A. Bible character studies teach us lessons using real people whose deeds were considered worthy for our learning by the Holy Spirit.
B. At present, let us study the Scriptures' record of Apollos, who was a powerful preacher of God's word. The primary passage concerning Apollos is Acts 18:24-28:
24Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. 25This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; 26and 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. 27And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, 28for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
II. FACTS ABOUT APOLLOS
A. Who was Apollos?
1. He was a Jew, which means that he had lived by the Law of Moses and the Jewish traditions. Because he was a Jew, he was permitted in the synagogues and had access other Jews.
2. He was born in Alexandria of Egypt, which was the second largest city in the world.
a. This city was a center for Greek culture and was known for its great library, which was designed to accumulate and store the world's knowledge.
b. Alexandria contained the largest urban Jewish community in the world. It was there that the Greek translation of the Old Testament, called the Septuagint, was completed by the second century B.C.
3. Apollos was an eloquent speaker who was mighty in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and could accurately teach about Jesus from the Old Testament. However, he was familiar only with the baptism of John.
4. Apollos was somewhat similar to Paul in that he was a zealous Jew from a Roman city with Roman citizenship who converted to Christ. Like Paul, this made Apollos uniquely qualified to preach Christ in the cities of the Roman Empire.
B. Where did Apollos go, and what did he do?
1. Apollos came to Ephesus after Paul had been there on his second missionary journey around 53 A.D.
a. Paul had spent a brief time in Ephesus, reasoning with the Jews in the synagogue (Acts 18:19-21). He had left his fellow Jewish Christians, Aquila and Priscilla, at Ephesus.
b. When Apollos arrived in Ephesus, he began to speak out boldly about Jesus in the synagogue.
c. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God more accurately. Specifically, this indicates that they taught him about baptism in the name of Christ for forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).
d. In Acts 19:1-7, Paul returned to Ephesus and found some disciples that know only about the baptism of John. It is possible that these disciples had been taught by Apollos before he had been corrected by Aquila and Priscilla.
2. After Apollos had learned the way of God more accurately, he went to Achaia and the city of Corinth.
a. He was encouraged in this by his fellow Christians in Ephesus, and they sent letters to the disciples in Achaia so that they would welcome him.
b. When he arrived in Achaia and the city of Corinth (Acts 19:1), he helped greatly those disciples and powerfully refuted the Jews in public by demonstrating from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
c. The influence of Apollos in the church at Corinth is evident by Paul's writings in 1Corinthians 1:12 and 3:4-6.
3. The only other record of Apollos' activity in the Bible is found in Titus 3:13. There we learn that Apollos was on the island of Crete (Tit. 15) where Titus was instructed to assist him presumably as he continued preaching the gospel.
III. LESSONS FROM APOLLOS
A. Eloquence in speech and fervor in spirit are good traits, but they are secondary to the substance of the Scriptures.
1. Apollos was an eloquent speaker, which enabled him to effectively communicate with others. He was also fervent in spirit, which motivated him to go into the world and preach. These are admirable and commendable traits in any person.
2. However, it was the trait of being mighty in the Scriptures that was most essential to the work of Apollos. An eloquent speech and a fervent spirit are of no value if they are employed in the teaching of an unscriptural message.
3. Paul warned of men who were eloquent and fervent but were devoted to an evil purpose in Romans 16:18:
For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.
B. It is good to teach accurately, but it is better to teach more accurately.
1. Apollos was not wrong in his preaching, but he was incomplete. His knowledge was limited and outdated, for he knew only of the baptism of John.
2. When we teach the way of the Lord to others, we should be devoted to accurate teaching. "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth" (2Tim. 2:15).
3. Our goal should be to become increasingly more accurate in our knowledge. We should not resist changing our beliefs and practices if we find them to be inaccurate according to God's word. "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2Pet. 3:18).
C. There are right ways and wrong ways to give and receive correction.
1. Aquila and Priscilla did not openly rebuke Apollos because of his inaccuracies, but rather they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. It is evident that he received these corrections graciously and did not resist them.
2. This pattern of correction should be imitated by all Christians whether they are giving or receiving the correction.
a. Those who give correction should not be harsh, insulting, combative, or arrogant, but rather they should be gentle and humble (2Tim. 2:24-26).
b. Those who receive correction should not be resistant, resentful, or angry, but rather they should be receptive, humble, mature, and thankful.
3. Let it be noted that there are times in which severe reproof is necessary (1Tim. 5:20; Tit. 1:13-14). Let us judge carefully when such rebuke is needed.
D. Powerful preaching is done through the Scriptures.
1. Apollos was "mighty in the Scriptures," and "he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ." He is a fine example of how powerful preaching should be done.
2. This idea of power pertains to potency and effectiveness. It is not a matter of how loudly a man speaks or whether he can captivate an audience, but rather it is matter of affecting his hearers with life-changing truth.
3. Today, preaching can be just as powerful as it was in the first century because we have the whole gospel revealed and recorded in the Scriptures. The gospel is God's power for salvation (Rom. 1:16), and it power has not been diminished since it was first revealed.
E. God causes the growth, not those who preach and teach.
1. Apollos was an eloquent, fervent, and powerful preacher of the gospel, and he certainly led many souls to the Lord for salvation. However, it was not Apollos who is to be praised, but rather it is God is should be glorified.
2. Consider 1Corinthians 3:5-7:
5What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
3. Let us always maintain a proper perspective. Many people preach and teach the gospel, and many hear and believe, but only God can cause the growth. In other words, only God can save through Christ, and it is He who must be praised.
