Acts 18:24-25
Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.
Thoughts for Today:
In the Roman Empire, Alexandria was second in importance to only Rome. Over one third of the city's population was Jewish. Known for its cultural and academic pursuits, it had one of the finest libraries in the ancient world with over 500,000 volumes. As a result scholars were attracted from all over the world. Alexandria was the city where famous Greek philosophers and mathematicians such as Euclid Aristarchus and Eratosthenes worked. And it was the city that Apollos was from. Our passage today describes Apollos as:
* A learned man;
* With a thorough knowledge of Scripture;
* Instructed in the ways of the Lord;
* Well spoken and passionate;
* And he taught about Jesus accurately.
What I find particularly interesting about Apollos is, despite his knowledge, training, accuracy, and gift as an orator, he knew only that Jesus was the Messiah. He didn't know anything about the other really important facts of Jesus' life, death or resurrection, yet that didn't stop him from believing and teaching! All too often I find myself wanting to explain to someone everything there is to know about Jesus, when maybe to believe, knowing everything isn't really required at all (I know it wasn't for me). The story of Apollos also gives me great hope, because it tells me that I can still be useful and valuable to the Lord, even if I have some gigantic holes in my knowledge.
* A learned man;
* With a thorough knowledge of Scripture;
* Instructed in the ways of the Lord;
* Well spoken and passionate;
* And he taught about Jesus accurately.
What I find particularly interesting about Apollos is, despite his knowledge, training, accuracy, and gift as an orator, he knew only that Jesus was the Messiah. He didn't know anything about the other really important facts of Jesus' life, death or resurrection, yet that didn't stop him from believing and teaching! All too often I find myself wanting to explain to someone everything there is to know about Jesus, when maybe to believe, knowing everything isn't really required at all (I know it wasn't for me). The story of Apollos also gives me great hope, because it tells me that I can still be useful and valuable to the Lord, even if I have some gigantic holes in my knowledge.
Questions to Ponder:
Who have you not spoken to about the Lord ?
what ministry have you not joined because you felt lacking in some way?
Do you feel like you have to know everything before you can be useful to God?
This is not true.
If you believe in and practice what you know God can use you right now?
What can you do now to jump into ministry?
(Pocket Testament League Devotional)
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