Acts 18:24-28

The brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him.

! When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed,

! For he powerfully refuted the Jews in public,

! showing by the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

And so we have this little sidestep at the end of our text last week.

We see Paul pass through Ephesus, taking with him Priscilla and Aquila,

and he leaves them there in Ephesus.

And Luke's narrative stays with them in that place as Paul goes on.

And I believe that Luke recorded this for us to show us,

to give to us Apollos as a model.

The scripture is full, it's rich with men whose lives we can emulate.

Ultimately and finally, looking to Christ.

We want to emulate Christ.

We want to be Christ-like.

But there are men who characterize qualities of Christ

and put them on display for us to pay careful attention to.

And so our outline for this morning's text has three points.

If they don't alliterate this morning, I'm sorry.

And they are as follows.

Apollos serves us as number one, a model of zeal.

As number two, a model of zeal.

And number three, as a model of refutation.

I'll explain in a bit.

So number one, Apollos serves us as a model of zeal.

Apollos is introduced for us as a native of Alexandria in verse 24.

Alexandria, located in Egypt, had a large Jewish population.

So while Apollos did not grow up in Israel, he was raised in a Jewish culture.

Therefore, he had been instructed in the way of the Lord.

Now this phrase, the way of the Lord, was an Old Testament term for, generally, the things of God.

In Genesis chapter 18, verse 19, God says of Abraham,

Genesis 18:19

For I have chosen him that he may command his children and his household after him

to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice

so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.

So the way of the Lord would have been the Old Testament instruction.

Luke tells us that Apollos was also competent in the Scriptures and an eloquent man.

He was eloquent.

The Greek term for this is logios, right?

Literally, a man of words.

Also could mean a man of ideas.

But we see that the ideas that he's presenting were not his ideas.

They weren't fabricated ideas.

But he was competent in the Scriptures and had been instructed in the way of the Lord.

And he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus.

Now why was he doing this?

Luke does not tell us the exact occasion for Apollos' visit to Ephesus.

But it's likely that he went as a missionary.

It's likely that he goes as a missionary.

Luke does tell us that he was fervent in spirit.

And this is the reason.

This is the impetus for speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus.

To be fervent in spirit is to say that Apollos' soul was enthusiastic for the things of God.

I think that I preach from an ESV.

I think they get right that he was fervent in lowercase spirit.

Not in the spirit, but in his spirit.

I think Luke's trying to communicate to us that his soul was fervent, cared deeply about the things of God.

He was zealous for God.

And so, I believe he left Alexandria and traveled to Ephesus to tell the Ephesians all that he knew about the way of the Lord.

But Luke adds an interesting phrase.

Apollos, though he knew only the baptism of John.

Which leads me to believe that Apollos was also not yet a regenerate follower of Jesus Christ.

He was a lover of God.

He was familiar with the Old Testament.

He had a zeal for the things of God.

But he only knew the baptism of John.

The text evidences for us that he was familiar with the Old Testament.

He would have been aware of God as creator and ruler of the world.

Of God's good law for the governance of his people.

Of mankind's transgression of that law.

Of the need of sacrifice to satisfy this issue between the wrath of God against all unlawlessness.

He would have been familiar with the need of a mediator between God and man.

And of the promises of God to restore people to himself with a perfect sacrifice.

And a perfect mediator, the Messiah.

He was aware of the baptism of John.

Which was a baptism of repentance.

Declaring that the Messiah was coming.

This was the ministry of John in the desert.

Baptizing people and declaring that Jesus was coming.

And he was also aware that the Messiah was Jesus.

But it would seem that he did not yet understand the significance of Jesus' death and resurrection.

Which is why he had need for Priscilla and Achilla to take him aside and explain to him the way of God more accurately.

Now, you are welcome to disagree with me on the matter.

That he was already in fact a regenerate disciple of Jesus Christ.

I think we catch him in a moment of moving toward that.

Right?

Being drawn to God in his understanding of Scripture.

Whether or not we agree doesn't really matter for the point that's being made.

We have Apollos as a model of zeal.

He took his incomplete knowledge of the way of the Lord.

And he faithfully worked to promulgate it.

He wanted people to know what he knew of the way of the Lord.

Beloved, you may never be labeled eloquent.

I've never been called this.

Maybe a man of words.

But not eloquent to be sure.

But if you are part of a local congregation, and I hope that you are, that loves the Bible, faithfully teaches it, really hope that you are,

you're being accurately instructed in the way of the Lord.

And you can be competent in the Scriptures.

And this should compel zeal in you for others to know what you know.

Let me give you a bit of a lesson from history.

