The saying “no man is an island” is a good one. Romans 14:7 says, “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.” The things we do and how we do them have an influence on others. In the blog today I want us to think about a man named Apollos. Everything we know about this man biblically is recorded in Acts, I Corinthians & Titus. If you want the references, they are Acts 18:24-19:7; I Corinthians 1:11-12, 3:4-6, 16:12; Titus 3:13.

Alexandria, located in Egypt along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, is where Apollos was born into a Jewish family. This city was a cultural mecca. The library of Alexandria boasted of having over 700,000 books. It was a city that placed great importance on education. It is recorded that over 100 thinkers, called muses, lived on the grounds of the library. Everyday these muses interacted with the great lecturers, zoos and many gardens. Founded by Alexander the Great it was aptly named after the leader of ancient Greece. This is the place that Apollos  was born and raised in this environment. Several things we can learn from this biblical character.

  1. He was Extremely Gifted. Apollos had the gift of being learned and a great orator (18:24 uses eloquent). If you look at II Corinthians 10:10 it seems as if Apollos is a better public preacher than the Apostle Paul. This was most likely a gift he was born with, a natural, and he studied hard to develop this gift. 18:24 says he “was mighty in the scriptures.” We know also that he was instructed by John the Baptist. In my mind, that’s a big deal because Jesus said of John the Baptist, he was the greatest born of women. When a man or woman wishes to learn, grow and expand in knowledge great efforts will be attempted. They are zealous in their effort. Apollos was certainly a man with a zest to learn. He was also gifted enough to see the value of being accurate. 18:28 shares with us that this man “convinced Jews publicly that Jesus was the Christ.” No doubt he was gifted. The great bible commentator Matthew Henry says of Apollos he was “a lively, affectionate preacher.” This is wonderful place to start but…
  2. He was Still Green. Father time reveals many things to those wise enough to pay attention. It always concerns me when young men, called to preach, say things boldly, yet aren’t willing to think and understand that perhaps they don’t know everything. Few, extremely few, Christians can get by without some type of training. Training comes in many forms. The most basic for me is simply reading your bible and committing it to memory. But is that enough? It can be, but those situations are extremely rare. One of the reasons we still do Sunday School is for expounding the Word of God on a consistent basis, week by week, by a Spirit filled teacher. Things are taught causing many “ah ha” moments in our understanding the bible. It concerns me greatly when young men, called to preach, say they are going to attend bible college or receive training. They’ve said things such as “well Charles Spurgeon and Curtis Hutson didn’t go to bible college.” It’s true they didn’t. These men were self-educated but there aren’t too many Spurgeon’s and Hutson’s around and it is arrogant to count yourself in that small number. I have heard Dr. Hutson say he wished he had gone to bible college. God doesn’t need ignorance in his work. 18:26 tells us a godly couple heard him speak. After hearing him an no doubt realizing that God could do something great with him “took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.” Later in Apollos growth he interacts with the great apostle. 19:1-7 tells us about twelve men. These men were most likely converts after hearing Apollos preach. Paul asked, “have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?” This group of twelve, including Apollos, didn’t even know about the Holy Ghost.” All they knew was what John the Baptist had taught, the baptism of repentance. Once they learn more, obedience in believers’ baptism was immediate. He had a lack of experience and learning and it was corrected. What about us? Do we take seriously our service to the Lord Jesus? Are we learning to be better Christians? Do we even have the desire? As gifted as he was, he accepted the instruction and correction the way Christians are supposed to. One final thought on this point. The couple that expounded unto him a more perfect way were simple people. They were a married couple that were layman. They made their living by sewing animal skins together. They were simply tentmakers. Our learning can come from a myriad of places including those humble, godly men and women the Lord puts in our path. John Bunyan was a tinkerer. He repaired pots for people in the 1600’s. King Charles asked John Owen, one of the most renowned preachers in England, why, he a great scholar, thought so much of such a simple man like Bunyan to go and hear him preach. “I would willingly exchange my learning for the tinker’s power of touching men’s hearts.”
  3. He was Simply Gracious. I Corinthians 3 tells us about a schism in the church at Corinth. Some of the people were causing a problem with favoritism. Paul and Apollos were both preaching at this church. Remember, Apollos was gifted with the ability to speak and do it so eloquently that many were drawn to just his sermon delivery. Others like Paul. Everyone has their favorite preacher. Sometimes that changes as you grow and mature but all of us have those we love hearing. What was Apollos’ attitude in all this? We don’t see his words in the text but we see his actions. He simply did what he was supposed to do. Paul said, I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase… Now he that planted and he that watered are one; and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. (I Corinthians 3:6,8). Each person in the Lord’s work has their own unique set of gifts given by the Lord. When you trusted Christ, the Holy Spirit gifted you with certain abilities. Just as Apollos had gifts so you do also. We are all servants. The servant means nothing the Lord means everything. Apollos had this understanding. At the end of I Corinthians Paul desires Apollos to come to the church but he can’t at this moment. Later in Titus Paul desires Apollos to come be with him (Titus 3:13). Apollos with all his gifts was a growing and gracious man of God.

As I close, remember we all need someone. None of us have arrived at the pinnacle of our spirituality. We grow and grow and grow some more.