The brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him.
! 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.
And so we have this little sidestep at the end of our text last week.
We see Paul pass through Ephesus, taking with him Priscilla and Aquila,
and he leaves them there in Ephesus.
And Luke's narrative stays with them in that place as Paul goes on.
And I believe that Luke recorded this for us to show us,
to give to us Apollos as a model.
The scripture is full, it's rich with men whose lives we can emulate.
Ultimately and finally, looking to Christ.
We want to emulate Christ.
We want to be Christ-like.
But there are men who characterize qualities of Christ
and put them on display for us to pay careful attention to.
And so our outline for this morning's text has three points.
If they don't alliterate this morning, I'm sorry.
And they are as follows.
Apollos serves us as number one, a model of zeal.
As number two, a model of zeal.
And number three, as a model of refutation.
I'll explain in a bit.
So number one, Apollos serves us as a model of zeal.
Apollos is introduced for us as a native of Alexandria in verse 24.
Alexandria, located in Egypt, had a large Jewish population.
So while Apollos did not grow up in Israel, he was raised in a Jewish culture.
Therefore, he had been instructed in the way of the Lord.
Now this phrase, the way of the Lord, was an Old Testament term for, generally, the things of God.
In Genesis chapter 18, verse 19, God says of Abraham,
For I have chosen him that he may command his children and his household after him
to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice
so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.
So the way of the Lord would have been the Old Testament instruction.
Luke tells us that Apollos was also competent in the Scriptures and an eloquent man.
He was eloquent.
The Greek term for this is logios, right?
Literally, a man of words.
Also could mean a man of ideas.
But we see that the ideas that he's presenting were not his ideas.
They weren't fabricated ideas.
But he was competent in the Scriptures and had been instructed in the way of the Lord.
And he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus.
Now why was he doing this?
Luke does not tell us the exact occasion for Apollos' visit to Ephesus.
But it's likely that he went as a missionary.
It's likely that he goes as a missionary.
Luke does tell us that he was fervent in spirit.
And this is the reason.
This is the impetus for speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus.
To be fervent in spirit is to say that Apollos' soul was enthusiastic for the things of God.
I think that I preach from an ESV.
I think they get right that he was fervent in lowercase spirit.
Not in the spirit, but in his spirit.
I think Luke's trying to communicate to us that his soul was fervent, cared deeply about the things of God.
He was zealous for God.
And so, I believe he left Alexandria and traveled to Ephesus to tell the Ephesians all that he knew about the way of the Lord.
But Luke adds an interesting phrase.
Apollos, though he knew only the baptism of John.
Which leads me to believe that Apollos was also not yet a regenerate follower of Jesus Christ.
He was a lover of God.
He was familiar with the Old Testament.
He had a zeal for the things of God.
But he only knew the baptism of John.
The text evidences for us that he was familiar with the Old Testament.
He would have been aware of God as creator and ruler of the world.
Of God's good law for the governance of his people.
Of mankind's transgression of that law.
Of the need of sacrifice to satisfy this issue between the wrath of God against all unlawlessness.
He would have been familiar with the need of a mediator between God and man.
And of the promises of God to restore people to himself with a perfect sacrifice.
And a perfect mediator, the Messiah.
He was aware of the baptism of John.
Which was a baptism of repentance.
Declaring that the Messiah was coming.
This was the ministry of John in the desert.
Baptizing people and declaring that Jesus was coming.
And he was also aware that the Messiah was Jesus.
But it would seem that he did not yet understand the significance of Jesus' death and resurrection.
Which is why he had need for Priscilla and Achilla to take him aside and explain to him the way of God more accurately.
Now, you are welcome to disagree with me on the matter.
That he was already in fact a regenerate disciple of Jesus Christ.
I think we catch him in a moment of moving toward that.
Right?
Being drawn to God in his understanding of Scripture.
Whether or not we agree doesn't really matter for the point that's being made.
We have Apollos as a model of zeal.
He took his incomplete knowledge of the way of the Lord.
And he faithfully worked to promulgate it.
He wanted people to know what he knew of the way of the Lord.
Beloved, you may never be labeled eloquent.
I've never been called this.
Maybe a man of words.
But not eloquent to be sure.
But if you are part of a local congregation, and I hope that you are, that loves the Bible, faithfully teaches it, really hope that you are,
you're being accurately instructed in the way of the Lord.
And you can be competent in the Scriptures.
And this should compel zeal in you for others to know what you know.
Let me give you a bit of a lesson from history.
In 1559, John Calvin began a seminary which was across the street from, and this is important,
it was across the street from, and worked in conjunction with the church he pastored.
