Apollos: From John’s Baptism to Full Gospel — Acts 18:24-28 Daily Word

Apollos was eloquent and knowledgeable about Scripture, but only understood John’s baptism. Discover how Priscilla and Aquila helped him grasp the complete gospel message of Jesus Christ.

Apollos: From John’s Baptism to Full Gospel

[Scripture]

Acts 18:24-28 (ESV)

[24] Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. [25] He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. [26] He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. [27] And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, [28] for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. (Acts 18:24-28, ESV)

[Daily Word]

Alexandria, the most prominent city in Egypt, was the second most important city in the Roman Empire, and as a result, a considerable number of Jews lived there. Among them was a Jewish man named Apollos, who had come to Ephesus. In verse 24, Apollos is introduced as “an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures.”

However, although Apollos had knowledge of Jesus, he was still, like John the Baptist, awaiting the coming Messiah. Therefore, the baptism he had received was not one of receiving Jesus by faith, but remained at the level of repentance.

Apollos, who knew only the baptism of John, was acquainted only with what John had proclaimed concerning Jesus. Although he was well versed in the Scriptures of that time — the Pentateuch of Moses — he could not be complete because he had not yet heard the message that came through Jesus. The complete message had to include repentance from sin, along with the ministry Jesus carried out, His suffering, the cross, and the resurrection He accomplished, and ultimately, full faith in Jesus Himself. It was for this reason that Priscilla and Aquila took Apollos aside and proclaimed to him the gospel of salvation.

The Ministry of Priscilla and Aquila

Priscilla was the wife of Aquila. It was Priscilla who taught Apollos — a man well versed in the Scriptures — the way of God more accurately. In that era, when the strict subordination of women to men was the social norm, it would have been customary for the husband Aquila’s name to appear first. Yet the fact that Priscilla is mentioned first suggests that, much like Paul and Barnabas or Peter and John, her spiritual influence surpassed that of her husband.¹In Scripture, the order in which a person’s name is mentioned first is often interpreted as reflecting that individual’s spiritual weight or the significance of their role.

Along the same lines, the fact that Paul refers to Priscilla as a “fellow worker” in Romans 16:3 — placing her on equal footing with other male ministers such as Mark, Demas, and Luke — further supports this point.

The Church at Ephesus Established Through Priscilla and Aquila

Looking in particular at verse 27, we see that there were already believing brothers and sisters in Ephesus. The presence of believing brothers and sisters tells us that a church already existed there. Notably, however, the church at Ephesus was not founded by Paul, for Paul had stayed in Ephesus only briefly (18:19–21). In other words, the church at Ephesus was a congregation built up through the teaching of Priscilla and Aquila. God had planted a pioneer church in Ephesus through this husband-and-wife ministry team.

Apollos: Used by God Through the Complete Gospel

Apollos was clearly an outstanding and learned scholar. However, he fell short of being a complete Christian, because he only knew the baptism of John. Through the thorough discipleship of Priscilla and Aquila, he came to possess full knowledge and faith, and as a result, he was used by God just as Paul was. He proclaimed the truth of the gospel to many people living within Hellenistic culture, and as he bore witness with the eloquence of a scholar, the Jews were unable to refute his arguments (v. 28).

God always uses the weak. Remember that He strengthens the weak through faith and works through that faith, and may we, as believers, live lives that display the influence of faith.

Apollos, Acts 18, Gospel message, Biblical discipleship, Christian teaching

Originally published in Korean at bible2u.com