Character Studies #2 - Apollos

“Apollos – A Hot Coal Fanned into Flame”

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—Apollos—

Acts 18:24-27 

INTRODUCTION:

Acts 18 = The story of Paul’s ministry in Corinth, Ephesus, and Antioch.

·       Verses 2-3 = He met Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth

·       Verse 11 = He worked together there for approximately 18 months

·       Verses 12-17 =Opposition arose

·       Verses 18-19 = They left for Ephesus where Aquila and Priscilla stayed on

·       Verse 23 = Paul left to return to Antioch 

NOTES on the Text:

Verse 24

·       “A certain Jew named Apollos” – He was named Apollos, which is odd because he had a Greek name.

·       “…an Alexandrian by birth” – This means he was a Hellenistic Jew, not a Palestinian Jew.

Ø  Alexandria was one of the most important cities of the ancient world.

Ø  It was located on the northern coast of Egypt, close to the mouth of the Nile.

Ø  It was home to the world’s greatest library and a famous university.

Ø  The city was founded by Alexander the Great and was therefore a center of Greek culture.

Ø  Because of various dispersions, Alexandria was home to approximately 1.5 million Jews.

Ø  Two of the five wards or the city were Jewish.

Ø  It was a city of scholars – Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Jewish.

Ø  It was also the center of allegorical interpretation (finding obscure hidden meanings in OT).

·       “…an eloquent man” – Apollos was what we might call “learned.”

Ø  He had received a high-quality education.

Ø  He was equally at home with Moses and Plato.

Ø  He spoke at least 4 languages: Greek, Hebrew, Latin, and Egyptian.

Ø  He possessed a fluency of tongue few could match.

Ø  His keen mind was complemented by his oratorical prowess.

·       “…came to Ephesus” –

Ø  Exactly where Aquila and Priscilla were now living. That was no coincidence, but rather, a divine appointment.

Ø  What brought him there? We do not know!

Ø  God was leading him to the ones who could help him.

·       “He was mighty in the Scriptures” –

Ø  It is wonderful to know the Word of God and be able to apply it correctly.

Ø  He had a profound knowledge and understanding of the Old Testament Scriptures and the Jewish religion.

Ø  He knew the prophecies concerning the Messiah.

Ø  He obviously loved the Word of God. 

Verse 25

·       “He had been instructed in the way of the LORD.” By his parents? By the rabbis, perhaps?

·       He was not merely self-taught; someone had invested in him.

·       “The Way” – In Greek, ἡ ὁδός, an early slang term for Christians.

·       Old Testament background:

o   Psalm 1:6 “The way of the righteous...way of the wicked.”

o   Isaiah 30:21 “This is the way, walk ye in it.”

o   Jeremiah 21:8 “Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.”

·       Jesus’ teaching:

o   Matthew 7:13-14 – The narrow way vs the broad way.

o   John 14:6 – Jesus said, “I am The Way.”

·       Acts examples:

o   9:2

o   19:9, 23

o   22:4

o   24:14, 22

·       “…being fervent in spirit”

Ø  Literally, “boiling or burning.”

Ø  He had a boiling hot enthusiasm for the things of God.

·       “…he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus”

Ø  Apollos was a man of great learning, great charisma, and great eloquence.

Ø  He was a man with a great knowledge of the Scriptures.

Ø  He was fervent in style, and able to captivate audiences.

Ø  His allegorical training would have helped him see Christ on every page. 

BUT... He was “acquainted only with the baptism of John.”

·       By this time 25 years had passed since John the Baptizer had preached.

·       Apollos had a lack, a gap in his training.

Ø  He knew about repentance, which was John the Baptist’s major theme.

Ø  He knew about Jesus as Messiah.

Ø  He knew about faith.

Ø  He knew some things about Jesus and His message.

Ø  He had accepted everything he knew up to this point.

·       HOWEVER,

Ø  He was deficient in knowledge of the Gospel of grace.

Ø  He was ignorant of the Holy Spirit’s baptism, and power for living and overcoming.

