Acts 18:24-28
English Standard
Version (ESV)
24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of
Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the
Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the
Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the
things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He
began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila
heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more
accurately. 27 And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the
brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he
arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, 28 for
he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that
the Christ was Jesus.
It
appears that Aquila and Priscilla weren’t necessarily following Paul to Ephesus
but were traveling with him. I say this
because they didn’t minister with him and when he left they remained. In fact, they made Ephesus their home. God had placed them there for a reason and
that reason may have been Apollos.
Apollos
was a believer and a very learned man but he lacked one thing, the teaching of
Baptism. When he preached on Baptism he
spoke of the repentance Baptism of John the Baptist. “Repent and be Saved” yet he did not preach
of believers Baptism and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Priscilla and Aquila recognized that he was a
man of God and took him under their wing to nurture him and guide him in growth
through the Holy Spirit.
What I
find to be a truth that we all need to take hold of is this, Apollos accepted the guidance of Priscilla
and Aquila. I have known young
enthusiast who have felt that they had all the answers. When others, who had experienced more in life
both joys and heartbreak and who had not only read about the wonders of God but
had experienced it, tried to help them, the young enthusiasts thought themselves to be
better and did not listen to the instruction of the wiser ones. You might have seen this yourself through the
eyes of a teenager or your own teenager.
It is clear that Apollos was sure of himself and was very outspoken but
he took the time to listen to constructive criticism and accepted instruction
from people who were more mature in their faith and who had experienced the
Grace of God.
We
should never take a title, status or a gift that God has given us to think that
we can no longer learn anything. We
should not take any of those things and think that someone is closer to God or
in better contact with God because of them.
God speaks to those of us who will listen. He uses various people in various settings to
teach us how to become more in touch with Him and His will. When we reject the instruction, reprimand, or
guidance from those who are more mature in their faith, we end up missing out
on blessings that we could have had.
As you
seek Him today, ask Him to place those in your life who can bring to you
guidance, direction, and knowledge of Him through their experiences with Him. Then listen to their instruction and grow in
Christ as Apollos did. Apollos went on
to be a great help in other places because he took the time to listen and
learn.
Seeking Him
with all my heart,
Sheila
Thanks for the encouragement!
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