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A Teachable Spirit | Acts 18:24-28 (Apollos) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  I want to take this time together to talk to you about
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  one of the most fascinating disciples of Jesus Christ in the
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  early church. His name is Apollos, and he has
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  one of the most impressive biographies in all of the New
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  Testament. And as unique as this man's
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  portfolio might be, careful attention, we'll discover that
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  there is incredibly helpful practical instruction that we
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  can discover together from his life.
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  And I can say from a personal standpoint that what the Bible
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  reveals about Apollo's has blessed me tremendously,
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  especially in the early years of ministry.
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  And my prayer is that as we take this time to look at the few
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  verses that have been preserved concerning him, that you too
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  will be blessed because every part of the Bible has been
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  breathed out by God for us. And so I want us now, without
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  wasting any more time, to go straight to the passage that
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  introduces Apollos to us in the book of Acts.
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  And so if you have God's Word in your hand, meet me in Acts
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  chapter 18. It will begin at verse 24.
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  Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to
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  Ephesus. He was an eloquent man,
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  competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the
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  way of the Lord, and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and
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  taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he only
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  knew the baptism of John. The first thing that we should
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  observe about Apollo's is that he was a Jew born and raised in
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  Alexandria, which was in Egypt. Alexandria was known as a hub of
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  Hellenistic culture and learning, and over the centuries
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  a large Jewish population grew in that region.
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  But as common as Jews in Alexandria might have been, we
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  quickly discovered that Apollos was no ordinary Jew.
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  He was no ordinary Jew, firstly, because he was a believer in
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  Jesus Christ as the Messiah. People dispute that.
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  They argue whether or not Apollos was a believer at this
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  time, but he was a believer. He was a believer in Jesus.
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  And besides being a believer, we read that he was an eloquent
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  man. An eloquent man.
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  Now we can't limit that to mean that he had this ability to
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  communicate, that he had flawless skills, that he had a
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  vast vocabulary. The original word denotes
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  something much more expansive. Included in that word is that he
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  was a learned man. Apollos was highly educated and
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  it makes sense from the fact that he was born and raised in
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  Alexandria, a place that held and hosted a great university
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  and a great historic library. But Apollos was not just again
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  one who was able to speak, he was also one who was able to
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  retain information, and the area of his expertise was the Old
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  Testament. We read here that he was
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  competent in the Scriptures. That's how the ESV renders it,
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  but most other word for word translations use the word
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  mighty. He was mighty in the scriptures
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  and that word mighty speaks of power and it also speaks of
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  wealth. So you can almost say that
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  Apollos was strong and rich in the scriptures.
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  I don't know about you, but if I had a choice to be mighty and
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  anything, it would be in the scriptures.
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  We should strive for the same. He was a man who knew the Bible
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  very well. And interestingly, while others
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  in the Bible were deeply knowledgeable and skilled in the
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  Scriptures, no one is directly recognized for having this kind
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  of mastery of God's Word. That should grab our attention.
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  And this has LED some to speculate that Apollos was
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  actually the one who authored the book of Hebrews.
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  Have you ever heard that there's debate about who wrote the book
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  of Hebrews? It is a masterpiece, especially
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  connecting the Old Testament with the New.
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  So because of Apollo's description, people say it's got
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  to be Apollo's, or at least Apollo's helped somebody.
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  I don't necessarily agree with that point, but a major
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  contribution for this man's lofty knowledge is given to us
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  in verse 25. We're told that he had been
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  instructed in the way of the Lord.
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  Whether that instruction was formal or not, we aren't sure.
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  But what is certain, however, is that he was a full time Bible
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  student. And if anybody here has been or
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  is a full time Bible student, if you're in ministry, especially
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  as a pastor, you also are a full time Bible student.
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  At least you should pursue to be that.
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  You know that that requires dedication, it requires
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  sacrifice, it requires devotion, and only single minded devotion
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  can bring a person to the point of having such proficiency in
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  God's Word. And Apollo's had it competent in
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  the Scriptures, mighty in the Bible.
