1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,440 I want to take this time together to talk to you about 2 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:08,840 one of the most fascinating disciples of Jesus Christ in the 3 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:14,160 early church. His name is Apollos, and he has 4 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:18,040 one of the most impressive biographies in all of the New 5 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:21,640 Testament. And as unique as this man's 6 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:27,200 portfolio might be, careful attention, we'll discover that 7 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,920 there is incredibly helpful practical instruction that we 8 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:34,280 can discover together from his life. 9 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:40,920 And I can say from a personal standpoint that what the Bible 10 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:45,120 reveals about Apollo's has blessed me tremendously, 11 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:47,400 especially in the early years of ministry. 12 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:51,360 And my prayer is that as we take this time to look at the few 13 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:54,480 verses that have been preserved concerning him, that you too 14 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:57,160 will be blessed because every part of the Bible has been 15 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:01,480 breathed out by God for us. And so I want us now, without 16 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:05,000 wasting any more time, to go straight to the passage that 17 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:09,360 introduces Apollos to us in the book of Acts. 18 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:12,440 And so if you have God's Word in your hand, meet me in Acts 19 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:16,920 chapter 18. It will begin at verse 24. 20 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:29,280 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to 21 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,520 Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, 22 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:37,120 competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the 23 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:41,680 way of the Lord, and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and 24 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:46,040 taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he only 25 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:50,960 knew the baptism of John. The first thing that we should 26 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,280 observe about Apollo's is that he was a Jew born and raised in 27 00:01:54,280 --> 00:02:00,360 Alexandria, which was in Egypt. Alexandria was known as a hub of 28 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:05,040 Hellenistic culture and learning, and over the centuries 29 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:08,560 a large Jewish population grew in that region. 30 00:02:10,039 --> 00:02:13,800 But as common as Jews in Alexandria might have been, we 31 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:17,120 quickly discovered that Apollos was no ordinary Jew. 32 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:22,360 He was no ordinary Jew, firstly, because he was a believer in 33 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:24,560 Jesus Christ as the Messiah. People dispute that. 34 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:26,880 They argue whether or not Apollos was a believer at this 35 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:32,400 time, but he was a believer. He was a believer in Jesus. 36 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:36,160 And besides being a believer, we read that he was an eloquent 37 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,200 man. An eloquent man. 38 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,840 Now we can't limit that to mean that he had this ability to 39 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:46,520 communicate, that he had flawless skills, that he had a 40 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:49,600 vast vocabulary. The original word denotes 41 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:54,640 something much more expansive. Included in that word is that he 42 00:02:54,640 --> 00:02:59,680 was a learned man. Apollos was highly educated and 43 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:02,720 it makes sense from the fact that he was born and raised in 44 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:07,760 Alexandria, a place that held and hosted a great university 45 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:13,240 and a great historic library. But Apollos was not just again 46 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:17,760 one who was able to speak, he was also one who was able to 47 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:22,400 retain information, and the area of his expertise was the Old 48 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:25,320 Testament. We read here that he was 49 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:29,160 competent in the Scriptures. That's how the ESV renders it, 50 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:32,560 but most other word for word translations use the word 51 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:38,400 mighty. He was mighty in the scriptures 52 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:43,520 and that word mighty speaks of power and it also speaks of 53 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:45,840 wealth. So you can almost say that 54 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:51,600 Apollos was strong and rich in the scriptures. 55 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:55,760 I don't know about you, but if I had a choice to be mighty and 56 00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:58,640 anything, it would be in the scriptures. 57 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:03,360 We should strive for the same. He was a man who knew the Bible 58 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:06,280 very well. And interestingly, while others 59 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:08,720 in the Bible were deeply knowledgeable and skilled in the 60 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:11,920 Scriptures, no one is directly recognized for having this kind 61 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:16,320 of mastery of God's Word. That should grab our attention. 62 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:19,560 And this has LED some to speculate that Apollos was 63 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:21,800 actually the one who authored the book of Hebrews. 64 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:25,800 Have you ever heard that there's debate about who wrote the book 65 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:28,160 of Hebrews? It is a masterpiece, especially 66 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:30,000 connecting the Old Testament with the New. 67 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,000 So because of Apollo's description, people say it's got 68 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,680 to be Apollo's, or at least Apollo's helped somebody. 69 00:04:37,280 --> 00:04:41,480 I don't necessarily agree with that point, but a major 70 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:45,560 contribution for this man's lofty knowledge is given to us 71 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:47,600 in verse 25. We're told that he had been 72 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:49,960 instructed in the way of the Lord. 73 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:52,600 Whether that instruction was formal or not, we aren't sure. 74 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:56,400 But what is certain, however, is that he was a full time Bible 75 00:04:56,520 --> 00:05:00,560 student. And if anybody here has been or 76 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:03,960 is a full time Bible student, if you're in ministry, especially 77 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:06,360 as a pastor, you also are a full time Bible student. 78 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:08,840 At least you should pursue to be that. 79 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:13,760 You know that that requires dedication, it requires 80 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:19,800 sacrifice, it requires devotion, and only single minded devotion 81 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:22,840 can bring a person to the point of having such proficiency in 82 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:27,560 God's Word. And Apollo's had it competent in 83 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:29,440 the Scriptures, mighty in the Bible. 84 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:32,920 But we have to be honest in acknowledging this, that just 85 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:35,320 because somebody might be knowledgeable, even 86 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:38,200 knowledgeable in the Bible, doesn't automatically mean that 87 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,120 they are effective in communicating that knowledge. 88 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:45,880 Some of you have perhaps encountered those who are very 89 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:49,680 intelligent, but they're very challenging to listen to. 90 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:55,840 There are smart people that are stale, to be frank. 