I love it when someone comes along and tells me that I am close to the truth but not quite there, and then shares a bit more insight and knowledge to get me to the next step. That’s what happens when Priscilla and Aquila meet up with Apollos…
24 Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. 25 He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism. 26 When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.
27 Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him to go. They wrote to the believers in Achaia, asking them to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God’s grace, had believed. 28 He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah.
Acts 18:24-28 NLT
There is a lot here, but I love to see how Priscilla and Aquila help Apollos along in his journey and in his theology. He was a key evangelist of his time with the ability to explain through the scriptures how Jesus is Messiah. Of course, this was the main issue of the time, particularly for Jewish people. Jesus was from the people of Israel, raised up in their own schools and synagogues. His teaching was a fulfillment of the scriptures, he said. And he came for his own people, first and foremost.
Apollos was bold and courageous to speak and teach. But Priscilla and Aquila, who were church leaders (their home church is mentioned in 1Corinthians 16:19), could hear that Apollos’ teaching was slightly off.
We had a great fellow in a home group once who would say to people in his thick African accent, “Sister, you are not far from the truth…” Of course, it sounded like, “Seesta, you are not faaaahhhh from the truuuth.” I miss Fred. He knew the truth and wanted to help other people get to it.
Another old friend used to say that the essence of the gospel is one beggar showing another beggar where the bread is. Priscilla and Aquila knew where the bread was. They knew the truth of Jesus and the full story. Apollos was stuck on only knowing about John’s baptism, which means he didn’t know about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is Jesus’ baptism.
They were glad to share. This isn’t secret sauce that only your restaurant can have to keep the customers coming. This the most open-source code in the world. Share it so that everyone everywhere can build upon it to make better lives which are restored to relationship with God the Father.
I am glad to have people explain the way of God to me more accurately. That’s iron sharpening iron. It’s spiritual formation from people who are a couple of steps further along in knowledge and relationship. And God gets the glory…
Amen.
Marc Kinna
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