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Acts 18:24–26
“[Apollos] began to speak 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” (v. 26).
Having described Paul’s initial brief stay in Ephesus and the Apostle’s return to Syria before departing on the third missionary journey (Acts 18:18–23), Luke in today’s passage describes some of the things that happened while Paul was away from the Ephesians. The Apostle would return to the city for a lengthy ministry (see ch. 19), but his time away from Ephesus at the start of his third missionary journey in the Mediterranean did not bring the work of the church to a halt while he was gone. Aquila and Priscilla, whom Paul had left behind in Ephesus (18:18–21), played an especially prominent role in the Apostle’s absence.
Luke tells us that during this period, a Jewish Christian named Apollos from Alexandria came to Ephesus and “spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus” (vv. 24–25). Alexandria, located in Egypt on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, was the second-largest city in the Roman Empire and an important intellectual center famous for its incredible library, perhaps the best in the ancient world. Alexandria boasted a large Jewish population, with Jews living in four of the city’s five districts and making up the majority in one of them. Many of these Jews were quite learned. The most famous of them is probably the ancient Jewish philosopher Philo, who wrote much about how the best thought of the ancient Greek philosophers found its fruition in the Scriptures of the Jews. Alexandria would eventually rise to become one of the most important cities in the early church. Athanasius, the great fourth-century defender of the deity of Christ, lived and worked in Alexandria.
As noted, Apollos was a follower of Jesus who accurately taught the faith and was competent in the explanation and application of God’s Word to the people (vv. 24–25). This does not mean that Apollos had no room to grow in his understanding. When he came to Ephesus, he knew much about Jesus, but he did not know about Christian baptism, having been exposed only to the baptism of John the Baptist (v. 25). Priscilla and Aquila saw the potential of Apollos as a co-laborer in ministry, so they gently took him aside to explain the truth of the Christian faith to him more accurately (v. 26). This Christian couple took the initiative to make sure that Apollos understood biblical doctrine comprehensively. May we who are mature in the faith follow their example by discipling other believers (see Matt. 28:18–20).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
It is easy to bemoan the state of the church and to be troubled at the lack of biblical and doctrinal knowledge in our congregations without doing anything to rectify the situation. Yet we can do much to improve the church’s life and doctrine by discipling those who are less knowledgeable in the faith. As we are able, let us look out for those who need help growing in the faith, just as Priscilla and Aquila did with Apollos.
For further study
- Deuteronomy 6:4–9
- Proverbs 10:17
- 1 Corinthians 16:12
- Titus 2:1–6
The bible in a year
- Psalms 105–106
- Romans 15:1–21