.
They were John the Baptist's disciples. (Acts 19:3-4) In point of fact, the
people with whom Paul spoke didn't become Jesus' disciples until the 5th verse.
_
Are you sure about that?
Jesus explained that His words were spirit and that they came via the Holy Spirit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jn 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
The importance and understanding of the above is often missed, just like it was missed then and so why Jesus had to point this out!!
So for example, where did king Solomon get his wisdom???
Prov 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth
come knowledge and understanding.
Jesus Christ is the Lord, right?
1 Cor 12:3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
So according to the Scriptures, if we care to believe they are correct, even king Solomon was getting his wisdom from the mouth His (Jesus Christ the Lord's, mouth!!!
So what about even those disciples of Jesus. They didn't actually hear from Him before hearing from the sound waves that came out of His mouth did they?
What is going on with this little conversation between Jesus and Nathanael?
Jn 1:48,49 Nathanael *said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”
The fact is that Jesus Christ has been around from the beginning as the Word of God, and so all those who heard from God heard from Jesus Christ and knew Him as the Lord! They learned from Him, got wisdom from Him, instructions from Him, and were discipled by Him, if they believed.
Gen 15:1,2 After these things the
word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision,
saying,
“Do not fear, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.”
Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
We should understand that Jesus Christ has always been the Word of God, or word of the Lord, because He is the One who has the words of God for men. He comes and speaks to us, and if we believe in Him that is counted as righteousness to us.
Gen 15:6 Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
So when we go out and preach the Word of God, we are preaching Jesus Christ and that He is there to talk to us by faith!!
Rev 19:13
He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
Now that was true before He took on flesh, just like it is true after He took on flesh!! The real problem has always been the men, in general, don't want to listen to Him!!
Ps 81:8 “Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, if you would listen to Me!
That is it!!! Even back in the Old Testament, if His people would listen to Him He would "admonish" them - and we understand that means discipling them, right?
Is 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the LORD,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
They will be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They will be like wool.
Reasoning with the Lord is discipleship!! And we all need to be doing that, and all should have been from long before Jesus took on flesh and came down out of heaven.