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Reading Acts 18:18-28 where Paul comes to the end of his second missionary journey, and Priscilla and Aquila meet an eloquent man named Apollos and they share the gospel with him. Visit wwutt.com for all our videos!
Priscilla and Akilah come across a man named Apollos, and they share with him the way of Christ more accurately that he would be even more effective in the work of ministry. Let us all be able to do this when we understand the text.
This is When We Understand the Text, a daily Bible commentary that we may be equipped for every good work in Jesus Christ our Lord. Please tell others about our ministry at www .utt .com. Here once again is Pastor Gabe.
Thank you, Becky.
In our study of the book of Acts, we are finishing up chapter 18 today, also concluding Paul's second missionary journey. In this section, we also encounter a man named Apollos and how Akilah and Priscilla explain the way of Christ more accurately with him.
I'll begin reading in verse 18. Let's go through verse 28. Hear the word of the Lord. And Paul, having remained many days longer, took leave of the brothers and put out to sea for Syria, and with him were Priscilla and Akilah.
In Sencriah he had his hair cut, for he was keeping a vow, and they arrived at Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent, but taking leave of them and saying, I will return to you again if God wills, he set sail from Ephesus.
And when he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and went down to Antioch. And having spent some time there, he left and passed successively through the Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, arrived at Ephesus, and he was mighty in the scriptures. This 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.
And he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Akilah heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him.
And when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. Apollos was a very well-spoken man.
And we read about him later on in 1 Corinthians as someone that the Corinthians preferred as a teacher, probably because of how charismatic a teacher he was. And when I say charismatic, I don't mean in the denominational sense, but simply that he had a great presence and was very articulate and well-learned when he spoke the gospel, when he preached anything of the word of God.
So we learn of Apollos here and Priscilla and Akilah leading him to understand the way of Christ. Something that I wanna draw out of this is how we all have a responsibility to know the word of God well, and how we may encourage one another in the word.
Coming back up to the top, we spend the first half of this section reading about the end of Paul's second missionary journey and the beginning of the third. And then in the second half of this section, we read about Apollos and how Priscilla and Akilah led him to understand the way of Christ better.
So starting in verse 18, and Paul having remained many days longer took leave of the brothers and put out to sea for Syria. And with him were Priscilla and Akilah. So remember, he met this couple in Corinth.
That was what we read about the first 17 verses, the first half of Acts chapter 18. They were of the same trade, so they were tent makers together. And then Paul dedicated himself to the preaching of the gospel in Corinth, planting a church there.
He was there for a year and a half. Priscilla and Akilah were with him the entire time. They came from Pontus, if you will remember. At least that's where Akilah was a native. And then they had been in Rome.
Claudius had driven the Jews out of Rome, so that put Priscilla and Akilah in Paul's service in Corinth by the providence of God. They've spent a year and a half together now. Paul is taking them with him when he leaves Corinth and is setting out for Syria.
Now it says in the remaining part of verse 18 that in Syncria he had his hair cut for he was keeping a vow. I've heard different interpretations of this. I don't really know where I stand on this. Some theologians will say that the vow that Paul was under was the Nazarite vow that we read about in the book of Numbers.
So he could not drink strong drink, he couldn't touch anything unclean, and he had to grow his hair long. So he couldn't cut his hair, hence why he's cutting his hair here because this would be the conclusion of his Nazarite vow.
So that's one argument, but I've heard some others say it doesn't make sense for him to cut his hair in Syncria if he was under the Nazarite vow. Would have made more sense for him to wait until he got to Jerusalem, so his coming to Syncria had something to do with this vow.
And the vow, the commitment to the vow also included not cutting his hair. So when he gets to Syncria, he cut his hair. Anyway, whatever the vow was, we don't know for sure. Some speculate that it could be the Nazarite vow, and some argue that it could have been something else.
