The Book of Acts: Discipleship In Action Pt. 84 Always Follow Jesus Christ

Apollos used his full knowledge of the gospel at Corinth. 

Acts 18:27,28  And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: 28)  For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ. 

While at Ephesus, Apollos received some personal teaching and discipleship from Aquila and Priscilla. They helped him fully understand the gospel of Christ and the birth of the church, because all he knew up to that point, was the teaching of John the Baptist. 

Apollos readily received instruction  from this Christian couple and then he determined to leave Ephesus to seek ministry opportunities elsewhere in the province of Achaia.

The believers at Ephesus wrote letters of recommendation for Apollos, which was a common practice in that time. They testified how God used Apollos to lead them to salvation by the grace of God through repentant faith in Jesus Christ. 

This chapter ends with Luke giving us even more detail into the ministry of Apollos. Apollos traveled to Corinth from Ephesus because Corinth was the capital city of Achaia. 

Earlier, Paul traveled from Corinth to Ephesus on his way to Antioch and he left Aquila and Priscilla at Ephesus. God's mighty providential working was on display once again. 

It was through grace that the Ephesians had believed; and it was through grace that Apollo was enabled to help them much. Now, he was heading to Corinth where Paul previously ministered for about eighteen months.

The text says that Apollos "mightily convinced" the Jews. The words mean that with his abilities as an eloquent speaker and his fuller understanding of the gospel of Christ, Apollos forcefully and resolutely overcame all the arguments put forth by the Jews against Christ. 

He did this work in a very public setting because the Spirit of God was using him in a mighty way. 

Apollos took the Old Testament scriptures and put on public display for everyone to see that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all Messianic writings. 

Just as Paul preached and taught in Corinth for almost two years, and then briefly stopped in Ephesus, Apollos stayed briefly in Ephesus before heading out to Corinth. 

Paul's first letter to the Corinthians showed that Apollos was an innocent party to the divisions in that church. Apollos was not active in causing division at all. Rather, the believers at Corinth took sides, with some following Paul, some following Peter and some following Apollos. 

Corinth became divided over who they followed. 

1 Corinthians 3:1-3  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2)  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3)  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 

Paul challenged the Corinthians because they were being carnally minded instead of spiritually minded. The apostle singled out envy, strife and division as the source of their carnality.  

All the apostles worked together in spreading the gospel.

1 Corinthians 3:4,5  For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? 5)  Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? 

Here is the root cause of division at Corinth. Some followed Paul and some Apollos. This was wrong, because both men were ministers of the gospel. 

How should the Corinthians view Paul and Apollos? By recognizing that both men were ministers of the gospel, preaching Jesus Christ and those who were saved should give all glory to God. 

We must give God the glory for any harvest of new believers. 

1 Corinthians 3:6  I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 

Paul planted by sowing the seed of the gospel (Matthew 13) and Apollos came later and put water on the seed sown by Paul. Both steps are necessary for any fruit to remain. Watering without seed will not yield any harvest and seed without water will not grow. 

Thus, God gives the increase of souls born again and God should receive the glory. 

We must all be of one mind working together for the sake of the gospel.

1 Corinthians 3:7-9  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8)  Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 9)  For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

Paul summed it up by saying that it does not matter who planted the seed or who watered the seed. God gives the harvest of souls and those who plant or who water, are united together in the same gospel mission.

Do not be a man follower!

1 Corinthians 3:21-23  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 22)  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 23)  And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's. 

The Corinthians gloried in men which was wrong. We are not to be followers of men but followers of Christ. We know that all men, even those born again, are still sinners saved by grace. We will stumble at times and fail God.

If we follow a man and not Christ, then we will be disappointed and become discouraged. 

All the apostles point us to Jesus Christ. All godly pastors, evangelists or teachers must point people to Christ Jesus.  

Otherwise, people will follow a man, which may teach a message that does not accurately align with God's Word. 

Paul's message to believers is clear. Do not glory in men and do not be a man follower, but a follower of Christ. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

We see the hand of God working all things out so that the gospel of Jesus Christ might advance. Paul traveled from Corinth, to Ephesus and Syria. He left Aquila and Priscilla at Ephesus. 

Aquila and Priscilla encountered Apollos at Ephesus and privately taught him truth that he needed, in order to be an effective minister of the gospel. 

While Paul traveled on to Antioch in Syria to bear tidings of what God was doing, Apollos entered Achaia and went to Corinth. 

Thus, God orchestrated all of these things so that many Gentiles and some Jews would be born again as the gospel spread. 

Sometimes, a church can experience division where none was intended. Apollos came to Corinth to preach the gospel, entering into the work begun by Paul. After he left, the church broke into groups, some following Paul and some following Apollos. 

Paul set the record straight to help the carnal Corinthians realize that they must follow Christ, not men. 

They failed to give God glory for all the people He saved at Corinth and fell into contentious squabbling. 

Christians today are not immune from such things. Therefore, we must pray that the Lord will show us if we have not given Him the glory for the work He does in bringing people to Himself. 

We must follow Jesus Christ and learn to live by the doctrine of His apostles. 

We must trust Christ to anoint His Word, realizing that is does not matter whether we are sowing or watering it. 

We can be confident that the Word of God will not return void. It will do the very work God has appointed for it. We can trust Him for a harvest of souls. 

Bob