Acts 19:1,2 – And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

Acts 19:6 – And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

This passage is pretty important if we are to understand the difference between the Spirit’s work in salvation and the baptism in the Holy Spirit. These verses can expose the age old problem many Christians have had understanding the difference of the work of the Spirit in salvation and then the anointing of the Spirit for additional power and ministry. The Holy Spirit comes into our lives the moment we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ but we should never limit God Who is limitless. He can fill us multiple times after our conversion for our own renewal and empowerment. Here is how the Life in the Spirit Commentary describes this passage.

“The immediate consequences of this Spirit-baptism are charismatic manifestations of tongues and prophecy The phrase “and prophesied” must not be assumed to indicate an additional sign. It stands parallel to the phrase “praising God” in Acts 10:46. Prophetic activity is realized in the last days (cf. the events of Pentecost, which shows a close relationship between speaking in tongues and prophesying via Joel 2). Similar to the disciples at Pentecost and Caesarea, these people at Ephesus speak in tongues and give inspired praise to God after receiving the Pentecostal power of the Spirit. Like earlier outpourings of the Spirit, the initial evidence of the charismatic experience of the Ephesian believers is speaking in tongues. Paul instructs, baptizes, and lays hands on them, but through the sovereign action of the prophetic Spirit they are endowed with power for ministry.”

So the Lord hasn’t changed Who He is or what He does in our modern society. We not only need conversion but we also desperately need empowerment from God to change our world. Ephesus had proved to be a very difficult city to reach until this nucleus of the future church members were filled with power. Ephesus was known for its immorality as well as the strong influence of idolatry focusing on the worship of their goddess Dianna. Over the next two years Ephesus was visited with a great move of God. The city was changed and multitudes of lost people came to the Lord.