91 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:00,160 There are scholars who are stiff. 92 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:07,600 Apollos was not a dry theologian because we learned here also 93 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:09,720 that he was what? Fervent. 94 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:14,760 Fervent in spirit. You know what the word fervent 95 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:17,440 means in the Greek? To boil. 96 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:20,920 To boil. You know what that means? 97 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:28,560 Apollos was fiery. Apollos was engaging, He was 98 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:31,760 persuasive. He spoke with conviction. 99 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:36,760 And usually people don't have that package. 100 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:40,280 They might have the knowledge, but they don't have that ability 101 00:06:40,280 --> 00:06:41,760 to speak. Or some have the ability to 102 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:44,560 speak and they're very engaging, but they lack substance. 103 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:48,640 No, no, no, Apollo's had both. And he had a way of expounding 104 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:52,120 the Word of God and connecting truths together that thrilled 105 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:55,080 his listeners and silenced his opponents. 106 00:06:57,360 --> 00:06:59,480 And it's at this point that I want to say a few things about 107 00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:02,360 Apollo's that apply to us, though they're not the main 108 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:05,360 points of the message. The first thing that I want you 109 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:09,440 to see is that though this man had so much going for him, the 110 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:11,800 Lord still had so much more for him. 111 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:17,400 Because as we're going to read, Apollos is going to see an 112 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:20,600 enlargement of his ministry. And as you read through the New 113 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:22,400 Testament, you realize he's not just found here in Acts. 114 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:25,360 He's found primarily in the book of First Corinthians. 115 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:29,720 And Paul tells us there in First Corinthians 36 that he planted, 116 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:33,640 Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 117 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:36,440 In other words, Paul was responsible for seeing this 118 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:38,840 church birth in Corinth, but Apollos came along and he 119 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:41,800 brought nourishment and spiritual growth to this body of 120 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:44,720 believers. He was loved. 121 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:46,960 In fact, he was loved too much because there was a little bit 122 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:49,600 of a cult following there in Corinth that made too much of 123 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:50,880 him. But we'll get to that in a 124 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:54,160 moment. Apollos was someone here who 125 00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:57,160 played a major role in the early church. 126 00:07:57,880 --> 00:07:59,680 And each of us should be encouraged to know that if we 127 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:03,560 are eager and faithful in what Providence has placed before us 128 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:08,440 today, the Lord will provide opportunities in your tomorrow's 129 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:11,600 to come. There's no debate that he was 130 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:16,120 diligent, that he was devoted. And the Lord saw that and made a 131 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:20,280 way for him. Apollo serve God, and God made 132 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:23,960 ways for him to serve. And I can already hear some of 133 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:26,160 you thinking, well, of course, opportunities came to Apollo's. 134 00:08:26,360 --> 00:08:29,440 Given this man's expertise, it makes sense. 135 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:31,360 Which brings me to my second point. 136 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:36,159 Ready for this? We don't have to have everything 137 00:08:36,159 --> 00:08:41,120 together before God uses us. Look at verse 25 again. 138 00:08:41,799 --> 00:08:44,360 As advanced Apollo's may have been, the Holy Spirit says 139 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:46,400 something quite interesting at the end of verse 25. 140 00:08:46,680 --> 00:08:50,480 He spoke and taught accurately the way or the things concerning 141 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:54,440 Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 142 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:00,960 Now, Apollo's was accurate in many things, but his teaching 143 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:05,120 was incomplete. It reached a certain point. 144 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:09,040 A lot of what he was saying was right, but it wasn't full. 145 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:13,160 And we're going to see here that a couple recognized the 146 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:15,520 incompleteness, the deficiency in his doctrine. 147 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,480 So it could be that John's ministry, the Baptist, right, 148 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:24,640 the First Baptist ever, John the Baptist, his teachings spread 149 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:27,320 across the world and even reach Alexandria, Egypt. 150 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:30,920 Or it could be that Apollo's, while in Israel, maybe during 151 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:33,680 the feast as he would make pilgrimage, heard John's 152 00:09:33,680 --> 00:09:36,360 teaching and preaching and sat under it for that brief time and 153 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:37,800 then began to spread it elsewhere. 154 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:42,520 We're not entirely sure why he preached the baptism of John, 155 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:46,840 but we know what it is. The baptism of John was one that 156 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:49,760 prepared the people for the first coming of Jesus, to 157 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:51,760 prepare the people by cleansing themselves and seeking 158 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:53,680 forgiveness for the arrival of the Messiah. 159 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:57,920 But that baptism has has no bearing. 160 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:01,800 It has no need now in the new covenant because in the new 161 00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:04,160 covenant, though there is an element of repentance and 162 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:07,480 turning to the Lord in our baptism, baptism in the name of 163 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:10,600 Jesus. It primarily emphasizes you 164 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:13,960 making a declaration of faith that I'm identifying with 165 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:16,640 Christ's death, burial, and resurrection a lot different 166 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:20,760 than John's baptism. Some even argue that Apollo's 167 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:23,720 this is just an indication of other limitations that he had in 168 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:26,120 his understanding of the full scope of Jesus teachings. 169 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:28,960 We're not sure, but what's being highlighted here is that he did 170 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:34,640 not know what he needed to know and yet he was still being used 171 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:39,240 to glorify God. Now, I want to be careful how I 172 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:41,280 say this because I don't want to give the impression that I'm 173 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:44,880 advocating for ill preparedness or carelessness in our personal 174 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:47,520 growth. Instead, I want to make the 175 00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:50,640 point to encourage those who feel inadequate or even 176 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:57,080 frustrated with yourself. God uses us as we are maturing. 177 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,320 He doesn't recruit you once you become the master of your craft 178 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:05,080 or your calling. That doesn't mean that there are 179 00:11:05,080 --> 00:11:07,000 no standards in God's Kingdom. It doesn't mean that there 180 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:08,160 aren't goals that we need to reach. 