Jump Start # 3575

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.”

Our passage today is interesting. It leads to lots of questions about application. Apollos was preaching. He is introduced to us as an eloquent and gifted man. He is said to have been mighty in the Scriptures. A powerful speaker who knew the word of God. However, all he knew was the baptism of John. He didn’t know about baptism in Christ. As he was boldly preaching in the synagogue in Ephesus, a couple heard him. He wasn’t quite right about some things. And, what our verse tells us is what this couple did.

Now, some lessons for us:

First, it is very impressive to see someone as gifted and talented as Apollos using his abilities for God. He could have been in politics. He could have been a great salesman. But, he didn’t. The world has been filled with very talented men and women who write songs, books, are wonderful speakers but they pour all their talent into secular and worldly pursuits. It’s refreshing to see a man who could kill it in the business world, instead spend his life preaching and teaching the word of God. He won’t have the house, the lifestyle or the comforts had he gone to the business world, but he has chosen to help change the eternity for everyone that obeys the Gospel of Christ.

Gifted Apollos is preaching. Currently, we are seeing a dry period of fewer and fewer preachers. I’ve been asked more than once, “where are all the preachers?” As my generation begins to round third base and head home, this ought to be a concern for both homes and congregations. The pull to make millions in sports can be so appealing. But what about the good that is accomplished by a life that preaches and teaches Jesus?

Second, when Priscilla and Aquila heard something missing in Apollos’ sermon, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God. They didn’t do this at the door of the church building as they were walking out. They took him aside. They didn’t contact Paul and have Paul do this. They were the ones who heard and they were the ones who took action.

Although the text doesn’t detail what they said, knowing them and knowing the rest of the Scriptures, I expect they were gentle, kind and helpful. When one begins with threats, accusations and pressuring someone, the results won’t be good. Most get defensive. Most don’t like to be accused. Usually a war takes place between the people.

I have been on both sides of that table that they sat at. Most every preacher have. I’ve had people walk out of my sermons mad. They didn’t stick around to hear all the sermon, nor did they give me an opportunity to talk to them. Sometimes what one thinks he hears is not what one actually said. I’ve sat down with someone and relistened to a sermon that he thought I had said something wrong. Having listened to it together, he realized I didn’t say what he thought I did. He apologized and we parted as friends. I have also talked to others about something they said in a sermon.

The text leads us to believe that it was just Apollos and Priscilla and Aquila in that discussion. What about the others who heard Apollos? Maybe they didn’t catch what Priscilla and Aquila did. Maybe they had no problem with what Apollos said. Maybe they thought it wasn’t their place to say anything or maybe they didn’t want to get involved. Some may have been intimidated by Apollos. The guy can preach. He knows the Bible. Who am I to correct him?

But Priscilla and Aquila did. But also, notice the reaction of Apollos. First, he agreed to meet with Priscilla and Aquila. He could have thought, who are you to correct me? He was open and willing. Also notice he didn’t turn to the social media of his day to cry out that he had been accused. Had this verse not been left for us, we would have never known about this. They met in private. They talked. They listened. And, Apollos learned and changed.

Third, outside this passage, nothing seems to be said about this again. Apollos is so effective at Corinth, that some were saying, “I am of Apollos.” He becomes a significant preacher after the apostles. No one seems to put an asterisk by his name, “remember, he once was wrong about baptism.” All was good. The glory of God is what was sought and the glory of God is what was found.

It seems this “taking him aside” aspect is missing these days. There sure seems to be so much blasted on social media that really doesn’t belong there. Satan will use things like that to drive wedges, cause people to take sides and disrupt the good that is being done.

Now, the obvious question arises, what to do when someone says things that are not accurate with the Bible? First, consider who is saying these things. Is it a guy giving a Wednesday night invitation, and his sweaty forehead tells you that he is so nervous. Give the guy some space. Be patient with him. Don’t chew him out. I’m not sure if we ought to chew anyone out, except the Devil.

But, what if the guy who says something is a seasoned preacher? What if red flags go up? What if he is speaking error? We must not be so blind as to think that wolves in sheep clothing cannot happen these days.

What did Priscila and Aquila do? Apollos wasn’t a mechanic who was giving his first Wednesday night invitation. Apollos was experienced. He knew the Scriptures. He was wrong. Does that change what one should do? They took him aside and explained the way of God to him. But, someone will say, what if Apollos didn’t get it? What if Apollos kept preaching John’s baptism? What if Apollos disagreed with Priscilla and Aquila?

This is where the independence and autonomy of congregations come in. Do Priscilla and Aquila draw lines of fellowship against Apollos? Does Apollos complain that he was misunderstood? Is Apollos marked as a false teacher? Are Priscilla and Aquila accused of being trouble-makers? Who would be right and who would be wrong?

Just a few final thoughts:

First, thankfully none of those things happened in Acts 18. Maybe a spirit is missing today or pride is running too thick among us for that to happen. The conclusion of the Acts 18 meeting is that the disciples encouraged Apollos and wrote letters to welcome him. That’s refreshing isn’t it?

