Apollos: A Tale or the Religious Servant Acts 18:24-28 “24 A Jew named Apollos came to Ephesus. He was born in the city of Alexandria and was a good speaker who knew the Scriptures well. 25 He had been taught about the way of the Lord and was always very excited when he spoke and taught the truth about Jesus. But the only baptism Apollos knew about was the baptism that John taught. 26 Apollos began to speak very boldly in the synagogue, and when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him to their home and helped him better understand the way of God. 27 Now Apollos wanted to go to the country of Southern Greece. So the believers helped him and wrote a letter to the followers there, asking them to accept him. These followers had believed in Jesus because of God’s grace, and when Apollos arrived, he helped them very much. 28 He argued very strongly with the Jews before all the people, clearly proving with the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.” Do you have a list of people you want to meet in heaven one day? I mean those outside your family. I do. It’s a collection of followers who have impacted me in some way. My list is not set in stone and the order of where these people fall does change, but the “who” stays the same. I long to meet Paul, Peter, Stephen, John the Baptist, Thomas…those are kind of obvious, but there are followers who are not so obvious like Reggie White, D. L. Moody, Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos. The last three really intrigue me. There is simply not a lot that can be said about them definitively. Of those three, it is Apollos that grabs my attention. Our reading is the most informative scripture the bible has on these amazing followers. Apollos was born in the Jewish quarter of Alexandria, Egypt, in the early part of the 1st century. His name is very Greek, probably a transplanted Jew. From Lukes words, we can see he was highly educated. Alexandria was a center of learning, and home of the great Library; one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. His travels are not clear. He was a disciple of John the Baptist, possibly an Esseen. Peter tells us he was an “Eloquent” man and mighty in the scriptures, which is to say the Old Testament. He clearly knew the word, saw that the coming of the Messiah was at hand. He was no doubt baptized by John for the forgiveness of sins. He had it all….education, desire, a gifted speaker, an amazing heritage, boldness. He was the perfect religious man in his day. He was like many in our churches today, their heads full of knowledge, facts and figures. They do their very best to live out the gospel of Christ. They participate in all the rituals and ordinances, never miss a chance to be in church, and all the while they’re doing all this…they have not experienced the intimate UNION with Christ that makes us born again! It is possible to walk the walk, and talk the talk, identify with His death, burial, and resurrection and have no more life in you than a stone. Most importantly, it is possible to be a believer, without a Personal Pentecost. It’s possible to be all show and no go, just like Apollos, the religious servant. Praise God, our heros tale” doesnt end there. Enter Priscilla and Aquila. They came and instructed him in The way of God. They were sharp, Holy Spirit visioned servants. They had no superiority complex because they were born again. They KNEW that this was a Servant who when fully instructed and educated, could and would see thousands saved! They saw the value to King and Kingdom this man could be. The way to reach these people is not by pointing out the inadequacy of their religious state, but point them to the SUPREMACY and power of the indwelling Lord. The Lord, Who is the source of the power needed to live the life of a follower! I’m convinced this is what Priscilla and Aquila did for Apollos, and we need to do for the religious people we deal with in our churches. Are you an Apollos, the religious servant? On what do you base your spiritual life? Jesus said, You must be born again (John 3:7) and He said that to another Religious Servant. Do YOU know Him that way, in the POWER of His indwelling presence? Today can be the first day of eternity IN Jesus. If we can help you leave Religiosity, and walk with Christ in the POWER, please let us know. What a complete JOY it is to live with Jesus as your Source of Power! For now, let’s Pray: Father, there are no adequate words to express our thankfulness for our Salvation. You saved us and now we have Your promise of an eternal home with You. We want that for all Your people. We see so many that are lost and do not know You and what You can do in them. We pray for the lost and especially those who talk and walk like a Christian but do not have a true relationship with Jesus. We pray that they will be drawn closer to You and experience that Divine appointment with You. Thank You Jesus! Thank You Father. In His precious name, Amen. Brought to you with Love by Living Witness Ministries. Please feel free to share, this as an outreach to others.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Jan 2014 03:28:32 +0000
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