Do you ever thank God for couples that love the Lord and love each other? They revel in each other’s company as they walk with the Lord day by day. One of my favorite old-time preachers is George Mueller. He said this of his wife. “Were we happy? Verily we were. With every year our happiness increased more and more. I never saw my beloved wife at any time, when I met her unexpectedly anywhere in Bristol, without being delighted so to do.” I often think back over the years, smiling that the good Lord has brought some godly couples into my early life, also into my married life, as mentors and examples. I received an email early this morning from a dear friend from my youth. She and her husband are going through extremely deep waters. Cancer has ravaged him and now she has had two strokes leaving her unable to write which was one of her passions. I would add that she was a very good writer. They have served the Lord together just short of 50 years. As I prayed for Franklin and Susie today I thought about another wonderful example in the New Testament. Aquila and Priscilla, his wife, are spoken of in several passages and they can teach us much for our Christian lives.

  1. They Worked Together. Acts 18:1-3. Claudius was the Emperor of Rome and in the year 52 A.D., he issued an edict that all Jews were to leave the city of Rome. Some of the Jewish population had been causing problems within the city so all were expelled. Aquila and Priscilla left Rome and landed in Corinth. Immediately they found their way to the marketplace and began searching for a spot to set up a small business. The couple were tentmakers. In ancient Judaism every boy was to learn a trade and Aquila’s was tentmaking. They secured a place, their tentmaking business was launched, but their main business was sharing Christ with those that passed by their door. One of those that passed by was the Apostle Paul. Immediately they connected. They shared a like faith and a like trade. Paul himself as a boy had been trained in the art of tentmaking.
  2. They Grew Together. Acts 18:11. Eighteen months, a solid one-year and a-half while in Corinth, Paul went to live with them. Every Sabbath he would “reason and persuade” both the Jews and the Gentiles in the weekly trip to the synagogue. During the workday as they cut the tent material and sewed the seams, the things of Christ would be talked about with great joy. In the evenings after a simple meal Paul would instruct them with revelation from God. No doubt this couple relished these times. Who wouldn’t? There are people that the Lord brings into our lives, and we are never the same. They are blessed with the ability to share in such ways as to make the difficulty of the Bible understandable.
  3. They Discerned Together. This couple believed God to be leading them to move to another city. Paul was leaving Corinth after a year and a half and Aquila and Priscilla chose to travel with him to his next stop, Ephesus. Why would they leave their business that was thriving? How do I know it was a successful business? It lasted for eighteen months. They may not have gotten rich, but they succeeded financially. You must eat to survive and have a place to sleep to refresh, so I think we could say the Lord certainly met their needs. But it was time to move. Off to Ephesus with Paul. No doubt they set up shop again in the marketplace. Paul soon left Ephesus, but the couple stayed. Acts 18:18-26 tells us the reason the Lord led them to stay while Paul was to go to other fields. Another young man entered their lives. His name was Apollos. Aquila and Priscilla were the ones responsible to take this gifted young preacher and instruct him “in the way of the God more perfectly” (maturely). God had a plan for this couple and over many months their growth was seen. Being obedient to the leading of God, they invested in the life of a young preacher. Older, mature, Christians have invested in all of us if we have any understanding at all. Perhaps it was your pastor, youth pastor, deacon, Sunday school teacher, or just a God-fearing layman who was knowledgeable in the Bible. They spent time with you instructing, encouraging, and praying just for you. Do you have anyone you are ministering to? Every one of us ought to have someone we are investing in. Paul sent greetings from Aquila and Priscilla when he wrote I Corinthians (16:19).
  4. They Sacrificed Together. The years have rolled by and the memories they have of the Lord’s work, the brothers, and sisters in Christ, and how God has met their every need, brings a smile to their faces. They are mature in the Lord and God leads them on another move, back to Rome. Once back, they again are concerned with the work of God. They are willing to sacrifice deeply so that the work and word of God can thrive. Romans 16:3-5 is interesting. Early Christians didn’t have church buildings like we do. God has blessed us with a beautiful complex, and we are completely debt-free to the glory of God. But the early Christians didn’t have our type structures, so they met in homes. Aquila and Priscilla had a church meeting in their home. Have you ever dedicated your home as a place of ministry? Is your home a place where the words of Christ are revered and honored? Do those that pass over your threshold know this is the home of a serious Christian? Couples ought to bounce ideas off each other about how to honor Christ most with their marriage. Early in the marriage of Aquila and Priscilla, the choice to do all to the glory of God was made. When we get to heaven, perhaps we will be allowed to entertain the saints from all ages in the mansions the Lord has prepared (John 14). I’d like for this couple to stop by and share their hearts.