More Perfectly

Every person committed to serving God will have gaps in their understanding, that’s why He provides brothers and sisters to help, to guide, and to explain.

You can play, download, or read the transcript of this Take Note Podcast below.

Download the More Perfectly mp3

Acts 18:24-28

Today we discuss Apollos
Which we find in Acts 18
We may discuss Aquila and Priscilla just as much
As they play a key role in this account
All three disciples provide helpful insight

Apollos is an example of someone gifted for ministry
Equipped by God to do it
Having the right attitude and disposition for it
And engaged in the work
But also lacking some key information
In need of help

Aquila and Priscilla notice all this
They have the information he needs
And they come alongside to explain things

From Apollos we learn humility
To understand we don’t know everything
That we sometimes don’t know what we don’t know

From Aquila and Priscilla we learn sensitivity
To keep our eyes, our ears, and our hearts open
To be ready to help

All of this from Acts 18:24-28
On the theme “More Perfectly”

Let’s begin by reading this account
Then we’ll have a closer, verse by verse look…

Acts 18:24-28

24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.

25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.

26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:

28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

A lot of thoughts spring to mind reading this text
I made note of a few

If we examine the relationship between these three people
I think we will find: we all have something to teach
We all have something to learn
That God is perfecting the saints using other saints
And that the kind of people who are gifted for discipleship, also need discipleship

Let’s take a closer look at the text, which reveals these ideas…

Acts 18:24

24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.

This man’s name was probably a contraction of the full name Apollonius or Apollodorus
He was a native of Alexandria in Egypt
A Jew
There was a large number of Jews in his home city
Alexandria was famous for its schools
Therefore, it’s not a total surprise that Apollos was eloquent

In addition to his natural abilities, He may have had access to these schools
When it says he was eloquent, it means he was a “man of words” or a “man of ideas”
It appears he was gifted, specifically, by God for his ministry

He was also prepared to do service for God
As this text is translated elsewhere, he was “competent in the scriptures” or “he knew the scriptures well”
While we know he had gaps in his understanding, like all of us, he had a strong base of knowledge

The text further says…

Acts 18:25

25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.

Beyond the study he had done himself, he had also been instructed by others
He was literally catechized
That phrase wouldn’t have had the baggage it might have for us today
It just means he was informed, instructed, and taught (by word of mouth) the way of Christianity
He received an education in “the way”

More than that, he had certain characteristics about him that are helpful in ministry
He was “fervent in spirit” or zealous and ardent
He had a certain boldness about him in regard to teaching and speaking
It seems he was tempered for ministry

He’s also already active in ministry
It says he was speaking and teaching
Our translation says diligently, but it could also be rendered “accurately”
No doubt relaying what he knew about scripture himself – and what he had been taught
But there is a really key phrase at the end of the verse
It says, he knew only the baptism of John

This is not an insignificant gap in his understanding
John’s baptism was one of preparation for the Lord’s coming
It was a baptism of repentance
But the new significance of baptism was the picture of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection
Critical details, not only for baptism, but for the gospel itself

We’re not clear on how deep the gap in his understanding may have been
Did he know that Jesus was the Messiah, or just that the Messiah was definitely coming
Based on what I read, there seems to be some debate
Here’s what we know for sure: he was lacking information

We see that when he goes to speak in the synagogue…

Acts 18:26

26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

The early part of this chapter introduces us to Aquila and his wife Priscilla
They were tentmakers that had recently hosted the Apostle Paul at Corinth
Apparently, they were temporarily settling in Ephesus
We see greetings to them from Paul in Romans and in I Corinthians
Paul calls them his “helpers in Christ Jesus”

Obviously, they are in possession of the information about Christ (and baptism), that Apollos needs
And when the heard him, they did something they were apparently in the habit of doing
They received him, maybe even taking him into their temporary home
And they expounded
Or they exposed or set out or declared the way of God in a more accurate fashion

It’s likely Aquila and Priscilla saw many of the same things this text declares to us about Apollos
They recognized his eloquence
And how he knew the scriptures
And saw how he had been instructed
Taking note of his temperament
And his active participation in teaching, even where they met him, in the synagogue
Where Paul himself would begin to teach

But he needed help
And they set out to provide it
This is so easy to overlook

Certainly, in this time of transition
This time of a special work of God in the world
This kind of attention was needed
But it’s needed in our day too

We must come alongside others and fill in the gaps
Provide the details they are missing

Whatever they said to Apollos, apparently he embraced it
And he moved on…

Acts 18:27

27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:

The brethren in Ephesus sent word ahead to receive Apollos
When he came to Achaia, he was a big help to the believers
Whatever additional information he was provided by this gracious couple
That he received graciously
Made his ministry even more effective
Because, now he knew
He was fully informed

And so he proceeded with the same spirit as before…

Acts 18:28

28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

Whatever the case before, Apollos is now fully on board with Jesus being the Christ
The One who died and was buried and rose from the dead
He has the understanding he needs
His doctrine is in order
And this makes him a powerful witness

He powerfully refuted the Jews
And presented from scripture, Jesus as the Christ

There seems to be application from several perspectives in this text
We see a man that goes forth, proclaiming the God and the scriptures he knows
We should be the same
No one achieves a level of perfection in their knowledge before ministering to others

We see a couple who sees a need and meets it
They recognize a deficiency in someone trying to follow God
And they don’t expect someone else to step in
They come alongside to help

We see humility in someone tremendously gifted
Someone tremendously educated
Who is will to listen to tent makers
And to be equipped with knowledge and details he could not attain on his own

These are portraits of discipleship that are worth seeing
Worth internalizing
Worth passing along

Download the More Perfectly PDF