We don't know any more details other than this. But Paul cuts his hair, and this may have also been the reason why he felt to be in haste to return to Jerusalem. Since the vow is completed, he goes to Jerusalem to make a sacrifice in the temple.
And so this is why when he comes to Ephesus, he's there for just a short time, reasons in the synagogue, says, I have to be on my way, and then we will read of the conclusion of this missionary journey as he comes back to Caesarea, which also would include a journey to Jerusalem.
So in verse 19, they arrived at Ephesus, and Paul left them there. So they've been in Corinth together for the past year and a half. They come to Ephesus, which is one of the most important coastal cities in Asia Minor.
And it's while they're there in Ephesus that Paul leaves Priscilla and Achilla. But again, by the providence of God that they would encounter this man, Apollos, and be able to lead him in an accurate understanding of the full gospel of Jesus Christ.
I'll explain that more in just a moment. Ephesus, from this point on, becomes one of the most important cities in the New Testament. Paul will spend more than two years there. The church in Colossae will get planted because of Paul sharing the gospel in Ephesus.
And there are many other churches in Asia Minor that will probably come to be because of the work that he did in Ephesus. The Apostle John also served in the church there in Ephesus. So did Timothy. When Paul writes to Timothy, 1 and 2 Timothy, with both of those letters, Timothy was in Ephesus.
When John writes the book of Revelation, the first church that Revelation goes to is Ephesus. So this becomes a very, very important city. From this point on, we will probably read more about Ephesus in the New Testament than we will read about even the church at Rome.
But what happens with Paul in Ephesus, we don't get to until the next chapter, and we'll start on Acts 19 on Monday. So in the meantime, as Paul is gonna be departing quickly from Ephesus, so will we, as we're reading briefly about it here.
He himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. So he was there for a short time, but he still goes to the synagogue and shows the Jews how Christ is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.
Everything there was pointing to Jesus. He is the Messiah. Now, they are intrigued by what Paul is saying. Some of them even come to believe. So in verse 20, they ask him to stay for a longer time, but he did not consent.
Instead taking leave of them, he said, I will return to you again if God wills. Paul doesn't know his future. He doesn't know where the Lord is going to lead him, but for now he's completing this journey, heading back to Caesarea and to Jerusalem.
So he set sail from Ephesus. Now to give you an idea of this journey and even the portion that we're reading about right here in this section of Acts chapter 18, Paul had gone to Corinth. He went to Syncria and remember that Syncria was like a twin city with Corinth.
So then he set sail from Syncria that puts him going across the Aegean Sea and he comes to Ephesus. And then setting sail from Ephesus, which is on the west-southwest portion of Asia Minor or what is today modern day Turkey.
He then goes through all of those islands that are there in the southwest portion of Asia Minor. That would have put him along the northern side of Rhodes, might be a famous island that you know of. He would have sailed most likely south of Cyprus and then going down to Caesarea.
Caesarea is really close to Jerusalem. So this would also indicate being one of his destinations though it's not articulated here in this section, that would be the understanding. He goes to Caesarea and then to Jerusalem that he would offer a sacrifice at the conclusion of his vow.
But then after that, he's going to go back up to Antioch. Well, down to Antioch is what is said here because you're descending in elevation. Jerusalem is higher in elevation. But we're reading about the end of his second missionary journey and the beginning of his third in the same couple of verses.
So when he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and he went down to Antioch. Greeting the church may have been the church at Caesarea and then also the church at Jerusalem. And then verse 23, having spent some time there, he left and passed successively through the Galatian region and Phrygia strengthening all the disciples.
So that puts him going back through again, Asia Minor. But instead of taking that Southern route back over to Ephesus, he wants to take that Northern route so that he can go through Galatia where he's planted churches and be able to see how those churches are doing and encourage the brothers.
Spend some time preaching there. So that's it for Paul. That's the conclusion of the second missionary journey and we're getting a kind of a headstart on his next missionary journey. Let's catch up again with Priscilla and Akilah and see how they're doing.