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  But we have to be honest in acknowledging this, that just
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  because somebody might be knowledgeable, even
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  knowledgeable in the Bible, doesn't automatically mean that
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  they are effective in communicating that knowledge.
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  Some of you have perhaps encountered those who are very
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  intelligent, but they're very challenging to listen to.
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  There are smart people that are stale, to be frank.
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  There are scholars who are stiff.
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  Apollos was not a dry theologian because we learned here also
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  that he was what? Fervent.
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  Fervent in spirit. You know what the word fervent
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  means in the Greek? To boil.
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  To boil. You know what that means?
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  Apollos was fiery. Apollos was engaging, He was
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  persuasive. He spoke with conviction.
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  And usually people don't have that package.
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  They might have the knowledge, but they don't have that ability
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  to speak. Or some have the ability to
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  speak and they're very engaging, but they lack substance.
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  No, no, no, Apollo's had both. And he had a way of expounding
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  the Word of God and connecting truths together that thrilled
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  his listeners and silenced his opponents.
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  And it's at this point that I want to say a few things about
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  Apollo's that apply to us, though they're not the main
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  points of the message. The first thing that I want you
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  to see is that though this man had so much going for him, the
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  Lord still had so much more for him.
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  Because as we're going to read, Apollos is going to see an
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  enlargement of his ministry. And as you read through the New
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  Testament, you realize he's not just found here in Acts.
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  He's found primarily in the book of First Corinthians.
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  And Paul tells us there in First Corinthians 36 that he planted,
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  Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
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  In other words, Paul was responsible for seeing this
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  church birth in Corinth, but Apollos came along and he
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  brought nourishment and spiritual growth to this body of
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  believers. He was loved.
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  In fact, he was loved too much because there was a little bit
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  of a cult following there in Corinth that made too much of
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  him. But we'll get to that in a
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  moment. Apollos was someone here who
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  played a major role in the early church.
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  And each of us should be encouraged to know that if we
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  are eager and faithful in what Providence has placed before us
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  today, the Lord will provide opportunities in your tomorrow's
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  to come. There's no debate that he was
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  diligent, that he was devoted. And the Lord saw that and made a
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  way for him. Apollo serve God, and God made
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  ways for him to serve. And I can already hear some of
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  you thinking, well, of course, opportunities came to Apollo's.
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  Given this man's expertise, it makes sense.
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  Which brings me to my second point.
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  Ready for this? We don't have to have everything
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  together before God uses us. Look at verse 25 again.
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  As advanced Apollo's may have been, the Holy Spirit says
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  something quite interesting at the end of verse 25.
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  He spoke and taught accurately the way or the things concerning
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  Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.
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  Now, Apollo's was accurate in many things, but his teaching
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  was incomplete. It reached a certain point.
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  A lot of what he was saying was right, but it wasn't full.
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  And we're going to see here that a couple recognized the
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  incompleteness, the deficiency in his doctrine.
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  So it could be that John's ministry, the Baptist, right,
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  the First Baptist ever, John the Baptist, his teachings spread
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  across the world and even reach Alexandria, Egypt.
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  Or it could be that Apollo's, while in Israel, maybe during
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  the feast as he would make pilgrimage, heard John's
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  teaching and preaching and sat under it for that brief time and
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  then began to spread it elsewhere.
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  We're not entirely sure why he preached the baptism of John,
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  but we know what it is. The baptism of John was one that
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  prepared the people for the first coming of Jesus, to
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  prepare the people by cleansing themselves and seeking
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  forgiveness for the arrival of the Messiah.
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  But that baptism has has no bearing.
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  It has no need now in the new covenant because in the new
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  covenant, though there is an element of repentance and
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  turning to the Lord in our baptism, baptism in the name of
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  Jesus. It primarily emphasizes you
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  making a declaration of faith that I'm identifying with
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  Christ's death, burial, and resurrection a lot different
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  than John's baptism. Some even argue that Apollo's
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  this is just an indication of other limitations that he had in
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  his understanding of the full scope of Jesus teachings.
