Acts 18

Tentmakers for Jesus verse 1- 3

After these things Paul departed from Athens

and came to Corinth

and found a certain Jew named Aquila

born in Pontus

lately come from Italy

with his wife Priscilla

(because that Claudius had commanded

all Jews to depart from Rome)

and came to them

And because he was of the same craft – he abode with them

and wrought – for by their occupation

they were tentmakers

Justus opens his house to Paul verse 4- 8

And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath

and persuaded the Jews and Greeks

And when Silas and Timothy were come from Macedonia

Paul was pressed in the spirit

and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ

And when they opposed themselves – and blasphemed

he shook his raiment

and said to them

Your blood be upon your own heads I am clean

from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles

And he departed thence

and entered into a certain man’s house

named Justus – one who worshiped God

whose house joined hard to the synagogue

And Crispus – the chief ruler of the synagogue

believed on the Lord with all his house

and many of the Corinthians hearing believed

and were baptized

Vision from the LORD to Paul verse 9- 11

THEN spoke the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision

Be not afraid – BUT speak – and hold not your peace

for I am with you

and no man shall set on you to hurt you

for I have much people in this city

And he continued there a year and six months

TEACHING the word of God among them

Paul before Gallio verse 12- 17

And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia

the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul

and brought him to the judgment seat

saying

This fellow persuades men to worship God

contrary to the law

And when Paul was now about to open his mouth

Gallio said unto the Jews

If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness – O you Jews

reason would that I should bear with you

BUT IF it be a question of words – names – your law

LOOK you to it for I will be no judge of such matters

And he drove them from the judgment seat

THEN all the Greeks took Sosthenes

the chief ruler of the synagogue

and beat him before the judgment seat

AND Gallio cared for none of those things

Paul in Ephesus verse 18- 23

And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while

and then took his leave of the brethren

and sailed thence into Syria

and with him Priscilla and Aquila

having shorn his head in Cenchrea

for he had a vow

And he came to Ephesus – and left them there

but he himself entered into the synagogue

and reasoned with the Jews

when they desired him

to tarry longer time with them

he consented not but bade them farewell – saying

I must by all means keep this feast that comes

in Jerusalem

BUT I will return again unto you

IF God will

And he sailed from Ephesus

and when he had landed at Caesarea – and gone up

and saluted the church – he went down to Antioch

And after he had spent some time there – he departed

and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order

strengthening all the disciples

Apollos receives instruction verse 24- 28

And a certain Jew named Apollos – born at Alexandria

an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures

came to Ephesus

This man was instructed in the way of the Lord

and being fervent in the spirit

He spoke and taught diligently the things of the Lord

knowing only the baptism of John

And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue

whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard

they took him to them

and expounded unto him

the way of God more perfectly

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

for he mightily convinced the Jews

and that publicly

showing by the Scriptures

that Jesus was Christ

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. (4912 “pressed” [sunecho] means engrossed, to hold together, to compress, devoted entirely, keep on doing, devoted exclusively, occupied, be taken with, to urge or to hold completely)

DEVOTION: When Paul first arrived in Corinth from Athens, he worked at his craft of tent making. On each Sabbath he would go to the synagogue and present Christ to those who would listen. He gave reasons why Jesus was the Christ or Messiah for which the Jews were waiting.

When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, he was able to spend all his time preaching to the Jews. Apparently, they had brought money from Macedonia, so that, he didn’t have to make tents for a living. Hence, we call pastors who have to work part or full time while caring for a church – tentmakers.

The Holy Spirit got hold of Paul’s spirit so that he could do nothing but preach. Once someone is called of God, he can’t do anything but preach the word everywhere he goes. Paul couldn’t go anywhere where the Holy Spirit wouldn’t give him the words to say to help people understand the word of God.

The Jews didn’t want to hear the message. So Paul wiped the dust off his feet and moved on to minister to the Gentiles. He could state that he was clear of their blood because they refused to hear him.