And enter the scene, this new figure in the book of Acts, a man by the name of Apollos. So in verse 24, now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man arrived at Ephesus. Now, Alexandria is the same Jewish settlement that Joseph and Mary and the baby Jesus would have fled to in Matthew chapter two, when Herod was trying to put to death all of the children, all of the boys who were two years old and younger, trying to wipe out this king of the Jews he had been hearing about.
He was unsuccessful at killing Jesus because the Lord had sent Joseph and Mary along with Jesus into Egypt, is what is said there. Most likely though, they come to the Jewish settlement at Alexandria.
It's interesting to think that if Apollos was maybe in his fifties at this point, he could have been a little bit younger than that. He's probably in his forties. But if he was in his fifties, then he would have been a little child at the same time Jesus was in Alexandria.
Just an interesting thing to consider. I don't know if that's true or not, but it's fun to ponder those things. So Apollos being an eloquent man, very well spoken, a good public speaker, you might consider him.
He comes to Ephesus. Now we don't know why he goes from Alexandria to Ephesus. There's no backstory that's given to us in that way. But this man learned in the scriptures, as it says he was mighty in the scriptures, the rest of verse 24, he had been instructed in the way of the Lord and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus.
He was probably on a missionary journey and he decides Ephesus being the huge city that it was, being a port city with a lot of people coming in and out, this was the perfect place for him to go and continue to proclaim the way of the Lord.
But it says he was acquainted only with the baptism of John. So this man, Apollos is very enthusiastic about proclaiming the word of God, but he doesn't know of Jesus later miracles. He doesn't know of his death and his resurrection from the dead, his ascension into heaven.
These are things that at least as far as what the text tells us here, Apollos did not know, but he begins to speak out boldly in the synagogue. So right after Paul had been there and he spoke boldly in the synagogue, here comes Apollos and he also is speaking there.
But when Priscilla and Achilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. Now that's verse 26. And this is a verse that is often used by the egalitarians and the feminists to contest against the instruction that is given in 1 Timothy 2, 11 and 12.
A woman must learn quietly in all submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but she is to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was formed first and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived became a transgressor.
And then you go on into chapter three and you read about the qualifications for an overseer of the church, elder or pastor. Those terms are synonymous. So we come to understand this instruction as meaning that a woman cannot be a pastor in the church.
The egalitarians and feminists hate that. So they will use a verse like this one, Acts 18, 26, where Priscilla and Achilla are sharing the way of Christ more fully with Apollos as an example of how a woman can teach another man.
It's perfectly fine for women to teach men because look, Priscilla did it for Apollos. But understand that Priscilla is not operating or functioning in some sort of pastoral role here. She is not overseeing the gathered congregation, teaching the word of God to them, which is exactly what Paul has in mind in 1 Timothy.
It's in 1 Timothy 3, 15, where Paul says the purpose of the letter, the reason that he is writing to Timothy is so that he would know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and a buttress of the truth.
He is giving Timothy instructions on how the church is supposed to function. And when it comes to the office of overseer, that is an office that is limited only to qualified men. A woman is not permitted to hold that office.
But a woman can certainly talk about the gospel. That's perfectly acceptable. Whenever you have men and women sitting around in the living room together, is a woman not supposed to say anything at all because that's left only to the men to talk about?
No, we can certainly have those private conversations. And that's exactly what this is. It's described here as a private conversation. They took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
Just recently, my wife and I were visiting with a man who was a husband, and we were talking to him about how he can be a better husband in his marriage. And my wife was even instructing this man as to how he can love his wife better.
Was that wrong of Becky to do that? And if you've listened to the podcast and you've heard her on Friday, you know she's a wonderful woman and she has great insights sharing with this man how he can love his wife and he was appreciative of it.
She was not speaking out of turn at all. It does not mean that women have to shut up in any and all circumstances. She just can't serve or function in the role of a pastor. Private conversations at home, small group that you may have in your house, that's perfectly acceptable.
