“Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.“
Acts 18:24-28

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APRIL 1, 2025

My 9-year-old daughter is a stickler for accuracy when it comes to words. She will insert a new word into a conversation and then ask if she used that word correctly. She gets frustrated and tearfully distressed when my husband Matt and I don’t understand what she’s trying to say, and she’ll keep at it until we do.

One of her biggest pet peeves is when she tells me something, and I repeat what she told me to someone else (usually her dad) but I choose slightly different wording. This is an almost daily occurrence! She rushes in and says, “No, mom. That’s not what I said at all.” Then she repeats verbatim what she actually did say!

This week we are reflecting on the power of words and what it means to be word driven disciples. In our passage, we meet Apollos, a scholar and debater from Alexandria who was competent in the Scriptures and able to teach about Jesus passionately and accurately. Alexandria was an important city in the Roman Empire, with a great university and a robust Jewish population. It had a famous library and was known as a great intellectual center.

Apollos was filled with a desire to know God and to declare Him boldly. He had been taught many words about Jesus, and he knew them well. But there was a gap in his understanding. He didn’t know the rest of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. He didn’t know about the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever tried to correct someone? Or have you ever been corrected? Often this does not go well because our egos get in the way. So I love that in quiet humility, Pricilla and Aquilla took Apollos aside. They didn’t make a big public scene. They didn’t create drama. Led by the Spirit, they shared with Apollos about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. They corrected his missing-parts gospel. And Apollos received it!

I wonder how many of us who have been disciples for a long time are like Apollos? We have been instructed in the Way of the Lord, competent in the Scriptures—but have a missing-parts knowledge of God’s Word. Are we humble enough to admit that? How many of us, like Apollos, are willing to learn, and learn, and learn, all of our days?

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  • Have you ever had a brother or sister in Christ, led by the Holy Spirit, guide you into greater truth of God’s word? What was that like?
  • Why do you think it is so hard to, at times, “let go” of a belief we are comfortable with, in order to develop a deeper understanding of God’s word?
  • How can we be better listeners of God’s Word, instead of hearing it and repeating it with the wrong words?

 

Church Reading Plan: Leviticus 4; Psalm 1-2