The Way - Part 14 // Go Deeper
Are you living in the shallow end of your faith without even realizing it? Acts 18 and 19 reveal a powerful truth: it is possible to love God, know Scripture, and still be operating with an incomplete experience of who He is and what He has made available to you.
Apollos was one of the most gifted communicators of the early church. He was educated, fervent, and accurate in his teaching about Jesus. But there was a gap. When Priscilla and Aquila recognized it, they did not shame him. They invited him in and explained the way of God more fully. Growing deeper in faith is not about starting over. It is about letting God build on what He has already placed in you.
In Acts 19, Paul meets disciples who had believed in Jesus but had never heard of the Holy Spirit. When Paul laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. This moment points to something that many believers have never fully explored: the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a deeper dimension of relationship with God, a greater filling and empowerment available to every believer.
Isaiah 44:3 says God will pour out His Spirit on the thirsty. Not the talented. Not the impressive. The thirsty. Hunger is the qualification. Jesus confirmed it in Matthew 5:6 when He said those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled.
This message also explores the gifts of the Spirit, including prophecy, healing, miracles, words of knowledge, and discerning of spirits. These gifts are not reserved for a select few. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12 that he does not want believers to be uninformed about spiritual gifts, and he urges them three times to earnestly desire them. The gifts are meant to build up the whole body of Christ and must always be governed by love.
Practical steps covered include making yourself available to God, cultivating genuine hunger for the things of the Spirit, exercising faith in small steps of obedience, and staying rooted in love as the foundation for everything.
John 10:10 tells us that Jesus came so we could have life abundantly, meaning overflowing, beyond measure, uncommon. Not just the basics. Not just enough to get by. So why settle for ankle deep when God is calling you into waters deep enough to swim in?
Topics covered include the baptism of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, growing in faith, the story of Apollos, Acts 18 and 19, how to go deeper with God, spiritual maturity, hunger for God, Holy Spirit empowerment, gifts of the Spirit explained, and how to walk in the Spirit.