Even those who don’t have the gift of pastor/teacher can share their faith with others. The Holy Spirit is involved in all those who are faithful their witness for the LORD. Isn’t it great when the Spirit tells us what to do? Keep in touch with HIS SPIRIT so that our spirit can act when HE tells us to. HE is just as active today as HE was in Paul’s day. If the Holy Spirit tells us to witness to someone – we need to do it or we are committing the sin of omission or quenching the Holy Spirit.

CHALLENGE: Support your pastor to the point that his finances don’t prevent him from working full time to reach people for the LORD. The local church is our first defense against our enemy (Satan and his fallen angels [demons]) who is working overtime to hinder the work of the LORD.

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized. (752 “chief ruler” [archisunagogos] means ruler of the synagogue, leader of the synagogue, president of the synagogue, synagogue official, administrative officer supervising the worship or director of synagogue services)

DEVOTION: One of the usual events in Paul’s preaching was that many became followers of the LORD. Most of these individuals were normal people or regular people who were occupied with common trades. They were the workers or servants of his time. There were many who followed the LORD. On different occasions it was stated that many women followed the LORD.

On this occasion we find that one of the leaders of the synagogue became a follower of Jesus. This was unusual, he was someone who seemed to be the one who kept the worship service orderly. He picked the ones who participated in the service. He kept the service going in the direction he felt the LORD wanted them to follow.

Now he left the synagogue to worship in the house of Gentile because he believed what Paul had taught. Not only did he believe but his whole household became followers of Jesus. It caused quite a stir about the believers and the Jews.

Today we need to realize that the LORD doesn’t want just the common man or woman to follow the LORD, HE wants people from all walks of life to become believers.

HE wants to see leaders of other religions to become followers of HIM. We are not to stop witnessing because someone is a pastor or teacher of another religion. We are not to just witness to the poor of the world. We can witness to those who have great wealth. They need the LORD too. Too often we think that we can’t reach some people because of their standing in this world. We are wrong to think that way. Doctors, lawyers and millionaires need the LORD. Who is going to reach them if we don’t? We can have a conversation even with our boss if it is not during working hours about the importance of Jesus in our life.

Never exclude someone because we think it is impossible to reach them with the Gospel. Ask the LORD for direction but witness to all of those in your world.

There was a woman whose husband needed brain surgery who told the doctor “I believe in Jesus.” The doctor didn’t think much of what she was saying but said that her husband needed surgery and that he would probably not live through the surgery and if he did he would be a vegetable. That man is alive and recovering well and the doctor calls him his “miracle.” We know he was God’s miracle but it was a witness to this doctor who didn’t believe.

CHALLENGE: During times of stress we need to always include our belief in Jesus in front of those who are not believers. To help them see that God can still work miracles today.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 21 But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that comes in Jerusalem: but I will return again to you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus. (2309 “will” [thelo] means would, desire, have in mind, to feel or have a desire for, want strongly, want, purpose, or delight)

DEVOTION: One of the habits we can develop is independence from God after we become a believer. We can do what we think is right without praying and waiting on the LORD for an answer regarding whether we should do it or not. I am not talking about whether we should go to work in the morning or eat some food during the day but on what we should do for a ministry for the LORD.

We find many people who covet gifts that they don’t have and think that the LORD will bless them if they just go out and do something HE hasn’t gifted them in. Also we sometime misuse our gift to think that we are indispensable. That is not the right attitude with the gift we are given by the LORD.

Here we find Paul making a statement about a return trip to Ephesus to help the believers there. He was saying “goodbye” to them with the idea that he might return to give them further instructions in the way of God.

He adds a little phrase “if God will” to his statement. He realized that the LORD was in control of his life. He had to follow the LORD’S directions. He wasn’t sure if the LORD wanted him to return but he would if the LORD allowed him to. In the book of James we find the same idea. He states “For that you ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or do that” (James 4:15). This is the attitude the LORD wants to find in our life.

We should always believe and tell others that we believe that all we are going to do is what the LORD allows us to do for the time period HE has us on this earth after we become a follower of HIM. HE is in control of our actions. Our prayers help us understand, what HE wants us to do and doesn’t want us to do.