It was a ministry of his church in Geneva to train young pastors.
We know that Calvin sent at least 88 of the men trained in a seminary to his native country of France,
and possibly many more.
We know for a fact that at least 88 men were trained up to the seminary and sent back to France.
Now Calvin is in Geneva because of religious persecution.
It was dangerous to be a preacher of the gospel in France in the 16th century because of anti-Protestant sentiment.
In fact, it was so dangerous that the Academy of Geneva, what the seminary was officially called,
became known as Calvin's School of Death.
Because so many graduates went out to martyrdom.
Let that shape your thinking about the man John Calvin and the theology that so many demonize in relationship to him.
Calvin's School of Death.
I wonder what the enrollment of a seminary today would be that was nicknamed the School of Death.
Theology.
If you were a follower of Jesus Christ, you are a theologian.
You might be a very poor theologian, but you are a theologian.
Meant to know God.
Not a scholar, but a theologian.
To open your word and to read it and to know the God of the Bible.
Theology.
A competence in the Scriptures drives zeal.
Properly viewing God in the personal work of Jesus Christ drives zeal in us.
Which drives mission.
Here we observe imperfect knowledge.
I'm arguing that he had not yet completed his understanding of Jesus as the Christ.
And I'm arguing that the Spirit was not yet in him to guide him in his understanding.
How much greater should our zeal now be?
Having given full comprehension.
Having been given the New Testament, which gives so much commentary on the Old Testament.
The Gospel fully revealed.
The canon now closed.
We can pick it up and we can read it and be changed by it.
And we ought to desire to see others changed by it as well.
And so in this way, Apollo serves us as a model of zeal.
Our zeal should surpass his.
We also see that Apollo serves us as a model of humility.
Next in verse 26, we see Priscilla and Aquila encounter Apollo speaking boldly in the synagogue.
And if you weren't here with us last week, Paul finds, seeks out and finds Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth.
Befriends them.
They're all tent makers by trade.
He lives with them while he's there in Corinth.
Takes them with him and leaves them behind in Ephesus.
So having been left in Ephesus by Paul, it is likely that they have taken up his missionary practice
of beginning Gospel ministry amongst the Jews and finding Jews by visiting the synagogue.
It was a very reasonable place to find people of Jewish descent.
But Priscilla and Aquila see that Apollo needs some instruction as he only knew of the baptism of John.
So they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
Now, note the tact that Priscilla and Aquila display as they took Apollos aside.
Apollos' teaching was not bad.
It was just incomplete.
So this couple very kindly, discreetly explained to him the way of God more accurately.
Some suggest they likely took him aside to their home.
This wasn't a quick little lesson, but they had to take him and spend time with him,
helping him to completely understand the way of God more accurately as the term Luke uses.
And Apollos humbly received their instruction.
I believe that Apollos becomes a regenerate follower of Jesus during the time of this further instruction.
Luke does not record said conversation, nor does he tell us that Apollos was baptized.
But he says in verse 27, and when he wished to cross to Achaia,
the brothers, now his brothers, encouraged him and wrote to the disciples,
those disciples in Achaia, to welcome him.
So they would have written a letter of recommendation, right?
This man we're sending to you is a brother in the faith.
And they sent him with that letter.
Now you may be thinking, it seems like a large assumption to say that Apollos humbly received their instruction.
How can I make that claim? Where am I getting this from?
Number one, he was teachable.
He was teachable.
We see that he goes with them, right?
And he receives instruction.
He went aside and he heard what they had to say.
Beloved, it is a great mark of the humble Christian to be a teachable Christian.
None of us ever have arrived and can't receive some instruction,
some better explanation to the things that we already may believe to be true.
If you find yourself unteachable, you're also going to find yourself proud.
So he's teachable.
That's an expression of his humility.
But not only is he teachable.
Secondly, he was willing to be instructed by Priscilla.
Luke records for us that when Priscilla and Aquila heard him,
they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
You could read it like this.
When they heard him, they took him aside and they explained to him the way of God more accurately.
So Apollos received instruction from both Aquila, the husband, and Priscilla, the wife.
And interestingly, the order that I just presented them to you in, Aquila and Priscilla,
only occurs twice in the six times the couple is mentioned in the Bible.
When they are initially introduced in Acts 18, verse 2,
and in 1 Corinthians 16, 19.
The other four places, they're mentioned in this order in our text today.
Priscilla and Aquila.
This is likely, likely.
This is where we access the scholars.
The scholars say this is likely because Priscilla was the more prominent of the two in service to the church.
She did more for the church than Aquila.
