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.” 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,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.”

Acts 19: 1-4

I’ve been able to visit the archaeological ruins of Ancient Ephesus a couple of times over the last fifteen years or so and I must say it is remarkable to walk the streets where Paul and his team of missionaries encountered the people of this once-prominent city.

In the passage above, Paul entered the city and did what he did elsewhere and discovered some disciples (of John the Baptist). Notice how he responded to these disciples. First, he asked a spiritual question. Next, he did what I often fail to do, he asked a second question to learn more.

How many times do we rush in with an answer instead of clarifying what the other person is saying or believes?

Paul was patient and then explained how Jesus fulfilled the teachings of John the Baptist.

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.

Acts 19:5-7

Paul’s investment of time with these twelve men was just the beginning of a fruitful time of ministry in one of the largest and most influential cities in the Roman Empire.