I have needed to learn this the hard way. There are many times I try to run ahead of God. I think I can fix things that only HE can do in HIS time. I offer to help but some people take more time than I like to take me up on the offer. That is me trying to run ahead of God. Watch out for that in your life.

Wait on the LORD even when it is very hard to wait. My heart aches for some people who are suffering but I have to wait for the LORD to work. That takes a lot of prayer on my part. But sometimes I have tried to help the wrong people and it has been a disaster. I can’t help everyone only the LORD can.

CHALLENGE: Ask the LORD what HIS will is regarding every situation. We all have to learn to wait on the LORD!!!

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: 26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him to them, and expounded to him the way of God more perfectly. (1620 “ektithemi] means to give an account and clarify the meaning of something through discourse, to make clear, manifest, to set forth, or explain)

DEVOTION: Young believers have a lot of energy to witness for the LORD because they want to share the new life they have with others. Many don’t wait for instruction in the Word of God. They just go out with what they know and confront people. It is great to watch their excitement but some of their answers to questions about the Bible can be interesting.

God wants HIS followers to study the Word of God and learn as they grow in the LORD. When they have questions they need to find people who are genuine believers and ask them for guidance. They need to develop tools in their library to help them in their study of the Word of God. This can be done with CD’s of the Bible and books if they are not readers. I have found many individuals who don’t like to read but will listen to CD’s to help them grow in the LORD.

Once they have found a way to learn they need to keep adding good books or CD’s to their library. Always making sure they ask a mature believer which ones are best. To just look at a title or go to a Christian bookstore doesn’t mean they will find the best material.

Here we find a couple watching a new believer witness for the LORD. He only understands teachings up to the ministry of John the Baptist. He doesn’t know the teachings of Jesus. This couple Aquila and Priscilla take this man, Apollos, under their wings and instruct him.

They know what he needs to know to be a better witness for the LORD. This needs to be the practice of every mature believer when they see someone who needs further instructions in the Word of God. There are many people who want to take someone under their wings that are not mature believers but think they are and this can cause some problems. Make sure if you are a new believer that you ask a Biblical pastor for someone to teach you a better understanding in the Word of God.

CHALLENGE: Many pastors don’t have the time to help everyone but they have men and women in their churches that can help in this area. Young believers need to allow them to help.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

If God will verse 21

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

Synagogue verse 4, 7, 8, 17,19,26

Sabbath verse 4

Justus worshiped God verse 7

Teaching the word of God verse 11

Reasoned verse 19

Feast (Pentecost?) verse 21

Strengthening all the disciples verse 23

Taught diligently the things of the Lord verse 25

Speak boldly verse 26

Expounded verse 26

Showing by the Scriptures verse 28

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

Word of God verse 11

Law verse 13, 15

Scripture verse 24, 28

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

God verse 7, 11, 13,21, 26

Word of God verse 11

God will verse 21

Way of God verse 26

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

Jesus verse 5, 28

Christ verse 5, 28

Jesus was Christ verse 5, 28

Lord verse 8, 9, 25

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Pressed in the Spirit verse 5

Fervent in the Spirit verse 25

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Athens verse 1

Corinth verse 1

Pontus verse 2

Italy verse 2

Claudius verse 2

Rome verse 2

Greeks verse 4, 17

Macedonia verse 5

Gentiles verse 6

Corinthians verse 8

Gallio verse 12- 17

Deputy of Achaia

Judgment seat

Syria verse 18

Ephesus verse 19

Antioch verse 22

Galatia verse 23

Phrygia verse 23

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Opposed verse 6

Blasphemed verse 6

Matter of wrong verse 14

Wicked lewdness verse 14

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Reasoned verse 4

Testified verse 5

Worship God verse 7, 13

Believed verse 8, 27

Baptized verse 8

Vision from the LORD verse 9

Presence of the LORD verse 10

Protection verse 10

Teaching verse 11, 25

Vow verse 18

If God will verse 21

Strengthened verse 23

Disciples verse 23

Boldly verse 26

Expounded verse 26

Exhorting verse 27

Grace verse 27

Believed through grace verse 27

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Jews verse 2, 4, 5, 12, 14, 19, 24, 28