Second, there has always been a spirit of error.  In nearly every N.T. book, other than Philemon, the situation of error or false teaching is addressed. Error like a cancer, grows and can kill. The best thing to do is to continue to preach and teach the Gospel of Christ. I don’t have to know how crooked a stick is. All I have to do is lay a straight stick beside it and then I will know. Spend time teaching accurately the things of God. Truth has nothing to fear and nothing to hide. Error will twist and turn and redefine words, switch topics and do anything and everything but be honest and change. Error and truth do not dwell together nicely in a home, a congregation or our hearts. They will not tolerate each other. One will drive the other out. When our allegiance is with friends and family, we are more likely to tolerate error. When our commitment is to Christ, friend or not, family or not, we will draw the line in the sand and stand with truth.

Third, each person and each congregation will have to decide for themselves what to do. We do not have a system that dictates for all congregations who is in and who is out with the Lord. There will be congregations that use preachers that may make me shake my head and wonder about them. My choice is that I do not have to be a part of those things. When my own congregation does something that I do not believe is true to the Scriptures, I will voice my concerns in kindness and gentleness to the shepherds of that flock. If it gets to a point that I feel that I am being forced to go against my convictions, then I must cut ties and find another place to worship.

I may not see what you see. You may not see what I see. You may be able to do things that I cannot and I might do things that you cannot. We each must work out our salvation before the Lord knowing that we will each be judged as individuals. I can only answer for myself, and not for you. You can only answer for yourself and not for me. I am only responsible for what I do and the extent of my fellowship within the congregation that I belong to. What happens out there in the brotherhood may alarm me, frighten me, and even disappoint me, but it is not necessarily the battle that I must go and fight. My fight is where I am a part of. Paul had the concern for all the churches, I don’t. What happens in all the churches is not my business. I am not an apostle.

The only thing the N.T. tells us to do with the brotherhood is to love it. It’s not my place to protect it, save it, or keep it on the rails. What takes place in the congregation I’m a part of is much different. That’s where my fellowship belongs and where accountability takes place. I will fight, defend, protect, and guard my congregation with all that I have. I will fight error from coming in. I will do all I can to keep the devil out. What others do in other places is between them and the Lord and to the Lord they will have to give an account. I may not agree with them. They may not agree with me.

There seems to be too much government involvement in our lives these days and there can be too much church politics in our lives as well. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord—sure sounds sweet to me. There will be wolves, troublemakers, false brethren, pushers of error around the kingdom. There has always been. Jesus talked about false Christs. Paul was hurt by false brethren. Some preached to cause Paul more pain. In a perfect world, we’d cleanse the kingdom of all that dirt and grim. But the world isn’t perfect and it’s not really our job to do that.

I don’t like error. Neither do I like someone from another place telling me what to do. My battleground is here in Southern Indiana. This is where I will die on a hill fighting for the Lord. This is where I am intimately aware of what’s going on. This is where I belong.

They took him aside…something to think about.

Roger

Jump Start # 3470

Acts 18:26 “and He made from one every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation.”

In the autobiography of restoration preacher, J. H. Garrison, written in 1926, the author begins, “No man is permitted to choose the time or place of his birth, nor his parentage. These are provided by that gracious Providence that lies behind the mystery of personality and of all being. To have been born at all, and to have a distinct personality, and a place, however humble, in the marvelous drama of human life with all its mighty hopes and possibilities has always seemed to me a boon for which I could not be sufficiently thankful” (Memories and Experiences, pg 15). Garrison was born in Missouri in 1842.

Our time, our looks, our place, our parents and even our names are things that have been given to us. For some, this has been a wonderful blessing. You were raised by godly disciples who loved and obeyed the Lord. Certain things were already decided for you. You were kept safe and many moral decisions were made for you. What a blessing that has been. What an advantage you had.

Others were not this blessed. They had to overcome dysfunctional parents, denominational error and learn quickly how to make the best decisions for themselves. It has been a struggle and a long journey for them.

Here are some lessons for us :

First, we can fail to see what a blessing it is having a mother and grandmother as believers as Timothy had. The fog of error and the confusion of what is right is something that we have not had to experience. Some fight this background and want nothing to do with it. Knowing the Lord at a young age can be a great benefit. It can keep us out of much trouble and begin a long and beautiful walk with the Lord.

Second, God knew what He was doing when He put us in this time period. God knows what you are capable of and what you can do. He knows the tools of our times and the opportunities that are presented to us. You can do God’s will today, because the Lord chose that you you would live in this time.

Third, every generation faces unique challenges and wonderful opportunities. We can get discouraged because things are not as they once were, but here we are and here is where we must work for the Lord.

Can you imagine what it would have been like if the Lord allowed us to pick and choose when we would live? Through Jesus, many of us have become dear friends. We have worshipped and worked together. Had we not lived now and here, that would not have been possible.

Someday we will be with those of all generations. Have you ever thought about how we are going to communicate in Heaven when most of us only know English. What if we are put beside an Egyptian from long ago? Or, even someone of our times, but not of our language? How will we fellowship when we are unable to communicate? Great problem that would be for us, but it’s not for God. The Lord will take care of this. He always does.

The blessings of birth and these times…something to think about.

Roger

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