We can receive biblical encouragement and even learning from our sisters in Christ. It's even okay for a sister to admonish a brother if she must. We all have a responsibility in these things according to the word.
It's Colossians 3 .16 that tells us, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
So we, in the word of Christ, teach and admonish one another. Now we still see this order of mentorship that is given in Titus chapter two, where older women are mentoring younger women and older men are mentoring younger men.
In the general relationships that we have in the church, that is supposed to be the order, but that does not mean that a woman cannot also speak to men about biblical things. It is good for all of us to understand the scriptures well and know how we may use the word to encourage one another, build each other up, offer correction if we may need to offer correction, guidance, and so forth.
Understanding the roles that we're supposed to play, being in submission to those roles, but still having a responsibility for one another that we may build each other up in love. We read about that in Ephesians chapter four.
So let me continue on with this here in Acts chapter 18. They explain the way of Christ more accurately to Apollos. And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him.
And when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace. So this man spoke accurately the things of God. There were some things that he did not know that Priscilla and Achila helped him to understand further.
Did that mean that Apollos was unsaved, that he was a lost brother? No, not necessarily. Now I've taken the position in the past where I've said that Apollos didn't know the gospel, and so therefore he wasn't a Christian.
But I don't think that is a proper summation of what we're reading about here. Luke, who is the author of Acts, clearly speaks of Apollos as a true believer. He was catechized in the gospel as far as John's ministry could take him.
But he believed that Jesus was the Christ. He believed that. Though we may not have come to a full understanding yet of the crucifixion and the resurrection, he knew of Jesus as the Christ. So he would have been like someone in the Old Testament who was looking forward to the coming Messiah and was saved by grace through faith.
That was Apollos. This was during that intermediate period that's going on between Christ's ascension into heaven, that happened in about AD 30, and then the destruction of the temple, which happens in about AD 70.
So in that 40-year period right there, we know that the old covenant is fading away and the new covenant is taking hold. So there's a lot of grace that's given here for those who need to hear the gospel.
They do need to hear the gospel. We need to know that Christ died on the cross for our sins, rose again from the dead, and whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life. Apollos' acceptance of that demonstrates that he was already a true believer.
So now being trained in the way of Christ better, he becomes an even more effective evangelist. As he teaches in the synagogue and even goes on from there to some other places, it says, going to Achaia, that's where Corinth was.
And we know from 1 Corinthians that the Corinthians greatly valued Apollos as a teacher. And coming to Achaia, he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
And there are many who come to faith because of the work of Apollos. And this was also thanks to the brother and sister in the Lord who led him in understanding the way of Christ more accurately. And may we all be that for one another.
We can help build each other up in the word of Christ, giving encouragement in tough times, training one another even in good times, that we would be built up in Christ in love. Ephesians 4, verse 11 says that God gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry.
It's not just the elders. It's not just the pastors that do all of the talking in the word. In fact, we all have a responsibility to build up the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning and craftiness and deceitful schemes.
The church becomes a safety to all of us that we may not be led astray by false doctrine. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way and to him who is the head into Christ, from whom the whole body joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
We do that for each other. So do that more and more. Heavenly Father, we thank you for what we have read here. And I pray that this word would be an encouragement to us that we may share the word with one another, reminding each other of the good gospel that we were taught and by faith in Jesus, we are saved, that we may grow in our understanding of these things more and more.
Give us boldness also to share the gospel with those who do not believe. Everybody can be an evangelist in some way. We have a good knowledge of your word that we may know how to answer each person, doing this with gentleness and respect.
It's in the name of Jesus that we pray, amen.
You've been listening to When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Gabe will be going through a New Testament study. Then on Thursday, we look at an Old Testament book.
On Friday, we take questions from the listeners and viewers. Tomorrow, we'll pick up on an Old Testament study, When We Understand the Text.