Aquila verse 2, 26

Priscilla verse 2, 26

Shook his raiment verse 6

Crispus verse 8

Chief ruler of synagogue

Believed on the Lord

All his house

Made insurrection against Paul verse 12- 16

Brought Paul to judgment seat

Charged: contrary to Law

Sosthenes verse 17

Chief ruller of the synagogue

Beaten

Feast (Pentecost?) verse 21

Jerusalem verse 21

Apollos verse 24- 28

Born at Alexandria

Eloquent man

Mighty in the Scriptures

Instructed in way of the Lord

Fervent in the spirit

Knowing only the baptism of John

Spoke and taught

Aquila and Priscilla took aside

Expounded way of God

more perfectly

Pass into Achaia

Disciples exhorted to receive him

Helped disciples much

Convinced the Jews

Publicly

John (the Baptist) verse 25

Church (New Testament people of God)

Paul verse 1-28

Tentmakers verse 3

Reasoned verse 4, 19, 19

Persuaded verse 4

Silas verse

Timotheus verse 5

Justus verse 7

Chief ruler of synagogue believed verse 8

Baptized verse 8

Paul had vision verse 9, 10

Be not afraid

Hold not your peace

I am with you

No man shall set on you to hurt

I have much people in this place

Paul stayed a year and six months verse 11

Brethren verse 18

Priscilla and Aquila verse 18

Strengthened the disciples verse 23

Disciples verse 27

Last Things (Future Events)

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QUOTES regarding passage

27–28 A number of people who identified themselves in some way with the gospel were at Ephesus before Paul began to minister there—people like Priscilla and Aquila who understood clearly, like Apollos whose understanding was growing, or like those mentioned in 19:1–7, 13–16, whose faith was to some extent deviant. So when Apollos desired to visit Achaia, apparently on behalf of the gospel, the Christians of Ephesus (hoi adelphoi, “the brothers”; cf. 16:40; 18:18) encouraged him and sent a letter of commendation, probably written by Priscilla and Aquila, to the believers at Corinth. There he vigorously debated with the Jews and showed from the OT that Jesus was the Messiah (ton Christon). 1 Corinthians 14 indicates how highly Apollos was thought of in the Corinthian church and also how highly he was respected by Paul. Perhaps, as Martin Luther first suggested (cf. Luther’s Works, 55 vols., edd. J. Pelikan and H.T. Lehman [Saint Louis: Concordia, 1958–67], 29:109–241), the Letter to the Hebrews is an example of his biblical argumentation to a group of Jewish Christians in danger of lapsing back to their former Judaistic commitments. (Longenecker, R. N. (1981). The Acts of the Apostles. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: John and Acts (Vol. 9, p. 491). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House)

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Encouraged him (προτρεψαμενοι [protrepsamenoi]). First aorist middle participle of προτρεπω [protrepō], old verb, to urge forward, to push on, only here in the N. T. Since Apollos wanted (βουλομενου αὐτου [boulomenou autou], genitive absolute) to go into Achaia, the brethren (including others besides Priscilla and Aquila) wrote (ἐγραψαν [egrapsan]) a letter of introduction to the disciples in Corinth to receive him (ἀποδεξασθαι αὐτον [apodexasthai auton]), a nice letter of recommendation and a sincere one also. But Paul will refer to this very letter later (2 Cor. 3:1) and observe that he himself needed no such letter of commendation. The Codex Bezae adds here that certain Corinthians who had come to Ephesus heard Apollos and begged him to cross over with them to Corinth. This may very well be the way that Apollos was led to go. Preachers often receive calls because visitors from other places hear them. Priscilla and Aquila were well known in Corinth and their approval would carry weight. But they did not urge Apollos to stay longer in Ephesus. Helped them much (συνεβαλετο πολυ [sunebaleto polu]). Second aorist middle indicative of συνβαλλω [sunballō] used in 17:18 for “dispute,” old verb to throw together, in the N. T. always in the active save here in the middle (common in Greek writers) to put together, to help. Through grace (δια της χαριτος [dia tēs charitos]). This makes sense if taken with “believed,” as Hackett does (cf. 13:48; 16:14) or with “helped” (1 Cor. 3:10; 15:10; 2 Cor. 1:12). Both are true as the references show.

