In Acts 18:24-28 Apollos was eloquent, competent in the [Hebrew]
Scriptures, instructed in the way of the Lord, fervent in Spirit, and
was boldly and accurately teaching (to the Jews in the synagogue) the things
concerning Jesus. When Priscilla and Aquila, who had been with Paul,
heard Apollos, they took him and explained to him "the way of God more
accurately". There was already accuracy--accuracy in what Apollos so far
knew--but there was more accuracy needed, as the revelation of Christ through the Spirit continued to unfold through his apostles.
After
this, when Apollos went in to Achaia, he "greatly helped those who
through grace had believed"; he did this by powerfully refuting the Jews
in public, "showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus".
Apollos
had been useful to God before; now he was much more so, useful to God
and to the church, because of his instruction in the epistles. That's
what Priscilla and Aquila were giving him when they explained to him the
way of God more accurately. They themselves had been learning from the
already-written and also the not-yet-written words of Paul.
Jesus
had told his apostles this would happen. "He [the Spirit] will glorify me, for he
will take what is mine and declare it to you" (John 16:14). The Epistles they wrote
are the words of Christ as much as any words written in red in the
Bible, and they were the wrods Jesus planned all along to be taught and written after his ascension.
I think this is such a great story in Acts.
Apollos's humility really stands out. God's providence and plan that
brought him together with Priscilla and Aquila is sweet to see. The
encouragement that there is always more to learn and that learning more
accurately results in such greater fruit is so wonderful, and really
exciting. And as a woman, I'm appreciative and grateful to the Lord for
Priscilla's (and other women named in the gospels and epistles) share in
the work of the kingdom. And thankful for Paul--faithful apostle of God.
