AQUILA, PRISCILLA, & APOLLOS

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on May 10, 2023 under AM Bible Study |

AM Bible Study Group: May 10, 2023 from Acts 18:24-28

Theme: God can use humble believers to steer his chosen instruments toward a greater knowledge of Jesus.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

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When it comes to knowing the truth about the Lord Jesus, He Himself laid down an important spiritual principle. He said, in Matthew 13:12, that

“… whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him” (Matthew 13:12).

The truth about Jesus isn’t just a product of intellectual study. It’s a matter of God’s grace. He told His disciples that it had been “given” to them to know the mysteries of the kingdom; but it had not been given to others to do so. And it seems that one of the criteria by which more knowledge is graciously given is whether or not someone “has” what had already been given to them. Do they truly “have” it? Do they value it as a treasured possession? Do they know its true worth? Do they wholeheartedly believe it? Do they act upon it with faithfulness? Do they obey God with the truth they have been given? Do they show themselves worthy of more?

Our gracious God doesn’t leave people to wander in the dark who truly desire to walk in His light. He sovereignly gives them the further insight that they need, in order that they can know more about Him and about His Son, and be redeemed through faith in Him. And God graciously sends His servants to such people to give more light to them.

Today, we come to a story in the Book of Acts that illustrates this to us. It’s a story about a very remarkable and brilliant man named Apollos, who sought to live in the light that God had given him; but who needed more insight into the truth about Jesus in order to be saved. And God used a couple of His humble servants—Aquila and Priscilla—to pass that insight on to him. Acts 18:24-28 tells us the story:

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ (Acts 18:24-28).

Now; certainly, one of the reasons the Holy Spirit preserved this story for us is to help us know how a brilliant scholar—Apollos—became a believer that God used mightily in the cause of His gospel. Apollos figures very highly in the Bible’s history of the ancient church. But the Spirit has also preserved this story in order to encourage those of us who are not brilliant scholars. A saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus is not derived from mere human scholarship and study. It is a gift of God to those who truly hunger for Him and seek Him—even for those who, otherwise, have brilliant minds. And as this story shows us, God can sovereignly use even the humblest believer to pass that needed information on to those who seek Him … and who truly “have” what they already know about Him.

We should be greatly encouraged by this story; because it shows us that our sovereign God can use even the humblest believers—like you and me—to steer his chosen instruments toward a greater knowledge of Jesus.

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So then; let’s begin our look at the story of Apollos by considering …

1. HIS BACKGROUND (v. 24).

The story begins where our last time in the Book of Acts leaves off. We’re told of how Aquila and Priscilla—these two believing Jewish friends from Corinth—had traveled with Paul to Ephesus. He had been ministering to the Jewish people in the synagogue—speaking to them about Jesus. His brief ministry there seemed to have shown some promise; because the Jewish people were asking him to stay longer. But he departed—leaving Aquila and Priscilla there as a continuing witness for the Lord Jesus. And so; with that in mind, we come to verse 24; where we read, “Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.”

Consider what we can know about this man’s background from this verse. First, we see that he was a Jew. This would tell us that he was a man who had been well-versed in the ancient Scriptures. But we also see that he was a Jew who was born in the great city of Alexandria, Egypt. Alexandria was the literary and scholarly capital of the world at that time. It had a famous library; and people would come from all around to read and learn. It was from this ancient city that the Septuagint—the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament Scriptures—had begun to be written. The learning and scholarship of this great city had powerfully influenced the ancient world. And growing up in this city clearly would have influenced this great man Apollos. He was a Jew with a Greek name who had grown up in an atmosphere of scholarship.

Notice also what we learn from this verse about his own character. We’re told that he was “an eloquent man”. In the original language, this would mean that he was a man of culture and learning. He was, we might say, ‘a man of letters’—a man of learning—a scholar. He couldn’t have helped but be such a man—growing up in such a city. But the word that is used about him not only suggests that he was learned, but that he was also articulate. He was a powerful and compelling speaker who could express to others the knowledge that he had obtained. What’s more, we’re told that—as a Jewish man—he was “mighty in the Scriptures”. He knew the Jewish Scriptures extraordinarily well; and as far as what he understood of them, he was a formidable proponent of what they taught.

We’re told in this verse that this man Apollos “came to Ephesus”. And the word that is used is not the usual word to describe someone “coming” into a city. The word that is used (katantaō) describes someone “arriving” at a place—as if reaching a destination as a part of a planned journey. It’s the same word that was used to describe how Paul “came” or “arrived” at certain cities as a part of his missionary journeys. And this could possibly suggest to us that Apollos was on a kind of speaking tour. He was apparently ‘speaking’ and ‘teaching’ about what he knew of the Lord Jesus. In fact, as the next verse shows us, he was doing so ‘fervently’—as if boiling over with the heat of what he had learned. He was deeply touched by what little truth he had; and couldn’t bear to keep it to himself. He put his natural gift for speaking to work, and went around telling other Jewish people about the light he had been given about the way of the Lord.

So; here was a man who was truly passionate about what he had learned. By God’s grace, he knew a little; and yet who truly ‘had’ what he knew and was proving himself worthy of more. But this then goes on to highlight …

2. HIS LIMITATION (v. 25).

Verse 25 tells us; “This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.”

Notice two things that were an asset to him. First, he “had been instructed in the way of the Lord”. Somehow—somewhere along the way—he had been taught about Jesus. It would have been very hard for stories of such a mighty Prophet as Jesus not to have reached the ears of the scholars in Alexandria! Those stories—as Apollos heard them—would have been highlighted in his mind by the things taught in the ancient Scriptures. He would have grown to know that this man Jesus seemed to be fulfilling the promises of the Scriptures of His people. And second, he—being fervent in spirit because of what he had been learning—“spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord”. He was not a sloppy scholar. He had the kind of mind that demanded precision—and that caused him to speak precisely. His theology was on target … as far as it went.