Acts 18:28

Powerfully (εὐτονως [eutonōs]). Adverb from εὐτονος [eutonos] (εὐ [eu], well, τεινω [teinō], to stretch), well-strung, at full stretch. Confuted (διακατηλεγχετο [diakatēlegcheto]). Imperfect middle of the double compound verb δια-κατ-ελεγχομαι [dia-kat-elegchomai], to confute with rivalry in a contest, here alone. The old Greek has διελεγχω [dielegchō], to convict of falsehood, but not this double compound which means to argue down to a finish. It is the imperfect tense and does not mean that Apollos convinced these rabbis, but he had the last word. Publicly (δημοσιᾳ [dēmosiāi]). See 5:18; 16:37. In open meeting where all could see the victory of Apollos. Shewing (ἐπιδεικνυς [epideiknus]). Present active participle of ἐπιδεικνυμι [epideiknumi], old verb to set forth so that all see. By the Scriptures (δια των γραφων [dia tōn graphōn]). In which Apollos was so “mighty” (verse 24) and the rabbis so weak for they knew the oral law better than the written (Mark 7:8–12). That Jesus was the Christ (εἰναι τον Χριστον Ἰησουν [einai ton Christon Iēsoun]). Infinitive and the accusative in indirect assertion. Apollos proclaims the same message that Paul did everywhere (17:3). He had not yet met Paul, but he had been instructed by Priscilla and Aquila. He is in Corinth building on the foundation laid so well by Paul (1 Cor. 3:4–17). Luke has here made a brief digression from the story of Paul, but it helps us understand Paul better There are those who think that Apollos wrote Hebrews, a guess that may be correct. (Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Ac 18:27–28). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.)

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18:27–28. Armed with this new doctrine Apollos crossed the Aegean Sea to Achaia (probably at Corinth) where he was mightily used. He vigorously refuted the Jews demonstrating from the Scriptures (which he knew well, v. 24), that Jesus is the Messiah. This was Paul’s approach as well (v. 5). So forceful was Apollos’ ministry that factious believers at Corinth formed an Apollos party (1 Cor. 1:12). There is no indication that Apollos promoted such a faction and Paul nowhere held him accountable for it. (Toussaint, S. D. (1985). Acts. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 409). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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Ver. 27. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, &c. The chief city of which was Corinth, and whither Apollos went, as appears from ch. 19:1. What disposed him to go thither, after he had received a greater degree of light and knowledge, was no doubt that he might communicate it, to the good of others, to which he was moved by the Holy Ghost, who had work for him to do there: according to Beza’s most ancient copy, there were Corinthians sojourning in Ephesus, who when they had heard him (Apollos), besought him that he would go with them into their country; to which he agreeing, the Ephesians wrote to the disciples at Corinth to receive him, as follows: the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; that is, the brethren at Ephesus, among whom Aquila was a principal one, wrote letters of recommendation to the brethren of the churches in Achaia, particularly at Corinth, not only that they would receive him into their houses, and hospitably entertain him as a Christian man, but admit him, and behave towards him as a preacher of the Gospel: who when he was come; into Achaia, and to Corinth: helped them much which had believed through grace; the phrase through grace, is omitted in the Vulgate Latin version, but is in all the Greek copies, and may be connected either with the word helped; as the Syriac version, he helped through grace; and then the sense is, that Apollos, through the gifts of grace bestowed on him, or by the assistance of the grace of God, or both, greatly helped and contributed much to the advantage of the believers in those parts; as to the encouragement of their faith, and the increase of the joy of it; for the quickening, and comforting, and establishing them in the truths and doctrines of the Gospel, by his affectionate, fervent, and nervous way of preaching: or it may be connected with the word believed, as it is in the Arabic version and in ours; and the meaning is, that he greatly assisted such who were already believers; and who became so, not of themselves, but through the grace of God; for faith is not of nature, nor the produce of man’s free will, but is the gift of God’s grace; it is a fruit of electing grace, an instance of distinguishing grace, it is owing to efficacious grace, and comes along with effectual calling grace, through the word preached, the means of grace; and is supported and maintained by the grace of God; the Ethiopic version renders it, he preached much to them, who believed in the grace of God; that is, in the Gospel, the doctrine of the grace of God, which they had received and professed; or in the love and favour of God, they were rooted and grounded in, and persuaded of.