181 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:13,760 It simply means that you can rejoice in God's grace and enjoy 182 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:18,360 serving Him while you rest in His patience as He develops you. 183 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:25,000 And so your awareness of your weaknesses should never diminish 184 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:28,000 your zeal or commitment to the cause of Christ. 185 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:32,240 Be aware of them, acknowledge them, but all let it bring you 186 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:36,200 to the feet of Jesus. And be comforted by the 187 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:39,240 realization that this is just one of many examples where God 188 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:42,600 uses imperfect people, limited people, people who still need to 189 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:45,800 grow, to still touch people's lives for His glory. 190 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:51,200 We all qualify. Lastly, I want to add something 191 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:57,360 before we get to the main point. Apollo's teaches us that God 192 00:11:57,360 --> 00:12:02,520 uses those who use their minds for His glory. 193 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:05,840 You know why I say that? Because most of the time when we 194 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:10,040 hear sermons or we have teachings or being discipled 195 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:13,080 genuine Christians who want to serve God. 196 00:12:13,080 --> 00:12:17,880 Here 1st Corinthians 127 being quoted that God chose what the 197 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:21,520 foolish things in this world to confound the wise, that He chose 198 00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:25,680 the weak things in this world to confound those who are strong. 199 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:29,720 And that is absolutely true. We should all rejoice in that, 200 00:12:30,680 --> 00:12:34,960 but I think some Christians take it too far and that they think 201 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:38,000 that just because now they are spiritual and that they come 202 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:43,120 into Christ that they can turn their brains off and they feel 203 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:49,040 like there is no need for training and being educated and 204 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:55,240 growing in reasoning and logic. Listen, when you give your life 205 00:12:55,240 --> 00:12:57,480 to Christ, you don't just surrender your heart, you 206 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:01,080 consecrate your mind. And if God has gifted you, 207 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:02,960 especially with a mind, the ability to retain and 208 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:05,520 communicate truth, use it for his glory. 209 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:07,840 Use it. And we should all seek to be 210 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:10,080 people who know how to communicate and know how to 211 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:12,160 think properly and articulate ourselves. 212 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:14,760 Apollo shows us that, yes, he uses the foolish things. 213 00:13:14,920 --> 00:13:17,720 Yes, like the other disciples, he uses those who did not have 214 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:20,600 formal training, absolutely. But it doesn't mean that we 215 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,680 shouldn't seek it if God gives us opportunity for it. 216 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:30,080 Apollo shows us that your mind should be given over to the 217 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:34,760 glory of God, you're learning should be consecrated for the 218 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:40,840 cause of Christ. After saying all that, I want to 219 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:45,400 make the case that this man's inspiring story is not primarily 220 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:49,480 found in his gifting, his ministry, his abilities, or his 221 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:53,160 mind for that matter. In fact, I want to even argue 222 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:56,120 that this man's expansive ministry, how it's going to 223 00:13:56,120 --> 00:14:00,280 enlarge, is not chiefly due to these reasons either. 224 00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:05,400 There is one particular quality that Apollo's possessed that was 225 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:09,960 the main contributor to his success for the gospel of Jesus 226 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:12,360 Christ. You know what it is, and this is 227 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:15,560 the main point of the message, his teachable spirit. 228 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:21,600 I want to preach to you today about having a teachable spirit. 229 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:26,120 It is an undeniable characteristic of true disciples 230 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:29,520 of Jesus Christ. We didn't read these verses, so 231 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:34,280 let's come back to Acts 18 and verse 26. 232 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:40,960 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla 233 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:44,680 and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him 234 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:50,400 the way of God more accurately. And when he wished to cross the 235 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:53,160 IKEA, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples 236 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:55,480 to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly 237 00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:59,480 helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully 238 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:02,360 refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that 239 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:06,040 the Christ was Jesus. So Apollo's remember at this 240 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:09,600 point he shows up on the scene in our reading of Acts in 241 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:12,280 Ephesus. Why is he in Ephesus? 242 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:14,280 Well, we get the impression that he was kind of a solo 243 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:16,440 missionary, a travelling evangelist. 244 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:19,000 And So what does he do? Well, he's competent in the 245 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:20,720 Scriptures. So he makes his way to the 246 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:24,320 synagogue. And who's there, to our surprise 247 00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:26,920 in attendance, Priscilla and Aquila. 248 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:29,840 We should know this couple. They are very well known in the 249 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:31,120 Scriptures. They are commended throughout 250 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:33,880 the New Testament. They were dear friends of Paul. 251 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:36,920 They sacrifice much. Paul uses this language that 252 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:43,400 they risk their necks for me. So this wonderful couple knew 253 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:45,800 Paul very well. They actually at this point 254 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:48,000 we're travelling with Paul, but they were left in Ephesus while 255 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:50,960 Paul went on. And we have no doubt that they 256 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:53,440 learned much from their relationship with this mighty 257 00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:56,800 man of God, Paul. And that's going to show here. 258 00:15:56,920 --> 00:15:59,080 Why? Because as they are listening to 259 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:03,160 this wonderful order, Apollo's the guest speaker in the 260 00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:07,360 synagogue that day, they realize that there needs to be some 261 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:10,840 development in his teaching. They pick up on it real quick. 262 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:16,520 And so once the sermon was over and the service was dismissed, 263 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:20,920 Priscilla Aquila got in line to greet the new preacher in town. 264 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:24,120 And they probably initially encouraged him at first. 