Ø  He was basically preaching the same message as John the Baptist.

Question: WAS APOLLOS SAVED AT THIS POINT?

·       Many say “no.”

·       However, I believe he was saved, but in need of a spiritual mentor; like Barnabas was to Paul, and like Paul was to Timothy, and like Peter was to John-Mark, etc.

·       I am so glad that God uses us despite our deficiencies! But we can be even more useful when we are equipped with the whole truth.

·       N.B. Authentic Christianity involves 2 critical aspects:

o   Correct belief system = True Content

o   Correct application and lifestyle = True Practice

o   Apollos had both after he got his “tune-up.” 

Verse 26

·       “…he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue”

Ø  This was an extremely hostile environment.

Ø  He had courage to speak his convictions.

Ø  He did not flee from confrontation (Acts 1:8).

·       “Aquila and Priscilla heard him.”

Ø  They listened to what he was saying.

Ø  How would we react hearing someone like Apollos? Would we be embarrassed and cover our face? Would we fidget and look around at others to see their reactions?

·       “…they took him aside”

Ø  They did not rebuke him in public (that might have destroyed him).

Ø  They did not embarrass him about his ignorance.

Ø  Perhaps they invited him to their home.

Ø  Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another!” Aquila and Priscilla treated Apollos with kindness, courtesy, and winsomeness; not scolding, criticizing, or overpowering (cf. Galatians 6:1).

·       “…they explained [expounded] to him the way of God more accurately.”

Ø  Aquila and Priscilla realized that this gifted orator and preacher was proclaiming a Pre-Crucifixion, Pre-Resurrection, and Pre-Pentecost Gospel.

Ø  Apollos had incomplete knowledge, not erroneous data.

Ø  He was not a heretic, just lacking essential information. 

N.B. There is an obvious chronological break between verse 26 and verse 27. For an undisclosed period, Aquila and Priscilla discipled Apollos. He was a F.A.T. person. He was Faithful, Available, and Teachable. To be open to correction is not always easy. I find this story quite amazing. Apollos was a great scholar, yet humble and open minded. He was a great orator, yet willing to be taught by simple tentmakers (one of them a woman). Their ministry in his life fanned the hot coals until he burst into flame. He became the greatest preacher of the Early Church, due in large part to this humble couple, Aquila, and Priscilla. 

The Christian life was never intended by God to be lived and proclaimed without the energizing dynamic of the Holy Spirit. Like the experience of Paul, and Nicodemus, and the Ethiopian eunuch, when the Spirit of God entered Apollos’ theology and experience, He blew the doors off! The effectiveness of Apollos’ ministry must have increased by 100-fold. To knowledge he added power and that is a winning combination! 

Verse 27

·       Later Apollos “wanted to go across to Achaia (i.e., Corinth).” – That was where Paul had ministered, and where Aquila and Priscilla had been previously.

·       “…The [Ephesian] brethren encouraged him and wrote to the [Corinthian] disciples to welcome him.”

·       “And when he had arrived, he helped greatly those who had believed through grace.”

·       “…for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public…” – This was something Paul had not been successful in doing.

·       “…demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ!” 

CONCLUSION:

LESSONS we can learn from the life and ministry of Apollos:

1.    You never know so much that you no longer need to be taught.

2.    Natural abilities, talents, skills, and gifts are not enough. We need to be energized by the Spirit’s power and God’s grace.

3.    A little knowledge coupled with a convincing charismatic tongue can be dangerous.

4.    Look for mentors from unexpected sources.

5.    A person may be heavily involved in church work, be knowledgeable, zealous, and highly qualified, yet still lack a critical understanding of the basic New Testament messages of salvation by grace through faith, the work of the Holy Spirit in our life, and how to have victory over sin and the habits of the flesh.

6.    If you have a heart for God and are open to His work in your life, He will bring people and circumstances to bear to sharpen and refine you and make you into all you were meant to be, and He will use you in wonderful ways in His Kingdom.