Finishing School
Acts 18:24-28
Last week Paul took off from Corinth leaving Silas and Timothy behind and traveled with Pricilla and Aquila. They arrived in Ephesus and Paul only stays a short time before he completes his journey which goes through Caesarea and Jerusalem.
That loop ends the first missionary journey and he sets out again going to Galatia and Phrygia.
This chapter 18 really moves fast. It condenses 2 years in to a couple of pages. We learn that Paul is human and seems to have fear of being abused for his preaching. God assure him that he is protected. Then Paul ends up in court again, but he does not have to defend himself, the proconsul ( Gallio ) kicks the accusing Jews out of his court. In doing so he ends up giving the Christians a new form of protection by keeping them associated with the Jews. If the Jews had their way they would have proven that Christians were not Jews or Roman and therefore would be oppressed by the Roman government.
Today our direction leaves Paul and focuses on people we have heard about but we really don’t have a big understanding of who these people were.
Charles Swindoll asks the following;
“Who taught Martin Luther his theology and inspired his translation of the New Testament?
Who visited Dwight L. Moody at a shoe store and spoke to him about Christ? Who was the elderly woman who prayed faithfully for Billy Graham for over twenty years?
Who financed William Carey’s ministry to India?
Who helped Charles Wesley get underway as a composer of hymns?
Who personally taught G. Campbell Morgan, “the peerless expositor,” his techniques in the pulpit?
You probably don’t know do you?”
Swindoll goes on to write, “Had it not been for these unknown people – those nobodies – a large chunk of church history would be missing.
Isn’t it true that when big projects get done in most situations a bunch of unnamed people did a lot of work to make it happen. In Swindoll’s remarks there are many well known people that we might never have hear of except that someone offered them guidance, support and/or encouragement.
So, our Paul story suddenly trails of and we focus for must a few lines on another preacher.
I picture Apollos as being the young college grad that goes around showing off his knowledge and skill and teaching all the uneducated masses about the messiah.
He is probably much older than I personally imagine. We hear about in several times in scripture. Paul will write to Corinth about people claiming to follow Paul or Apollos. Somehow they separate the teaching and find differences. It would be pretty easy the think that Paul would resent some competition. But, we never find that Paul is troubled by Apollos directly, he is often trouble by the persons that are willing to break up a church by taking sides.
What can we really know about this Apollos character?
The scripture gives us some hints:
24Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures.
Apollos was from Alexandria located on the north coast of Egypt and was the second largest city in the Roman Empire. Alexandria was noted as a cultural and educational center, its library was the largest in the world at that time. Scholars tell us that before it was destroyed by fire, this library contained 700,000 scrolls and other documents.
That is a lot of books, especially when you considered how expensive they were and that they were hand produced.
One of the books said to have been commissioned for the library was the Hebrew Bible called the Septuagint. Between 3 BC and 1 BC translators translated Hebrew into Koine Greek (Common) Greek. This made the scripture available to more people because it was a more common language.
For the Jews that lived outside of Israel it became the only bible they could read as most did not read or even speak Hebrew.
So Apollos is and educated Jew. He had the equivalent of at least a college degree but more likely he was probably held a graduate/masters degree.
His background and educational credentials are very impressive.
But more importantly he is also an eloquent man. Eloquence is not something that is easy to learn. It might be better thought of as a gift. Paul is described as educated and passionate but, never eloquent. So, Apollos has an extra gift.
This man could talk and keep you interested for hours.
He could take these old scriptures and breathe new life into them because he explained them well and knew the right words.
It might have been like when he hear some one with a clear British accent and we just like to listen to them talk.
As if those were not enough talents, Apollos was “mighty in the Scriptures,” he was well versed in the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures. That means that he could properly quote and sight his scriptures. His mind was sharp and he could probably quote most scripture from memory.
So, Apollos is not just some fly by night teacher. He has credentials and skills.
The scripture tells us a little more that we can use.
25He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.
Apollos was excited about those things that he did understand about Jesus. He was passionate, he spoke with “great fervor”, literally this means “burning or boiling hot.”
This verse says that he “had been instructed in the way of the Lord; . . .though he knew only the baptism of John.”
I don’t know exactly what Apollos knew and did not know, but it is clear that Apollos had a limited knowledge…..He is missing a few puzzle pieces and does not have the whole picture.
He is an expert in scripture and there for he is a knowledgeable Jew. He knows the Law. That might be what “instructed in the way of the Lord” meant. But there is one additional hint.