265 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:26,240 But at some point, though we don't know how the transition 266 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:30,320 took place, they began to explain to him the way of God 267 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:35,800 more accurately. Now, let me share a little 268 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:37,800 secret about those who preach the word of God. 269 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:42,920 All right, a genuine preacher. We'll always pray and hope that 270 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:45,960 there will be a sincere and lasting response to what they 271 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:48,960 are about to speak, including the preacher now. 272 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:54,440 But I can tell you this with confidence that being corrected 273 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:57,600 for what you shared is not one of the responses that preachers 274 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:00,320 look for. Doesn't feel good, though 275 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:04,839 sometimes it is needed. And so I want you, whether 276 00:17:04,839 --> 00:17:07,359 you're a preacher or not, put yourself in this man's shoes 277 00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:11,720 that after doing or acting in any way publicly thinking that 278 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:16,040 you did so perfectly fine, someone points out to you that 279 00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:22,480 you actually fell short. And the study that I want us to 280 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:28,920 consider is that this man handled the situation in such a 281 00:17:28,920 --> 00:17:32,920 wonderful way that it would prove to be a pivotal moment in 282 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:36,080 his life in ministry. This man who was praised for 283 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:41,920 being exact in his delivery and data would be discipled by tent 284 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:44,520 makers. And though he didn't know it on 285 00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:49,760 this day, the teachability of Apollo's would change this man's 286 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:55,120 life forever. What does it mean to have a 287 00:17:55,120 --> 00:17:58,840 teachable spirit? Now, there are many definitions, 288 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:00,440 but let me make it as simple as possible. 289 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:04,520 It is a heart posture that is eager and willing to receive 290 00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:08,640 instruction or correction. And there's a slight difference 291 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:10,400 between instruction and correction. 292 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:13,440 Instruction is to receive knowledge about something that 293 00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:16,560 will build upon who you are or what you know. 294 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:20,080 That's instruction. Correction, however, is 295 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:25,800 receiving knowledge that will alter, that will change who you 296 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:28,240 are or what you know. Which one do you think is more 297 00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:32,360 difficult to accept correction. There's some people who love 298 00:18:32,360 --> 00:18:35,160 being instructed to learning. It's correction that has a 299 00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:37,640 special edge to it, to the flesh. 300 00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:42,200 And we see here that this man in a sense, was corrected. 301 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:44,920 And regardless of how it makes us feel. 302 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:48,360 Let me repeat it again. This inner disposition is a 303 00:18:48,360 --> 00:18:51,040 characteristic of true disciples of Jesus Christ. 304 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:52,880 But knowing the definition is not enough. 305 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:58,440 This little snapshot of the life of Apollos has been preserved 306 00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:02,200 for us to be a mirror so that we can look and see. 307 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:04,520 Do I walk in that reality myself? 308 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:07,600 Do I live in that reality? Do I have that conviction? 309 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:12,120 Is that eagerness true of me? And here are three basic 310 00:19:12,120 --> 00:19:15,000 questions that I want to present to you that will help us assess 311 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:17,840 this reality in our lives. And following that, we will look 312 00:19:17,840 --> 00:19:22,520 at two brief treasures that come with teachability. 313 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:25,440 Here's question number one. This is just really discipleship 314 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:28,000 time for us. This is real practical 315 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:30,520 Christianity. Some Sundays it's going to be so 316 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:34,480 theological that'll take you weeks to chew on, and other days 317 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:37,080 it'll be direct and practical. We need both. 318 00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:41,560 Question number one, if I want to know if I have a teachable 319 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:46,280 spirit, how do I respond to correction? 320 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:50,360 Very simple question. And if you look again at verse 321 00:19:50,360 --> 00:19:57,760 26, we read that Priscilla Aquila took him aside, took him 322 00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:00,880 aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 323 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:04,480 So I know our focus is on Apollo's, but let me just make a 324 00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:08,840 brief comment about this couple. Notice how they sought to 325 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:14,400 instruct and correct Apollo's. They didn't rebuke him publicly. 326 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:17,640 They didn't look at each other during the surveys and say we 327 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:19,560 have a new blog post, we have a new heretic in town. 328 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:26,680 They didn't seek to debate him. They didn't come with arrogance, 329 00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:27,960 they didn't come with aggression. 330 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:30,680 We have every reason to believe that they came respectfully, 331 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:35,520 gently embracing him. And if you want to earn the 332 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:38,400 right to speak into anybody's life, let them first be 333 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:43,320 convinced that you love them. I'm sure that they saw the the 334 00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:47,320 potential in Apollo's. They saw something wonderful and 335 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:50,760 obvious, gifting, and they thought what an instrument he 336 00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:52,960 would be to the Church of Jesus Christ. 337 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:56,960 And so they came with that mindset, investing in this young 338 00:20:56,960 --> 00:21:00,200 man so that he can flourish for the Kingdom of God. 339 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:05,160 Now we see here that some believe that even Priscilla and 340 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:07,840 Aquila invited Apollo's to their home. 341 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:13,000 That's not entirely clear, but what is obvious to us is that 342 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:16,600 Apollo's voluntarily followed them in order to hear what they 343 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:18,920 had to say. They didn't say that they put 344 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:22,280 Apollos in a headlock, did it? They took him aside. 345 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:27,240 This is a grown man, so he had to be willing to follow them and 346 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:28,960 hear what they had to say, whether it was on the side of 347 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:31,760 the sanctuary or at their home for dinner. 348 00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:39,240 There's a proverb that speaks on this in Proverbs 1920. 349 00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:46,320 We read, listen to advice and accept instruction that you may 350 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:49,600 gain wisdom in the future. You know, I noticed when I read 351 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:53,960 this first there's an equation found in it that you first must 352 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:58,480 be willing to listen, then accept before you can gain 353 00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:00,480 wisdom. Do you know where some 354 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:02,200 Christians go wrong with this equation? 355 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:04,840 They completely missed the first step. 356 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:10,160 They don't want to listen. And there are different ways of 357 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:12,800 that manifest. One of the ways you know you're 358 00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:16,240 not listening to instruction is that when it comes your way, not 359 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:20,240 only do you become defensive immediately, because oftentimes, 360 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:23,000 especially when we think we're doing something right, we tend 361 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:24,920 to perk up and say, wait, what's going on here? 362 00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:29,320 You remain defensive and you stay in defensive mode and you 363 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:31,440 don't let up and you don't give in and you don't try to pause 364 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:33,360 and reflect and consider the other side. 365 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:36,840 You remain in that place. And sometimes the defensiveness 366 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:40,520 goes as far as what you're the one being corrected. 