In 1559, John Calvin began a seminary which was across the street from, and this is important,

it was across the street from, and worked in conjunction with the church he pastored.

It was a ministry of his church in Geneva to train young pastors.

We know that Calvin sent at least 88 of the men trained in a seminary to his native country of France,

and possibly many more.

We know for a fact that at least 88 men were trained up to the seminary and sent back to France.

Now Calvin is in Geneva because of religious persecution.

It was dangerous to be a preacher of the gospel in France in the 16th century because of anti-Protestant sentiment.

In fact, it was so dangerous that the Academy of Geneva, what the seminary was officially called,

became known as Calvin's School of Death.

Because so many graduates went out to martyrdom.

Let that shape your thinking about the man John Calvin and the theology that so many demonize in relationship to him.

Calvin's School of Death.

I wonder what the enrollment of a seminary today would be that was nicknamed the School of Death.

Theology.

Theology.

If you were a follower of Jesus Christ, you are a theologian.

You might be a very poor theologian, but you are a theologian.

Meant to know God.

Not a scholar, but a theologian.

To open your word and to read it and to know the God of the Bible.

Theology.

A competence in the Scriptures drives zeal.

Properly viewing God in the personal work of Jesus Christ drives zeal in us.

Which drives mission.

Here we observe imperfect knowledge.

I'm arguing that he had not yet completed his understanding of Jesus as the Christ.

And I'm arguing that the Spirit was not yet in him to guide him in his understanding.

How much greater should our zeal now be?

Having given full comprehension.

Having been given the New Testament, which gives so much commentary on the Old Testament.

The Gospel fully revealed.

The canon now closed.

We can pick it up and we can read it and be changed by it.

And we ought to desire to see others changed by it as well.

And so in this way, Apollo serves us as a model of zeal.

Our zeal should surpass his.

We also see that Apollo serves us as a model of humility.

Next in verse 26, we see Priscilla and Aquila encounter Apollo speaking boldly in the synagogue.

And if you weren't here with us last week, Paul finds, seeks out and finds Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth.

Befriends them.

They're all tent makers by trade.

He lives with them while he's there in Corinth.

Takes them with him and leaves them behind in Ephesus.

So having been left in Ephesus by Paul, it is likely that they have taken up his missionary practice

of beginning Gospel ministry amongst the Jews and finding Jews by visiting the synagogue.

It was a very reasonable place to find people of Jewish descent.

But Priscilla and Aquila see that Apollo needs some instruction as he only knew of the baptism of John.

So they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

Now, note the tact that Priscilla and Aquila display as they took Apollos aside.

Apollos' teaching was not bad.

It was just incomplete.

So this couple very kindly, discreetly explained to him the way of God more accurately.

Some suggest they likely took him aside to their home.

This wasn't a quick little lesson, but they had to take him and spend time with him,

helping him to completely understand the way of God more accurately as the term Luke uses.

And Apollos humbly received their instruction.

I believe that Apollos becomes a regenerate follower of Jesus during the time of this further instruction.

Luke does not record said conversation, nor does he tell us that Apollos was baptized.

But he says in verse 27, and when he wished to cross to Achaia,

the brothers, now his brothers, encouraged him and wrote to the disciples,

those disciples in Achaia, to welcome him.

So they would have written a letter of recommendation, right?

This man we're sending to you is a brother in the faith.

And they sent him with that letter.

Now you may be thinking, it seems like a large assumption to say that Apollos humbly received their instruction.

How can I make that claim? Where am I getting this from?

Number one, he was teachable.

He was teachable.

We see that he goes with them, right?

And he receives instruction.

He went aside and he heard what they had to say.

Beloved, it is a great mark of the humble Christian to be a teachable Christian.

None of us ever have arrived and can't receive some instruction,

some better explanation to the things that we already may believe to be true.

If you find yourself unteachable, you're also going to find yourself proud.

So he's teachable.

That's an expression of his humility.

But not only is he teachable.

Secondly, he was willing to be instructed by Priscilla.

Luke records for us that when Priscilla and Aquila heard him,

they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

You could read it like this.

When they heard him, they took him aside and they explained to him the way of God more accurately.

So Apollos received instruction from both Aquila, the husband, and Priscilla, the wife.

And interestingly, the order that I just presented them to you in, Aquila and Priscilla,

only occurs twice in the six times the couple is mentioned in the Bible.

When they are initially introduced in Acts 18, verse 2,

Acts 18:2

and in 1 Corinthians 16, 19.

The other four places, they're mentioned in this order in our text today.

Priscilla and Aquila.

This is likely, likely.

This is where we access the scholars.

The scholars say this is likely because Priscilla was the more prominent of the two in service to the church.