Now, it's important to understand that women in this day were not given much prominence.
If you ever hear somebody claim that Christianity has been bad for women,
maybe in some instances some perversion of Christianity has been.
But generally speaking, in the world,
Christianity has been very, very good for women.
In Talmudic times, where our text is set,
so think first century,
Talmud was the Old Testament with the explanation of rabbinical writings added to it.
In this time, respectable women were expected to stay within the confines of the home.
In fact, the terminology for a prostitute was one who goes abroad.
So the opposite of a respectable woman who stays at home was a prostitute,
one who goes abroad.
The woman of the first century did not even do her own shopping,
except possibly to go out accompanied by a slave to buy material,
which she would use to construct her own clothing at home.
The women with whom Jesus spoke were very likely illiterate,
since the rabbis did not consider it an incumbent upon women to learn to read in order to study the Scriptures.
Based on the passage in Deuteronomy 4.9,
teach them to your sons.
The rabbis declared women to be exempt from the commandment to learn the law of Moses.
Indeed, the Talmud says,
so this would be commentary, rabbinical commentary,
it is foolishness to teach the Torah to your daughter.
Women were separated from men in private, public, and religious life.
They would go to the temple, but could not venture beyond the confines of the women's court,
and there is no such explanation of the women's court in the description of Solomon's temple.
It was added.
Women were not allowed to participate in public prayer at the temple,
although they were encouraged to have private prayer lives at home.
Women weren't reliable witnesses in this day.
But here you have Apollos, an Alexandrian Jew,
willing to have the way of God to explain to him more accurately by Priscilla.
Men, we would do well to learn things from the women of our church.
We need to take a lesson from Apollos' humility.
Now, because some of you are cringing right now, I know.
It is not my intention this morning to undermine complementarianism.
Complementarianism is the biblical, it's a biblical understanding
that men and women are positionally and personally equal before God.
Positionally and personally equally before God.
But that men and women are meant to serve in differing roles.
We've been given unique and valuable and precious roles that we're meant to serve in.
That's complementarianism.
I am not an egalitarian which says that in all ways we're equal.
There is no...
I am an opponent to feminism in that sense, the use of that word feminism.
I am a complementarian.
So I'm not undermining that this morning, in case that's what you heard me do.
It is not my intention to ignore the teaching of Paul in 1 Timothy 2.12.
Paul says this,
I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man.
Rather, she is to remain quiet.
So how do we reconcile?
How do we reconcile these things this morning?
We don't.
Not this morning.
Much of how we need to wrestle with these issues is what Paul means in 1 Timothy 2.12 by exercise authority.
And there are a lot of views out there floating around.
Many, many different views.
Good, conservative views about what that means and exactly the way in which it gets worked out.
But it's not my intention to accomplish all that we can accomplish concerning that.
It's not my intention to undermine complementarianism.
It is, however, my intention to say that there is a place for men to humbly hear and learn from women.
Men read books written by women.
A simple example of a great way to do that.
I don't have the time this morning nor the bandwidth this past week to prepare an exhaustive treatment on the matter.
But I will look for an opportunity to do so soon, right?
That we all might properly value the role of women in our church.
That we might be the strongest possible congregation for the glory of our king.
Okay?
I hope that leaves you settled enough for us to move on from there.
Okay?
So here, please hear everything I said.
Not undermining complementarianism.
I do think there are times, there is a place for men to humbly hear and learn from women.
We'll work it out in the future.
Okay?
So we have in Apollos a model of humility.
The Apostle Peter wrote, 1 Peter 5, 5,
Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another.
For God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
And on your bulletin this morning, another Spurgeon quote.
Spurgeon said,
Growing Christians think nothing of themselves,
but full-grown Christians know themselves to be less than nothing.
Proper worth for the Christian comes from an understanding
that we have no worth on our own.
But that we have infinite worth because of the infinite worth of the one who bestows love on us.
Our worth is found in magnifying the worth of God in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
This is where our infinite worth comes from.
Right?
I am saved by this worth.
Look at Jesus.
That's the worth that I have.
And it is infinite because of that.
Magnifying Him.
And this gives us much reason to be humble.
So, Paul serves us as a model of zeal and as a model of humility.
And lastly, he serves us as a model of refutation.
There may be a better word for that, but I'm pulling it right out of the text.
Verse 28.
He powerfully refuted the Jews in public.
I started my notes out this week with model of confrontation.
But I know that a lot of people don't like that word.
So, refutation.
After some time, and for an unknown reason,
but I would suggest it's likely because he has this missionary zeal.
He's being driven.
Right?
He came from Alexandria to Ephesus.
