The Book of Acts: Discipleship In Action.. Pt. 83 Be A Spiritual Mentor To a New Believer!

God's providential work on display!

Acts 18:24  And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. 

Paul traveled on to Antioch in Syria, the sending church, where he gave a report on what God did during his missionary journey. 

Luke tells us what went on in Ephesus after Paul left. As he often does, Luke introduced a new person in the narrative name Apollos. He was a "certain Jew" born at the Egyptian city of Alexandria. 

Alexandria is a city with an illustrious history. It was built by Alexander and was located on the Mediterranean Sea, between Lake Mareotis and a beautiful harbor formed by the Isle of Pharos. 

This city was built under the direction of Dinocrates, the famous architect who designed the lavish temple of Diana at Ephesus. The city had a world class library of ancient documents and was a noted center of learning.  

A significant Jewish population was concentrated in Alexandria and contributed to a fusion of Jewish, Greek and Oriental ideas. 

Now, this "certain man" was from Alexandria and he was a Jew. Apollos was "eloquent" which means very well educated, skilled in literature, the arts, and in history. He was also skilled in speech, being rational and wise.

Apollos was also "mighty in the scriptures" which means that he was thoroughly acquainted with the law and prophets, and was well skilled in the Jewish method of interpreting them.

In many ways, Apollos shared some striking similarities with the apostle Paul.  

Both men grew up in powerful, wealthy cities. Both men received the best education their parents could provide. Both men were well schooled by Jewish rabbis and both knew the Old Testament intimately. Paul was a Roman citizen and Apollos had similar status. 

Apollos lacked the full record of Jesus Christ. 

Acts 18:25  This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. 

It is most remarkable that at some point in time, Apollos encountered a Jew who anticipated Israel's Messiah and followed John the Baptist's teachings. 

This person instructed Apollos about the Messiah's coming and John's preaching of the baptism of repentance and what it meant to the Jews. 

Apollos believed and was baptized after expressing his repentance. This was all that he knew about Christ. 

He did not know about the full and complete ministry of Jesus from His words and works, to His death, burial and resurrection. Therefore, his ministry was hampered by a lack of knowledge. 

Apollos was "fervent in the Spirit" which means he was full of zeal and passion to propagate the truth of God. He taught diligently and accurately,  the baptism of repentance that he understood from the ministry of John the Baptist.

Aquila & Priscilla expound the way of God to Apollos.

Acts 18:26  And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. 

Aquila and Priscilla also attended the Jewish synagogue and they heard Apollos speak boldly about John's baptism of repentance. 

They were overjoyed observing the extent of Scripture knowledge and evangelical truth Apollos displayed. 

They appreciated his fervency, courage, and eloquence when preaching the truth.

Aquila and Priscilla waited until the service was over and invited Apollos to commune with them privately. 

These two beloved saints and helpers of Paul then took time to open of the scriptures to Apollos. They filled in the gaps from the time of John the Baptist until the ascension of Jesus Christ and the birth of the church. 

Apollos needed additional instruction  and he was grateful to receive it. Aquila and Priscilla made sure Apollos had a solid doctrinal foundation necessary for gospel preaching. 

Aquila and Priscilla gave him a full story of the life, words and work of Jesus and of the birth of His church to fill in the gaps in his knowledge. 

Jesus commanded us to teach others.

Matthew 28:19,20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20)  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. 

The Great Commission from Christ tells us that we must take the gospel to all nations to teach them to observe all things that Jesus commanded and to baptize all who exercise repentant faith in Christ. 

We must teach the Apostolic doctrine 

2 Timothy 2:1,2  Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2)  And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 

Like Paul showed young Timothy, Aquila and Priscilla took the full truths and knowledge of the Christian faith that someone had taught them, and they passed this truth on to Apollos. 

God provides Pastors, Evangelists and Teachers for us. 

Ephesians 4:11-15  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12)  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13)  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:  14)  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;  15)  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 

Paul told us that God gave us apostles, prophets which were temporary ministers until the New Testament was recorded.

However, God is still giving evangelists and pastors and teachers to His church. Why? So that each local church and the believers in it, may be perfected. 

Notice the three phrases that describe how God wants to use pastors, evangelists and teachers. 

"For the perfecting of the saints." 