367 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:42,720 But I got some things to say about you. 368 00:22:44,360 --> 00:22:45,560 Oh, you're pointing things out about me. 369 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:47,280 Well, let's, let's get ready to rumble. 370 00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:49,440 What about this? And what about that? 371 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:52,520 That's not the issue at hand. You're the focus of the 372 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:57,240 conversation. But defensiveness has a way of 373 00:22:57,240 --> 00:22:59,280 displaying something of our hearts. 374 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:03,120 And if you don't display it like that, an aggression, you might 375 00:23:03,120 --> 00:23:05,440 do it passively. So here's what we tend to do 376 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:08,800 sometimes when we're being confronted either by a spouse or 377 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:11,560 an elder or a brother and sister in Christ. 378 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:16,400 We're silent, but we're not really listening. 379 00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:20,000 We're tuning you out. There's something else playing 380 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:22,040 in our minds and we're just waiting for this conversation to 381 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:25,720 be over with. But there are even more clever 382 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:27,480 ways that we cannot be listening. 383 00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:30,520 And you got to listen before you can accept and gain anything. 384 00:23:31,400 --> 00:23:33,800 Some of us may have certain individuals that we have 385 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:38,040 selected to confined in, but if we're honest, these 386 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:41,640 accountability partners are selected because they never 387 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:45,560 really offer true instruction or correction. 388 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:48,880 We know that they will agree with everything that we have to 389 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:54,680 say. No, no, Apollo's here shows that 390 00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:57,680 I'm willing to hear what you have to offer. 391 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:02,680 Do you want to know how somebody is walking in full maturity in 392 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:05,960 this area? They're even willing to listen 393 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:08,400 to what their enemies have to say about them. 394 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:14,200 Those that hate them, that persecute them, that are clearly 395 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:16,400 not like Priscilla Quilla, that want the best for you, that they 396 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:19,360 want to find things to make you feel discouraged or to 397 00:24:19,360 --> 00:24:23,240 reconsider your value, your purpose, your ministry, whatever 398 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:26,960 the case may be. A wise person even in that will 399 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:29,520 tune and say, is there any kernel of truth in this 400 00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:32,640 criticism that I can apply so that I become more righteous and 401 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:37,720 less blameworthy? How do I respond to correction? 402 00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:41,360 A policy was willing to, it brings us to question #2 am I 403 00:24:41,360 --> 00:24:46,520 willing to receive instruction slash correction from anyone? 404 00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:51,640 So you have Apollo's and Priscilla Aquila. 405 00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:53,320 They differ in obvious ways, right? 406 00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:55,920 This man was a full time missionary who travelled to 407 00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:58,920 preach and debate. What about Priscilla and Aquila? 408 00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:01,800 Let me remind you in Acts 18 three that they were tent makers 409 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:05,600 by trade. In terms of ministry, they had 410 00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:08,600 different platforms. And look, this isn't the main 411 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:09,760 point. I might do this a couple more 412 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:12,560 times, but I can't help myself because there's such an exciting 413 00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:15,280 thought from this. Because we have a case here 414 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:18,600 where you have a couple who had a business that they were 415 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:23,520 running together and they proved to be more knowledgeable and 416 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,120 accurate in the ways of God than the traveling evangelist. 417 00:25:27,360 --> 00:25:31,440 Now, if we, if we can all agree that for Apollo's to have this 418 00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:36,040 kind of portfolio, it required hard work, diligence, 419 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:38,240 discipline, right? We, we can't debate that. 420 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:42,280 If that is true of Apollo's, then what should we say about 421 00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:46,560 this couple who knew the way of God more accurately? 422 00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:48,840 Does that make sense? Here's why I bring this up, 423 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:53,920 because Priscilla and Aquila silence any excuse on our part 424 00:25:54,960 --> 00:26:00,040 for not knowing the word of God in a growing, more obvious and 425 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:04,320 flourishing way. We can't be weak in the Word and 426 00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:08,240 we can't use that excuse of not being in full time ministry to 427 00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:12,080 arrive at greater levels of understanding God's Word. 428 00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:17,240 You have a couple who made tents during the day and were able to 429 00:26:17,240 --> 00:26:21,680 instruct the preacher. And here's what's so 430 00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:24,360 fascinating. I see here that the spiritual 431 00:26:24,360 --> 00:26:26,400 material of this too is shown that they weren't even 432 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:29,320 mesmerized by Apollos's speaking. 433 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:33,360 They weren't caught up by any kind of frenzy. 434 00:26:34,120 --> 00:26:36,680 They weren't gripped necessarily to the point where they lost 435 00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:39,080 their discernment. You don't want to see here that 436 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:42,200 although Apollos was praised for these abilities, Priscilla and 437 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:43,880 Aquila, when they were sitting in the meeting, they were 438 00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:45,800 focused on the content of the message. 439 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:49,160 Unfortunately, many people are not. 440 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:50,880 Unfortunately, many people are listening to people that they 441 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:55,400 should not be listening to because they're funny, because 442 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:59,320 they're compelling storytellers, because they're attractive, 443 00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:01,640 because they have a nice sounding voice. 444 00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:03,080 You know what I learned from Priscilla and Aquila? 445 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:06,800 They were focused on what was being said, not how it was being 446 00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:09,080 said. They were discerning. 447 00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:13,680 Why did he stop at the baptism of John, how we got to talk to 448 00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:17,680 him about this? And I wondered when I was 449 00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:20,160 looking at this last night, how did this couple arrive to this 450 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:22,720 point? How did they get to this point? 451 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:24,800 And you know what we're told in the very same chapter. 452 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:27,480 So go back to 18, chapter 18, verse one. 453 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:29,360 Here's our introduction to this couple. 