And now he wants to go to Achaia.
Right?
Which is the region where Corinth is located.
Luke records for us that he assisted the believers there.
Right?
When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed.
Right?
Followers of Jesus Christ.
In that, the way that he helped them
is that he powerfully refuted the Jews in public.
Showing by the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
Apollos helped the church in Corinth by refuting the Jews.
That is to say,
and this is the Greek of the word refuted,
that Apollos crushed opponents of the cross of Christ.
Right?
He left them no space for argument.
Right?
He used his eloquence and his competence in the scriptures
to put them in their place as opponents of God.
Now this was the great error of their day.
Right?
Jews standing up in opposition to Jesus being the Messiah.
The Christ.
Recall that when Paul preached the gospel,
wherever he preached the gospel,
he left behind a wake of Jewish unrest.
He was often the recipient of their disdain
for the preaching of Jesus as the Christ.
But we would be foolish to think
that the hatred of the gospel ceased when Paul departed.
Right?
Paul goes on to the next place.
It's not that the town settled down.
Right?
It would be silly for us to think such a thing.
Why?
Because Paul left behind
those who through grace
had believed.
Paul left behind Christians.
Christians.
And Christians preach the good news
of Jesus Christ.
So you can see this is still a problem for them
in Corinth.
There's still this disdain.
There's still this unrest.
There's still this opposition
to the gospel being preached.
And this is normative
for the Christian, beloved.
We are not exempt from this
because we live in America.
The way in which the gospel exists here
will take different shape
than it is in other places in the world.
But we will experience
opposition to the preaching of the gospel.
If you don't experience
opposition to the preaching of the gospel,
it's because you don't preach the gospel.
The Bible doesn't leave us any room
to get around that.
2 Timothy 3.12
Paul writes to Timothy,
Indeed,
all who desire to live a godly life
in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted.
And the will be
cannot be translated in any other way.
There's not might be
found anywhere in that use
of that Greek phrase.
Will be persecuted.
So if you just consider 2 Timothy 3.12,
if you're not being persecuted,
then you're not living a godly life
in Christ Jesus.
So,
the Jewish opposition
was the primary source
of Christian persecution.
And Apollos throws
his eloquence
and his competency
in the scriptures
now explained
more accurately
into those confrontations.
He refutes
the false claims
of the Jews
against him
and the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
So we have in Apollos
a model of this,
refutation.
So,
what then are the issues
of our day
that need this?
What do we need
to confront
the falsehood
that needs to be
confronted?
What is being
promulgated widely
in our religious
landscape
that needs
refutation?
Beloved,
the issues are
too many
and too varied
to address all of them
this morning.
They are
wide
and varied.
I want to give you
this morning
just one
example.
Just one example.
And that is
what is commonly called,
you've heard me call
it before here,
the cheap grace
gospel.
The cheap grace gospel.
Certainly,
the offer
to come
to God
by grace
through faith
and the personal
work of Jesus
Christ
is a free offer.
Just come.
Just come
and believe.
Certainly,
there are no
amount of good
works we can
amass
in order to
earn God's favor.
We don't work,
work,
work our way
to God.
This is absolutely
true.
I talked with the
children earlier
about this being
the 500th
anniversary
of the Reformation.
This was the great
thing that Martin
Luther and many
other men
were standing
up against
that Rome
was preaching
and still
preaches today.
Do enough
good.
Outweigh your
bad with enough
good
and you'll be
accepted
by God.
The gospel
teaches that
our bad
is infinite
and there's
no amount
of good
we can do
to balance
out infinite
bad.
God
but Jesus
being
infinitely
good
gives us
his goodness
by faith
in him.
This is the
gospel of
Jesus Christ
so there's a
there's a
freeness
to it
but once we
come to
Christ
we give him
all
of ourselves.
It costs
us our
life
literally
in some
cases
but certainly
as that
you say
figuratively
but we
give everything
to him.
He becomes
our greatest
treasure
in all
that we
do.
Our
greatest
highest
good
is in
service
to him.
And that
is not
the gospel
that is
most often
preached
in churches
these days.
The kind
of gospel
invitations
that are
given in
churches
these days
involve
every
head
bowed
and
every
eye
closed.
No
one's
looking
around.
We
wouldn't
want you
to be
embarrassed
for
following
Jesus.
Just
slip up
your hand.
I see
you over
there
brother.
I don't
think
there ever
was
that
person
the
first
person.
I see
your hand
I see
you looking
at me.
There you
are.
No
one's
looking.
I
don't
feel
ashamed.
And
then we
don't
expect
the kind
of lives
that
bring
opposition
as a
result.
