirit is nothing more than nodding consent." Futhermore, if these" disciples had been brought to Christ under the ministry of mature believer such as Aquila and Priscilla, they would have learned the Gospel accurately and would have heard the Old Testament references to the spirit. At the very least, they would have  been baptized in the name of the Father, the son, and the Holy Spirit. Hearing their answer, Paul immediately realizes that these are not true believers.

          Under his continued questioning, the truth comes out; these are disciple not of Christ but of John the Baptist. Incredible, even though John ministered for a very short time nearly 30 years before in a land far from Ephesus, he still has followers. But Paul is able to lead these men to saving faith by reminding them of John's chief emphasis; Christ Himself. He shows them that their teacher, John, urged his hearers to believe on Christ who, Unlike John, could forgive sins. Hearing this, the Ephesian believe and Undergo Christian baptism.

         Paul then lays his hand on the men and they receive the Holy Spirit, along with the supernatural manifestation of tongues and prophecy. This is the fourth incidence in Acts of a group of people being so baptized by the Spirit, along with the Jewish disciples (2:4), the Samaritans ( 8:17 ), and the God -fearers ( 10:4; ). Commentators are divide on the significance of this event, though most agree it represents. The extension of the Gospel to a new group of people, perhaps to Gentiles lacking any understanding of the Christian faith.