But that’s when we find his limitation. We’re told that “he knew only the baptism of John”. Bible scholars have struggled with what was meant by this. Was he someone who had been baptized by John?—along with many of his fellow Jews who had come to hear John preach? If so, then there would have had to have been a time when he had left Alexandria to go to Jerusalem. Or was he someone who had simply heard of the teaching of John the Baptist about Jesus before Jesus was revealed to him?—that Jesus was the One who was preferred before John?—the One whose winnowing fork was in His hand to thoroughly clean out His threshing floor?—the One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire?

At the beginning of his ministry, John’s preaching was a kind of preaching that ‘looked ahead’; because Jesus had not yet been revealed to Him as the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. John’s preaching ‘anticipated’; and when he baptized people, he baptized them to prepare them for the One who was coming. And that—apparently—was all that this man Apollos knew. And yet, he preached accurately and fervently about it!

Now; Apollos illustrates an important principle to us. A man or a woman—even someone as remarkable and as great as Apollos—cannot be saved in any other way than by a full knowledge of the gospel. They must hear what Jesus has done for them in the fullness of what the gospel tells us about Him—that He was crucified for them, and that He was buried, and that He was raised again from the dead, and that He ascended to the right hand of the Father in power and glory. Apparently, Apollos only knew half the story. He needed to hear the rest of the gospel message.

And so; that leads us to verse 26; and to …

3. HIS INSTRUCTION (v. 26).

In his passionate speaking tour, Apollos arrived at Ephesus. He was driven to tell his Jewish brethren about the things he had been learning—limited as they were. And verse 26 tells us; “So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” How gracious of God to have put this dear Jewish couple in the synagogue at just the right place … and at just the right time!

It might have been slightly intimidating for this humble couple—hardly more than working-class believers—to approach this learned and articulate man and to teach him. But we can certainly be grateful that they did. Apollos was a man who clearly ‘had’ what he had already been given; but God used them to give to him ‘more’ of what he needed. And we should never let ourselves be afraid to serve even a learned scholar in that way. Love would demand that we do so—with humble, dependent faith in the Holy Spirit to work through us.

And what do you suppose they told him? Perhaps they pulled him aside after he spoke—or perhaps they invited him to come to their home for dinner—and said something like this:

“Dear sir; we have heard the things that you have said. Clearly, you know much about this promised One—the Messiah. And you are correct in what you have said. But did you know what happened after John had preached about Him? Do you know the rest of the story?

“Did you know that this promised One came to John and was baptized by him? Did you know that the Holy Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove, and that the voice of God the Father spoke from heaven and said that He was His beloved Son? Did you know that the Jewish leaders crucified Him—just as the Scriptures promised? And did you know that God raised Him from the dead three days later—also just as the Scriptures promised? Did you know that He ascended to the Father after He had sent forth His apostles? And did you know that the Holy Spirit was sent by Him at Pentecost—and that many thousands of our Jewish kinsmen believed on Him and are now His followers? Did you know that, for the past several years now, the message of His gospel has been preached by His servant Paul, and that it is now spreading throughout the Gentile world, and that He is transforming the lives of all who believe in Him and trust in Him for the forgiveness of their sins?

“We have heard what you’ve been teaching. And we believe that God has sent us to you to tell you more of what you need to know to be saved by Him.”

I have no doubt that, as soon as Apollos heard Aquila and Priscilla “explain to him the way of God more accurately” that he joyfully believed, put his faith in Jesus, and was baptized as a fully-understanding believer. I have no doubt at all that his ‘fervent spirit’ became even more fervent!

Now; this was a man that God had prepared for His use. His learning, his eloquence, and his inherent passion of spirit were all prepared by God for God’s use in the advancement of His kingdom. And now—as a fully-understanding and redeemed man of faith—that’s when we go on to read of …

3. HIS USEFULNESS (vv. 27-28).

Luke goes on to tell us; “And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.”

It may be that Aquila and Priscilla had told him about the ministry of Paul in Corinth; and now, Apollos wanted to go there and strengthen the brethren who had believed. He greatly helped them—especially in conveying the truth of the gospel to the Jews; “showing from the Scriptures” what he himself had learned about Jesus.

And the rest of the Scriptures tell us about the impact that he went on to have. Did you know that Paul had to write to the Corinthian believers and tell them not to divide themselves up as either followers of Paul or followers of Apollos? He wrote;

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it (1 Corinthians 3:5-10).

In other words, this man Apollos became someone with whom Paul considered himself to be God’s co-worker in the field of ministry. Apollos was such a dramatic speaker that—believe it or not—some of the Corinthians were wishing that Paul would send him to come and speak to them. He told them;

Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time (1 Corinthians 16:12).

Imagine … writing to the great apostle Paul and asking him to send Apollos to come and speak to them! But Paul was not—in any way—jealous of Apollos’ ministry. He supported it. He wrote to Pastor Titus and told him;

Send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey with haste, that they may lack nothing (Titus 3:13).

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What an amazing servant of God Apollos was! And what an illustration he gives us of how, when someone truly ‘has’ the knowledge that God has given them, God graciously sends ‘more’. But we never would have had the blessings of this great man Apollos if it hadn’t been for the humble ministry of Aquila and Priscilla. They were used by God to help give Apollos what he needed in order to ‘have’ the full truth of the gospel and believe.

Let’s never discount the ways that God could use you and me, dear brothers and sisters. He can use even the humblest of us to steer His chosen instruments into an even greater knowledge of Himself. Who but God knows? He may yet one day use us to be the ‘Aquila and Priscilla’ of some mighty ‘Apollos’!

AE