He teaches about Jesus accurately, perhaps we can insert the messiah in its place of the name.
You see John did not name the messiah; his teaching was to prepare the way of the lord… He told the people that messiah was coming and to get ready.
It seems that Apollos was teaching repent the Messiah is coming. I also think that he as a scholar had found for himself what the scripture had told of the coming messiah. The suffering servant coming to bring redemption.
Apollos seemed to hold all the qualifications for what he was doing. He had credentials, passion and the energy to be a missionary to the Jews.
But, he was still incomplete. He did not possess the goog news of Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit.
The next line of scripture
26He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
Apollos was teaching in the synagogue that Aquila and Priscilla had the opportunity to hear him speak.
Like Paul, I am sure that he arrived and was invited to speak about the scriptures.
He is described as speaking boldly. This would lead me to believe that he was not teaching he normal message. He was pushing the limits of their understanding, maybe taking a little risk.
He was telling his hearers to repents and be baptized.
And Pricilla and Aquila were in church on the Sabbath and I believe recognize the message. This couple had been with Paul for two years and Paul probably taught almost the same message.
So, Apollos teaches and Pricilla and Aquila offer hospitality to the visitor.
But, what makes them qualified to teach Apollos anything?
As far as we know this couple has no strong educational back ground. Their skills involve their tent making business and maybe hospitality.
They seem to have to move around ether because of problems with the Romans or maybe just for business sake. This couple probably learned their skills from their parents and the school of hard knocks and not a university.
So what could they know of scripture or preaching or history for their faith?
They hold on to their faith and attend synagogue. Their exposure to Paul has not made them anti-social against going to worship.
But how are they to offer additional explanations about God to this extremely well educated and gifted man?
Maybe their strength and influence come from their understanding of people.
They don’t go to him publicly pointing out his missing details; they invite him into their home and add to his theological picture.
Apollos, I think your teaching was right on target. We must be ready for the messiah. But, I have heard some other teaching that the messiah has already come. He fulfilled the scriptures and did miraculous signs. Have you heard anything like that in your travels?
Yes, I know a name of such a man, Jesus of Nazareth. I would love to share what I know.
This verse also tells us something else about Apollos; he seems to have a teachable spirit. Just because he had credentials, he is not beyond allowing others to share what they have learned with him.
Maybe he sees life as a constant educational experience.
So even though he is cultured and well educated he listens to tent makers and learns about Jesus.
I am so impressed by all the characters in our lesson this morning.
Apollo’s qualifications are phenomenal. Culture, education and Gifts make for a super preacher. Then add that he is still humble enough to be a student. Still open to new understandings of the truth and the fulfillment of scripture makes this guy a real promising tool in the hands of God.
But, I guess what gets my attention the most is that this couple could have just gone home that day or invited him in for dinner and not even tried to add or explain anything else to this preacher.
While they may have felt inferior, the never let the differences between them and Apollos stop them from having a fuller understanding of God.
This couple with minimum formal education, little standing in the community or the synagogue shares the good news and Apollos responds.
Here is a point for you to consider this morning, everyone that hears and accepts the good news of Jesus Christ is qualified to share what they know with anyone.
Christians should always have a teachable spirit. No matter how much formal education or experience one has there is always something new to learn. The teacher can always learn something form the students.
After some time in Ephesus Apollos decided that he wanted to go to the brothers encourage him to go and give him a letter of introduction.
So where is Achaia? That would be the area around Corinth. Who would know people/Christians in Corinth and could write a letter encouraging that group to welcome Apollos? Perhaps, Pricilla and Aquila?
There is one last point for us to learn about Apollos.
On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
Apollos seems to have had a specialty. From this and the information about his preaching in the synagogue it seems that his gift was to build up the congregation. His education and eloquence were used to debate with the Jews and use the scriptures to prove his teaching. He used he scriptures to prove Jesus Christ was the messiah.
Paul’s gifts made him an evangelist. He could hold his own in different environments. The two men complement each other.
But neither of these men would have been as effective without the help of believers that supported them. Food and finances were important but, the encouragement on a spiritual nature was probably far more valuable.
The Lydia’s, Priscilla and Aquila , Crispus and Titius Justus ‘ along the way helped God’s preachers to keep moving forward and working in the kingdom.
Believers need to use their qualification, a knowledge of God, to build up the church and to encourage the work of the kingdom. No matter how much any of us think we know, we are always ready to either teach or attend a session of finishing school.
All Glory be to God!
Go forth as ambassadors of Christ.
Go forth as beloved children of God.