Why
would
we
if this
is the
way
the
gospel
is
offered
to
begin
with?
And
so
somebody
in
secret
makes
their way
down
to the
front
of a
building
to
steps
carpeted
we call
it an
altar
for some
odd
reason
and they
sign a
card
and they
think
they're a
Christian.
In our
association
of churches
75
churches
the
reported
number
of
members
is about
40,000
in this
area that
we live
in
a couple
counties
four or five
counties
40,000
but the
reported
average
attendance
is
16,000
one
prominent
church
in our
association
reports
approximately
8,700
members
with an
average
weekly
attendance
of
2,800
and at
very best
at very
best
there are
just
bad
records
sometimes
we make
mistakes
and we
have a
lot
fewer
than
8,700
names
to keep
up with
I'm
usually
the
problem
with
our
record
keeping
that's
the best
case scenario
though
right
someone
has
become
a
member
of
another
fellowship
and
they've
yet
to be
removed
they
moved
to
California
how
could
they
possibly
be
there
on
Sunday
morning
with
them
at
worst
there
are
6,000
people
5,900
people
who
believe
that
they're
followers
of
Jesus
Christ
and
they're
not
because
they're
not
expected
to
follow
him
in
obedience
Jesus
said
this
in
John
13
35
by
this
all
people
will
know
that
you
are
my
disciples
if
you
have
love
for
one
another
there's
no one
in my
life
that I
love
that I
don't
enjoy
gathering
with
as
often
as I
possibly
can
it is
a
privilege
for us
to be
together
on a
Sunday
morning
the
average
church
active
church
member
these
days
used
to be
the
average
church
member
would
be
at
church
three
times
a
week
now
the
average
active
classified
as
active
church
member
these
days
is
at
church
three
times
a
month
Jesus
also said
in Matthew
chapter 7
17
through 19
so every
healthy tree
bears
good
fruit
I
am
not
saying
right
that
if you
come
to
church
you
will
be
saved
please
hear me
not
say
that
what
I
am
saying
is
that
we
will
be
obedient
to
the
things
that
God
has
asked
us
to
do
and
one
of
those
things
is
gathering
with
the
church
one
of
the
many
things
that
we
will
do
as
a
grateful
response
to
what
Jesus
has
done
for
us
as
we'll
gather
with
his
people
and
do
all
of
the
one
another
!
as
a
church
it'll
be
a
!
to
get
to
do
such
a
thing
so
every
healthy
tree
bears
good
fruit
but
the
diseased
tree
bears
bad
fruit
the
diseased
tree
sits
at
home
and
says
nah
not
this
morning
the
Jesus
says
I'm
so
sick
of
the
church
and
all
the
hypocrisy
in
it
says
the
hypocrite
verse
18
a
healthy
tree
cannot
bear
bad
fruit
nor
can
a
diseased
tree
bear
good
fruit
in
verse
19
every
tree
that
does
not
bear
good
fruit
is
cut
down
and
thrown
into
the
fire
the
cheap
grace
gospel
says
to
everybody
you're
a
great
tree
and
isn't
even
concerned
about
the
fruit
that's
being
produced
and
it's
dangerous
beloved
it's
damning
people
who
think
they're
followers
of
Jesus
Christ
who
think
they
have
eternal
!
security
and
they
don't
and
I'm
not
saying
that
people
who
aren't
right
now
members
of a
church
and
going
every
single
Sunday
are
not
Christians
but
they
definitely
need to
be
encouraged
to be
meeting
with the
church
amongst
other
things
and
beloved
we need
to always
do this
with
gentleness
and
with
humility
because
we
love
others
because
we
love
them
we
must
refute
those
who
teach
improper
doctrine
we
must
we
must
refute
we
must
refute
the
cultural
ideologies
that have
been
propitiated
by
bad
doctrine
we
must
correct
error
and we
must
do so
with
accurate
competency
in the
scriptures
2 Timothy
3 16
all
scripture
is breathed
out by
God
and it's
profitable
it's
good
it's
helpful
for
what
for
teaching
for
reproof
for
correction
and for
training
in
righteousness
if
we
love
people
we
will
be
about
this
activity
for
their
good
for
their
good
error
must
be
refuted
and it's
not just
my
responsibility
I think
I play
a very
prominent
part
in that
but it's
also
yours
I would
like to
conclude
this morning
by encouraging
you
to take
some time
today
take some
time this
week
and across
the span
of your
life
for
Apollos to
serve you
as a
model of
zeal
as a
model of
humility
and as
a model
of
refutation
let's
pray
together