DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- RECEIVING AND GIVING INSTRUCTION

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- RECEIVING AND GIVING INSTRUCTION

"Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born in Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately." (Acts 18:24-26)

Apollos was a great preacher who came to Ephesus. He was a charismatic speaker and preached about Jesus with fire that came from his spirit. He had sound doctrine as far as it went. He taught the Gospel of Jesus accurately, but he didn't know everything. He taught the baptism of repentance and faith in Christ. But he did not teach about the work of the Holy Spirit because apparently, he had not experienced baptism in the Holy Spirit. So when Paul came to Ephesus, he found a group of believers who had not been taught about the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-2) by Apollos.

There are a couple of things of note in this story. First, not everyone knows everything. Even the most powerful and eloquent preachers do not have all knowledge. It takes humility to acknowledge this. It seems that Apollos was such a person, because he was willing to listen to the instruction of Priscilla and Aquilla who explained the way of God more accurately. Beware of someone who is not willing to hear instruction of the Scripture.

Secondly, Priscilla and Aquilla took him aside and taught him privately. They did not publicly reprimand Apollos. I have seen disagreements in churches that have been public, and it is not pretty. It is wiser to correct someone privately than to do it in public.

It is human nature to resist challenges to long-held beliefs that are not founded in Scripture. We all have traditions that we were raised in, and when those traditions which are not Scriptural are attacked, we tend to fight back. May we be like Apollos – humble enough to receive teaching from God's Word, and may we be like Priscilla and Aquilla, who were wise in the way they taught. All of us can grow in our understanding of God's truth. I need to be firm in my faith, but humble enough to admit that I don't know it all so I can receive instruction and grow in my faith.

Love, Dad