The word "For" means that what follows is the ultimate aim or purpose. The main objective is correcting in all believers that which is lacking in our knowledge about our Great God and teaching and encouraging us on how to have a deep abiding love for our Savior, Jesus Christ.  

This is how they grew in their faith (and ours), becoming mature believers, grounded and settled in the Word of God. We can see that this is the vital spiritual benefit that Aquila and Priscilla conferred upon Apollos. 

"For the work of the ministry." 

A different word translated "for" refers to the immediate object.  Pastors, evangelists and teachers are provided "for" the work of ministry. 

This includes teaching about Christ and His apostles in expository preaching and other ministry involving laboring in the word and in prayer. 

Pastors, evangelists and teachers are provided by God so that the work of the ministry can be accomplished and God be glorified in it.   

What would the work of the ministry include? It includes many practical things like helping ministers of the gospel with various expenses which might include providing food and shelter for ministers of the gospel when they were visiting a church.  

"For the edifying of the saints." 

God does not want His children to be tossed about by new or novel man centered trends. He does not want us to be unsettled by every new variant of false doctrine that emerges. 

He wants us to be spiritually prepared so that we can discern false teaching and reject it. He wants us to have a faith that is rooted deeply in the fertile soil of God's Word so that it takes root and bears much fruit in our lives. 

Christ Jesus is our foundation and starting point.

Matthew 7:24-27  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25)   And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26)  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27)  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Jesus wants our faith to be strong and unyielding in the face of persecution or false teaching. Christ compared spiritual growth to hearing and heeding what He taught. 

Those who learn what Jesus taught and live by His words, build their homes on solid rock. Their homes will withstand the storms of life. 

Those who refuse to hear and heed the teaching of Jesus Christ, are like a person building their home on a sandy beach. The first storm will wash it away and destroy it. 

This is why Paul used construction      terminology in writing to the churches. Just as Jesus often used agricultural settings to teach gospel truth, Paul used construction settings to do the same.  

This is what Aquila and Priscilla did for Apollos. They "edified" him which means they built up and established his faith, just like following a blueprint to build a home.  

They shared God's truth in love with Apollos, so that his ministry would be used of God even more than before.  We will see that he was equipped to go forth far better equipped for gospel ministry. 

Sharing the truth of God in love helps believers grow in their walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Know God experientially.

We know Jesus better by our daily experiences of leaning on His everlasting arms. We experience God as we go through this life. 

We go through various trials and testing and God uses these tough times to draw us closer to Him. Our external circumstances will always be changing but God never changes. He works all things out for good in the life of each believer. 

When facing challenges, we discover afresh, that His Word is true and that He keeps His promises. We find that when we are under stress, hurting or overwhelmed, God will be by our side and comfort us, just as He promised. Thus, we know God experientially.  

Know God relationally. 

However, we also can know God relationally. When we are born again, God adopts us into His family and we become His sons or daughters. He becomes our God and Father. 

New life in Christ begins and we enjoy a fresh start in life with a new family of God's children all around the world. We see old things pass away as He makes all things new. 

God allows us to know Him through a living, vibrant relationship. We rightly relate to God through repentant faith in Christ. 

We commune with God by studying His Word, exalting Him with our Worship, honoring Him by our Walk and praying to Him. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, and He will build it as He deems best. 

He will make His Church into an effective body, united by faith, by the indwelling Spirit of God and working to spread the gospel throughout the world. 

His Body, the Church, carries on all their work as Christ’s servants in order to facilitate the great work which he undertook when He came seeking and saving the lost.

In this post, we see that there are two responses to the Word of God: Belief or unbelief.

Are you believing what God says?

There are two foundations: Christ the solid rock, or the shifting sands of the world. 

Have you built on the good foundation?

God has provided the means for us to know Him relationally through repentant faith in Jesus Christ. We can be born again and become a child of God.

Are you trusting Jesus?

God has provided the promises that we might know Him better as we go through our life experiences. He molds us and shapes us as we go through each trial, and He never leaves us!

Are we leaning on God when we face trials and troubles?

God uses seasoned saints to be a blessing to newly born again believers. We have the privilege of helping them grow in their faith, of helping them look to the Bible for answers to their questions.

If you are a seasoned saint, are you seeking to mentor new believers?

May the Lord help us grow in our faith, grow in our love for Him. May each of us pray that we can be a blessing to another believer and that we might have the privilege to point unsaved people to Jesus Christ.

Bob