Acts 18: 24-28
If you had been there this is what you may have heard from
others of like mind as you; there is a new preacher in town and is he good, he
is one eloquent man. What they were
saying is Apollos had the ability to speak both beautifully and forcefully, he
was expressive and persuasive and he handled the Scriptures correctly. One day as he was speaking in the synagogue,
Priscilla and Aquila heard him and though he was both moving and powerful in
speech they saw a need to explain to him the ways of God more accurately.
Do you recall the large numbers that came out to John the
Baptist to be baptized and what was John’s message to those coming: “He said therefore
to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who
warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with
repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our
father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for
Abraham.” (Luke 3:7-8 ESV)
When was the last time your preacher used that approach, calling the
congregation a bunch of snakes? That is
what John did, but it was not John that drew them to himself, it was the Spirit
of God and the same Spirit brought conviction on them and it was all about
repenting and changing from a me first life to a God first life. Apollos was not part of the upper room
disciples, and he must not have been at Pentecost, because he only had the
baptism of John, and that was a baptism of repentance. And I am sure as Priscilla and Aquila began
to share with Apollos about the Holy Spirit, he may have been reminded of what
John had said; “As
the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts
concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all,
saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the
strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the
Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:15-16 ESV)
This is what they explained to Apollos, that it was God’s Spirit
living in them that had the ability to change men. In that they had sat under Paul’s teaching, I
am sure they shared with Apollos some of these truths: “We ourselves are Jews by birth and not
Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law
but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in
order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because
by works of the law no one will be justified.”
(Galatians 2:15-16 ESV)
I also believe they would have shared Galatians 2:20-21, “I have been
crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if
righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” (Galatians
2:20-21 ESV)
Now we know that Apollos wished to go to Achaia, and that
the brothers not only encouraged him but wrote to the disciples to welcome
him. And doctor Luke gave this account
of what took place in Achaia; “When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace
had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the
Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. (Acts 18:27b-28 ESV)
I am not eloquent in speech, I do not even speak Texan that
well, so it’s clear that I fall short with the English language, but the Spirit
of God lives in me and if you have invited Him into your life He is also in
you. So we have this guarantee: “His divine power
has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the
knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has
granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you
may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption
that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every
effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and
knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and
steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and
brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are
increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(2 Peter 1:3-8 ESV)
It all comes down to this, do we believe Jesus tells the truth?
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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