The impact of gentleness

Acts 18:24-28

²⁴ Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. ²⁵ He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism. ²⁶ When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.

²⁷ Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him to go. They wrote to the believers in Achaia, asking them to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God’s grace, had believed. ²⁸ He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah.

Apollos was both talented and highly educated. He was an eloquent speaker in a world that made public speaking an art form. (It was a competitive event at the Isthmian games, the Corinthian equivalent of the Olympic games.) He knew the scriptures backwards. He was an enthusiastic and accurate teacher. It seems he had everything … almost.

I love how Luke graciously doesn’t spell out what Apollos lacked.  It seems that he had John’s baptism of repentance but had missed out on the baptism in the Spirit that Jesus gives. I also love how gently Priscilla and Aquilla took him aside and explained what he had missed. I’m guessing this included receiving the Holy Spirit. I want to copy their gentleness and grace.

On his own, Apollos was brilliant. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Apollos was dynamite. When he went to Corinth, he was so effective that many in the church preferred him to Paul. (Unfortunately, that became one of the many problems Paul had to deal with in 1 Corinthians.)

Holy Spirit, fill me today and every day. What I do on my own is nothing compared to what we can do together. I want to be part of what you’re doing today. And please bring your gentleness and grace to every part of that.

Written by David Cornell