She did more for the church than Aquila.

Now, it's important to understand that women in this day were not given much prominence.

If you ever hear somebody claim that Christianity has been bad for women,

maybe in some instances some perversion of Christianity has been.

But generally speaking, in the world,

Christianity has been very, very good for women.

In Talmudic times, where our text is set,

so think first century,

Talmud was the Old Testament with the explanation of rabbinical writings added to it.

In this time, respectable women were expected to stay within the confines of the home.

In fact, the terminology for a prostitute was one who goes abroad.

So the opposite of a respectable woman who stays at home was a prostitute,

one who goes abroad.

The woman of the first century did not even do her own shopping,

except possibly to go out accompanied by a slave to buy material,

which she would use to construct her own clothing at home.

The women with whom Jesus spoke were very likely illiterate,

since the rabbis did not consider it an incumbent upon women to learn to read in order to study the Scriptures.

Based on the passage in Deuteronomy 4.9,

teach them to your sons.

The rabbis declared women to be exempt from the commandment to learn the law of Moses.

Indeed, the Talmud says,

so this would be commentary, rabbinical commentary,

it is foolishness to teach the Torah to your daughter.

Women were separated from men in private, public, and religious life.

They would go to the temple, but could not venture beyond the confines of the women's court,

and there is no such explanation of the women's court in the description of Solomon's temple.

It was added.

Women were not allowed to participate in public prayer at the temple,

although they were encouraged to have private prayer lives at home.

Women weren't reliable witnesses in this day.

But here you have Apollos, an Alexandrian Jew,

willing to have the way of God to explain to him more accurately by Priscilla.

Men, we would do well to learn things from the women of our church.

We need to take a lesson from Apollos' humility.

Now, because some of you are cringing right now, I know.

It is not my intention this morning to undermine complementarianism.

Complementarianism is the biblical, it's a biblical understanding

that men and women are positionally and personally equal before God.

Positionally and personally equally before God.

But that men and women are meant to serve in differing roles.

We've been given unique and valuable and precious roles that we're meant to serve in.

That's complementarianism.

I am not an egalitarian which says that in all ways we're equal.

There is no...

I am an opponent to feminism in that sense, the use of that word feminism.

I am a complementarian.

So I'm not undermining that this morning, in case that's what you heard me do.

It is not my intention to ignore the teaching of Paul in 1 Timothy 2.12.

Paul says this,

I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man.

Rather, she is to remain quiet.

So how do we reconcile?

How do we reconcile these things this morning?

We don't.

Not this morning.

Much of how we need to wrestle with these issues is what Paul means in 1 Timothy 2.12 by exercise authority.

And there are a lot of views out there floating around.

Many, many different views.

Good, conservative views about what that means and exactly the way in which it gets worked out.

But it's not my intention to accomplish all that we can accomplish concerning that.

It's not my intention to undermine complementarianism.

It is, however, my intention to say that there is a place for men to humbly hear and learn from women.

Men read books written by women.

A simple example of a great way to do that.

I don't have the time this morning nor the bandwidth this past week to prepare an exhaustive treatment on the matter.

But I will look for an opportunity to do so soon, right?

That we all might properly value the role of women in our church.

That we might be the strongest possible congregation for the glory of our king.

Okay?

I hope that leaves you settled enough for us to move on from there.

Okay?

So here, please hear everything I said.

Not undermining complementarianism.

I do think there are times, there is a place for men to humbly hear and learn from women.

We'll work it out in the future.

Okay?

So we have in Apollos a model of humility.

The Apostle Peter wrote, 1 Peter 5, 5,

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another.

For God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

And on your bulletin this morning, another Spurgeon quote.

Spurgeon said,

Growing Christians think nothing of themselves,

but full-grown Christians know themselves to be less than nothing.

Proper worth for the Christian comes from an understanding

that we have no worth on our own.

But that we have infinite worth because of the infinite worth of the one who bestows love on us.

Our worth is found in magnifying the worth of God in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

This is where our infinite worth comes from.

Right?

I am saved by this worth.

Look at Jesus.

Look at Jesus.

That's the worth that I have.

And it is infinite because of that.

Magnifying Him.

And this gives us much reason to be humble.

So, Paul serves us as a model of zeal and as a model of humility.

And lastly, he serves us as a model of refutation.

There may be a better word for that, but I'm pulling it right out of the text.

Verse 28.

He powerfully refuted the Jews in public.

I started my notes out this week with model of confrontation.

But I know that a lot of people don't like that word.

So, refutation.

After some time, and for an unknown reason,

but I would suggest it's likely because he has this missionary zeal.

He's being driven.

Right?