454 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:32,840 But I want you to see another verse after we confirm where 455 00:27:32,840 --> 00:27:35,760 they met Paul, Acts 18 one and three. 456 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:39,560 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 457 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:43,280 And he found a Jew named Aquila and a native Pontius recently 458 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:46,280 come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had 459 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:49,880 commanded all the Jews to leave Rome and he went to see them. 460 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:53,040 And because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and 461 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:56,240 worked for they were tent makers by trade. 462 00:27:56,880 --> 00:28:00,980 So this was before Paul was able to be funded to go into full 463 00:28:00,980 --> 00:28:03,000 time ministry here in Corinth. If you were at the Maranatha 464 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:04,800 conference, we talked about this very chapter. 465 00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:09,560 So he met this couple who were persecuted and had to flee Italy 466 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:14,040 to come to this region. And Paul stay here for a certain 467 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:16,280 amount of time. And I want you to see what he 468 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:21,400 did with that time. In Acts 18, verse 11, he stayed 469 00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:28,240 a year and six months teaching the word of God among them. 470 00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:34,880 The among them don't exclusively include the Corinthians who were 471 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:36,800 born again under Paul's ministry. 472 00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:40,440 It also includes who? Priscilla and Aquila. 473 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:45,720 So you know what? I can just imagine this, that as 474 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:51,440 this couple spent the whole week stitching and cutting and 475 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:54,320 putting together and potentially making sales. 476 00:28:56,640 --> 00:29:00,600 At the end of that week, they would rush home, get cleaned up, 477 00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:03,520 put on a different outfit because they were eager to sit 478 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:05,400 up Paul's feet to hear what he had to say. 479 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:11,440 Maybe more than once a week. So you had this husband and wife 480 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:16,200 that we're so hungry to grow in God that they took advantage of 481 00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:21,240 the resources at their disposal, namely the apostle Paul, who is 482 00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:23,120 able to bring the word of God to them. 483 00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:27,600 And my prayer and looking at this is that every couple in 484 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:31,560 this church would share in that pursuit, would be able to 485 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:36,160 fellowship over a shared passion for God's Word. 486 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:40,120 And even if you are here and you're saying I have that but my 487 00:29:40,120 --> 00:29:42,640 spouse doesn't, this still applies to you. 488 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:44,640 It applies to all of us. How? 489 00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:49,480 Because Priscilla and Aquila did not live to become and remain 490 00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:51,160 and be successful in tent making. 491 00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:54,200 That was their work. That's how they paid the bills. 492 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:57,080 That's what they just had to do to be good citizens and honestly 493 00:29:57,080 --> 00:29:59,840 good Christians. But down deep inside their heart 494 00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:02,760 of hearts, what they longed for was the acquisition of spiritual 495 00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:07,800 wealth. They had jobs, but their jobs 496 00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:10,920 weren't their identity. Yes, they had responsibilities, 497 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:15,200 but oh, with whatever time they had left, they wanted to grow in 498 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:19,840 God's Word. And because of that eagerness, 499 00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:25,600 this couple bless the church. They not only hosted a church, 500 00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:29,640 but when Apollos came into town, they were able to recruit him 501 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:34,760 and they were able to see him grow because of what they knew 502 00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:39,000 personally. I'm not in Acts, by the way. 503 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:41,560 I was in Acts a couple of weeks ago, but now I'm in Romans. 504 00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:45,240 I think I just began First Corinthians, actually, But I 505 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:50,280 read something at the end of the book of Romans that taught me at 506 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:53,080 least one sign of a healthy church. 507 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:57,680 Now, if you were, if you were to ask someone or be asked rather, 508 00:30:57,880 --> 00:31:00,440 what's the sign of a healthy church, what would you answer? 509 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:04,080 Well, let me give you 11 Mark. It's in Romans 15. 510 00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:07,160 And look at verse 14 for a moment, because Paul commends 511 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:11,240 this church and Paul often righteously criticize the 512 00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:13,800 churches that he wrote to. Only in a few epistles does he 513 00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:15,920 really commend them at this level. 514 00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:18,360 And I want you to see what he says to the Romans in Romans 15 515 00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:28,080 verse 14. Paul says I am myself in Romans 516 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:31,680 1514. I myself am satisfied about you, 517 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:35,400 my brother, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled 518 00:31:35,400 --> 00:31:39,640 with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. 519 00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:47,040 I'm satisfied. Why am I satisfied with your 520 00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:50,400 spiritual condition? Because I've learned that you're 521 00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:52,440 able to teach and admonish one another. 522 00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:56,320 So a sign of a healthy church is not that you have elders who 523 00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:58,880 preach the word of God faithfully, as vital as that is, 524 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:02,600 but it's that the members of that church are able to expound, 525 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:08,880 instruct, dissect, apply, interpret the word of God to one 526 00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:11,720 another. So that shows me that even 527 00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:15,400 counseling is not purely from the leadership down. 528 00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:19,520 It's mutual. And the source of our counsel is 529 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:23,480 the Bible instructing one another. 530 00:32:23,800 --> 00:32:27,920 You have Paul telling Apollo's how to grow in the knowledge of 531 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:32,120 Jesus message. No, a couple who made tents 532 00:32:32,120 --> 00:32:36,640 during the week. And that's something for us, I'm 533 00:32:36,640 --> 00:32:38,160 sure. Let it be an inspiration. 534 00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:39,960 But I have to come back to the main point. 535 00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:45,080 The main point is Apollo's. Apollo's, though a teacher, 536 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:49,440 humbled himself to be taught by tent makers. 537 00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:56,280 And a person who possesses a teachable spirit can confidently 538 00:32:56,280 --> 00:33:00,000 say this I'm not only willing to learn from my pastors, but my 539 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:04,280 peers. I'm not only open to receiving 540 00:33:04,280 --> 00:33:07,600 instruction by someone who's been in the faith for 30 years, 541 00:33:07,600 --> 00:33:09,640 but somebody who might be younger in the faith than me. 542 00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:13,760 I'm not just somebody who's willing to receive enrichment 543 00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:17,760 from brothers in the church, but godly sisters as well, and vice 544 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:22,520 versa. Question number three. 