The references: Acts 18:24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures
I Cor. 3: 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
The story that emerges:
This man was named for Apollos, the son of Zeus. Growing up, someone from the Christian community in Alexandria drew him into the orbit of Jesus, the Son of God. His education came in one of the most sophisticated cities in the world. Its library was one of the world’s largest, though reduced in size by his time.
Friends of Apollos described him as “eloquent,” “fervent in spirit,” “well versed in the Scriptures.” It is no surprise that Apollos became a central figure in the early years of the church. We will see how that developed, but not before we see how his teaching needed attention.
He first appears in Ephesus, arriving just after Paul’s departure from there for Antioch. Apollos, with his fervent and eloquent nature, began teaching the disciples in Ephesus. Aquila and Priscilla were there, disciples of Paul who were also tentmakers. These two people heard Apollos and were troubled by his teaching. It turns out that, only knowing the Old Testament, Apollos knew nothing of the baptism of Jesus and was cloudy on the Holy Spirit. Aquila and Priscilla stepped in to assist this gifted leader. Together the three of them spent many an hour in the tentmaker workshop, correcting and expanding the theology of Apollos.
Suppose, however, that Aquila and Priscilla neve raised any issue. Suppose they thought not to embarrass the Alexandrian. He was nice and well intentioned. Why make him feel bad? No one in the church seemed to mind. And besides, he had the equivalent of a doctorate in theology from a prestigious institution. And he was so eloquent!
Suppose Aquila and Priscilla chose to be quiet. Then the church would have teaching that was lame and limp. But nearby, the worshippers of Diana had vigorous worship in the amphitheater. They would snicker and scorn the small group of the church and their lackadaisical common life. Like Jesus predicted, “Salt that has lost its saltiness is thrown out and then it is trampled upon.”
But Priscilla and Aquilla did not stay quiet. And so they set the example for us. They took Apollos aside and tutored him, refining what he already knew and showing him things he had not known. Into many churches today has crept darkness, teaching that should trouble Aquilas and Priscillas. If truth makes us free, false teaching saps life and leaves darkness.
A Trojan Horse has been let through the gates and entered inside the church. The hidden conquerors are those who stand for the most plausible virtue in our culture—the right of self-expression. That is sacrosanct territory, for it places supreme value on my story, my subjective response to the Christian story. That is my faith, and no one may touch, critique, scrutinize, or evaluate. It is my story. Don’t bother me with facts. To raise objection, we are told, is arrogant, fundamentalist, and judgmental, when in fact it is dogmatically anti-intellectual. When the errors come in trendy and glamorous wrappings, discernment is not easy.
In these conditions heresy is eliminated. This sanctity of subjective experience permits a wedge between a personal faith and the historic events that undergird gospel truth. As long as we indulge in the farce that my personal faith does not need to be grounded in the history of that the Bible tells, then we have lost any standard for truth.
The church always stands prepared to recognize and defeat false teaching. Paul anticipated the fight for truth and had the sternest rebuke for false teachers. “If anyone teach a gospel contrary to what you have received, a curse be on him!” (Galatians 1:9). In the ordination vows which I took, I was asked if I would be ready to banish and drive from the church all erroneous and strange doctrines contrary to God’s Word. In the last century Dietrich Bonhoeffer addressed this: “We have lost the concept of heresy today because there is no longer a teaching authority. This is a tremendous catastrophe, for there can no longer be said, this is true and this is false.”
And so it continues.
Aquilla and Priscilla referred Apollos to the Scriptures and the events around the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All very trustworthy. If they were to speak today, to what authority would they point us? That is a good question, since the temptation for personal preference or just plain weird sources presents itself.
Since they are not around, I will give my list: The Scriptures, Old and New Testament, interpreted within themselves as far as is able; the Nicene Creed, a statement agreed upon by the ecumenical church fathers; and our Anglican condensation of the Westminster Catechism, being the 39 Articles. These contain the revelation of God, the tested filters of what the Bible contains, and a classic formulary laying out the principles of our faith.
I did have one question of Apollos when we sat down on my divine bench. Indirectly, a question about his sense of pride. After all this was a man with a sophisticated and erudite education from the prominent center of learning. And he was to be tutored by tentmakers? His response showed how genuinely he was a student of the Scriptures and well instructed in the ways of the Lord. He simply quoted these verses: “The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple” (Ps. 19:7). “Wisdom and power belong to God” (Daniel 2:20). “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7). That wisdom with a healthy dose of humility created his open mind.
I wanted to ask about him and Paul and the competition that seemed to crop up between the two men in Corinth. He held up his hand and said that is for another time. Right. Later this week.