He came from Alexandria to Ephesus.

And now he wants to go to Achaia.

Right?

Which is the region where Corinth is located.

Luke records for us that he assisted the believers there.

Right?

When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed.

Right?

Followers of Jesus Christ.

In that, the way that he helped them

is that he powerfully refuted the Jews in public.

Showing by the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

Apollos helped the church in Corinth by refuting the Jews.

That is to say,

and this is the Greek of the word refuted,

that Apollos crushed opponents of the cross of Christ.

Right?

He left them no space for argument.

Right?

He used his eloquence and his competence in the scriptures

to put them in their place as opponents of God.

Now this was the great error of their day.

Right?

Jews standing up in opposition to Jesus being the Messiah.

The Christ.

Recall that when Paul preached the gospel,

wherever he preached the gospel,

he left behind a wake of Jewish unrest.

He was often the recipient of their disdain

for the preaching of Jesus as the Christ.

But we would be foolish to think

that the hatred of the gospel ceased when Paul departed.

Right?

Paul goes on to the next place.

It's not that the town settled down.

Right?

It would be silly for us to think such a thing.

Why?

Because Paul left behind

those who through grace

had believed.

Paul left behind Christians.

Christians.

And Christians preach the good news

of Jesus Christ.

So you can see this is still a problem for them

in Corinth.

There's still this disdain.

There's still this unrest.

There's still this opposition

to the gospel being preached.

And this is normative

for the Christian, beloved.

We are not exempt from this

because we live in America.

The way in which the gospel exists here

will take different shape

than it is in other places in the world.

But we will experience

opposition to the preaching of the gospel.

If you don't experience

opposition to the preaching of the gospel,

it's because you don't preach the gospel.

The Bible doesn't leave us any room

to get around that.

2 Timothy 3.12

Paul writes to Timothy,

Indeed,

all who desire to live a godly life

in Christ Jesus

will be persecuted.

And the will be

cannot be translated in any other way.

There's not might be

found anywhere in that use

of that Greek phrase.

Will be persecuted.

So if you just consider 2 Timothy 3.12,

if you're not being persecuted,

then you're not living a godly life

in Christ Jesus.

So,

the Jewish opposition

was the primary source

of Christian persecution.

And Apollos throws

his eloquence

and his competency

in the scriptures

now explained

more accurately

into those confrontations.

He refutes

the false claims

of the Jews

against him

and the gospel

of Jesus Christ.

So we have in Apollos

a model of this,

refutation.

So,

what then are the issues

of our day

that need this?

What do we need

to confront

the falsehood

that needs to be

confronted?

What is being

promulgated widely

in our religious

landscape

that needs

refutation?

Beloved,

the issues are

too many

and too varied

to address all of them

this morning.

They are

wide

and varied.

I want to give you

this morning

just one

example.

Just one example.

And that is

what is commonly called,

you've heard me call

it before here,

the cheap grace

gospel.

The cheap grace gospel.

Certainly,

the offer

to come

to God

by grace

through faith

and the personal

work of Jesus

Christ

is a free offer.

Just come.

Just come

and believe.

Certainly,

there are no

amount of good

works we can

amass

in order to

earn God's favor.

We don't work,

work,

work,

work,

work our way

to God.

This is absolutely

true.

I talked with the

children earlier

about this being

the 500th

anniversary

of the Reformation.

This was the great

thing that Martin

Luther and many

other men

were standing

up against

that Rome

was preaching

and still

preaches today.

Do enough

good.

Outweigh your

bad with enough

good

and you'll be

accepted

by God.

The gospel

teaches that

our bad

is infinite

and there's

no amount

of good

we can do

to balance

out infinite

bad.

God

but Jesus

being

infinitely

good

gives us

his goodness

by faith

in him.

This is the

gospel of

Jesus Christ

so there's a

there's a

freeness

to it

but once we

come to

Christ

we give him

all

of ourselves.

It costs

us our

life

literally

in some

cases

but certainly

as that

you say

figuratively

but we

give everything

to him.

He becomes

our greatest

treasure

in all

that we

do.

Our

greatest

highest

good

is in

service

to him.

And that

is not

the gospel

that is

most often

preached

in churches

these days.

The kind

of gospel

invitations

that are

given in

churches

these days

involve

every

head

bowed

and

every

eye

closed.

No

one's

looking

around.

We

wouldn't

want you

to be

embarrassed

for

following

Jesus.

Just

slip up

your hand.

I see

you over

there

brother.

I don't

think

there ever

was

that

person

the

first

person.

I see

your hand

I see

you looking

at me.

There you

are.

No

one's

looking.

I

don't

feel

ashamed.