545 00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:25,280 Question number one was how do I respond to correction? 546 00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:32,120 Question #2 we see here that we should ask, how do I receive or 547 00:33:32,120 --> 00:33:33,920 am I willing to receive instruction, correction from 548 00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:36,000 anyone? And lastly, how well do I work 549 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:39,680 with fellow Christians? That's a great indicator. 550 00:33:40,360 --> 00:33:41,880 Let's come back to our main passage. 551 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:44,760 You'll learn here that Apollo's not only listened and accepted 552 00:33:44,760 --> 00:33:47,480 the instruction from this couple, he developed a 553 00:33:47,480 --> 00:33:49,640 relationship with them, and through them he was able to 554 00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:52,720 develop a relationship with the brothers in Ephesus. 555 00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:56,960 So look back at verse 27. And when he wished to cross to 556 00:33:56,960 --> 00:34:01,000 IKEA, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples 557 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:03,320 to welcome him. When he arrived. 558 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:06,720 He greatly helped those who, through grace, had believed. 559 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:10,639 So after an undisclosed period of time, Apollos wished to go to 560 00:34:10,639 --> 00:34:13,400 Corinth. So I feel like I'm done here and 561 00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:16,440 I'd love to go to Corinth and, and preach about what I just 562 00:34:16,440 --> 00:34:18,760 learned. And so the disciples, the 563 00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:20,960 brethren who were there and learned about it said, that's 564 00:34:20,960 --> 00:34:23,199 great, we encourage you to go, but you're going to need 565 00:34:23,199 --> 00:34:25,480 something. And they, they wrote a 566 00:34:25,480 --> 00:34:29,080 recommendation letter. Now, maybe you don't know this, 567 00:34:29,080 --> 00:34:30,840 but this is, this is quite interesting. 568 00:34:31,920 --> 00:34:35,639 Writing recommendation letters for people from one church who 569 00:34:35,639 --> 00:34:38,639 are moving or traveling to another church was a common 570 00:34:38,639 --> 00:34:42,800 practice of the early church. And the reason for that, it was 571 00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:44,120 to safeguard the assembly, right? 572 00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:47,159 You had, you had false teachers polling around, you had people 573 00:34:47,159 --> 00:34:50,000 who would come into the local church and, and deceive the 574 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:52,760 naive and try to take advantage of the generosity of Christians. 575 00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:56,080 And so these recommendation letters were, were highly 576 00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:58,280 valuable and it became a practice. 577 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:02,560 And so before they sent a pause, they sent a letter to say, Hey, 578 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:05,160 this brother that we met, we vouch for him. 579 00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:06,680 He's legitimate, He's a real believer. 580 00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:10,600 He he's, he's sound and they would be able to welcome him. 581 00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:13,280 You actually see an example of this in the Bible. 582 00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:14,440 So I told you to go to Romans 15. 583 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:18,520 Go to Romans 16 where Paul writes a commendatory letter for 584 00:35:18,520 --> 00:35:24,200 Phoebe. Notice what he says in verse 585 00:35:24,200 --> 00:35:25,560 one. This gives you a little glimpse 586 00:35:27,480 --> 00:35:31,920 of how these churches operated. He writes in verse one. 587 00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:34,760 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church 588 00:35:35,160 --> 00:35:37,960 at Concrete. You may welcome her in the Lord 589 00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:40,640 in a way worthy of the Saints and help her in whatever she may 590 00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:44,520 need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself 591 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:47,720 as well. So notice that even these 592 00:35:47,720 --> 00:35:49,440 recommendation letters would be public. 593 00:35:51,160 --> 00:35:54,480 In fact, I had a chance to have a conversation with Pastor Benna 594 00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:57,920 about this a few days ago where he was kind of sharing about how 595 00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:00,800 some of these churches back home in the Middle East operated and 596 00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:04,160 some of these local assemblies, they would do just that. 597 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:06,800 If somebody moved into town, it was coming into another 598 00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:09,200 assembly. They would come with a 599 00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:11,840 recommendation letter and the leaders of the church would 600 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:14,800 stand up before the congregation and read it out loud. 601 00:36:15,600 --> 00:36:17,680 So and so is with us and the church. 602 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:21,000 And so and so says that they are worthy believers and they are 603 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:23,320 genuine. They're faithful members. 604 00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:29,240 I think that's wisdom. In fact, for those who have been 605 00:36:29,240 --> 00:36:32,160 members here and you are applying to be members, you'll 606 00:36:32,160 --> 00:36:36,240 notice something in our application that in it you'll 607 00:36:36,240 --> 00:36:39,440 see that we asked what churches you've been a part of before and 608 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:45,040 if you're open for us to contact those churches, that's derived 609 00:36:45,040 --> 00:36:46,680 from the wisdom of the early church here. 610 00:36:48,680 --> 00:36:52,040 And so we see that this man received recommendation letters 611 00:36:52,120 --> 00:36:56,000 and we all want to be in the place as members, as faithful 612 00:36:56,040 --> 00:37:00,800 church members, that if God were to bring us elsewhere, everybody 613 00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:03,720 in the church at your park can say you're going to be blessed 614 00:37:03,720 --> 00:37:07,160 by so and so you're going to be blessed. 615 00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:15,040 I doubt that Apollo's would have the same opportunities if he had 616 00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:18,840 fallen into the condemnation of Proverbs 18. 617 00:37:18,840 --> 00:37:21,000 Two, as one example, listen to these words. 618 00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:26,200 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in 619 00:37:26,200 --> 00:37:32,680 expressing his opinion. What would happen to Apollo's if 620 00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:37,120 approached by Priscilla and Aquila and he offended by their 621 00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:39,640 correction? Hey, with all due respect, what 622 00:37:39,640 --> 00:37:42,280 do you guys do for a living? Oh, you're tent makers. 623 00:37:42,760 --> 00:37:45,360 I'm a scholar who is educated in Alexandria, Egypt. 624 00:37:45,360 --> 00:37:47,480 Do you know that? You're saying, do people talk 625 00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:49,440 like this? You'd be surprised. 626 00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:55,600 I wonder if they would be able to confidently send him to court 627 00:37:55,600 --> 00:37:58,800 and say this is a brother that that will bless you. 628 00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:02,920 He works well with the church. He, he, he's willing to listen, 629 00:38:02,920 --> 00:38:07,080 He's willing to receive. Which brings me to the final 630 00:38:07,080 --> 00:38:10,320 portion of this message. I want you to consider 2 clear, 631 00:38:10,680 --> 00:38:14,000 obvious rewards that came from this man's teachability. 632 00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:19,440 Very simple to remember #1 it provided greater opportunities 633 00:38:19,440 --> 00:38:24,560 in ministry and #2 it made His ministry more effective. 634 00:38:24,560 --> 00:38:26,440 We talked about the opportunities He was able to go 635 00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:28,480 to Corinth. But I want you to look at the 636 00:38:28,480 --> 00:38:30,440 wording of verse 27 and verse 28. 637 00:38:30,440 --> 00:38:35,600 It says here, when he arrived in the latter portion of 27, he 638 00:38:35,600 --> 00:38:41,000 greatly helped those who through grace had believed and notices, 639 00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:45,160 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the 640 00:38:45,160 --> 00:38:47,840 Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. 641 00:38:49,840 --> 00:38:52,960 So when he came to Corinth, he really cleaned up house. 