I Cor. 3: 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
The story that emerges:
This man was named for Apollos, the son of Zeus. Growing up, someone from the Christian community in Alexandria drew him into the orbit of Jesus, the Son of God. His education came in one of the most sophisticated cities in the world. Its library was one of the world’s largest, though reduced in size by his time.
Friends of Apollos described him as “eloquent,” “fervent in spirit,” “well versed in the Scriptures.” It is no surprise that Apollos became a central figure in the early years of the church. We will see how that developed, but not before we see how his teaching needed attention.
He first appears in Ephesus, arriving just after Paul’s departure from there for Antioch. Apollos, with his fervent and eloquent nature, began teaching the disciples in Ephesus. Aquila and Priscilla were there, disciples of Paul who were also tentmakers. These two people heard Apollos and were troubled by his teaching. It turns out that, only knowing the Old Testament, Apollos knew nothing of the baptism of Jesus and was cloudy on the Holy Spirit. Aquila and Priscilla stepped in to assist this gifted leader. Together the three of them spent many an hour in the tentmaker workshop, correcting and expanding the theology of Apollos.
Suppose, however, that Aquila and Priscilla neve raised any issue. Suppose they thought not to embarrass the Alexandrian. He was nice and well intentioned. Why make him feel bad? No one in the church seemed to mind. And besides, he had the equivalent of a doctorate in theology from a prestigious institution. And he was so eloquent!
Suppose Aquila and Priscilla chose to be quiet. Then the church would have teaching that was lame and limp. But nearby, the worshippers of Diana had vigorous worship in the amphitheater. They would snicker and scorn the small group of the church and their lackadaisical common life. Like Jesus predicted, “Salt that has lost its saltiness is thrown out and then it is trampled upon.”
But Priscilla and Aquilla did not stay quiet. And so they set the example for us. They took Apollos aside and tutored him, refining what he already knew and showing him things he had not known. Into many churches today has crept darkness, teaching that should trouble Aquilas and Priscillas. If truth makes us free, false teaching saps life and leaves darkness.
A Trojan Horse has been let through the gates and entered inside the church. The hidden conquerors are those who stand for the most plausible virtue in our culture—the right of self-expression. That is sacrosanct territory, for it places supreme value on my story, my subjective response to the Christian story. That is my faith, and no one may touch, critique, scrutinize, or evaluate. It is my story. Don’t bother me with facts. To raise objection, we are told, is arrogant, fundamentalist, and judgmental, when in fact it is dogmatically anti-intellectual. When the errors come in trendy and glamorous wrappings, discernment is not easy.
In these conditions heresy is eliminated. This sanctity of subjective experience permits a wedge between a personal faith and the historic events that undergird gospel truth. As long as we indulge in the farce that my personal faith does not need to be grounded in the history of that the Bible tells, then we have lost any standard for truth.
The church always stands prepared to recognize and defeat false teaching. Paul anticipated the fight for truth and had the sternest rebuke for false teachers. “If anyone teach a gospel contrary to what you have received, a curse be on him!” (Galatians 1:9). In the ordination vows which I took, I was asked if I would be ready to banish and drive from the church all erroneous and strange doctrines contrary to God’s Word. In the last century Dietrich Bonhoeffer addressed this: “We have lost the concept of heresy today because there is no longer a teaching authority. This is a tremendous catastrophe, for there can no longer be said, this is true and this is false.”
And so it continues.
Aquilla and Priscilla referred Apollos to the Scriptures and the events around the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All very trustworthy. If they were to speak today, to what authority would they point us? That is a good question, since the temptation for personal preference or just plain weird sources presents itself.
Since they are not around, I will give my list: The Scriptures, Old and New Testament, interpreted within themselves as far as is able; the Nicene Creed, a statement agreed upon by the ecumenical church fathers; and our Anglican condensation of the Westminster Catechism, being the 39 Articles. These contain the revelation of God, the tested filters of what the Bible contains, and a classic formulary laying out the principles of our faith.
I did have one question of Apollos when we sat down on my divine bench. Indirectly, a question about his sense of pride. After all this was a man with a sophisticated and erudite education from the prominent center of learning. And he was to be tutored by tentmakers? His response showed how genuinely he was a student of the Scriptures and well instructed in the ways of the Lord. He simply quoted these verses: “The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple” (Ps. 19:7). “Wisdom and power belong to God” (Daniel 2:20). “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7). That wisdom with a healthy dose of humility created his open mind.
I wanted to ask about him and Paul and the competition that seemed to crop up between the two men in Corinth. He held up his hand and said that is for another time. Right. Later this week.
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