Many church goes are held back in their spiritual progress because they have either a partial or a confused understanding of Christianity.  Example of this at the time was Apollos. Apollos was a Christian Jew who was an eloquent preacher  around Paul’s missionary journeys. Apollos knew and preached accurately about the coming of Jesus but knew  of it only from the message of Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist.

Church goes like Apollo scan be highly educated and good speakers with a crusading spirit for a Christian approach to the troubles of the world. When Apollos began to explain the Scripture boldly in the synagogue at Ephesus, a local Christian couple listening to him soon realized that spiritual man though he was, he had not heard the full story. The couple rather than put Apollos straight in public, invited him to their home. Here in their house they told him about the things of the Gospel “Good News’ in which his knowledge was lacking.

This appears to have been all that Apollos had needed, for soon after he was on his way to Corinth, where he became a great help in building up the church. We also find in the Book of Acts Chapter 19, some Ephesian disciples, these Disciples were unaware something was missing from their Christian experience. These Ephesian disciples lacked any experience or knowledge of the Holy Spirit. Paul baptized these disciples in the name of Jesus and laid his hands on them. Their new faith was confirmed by Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The Apostle Paul explained, John the Baptist only woke people up to their shortcomings. Many responded to his message by trying harder to please God, in their own strength. But baptism in the name of Jesus pointed beyond this to the reality of forgiveness and new life in Christ Jesus, plus the promise of strength by Jesus’ Spirit to do what in their own strength was impossible.

Knowing the full Christian message, is to know it is not a religious message, it is a message of ‘life transformation’, where through repentance, forgiveness is given and we no longer have to struggle on our own, we have God’s Spirit, The Holy Spirit residing in us, to help us in everything we do.