642 00:38:53,560 --> 00:38:56,520 Nobody could stand against him, nobody can refute him, nobody 643 00:38:56,520 --> 00:39:01,040 could debate him. He encouraged the believers and 644 00:39:01,040 --> 00:39:04,520 he subdued those who would try to resist the message of Jesus 645 00:39:04,520 --> 00:39:08,280 Christ. Now somebody had a surface level 646 00:39:08,280 --> 00:39:11,360 understanding of the story and you were to quickly ask them 647 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:15,120 what was the recipe for success for Apollo's what? 648 00:39:15,120 --> 00:39:17,400 What was the reason for his graduation and his 649 00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:20,160 effectiveness? Someone might likely say his 650 00:39:20,160 --> 00:39:26,000 ability wrong, his teach ability, because if it wasn't 651 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:28,480 for the teach ability, he would not have known the way of God. 652 00:39:28,480 --> 00:39:32,080 More accurately, that was the linchpin, that was the means, 653 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:34,960 that was the reason. That was the channel for the 654 00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:36,960 blessing of God to flow in and through Him. 655 00:39:39,040 --> 00:39:44,480 Never forget, the greater your humility, the greater your 656 00:39:44,480 --> 00:39:49,040 ministry. The greater your humility, the 657 00:39:49,040 --> 00:39:52,720 greater your ministry. Oh, this man had a right spirit. 658 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:57,240 And it wasn't just recognized in the way that he accepted 659 00:39:57,240 --> 00:40:01,600 correction when it came, but it's also known in how he 660 00:40:01,600 --> 00:40:06,800 rejected fleshly praise. I said earlier how when Paul 661 00:40:06,800 --> 00:40:12,400 goes to Corinth, he planted Apollos comes along, he waters. 662 00:40:13,840 --> 00:40:16,280 And again, this man was so magnetic. 663 00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:20,480 He was so compelling. He was so enjoyable that 664 00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:22,200 factions began to develop in the church. 665 00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:23,840 Now there was divisions in the local assembly. 666 00:40:23,840 --> 00:40:24,880 You know what the divisions were? 667 00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:30,520 I I like Pastor Paul more than anybody else. 668 00:40:30,720 --> 00:40:34,280 And yet another group saying no, no, no, Pastor Peter is the guy. 669 00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:37,760 And another group saying, are you guys kidding me? 670 00:40:38,480 --> 00:40:43,600 Have you heard Apollo speak? Nobody can expound and exegete 671 00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:51,760 the Old Testament like Apollo's. This grieves Paul, but I'm 672 00:40:51,760 --> 00:40:54,080 persuaded that it also grieve the Apollos. 673 00:40:55,240 --> 00:40:58,000 So Apollos is mentioned in the first part of First Corinthians, 674 00:40:58,000 --> 00:40:59,480 but he's also brought up in the last part. 675 00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:02,840 So if you go to 1st Corinthians 16, I want you to see what Paul 676 00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:14,160 says. 1st Corinthians 1612 This is another verse that gives us 677 00:41:14,160 --> 00:41:17,520 insight to how the early church functioned relationally, even 678 00:41:17,600 --> 00:41:19,480 especially in the context of ministry. 679 00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:22,360 Notice what Paul says. First Corinthians 1612. 680 00:41:23,880 --> 00:41:26,920 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urge him to 681 00:41:26,920 --> 00:41:28,400 visit you with the other brothers. 682 00:41:28,520 --> 00:41:31,480 But it was not at all his will to come now. 683 00:41:31,960 --> 00:41:35,280 He will come when he has opportunity. 684 00:41:35,880 --> 00:41:39,360 Many believe that Apollos was so grieved by the divisions, 685 00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:42,560 especially because his name was being used for those divisions, 686 00:41:43,080 --> 00:41:45,880 that he didn't want to come into contact with this church in that 687 00:41:45,880 --> 00:41:47,960 condition. He's I just, I need more time 688 00:41:48,200 --> 00:41:51,280 and they need to figure that out before I see them face to face. 689 00:41:52,240 --> 00:41:55,720 If that is true about Apollo's, what a man he was. 690 00:41:57,960 --> 00:42:00,680 He didn't feed on it. He didn't find his identity in 691 00:42:00,680 --> 00:42:03,000 that. He could care less. 692 00:42:03,080 --> 00:42:07,360 In fact, it broke his heart. But more than that, look, Paul 693 00:42:07,520 --> 00:42:10,880 really believed that if Apollo, if Apollos went to Corinth, he 694 00:42:10,880 --> 00:42:12,880 could really benefit the church. He could really help them in 695 00:42:12,880 --> 00:42:15,240 their spiritual growth. So you can just imagine what 696 00:42:15,240 --> 00:42:17,400 that meeting was like. Paul talks to pauses. 697 00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:21,280 Apollos, listen, they love you and you are obviously gifted by 698 00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:23,280 the Lord. I think if you go, they can 699 00:42:23,280 --> 00:42:25,160 really, you can really solve some of these problems. 700 00:42:25,160 --> 00:42:27,120 And Paul says, I just don't feel led to go. 701 00:42:27,640 --> 00:42:29,760 I just, I don't think I'm supposed to go at this time. 702 00:42:30,160 --> 00:42:32,160 And Paul strongly urged him, try to convince him. 703 00:42:32,240 --> 00:42:34,280 But you know what he didn't do? He didn't force him. 704 00:42:35,680 --> 00:42:37,000 And we're talking about teachability, right? 705 00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:39,600 How teachability is about willing and being eager to 706 00:42:39,600 --> 00:42:41,320 accept instruction or correction. 707 00:42:42,320 --> 00:42:45,240 Paulo shows here the balance. It doesn't mean to be a 708 00:42:45,240 --> 00:42:48,080 teachable person that you don't have personal convictions or 709 00:42:48,080 --> 00:42:52,280 legitimate objections. So let's clarify that, right? 710 00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:55,320 Teachability doesn't mean that you just agree with everything. 711 00:42:55,840 --> 00:42:59,520 No, no, you see a policy who says I have some concerns and he 712 00:42:59,520 --> 00:43:02,840 is no less righteous in that. I, I can't go. 713 00:43:02,840 --> 00:43:06,440 He is no less humble in that. So let's be balanced here in how 714 00:43:06,440 --> 00:43:09,840 we understand this. Paul believed that he should go. 715 00:43:10,440 --> 00:43:13,040 Apollo says I'm not going to go. I'm troubled by this. 716 00:43:14,080 --> 00:43:18,400 And Paul honored that. So if anything, now you see the 717 00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:22,960 humility of the apostle Paul. And that's how a church will 718 00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:27,200 really be successful when everybody has that spirit that 719 00:43:27,200 --> 00:43:31,200 we're willing to hear, but we're also willing to receive. 720 00:43:32,080 --> 00:43:35,400 We're also willing to give, we're also willing to take. 721 00:43:37,040 --> 00:43:40,640 And I want all of us in this place to strive for that because 722 00:43:40,640 --> 00:43:42,800 my desire in prayer is that all of us would have a greater 723 00:43:42,800 --> 00:43:46,720 ministry, greater opportunities, greater effectiveness. 724 00:43:46,720 --> 00:43:49,560 Whether you are one like an Apollos who has devoted your 725 00:43:49,560 --> 00:43:53,080 life to preach in the gospel, or you're an Aquila and Priscilla, 726 00:43:53,480 --> 00:43:58,400 a couple that goes out into the world to make your money, your 727 00:43:58,400 --> 00:44:01,360 savings, you have earthly responsibilities. 728 00:44:01,360 --> 00:44:06,400 But oh, you love the Word of God and your purpose is beyond this 729 00:44:06,400 --> 00:44:10,040 life. I want us to pray and ask God to 730 00:44:10,040 --> 00:44:12,240 help all of us. He is willing to do that. 731 00:44:29,500 --> 00:44:32,300 Lord, we're amazed at how through one man, you can speak 732 00:44:32,300 --> 00:44:39,180 to so many. It's amazing how a few verses 733 00:44:39,180 --> 00:44:41,100 can change the rest of our lives. 734 00:44:41,940 --> 00:44:47,240 Lord, today as we've come eagerly to receive Your Word, we 735 00:44:47,240 --> 00:44:52,200 pray that more than interesting insights that this would get 736 00:44:53,440 --> 00:44:58,360 into the depths of who we are. Thank you, Lord, that you've 737 00:44:58,360 --> 00:45:02,720 shown us how much you honor humility, how you make way for 738 00:45:02,720 --> 00:45:04,960 those who are willing to receive. 739 00:45:07,560 --> 00:45:10,720 So we asked Lord that today, on this Sunday, you would sharpen 740 00:45:10,720 --> 00:45:16,760 us to reflect your Son the Lord Jesus Christ, to know when to 741 00:45:16,760 --> 00:45:21,960 listen and accept and when to speak up and object. 742 00:45:23,920 --> 00:45:26,600 Lord, help us as a church to be strengthened in this area. 743 00:45:27,720 --> 00:45:32,520 Every ministry represented here that every member would be able 744 00:45:32,520 --> 00:45:37,560 to reflect this man. Use us all and wherever we are 745 00:45:37,560 --> 00:45:42,800 weak or need to grow, Lord bless us with friendships and 746 00:45:42,800 --> 00:45:45,920 leadership that are loving enough to speak into our lives. 747 00:45:47,520 --> 00:45:51,360 And so, Lord, we pray for the leadership that like Apollo's, 748 00:45:51,360 --> 00:45:54,960 they would have ears to hear. And we pray for the members that 749 00:45:54,960 --> 00:45:57,400 they also would walk in the ways of this wonderful couple. 750 00:45:58,440 --> 00:46:00,640 Make us all mighty in the scriptures. 751 00:46:01,480 --> 00:46:04,120 Make us all be able to instruct one another. 752 00:46:04,760 --> 00:46:07,960 We want to be mature. We want to be in your perfect 753 00:46:07,960 --> 00:46:10,240 will as your church. Lord, we thank you. 754 00:46:10,920 --> 00:46:14,600 Your word is wonderful. We're amazed by it again and we 755 00:46:14,600 --> 00:46:17,560 want to sing about it now. In Jesus name we pray. 756 00:46:17,960 --> 00:46:21,240 Amen, Amen, Amen. Let's stand. 757 00:46:21,240 --> 00:46:24,040 Let's give him praise for His Word.