18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.
23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.
-Acts 18:18-28
Throughout Chapters 17 and 18 of Acts, we read about Paul's great missionary work. I am amazed at the bravery and determination of Paul because he even goes to the Jewish synagogues to tell them that what they are teaching is wrong. Can you boldly step into a local Jewish synagogue and start teaching them about Jesus?
Paul is able to do all this because God is with him, protecting him and telling him "Do not be afraid." Because of Paul's devotion to teaching the gospel, he made many disciples and believers of Jesus. In this passage, we read about Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos who have become disciples of Jesus thanks to Paul's great work.
Let's focus on this new disciple, Apollos, who is introduced in verse 24. Apollos was originally a Jew, someone who studied the scriptures (Old Testament) closely and didn't know too much about Jesus. When he learned more about Jesus through Paul's disciples, Priscilla and Aquila, he was able to teach the gospel more effectively. Reading about Apollos' character in the following verses really shows me how much passion he had for learning about God and his ministry. He is a competent man, who knew what he was talking about, and a very accurate and bold speaker, using Scripture to prove and debate with Jewish people. I can imagine Apollo in verse 28 speaking in a Model UN conference.
This is the character of Apollo and his ministry as a disciple of Jesus. Apollo had these certain skills and gifts of speaking boldly and debating effectively with truth and fervor. This all goes back to Paul and his own ministry. Paul made disciples who then made even more disciples themselves. Paul has left such a great legacy.
As a follower of Jesus and a disciple, what kind of ministry are you leading? What skills and gifts of your own are you using to share the gospel? What kind of legacy are you going to leave behind?
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