Ver. 28. For he mightily convinced the Jews, &c.] His reasoning was so strong and nervous, his arguments so weighty and powerful, and the passages he produced out of the Old Testament so full and pertinent, that the Jews were not able to stand against him; they could not object to the texts of Scripture he urged, nor to the sense he gave of them, nor answer the arguments founded upon them; he was an over-match for them; they were refuted by him over and over, and were confounded to the last degree: and that publicly, in their synagogue, before all the people; which increased their shame and confusion; and was the means of spreading the Gospel, of bringing others to the faith of it, and of establishing them in it, who had already received it: shewing by the Scriptures; of the Old Testament, which the Jews received and acknowledged as the word of God: that Jesus was Christ; or that Christ, that Messiah, which these Scriptures spoke of, whom God had promised, and the church of God expected; and which was the main thing in controversy between the Jews and the Christians, as it still is. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 2, pp. 322–323). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

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Apollos was certainly an exceptional man in many ways. He came from Alexandria, the second most important city in the Roman Empire. A center for education and philosophy, the city was founded by (and named after) Alexander the Great, and it boasted a university with a library of almost 700,000 volumes. The population of Alexandria (about 600,000) was quite cosmopolitan, being made up of Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, and Jews. At least a quarter of the population was Jewish, and the Jewish community was very influential.

Apollos knew the Old Testament Scriptures well and was able to teach them with eloquence and power. He was fervent (“boiling”) in his spirit and diligent in his presentation of the message. He was bold enough to enter the synagogue and preach to the Jews. The only problem was that this enthusiastic man was declaring an incomplete Gospel. His message got as far as John the Baptist and then stopped! He knew nothing about Calvary, the resurrection of Christ, or the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. He had zeal, but he lacked spiritual knowledge (Rom. 10:1–4).

The ministry of John the Baptist was an important part of God’s redemptive plan. God sent John to prepare the nation of Israel for their Messiah (John 1:15–34). John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance; those who were baptized looked forward to the coming Messiah (Acts 19:4). John also announced a future baptism of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8) which took place on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:5). Apollos knew about the promises, but he did not know about their fulfillment.

Where did Apollos get his message to begin with? Since Alexandria was a famous center for learning, it is possible that some of John the Baptist’s disciples (Matt. 14:12; Luke 11:1) had gone there while Christ was still ministering on earth, and shared with the Jews as much as they knew. The word instructed in Acts 18:25 means “catechized” and suggests that Apollos had personal formal training in the Scriptures. However, that training was limited to the facts about the ministry of John the Baptist. Apollos’ message was not inaccurate or insincere; it was just incomplete.

When I travel in conference ministry, I depend on my wife to plan the routes and do the navigating. (I can get lost in a parking lot!) On one particular trip, we got confused because we could not find a certain road. Then we discovered that our map was out of date! We quickly obtained a new map and everything was fine. Apollos had an old map that had been accurate in its day, but he desperately needed a new one. That new map was supplied by Aquila and Priscilla.