And

then we

don't

expect

the kind

of lives

that

bring

opposition

as a

result.

Why

would

we

if this

is the

way

the

gospel

is

offered

to

begin

with?

And

so

somebody

in

secret

makes

their way

down

to the

front

of a

building

to

steps

carpeted

we call

it an

altar

for some

odd

reason

and they

sign a

card

and they

think

they're a

Christian.

In our

association

of churches

75

churches

the

reported

number

of

members

is about

40,000

in this

area that

we live

in

a couple

counties

four or five

counties

40,000

but the

reported

average

attendance

is

16,000

one

prominent

church

in our

association

reports

approximately

8,700

members

with an

average

weekly

attendance

of

2,800

and at

very best

at very

best

there are

just

bad

records

sometimes

we make

mistakes

and we

have a

lot

fewer

than

8,700

names

to keep

up with

I'm

usually

the

problem

with

our

record

keeping

that's

the best

case scenario

though

right

someone

has

become

a

member

of

another

fellowship

and

they've

yet

to be

removed

they

moved

to

California

how

could

they

possibly

be

there

on

Sunday

morning

with

them

at

worst

there

are

6,000

people

5,900

people

who

believe

that

they're

followers

of

Jesus

Christ

and

they're

not

because

they're

not

expected

to

follow

him

in

obedience

Jesus

said

this

in

John

13

35

by

this

all

people

will

know

that

you

are

my

disciples

if

you

have

love

for

one

another

there's

no one

in my

life

that I

love

that I

don't

enjoy

gathering

with

as

often

as I

possibly

can

it is

a

privilege

for us

to be

together

on a

Sunday

morning

the

average

church

active

church

member

these

days

used

to be

the

average

church

member

would

be

at

church

three

times

a

week

now

the

average

active

classified

as

active

church

member

these

days

is

at

church

three

times

a

month

Jesus

also said

in Matthew

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

chapter 7

17

through 19

so every

healthy tree

bears

good

fruit

I

am

not

saying

right

that

if you

come

to

church

you

will

be

saved

please

hear me

not

say

that

what

I

am

saying

is

that

we

will

be

obedient

to

the

things

that

God

has

asked

us

to

do

and

one

of

those

things

is

gathering

with

the

church

one

of

the

many

things

that

we

will

do

as

a

grateful

response

to

what

Jesus

has

done

for

us

as

we'll

gather

with

his

people

and

do

all

of

the

one

another

!

as

a

church

it'll

be

a

!

to

get

to

do

such

a

thing

so

every

healthy

tree

bears

good

fruit

but

the

diseased

tree

bears

bad

fruit

the

diseased

tree

sits

at

home

and

says

nah

not

this

morning

the

Jesus

says

I'm

so

sick

of

the

church

and

all

the

hypocrisy

in

it

says

the

hypocrite

verse

18

a

healthy

tree

cannot

bear

bad

fruit

nor

can

a

diseased

tree

bear

good

fruit

in

verse

19

every

tree

that

does

not

bear

good

fruit

is

cut

down

and

thrown

into

the

fire

the

cheap

grace

gospel

says

to

everybody

you're

a

great

tree

and

isn't

even

concerned

about

the

fruit

that's

being

produced

and

it's

dangerous

beloved

it's

damning

people

who

think

they're

followers

of

Jesus

Christ

who

think

they

have

eternal

!

security

and

they

don't

and

I'm

not

saying

that

people

who

aren't

right

now

members

of a

church

and

going

every

single

Sunday

are

not

Christians

but

they

definitely

need to

be

encouraged

to be

meeting

with the

church

amongst

other

things

and

beloved

we need

to always

do this

with

gentleness

and

with

humility

because

we

love

others

because

we

love

them

we

must

refute

those

who

teach

improper

doctrine

we

must

we

must

refute

we

must

refute

the

cultural

ideologies

that have

been

propitiated

by

bad

doctrine

we

must

correct

error

and we

must

do so

with

accurate

competency

in the

scriptures

2 Timothy

3 16

all

scripture

is breathed

out by

God

and it's

profitable

it's

good

it's

helpful

for

what

for

teaching

for

reproof

for

correction

and for

training

in

righteousness

if

we

love

people

we

will

be

about

this

activity

for

their

good

for

their

good

error

must

be

refuted

and it's

not just

my

responsibility

I think

I play

a very

prominent

part

in that

but it's

also

yours

I would

like to

conclude

this morning

by encouraging

you

to take

some time

today

take some

time this

week

and across

the span

of your

life

for

Apollos to

serve you

as a

model of

zeal

as a

model of

humility

and as

a model

of

refutation

let's

pray

together