Jump Start # 1267

Acts 18:26 “And he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.”

  He we are given a powerful example of how things work in the kingdom of God. Apollos was preaching. He was mighty in the Scriptures, bold and very eloquent in speech. He was every preachers dream. Smooth, powerful, knowledgeable—Apollos seemed to be the whole package. Some are great speakers, but they don’t say anything. Others know God’s word, but they trip and stumble at getting the message across. But Mr. Apollos was it. I expect, next to the Lord, he was probably the most gifted speaker in the New Testament. The Corinthians didn’t think the apostle Paul was very impressive. Apollos was.

Our passage tells us two things about Apollos.

First, he was speaking boldly. The first preachers were bold. We often mistake boldness for volume. We think a shouting preacher is a bold preacher. Not so. He’s simply loud. Turn the mics down, he’s screaming today. Others think if the preacher blisters all the false doctrines then he is a bold preacher. Not necessarily. It’s easy to talk about all the “isms” such as, humanism, communism, atheism, denominationalism, and whatever other isms he can get in there. But when no one in the audience believes a speck about them, then that’s not being very bold. It’s not hard to talk about people and things that are not among us. Boldness is talking about Jesus, in a synagogue to a group of Jews, as Apollos did. Boldness is talking about what we need to hear. Boldness is the courage to stand behind the cross, and in love and kindness, tell the truth. Getting mad at someone isn’t boldness. Hollering isn’t boldness. Telling what needs to be said, now, that’s hard. That takes courage. When Stephen did that, the audience covered their ears, rushed him and killed him. When Paul did that, some began to sneer at him. Not fearing job, life or limb, is the attitude of the bold preacher. Apollos was bold.

Second, Apollos only knew the baptism of John. He knew about Jesus. He was preaching accurately about Jesus. However, without baptism in Christ, Apollos’ message was unfinished. He lacked the closing punch. Without baptism into Christ, forgiveness wasn’t possible. The Ethiopian eunuch understood that. As he was being taught Jesus by Philip, he came across water. He wanted to be baptized. Jesus had commanded that. Unless a person is born of the water and the Spirit they cannot enter the kingdom, were the words of Christ. Somehow Apollos missed this. He didn’t know about this. He was preaching strong about Jesus, but not how to get into Christ through faith.

Priscilla and Aquilla are the heroes of this story. They happened to be listening to Apollos. They knew about baptism. This couple is a great example to every Christian couple today. Romans tells us that they were fellow workers with Paul. They risked their necks for him. They opened up their home to have a church meet there. They were busy sowing the word of God.

Now comes the dilemma. They heard Apollos preaching but he didn’t say anything about baptism in Christ. All he knew was the baptism of John. John’s baptism would not save. John wasn’t the sacrifice upon the cross. John wasn’t the sinless Messiah sent from Heaven. Apollos needed to tell the audience about baptism in Christ. He didn’t do that. What to do now? They seemed to know immediately. They did two wonderful things.

First, they took Apollos aside. They didn’t leave this problem for someone else to deal with. They didn’t label Apollos as a false teacher that needed to be avoided and disciplined. They didn’t tell others about Apollos. They didn’t leave this for Paul to fix. They didn’t think, ‘It’s not our problem.’ They took him aside.

Interesting, that expression, “aside.” There is a place for private conversation. I love this about Priscilla and Aquilla. Some seem to think, going out the front door of the church building, in front of others, is the place where the preacher needs to be corrected. That generally bombs. It upsets the preacher and the person who walks out with those parting words, doesn’t care enough or have time enough to take him aside and explain. They simply tell him. They don’t show him. They don’t do it in a setting that allows for growth, questions and change. Those who walk in the shoes of Apollos, have said things that came out crooked. Some have said things that weren’t accurate. This is true for most young preachers. How this is handled says much about us and it says much about how serious we are about doing the right thing in the kingdom. God bless the Priscillas and Aquillas today who take the time and love the soul enough to take one aside.

Secondly, they explained to Apollos the way of God more accurately. They didn’t just tell him, they explained it. Now he knew. He understand. He saw what they saw. He changed. This was faith building. This would be an example that Apollos would carry with him the rest of his life.

This is a lesson for parents. When your teen does something wrong and you correct him in front of his friends, there is more at stake than just what he did wrong. He looks bad and feels terrible in front of his friends. Take aside—remember that expression? Take him aside and don’t just tell him, but explain to him. Get him to see what you see.

This is a lesson for Bible class teachers. How the teacher handles things that are said will determine if anyone in the class ever speaks again. If a thought is shot down, trampled and the person ridiculed, they probably won’t show up ever again. The rest of the class will sit in fear of saying something wrong. Don’t teach that way. If you invite comments, then you will get comments. Learn how to handle them kindly, accurately and with love. Don’t be a terror nor a bully.

We all have been in the shoes of Apollos before. We’ve said things that were not accurate Biblically. We thought it was, but it wasn’t. It’s easy to stand with Apollos. The hard lesson is to be a Priscilla and Aquilla.  It takes love and patience. It takes seeing the big picture. It takes care in doing these things.

Apollos is found many times throughout the New Testament. He preaches at Corinth. He’s at Ephesus. He’s busy giving His life to the King. Many think that he may have authored the book of Hebrews. How different this story would have been had he been pistoled whipped by Priscilla and Aquilla, or threatened to be exposed or challenged to a debate or read his name in some brotherhood paper, listing him as a leading threat to the churches. None of that happened. It does today. It does because folks have lost the spirit of Priscilla and Aquilla. It does because people no longer carry the love that Jesus does.

Every preacher has a personal Priscilla and Aquilla story in their life. Some godly couple, often older, loved the young preacher so much that they helped him to see things more accurately. I know I have my share of Priscilla and Aquilla times in my life. I am thankful and better because of that.

One must wonder if the greater threat to the church is not error being taught, but the improper response to error.

Sure makes one think…

Roger