Aquila and Priscilla did not instruct him in public because that would have only confused the Jews. They took him home to a Sabbath dinner and then told him about Jesus Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit. They led him into a deeper knowledge of Christ; and the next Sabbath, Apollos returned to the synagogue and gave the Jews the rest of the story! In fact, so effective was his ministry that the believers in Ephesus highly recommended him to the churches in Achaia. Here Apollos not only strengthened the saints, but he also debated with the unbelieving Jews and convinced many of them that Jesus is the Messiah.

Apollos ministered for a time to the church in Corinth (Acts 19:1), where his learning and eloquence attracted attention (1 Cor. 1:12; 3:4–6, 22; 4:6). It is unfortunate that a clique gathered around him and helped bring division to the church, because he was definitely one of Paul’s friends and a trusted helper (1 Cor. 16:12; Titus 3:13). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, pp. 479–480). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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FROM MY READING:

Why?
“Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?” (Romans 9:20)
In this scientific age, it is essential for us to remember that “science” can never answer any question beginning with “why.” Scientific research seeks to answer questions of “what” and “how,” and sometimes “where” and “when,” but it can never deal with “why” questions. Such questions require a moral or theological answer.
Probably the most vexing of all such questions is: “Why do the righteous suffer?” Or, put another way: “Why is there evil in a world created by a God who is good?” The question becomes especially poignant when personal calamity comes and we ask, “Why did this happen to me?”
Many think the book of Job was written to answer such questions, for Job was one of the most godly men who ever lived, yet he suffered more than anyone. But God answered Job’s searching questions only by pointing to the wonders of His creation. God has made us for Himself, and He is “forming” us for His own holy purpose; that is all we need to know right now. “What I do thou knowest not now,” said Jesus, “but thou shalt know hereafter” (John 13:7).
Yet, even Jesus in His human suffering cried out on the cross: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). We do know, at least in part, the answer to this question. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
For answers to the other “why” questions, we may well have to await God’s own time. Until then, “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28), and we can say with Job: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)

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MAN HAS NO EXCUSE

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Psalm 51:4
In the next step a man finds that he has absolutely no excuse or plea. David is telling God, “I haven’t a single excuse. I have no plea. There is nothing to be said for me. There is no reason for what I have done. The whole thing was the result of utter willfulness. I am altogether wrong. I have nothing to plead in mitigation.”
I want to emphasize this. I say that this is an absolutely essential part of repentance and of conviction of sin. I therefore plead with you to examine yourselves and examine your actions. Can you justify all you have done? Can you really put up a plea of mitigation? Let me take up the position of Nathan the prophet. What if I stood in this pulpit and described your love to you in a parable about somebody else? Would you see it? We must examine ourselves in this respect. Let me put it bluntly by putting it to you like this. As long as you are in the position of trying to justify yourself, you have not repented. As long as you are clinging to any attempt at self-justification and self-righteousness, I say you have not repented. Surely the man who is repentant is the man who, like David, says, “There is not a single excuse. I see it clearly. I have no justification. The things that I see in my life—I hate them. I had no business doing them. I did them willfully; I knew it was w rong. I admit it! I frankly confess it—‘that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.’”
Do you feel that God is rather hard on you when He condemns you? Do you feel that God would be dealing unfairly with you if you ever found yourself in hell? If you do, you have not repented. I would emphasize that the test of repentance is this—that a man having looked at himself, and at his own heart and life, says to himself, “I deserve nothing but hell, and if God sends me there, I haven’t a single complaint to make. I desire nothing better!” That is an essential part of repentance, and without repentance there is no salvation.
A Thought to Ponder
As long as you are clinging to any attempt at self-justification and self-righteousness, you have not repented. (From Out of the Depths, pp. 30-31, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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The pursuit of holiness does not occupy the place in our hearts that it did in theirs. More critically, a concern for holiness is not obvious in our lives like it’s obvious in the pages of Scripture. So why is that? Where did the hole come from? (p. 17)

Godliness meant you avoided the no-no list. (p. 17)

Believers get nervous that their friends will call them legalistic, prudish, narrow-minded, old fashioned, holier than thou – or worst of all, a fundamentalist. (p. 18)

(The HOLE IN OUR HOLINESS by Kevin DeYoung)

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