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  We're not sure, but what's being highlighted here is that he did
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  not know what he needed to know and yet he was still being used
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  to glorify God. Now, I want to be careful how I
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  say this because I don't want to give the impression that I'm
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  advocating for ill preparedness or carelessness in our personal
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  growth. Instead, I want to make the
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  point to encourage those who feel inadequate or even
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  frustrated with yourself. God uses us as we are maturing.
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  He doesn't recruit you once you become the master of your craft
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  or your calling. That doesn't mean that there are
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  no standards in God's Kingdom. It doesn't mean that there
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  aren't goals that we need to reach.
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  It simply means that you can rejoice in God's grace and enjoy
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  serving Him while you rest in His patience as He develops you.
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  And so your awareness of your weaknesses should never diminish
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  your zeal or commitment to the cause of Christ.
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  Be aware of them, acknowledge them, but all let it bring you
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  to the feet of Jesus. And be comforted by the
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  realization that this is just one of many examples where God
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  uses imperfect people, limited people, people who still need to
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  grow, to still touch people's lives for His glory.
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  We all qualify. Lastly, I want to add something
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  before we get to the main point. Apollo's teaches us that God
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  uses those who use their minds for His glory.
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  You know why I say that? Because most of the time when we
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  hear sermons or we have teachings or being discipled
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  genuine Christians who want to serve God.
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  Here 1st Corinthians 127 being quoted that God chose what the
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  foolish things in this world to confound the wise, that He chose
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  the weak things in this world to confound those who are strong.
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  And that is absolutely true. We should all rejoice in that,
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  but I think some Christians take it too far and that they think
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  that just because now they are spiritual and that they come
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  into Christ that they can turn their brains off and they feel
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  like there is no need for training and being educated and
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  growing in reasoning and logic. Listen, when you give your life
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  to Christ, you don't just surrender your heart, you
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  consecrate your mind. And if God has gifted you,
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  especially with a mind, the ability to retain and
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  communicate truth, use it for his glory.
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  Use it. And we should all seek to be
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  people who know how to communicate and know how to
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  think properly and articulate ourselves.
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  Apollo shows us that, yes, he uses the foolish things.
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  Yes, like the other disciples, he uses those who did not have
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  formal training, absolutely. But it doesn't mean that we
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  shouldn't seek it if God gives us opportunity for it.
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  Apollo shows us that your mind should be given over to the
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  glory of God, you're learning should be consecrated for the
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  cause of Christ. After saying all that, I want to
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  make the case that this man's inspiring story is not primarily
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  found in his gifting, his ministry, his abilities, or his
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  mind for that matter. In fact, I want to even argue
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  that this man's expansive ministry, how it's going to
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  enlarge, is not chiefly due to these reasons either.
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  There is one particular quality that Apollo's possessed that was
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  the main contributor to his success for the gospel of Jesus
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  Christ. You know what it is, and this is
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  the main point of the message, his teachable spirit.
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  I want to preach to you today about having a teachable spirit.
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  It is an undeniable characteristic of true disciples
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  of Jesus Christ. We didn't read these verses, so
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  let's come back to Acts 18 and verse 26.
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  He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla
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  and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him
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  the way of God more accurately. And when he wished to cross the
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  IKEA, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples
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  to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly
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  helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully
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  refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that
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  the Christ was Jesus. So Apollo's remember at this
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  point he shows up on the scene in our reading of Acts in
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  Ephesus. Why is he in Ephesus?
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  Well, we get the impression that he was kind of a solo
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  missionary, a travelling evangelist.
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  And So what does he do? Well, he's competent in the
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  Scriptures. So he makes his way to the
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  synagogue. And who's there, to our surprise
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  in attendance, Priscilla and Aquila.
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  We should know this couple. They are very well known in the
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  Scriptures. They are commended throughout
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  the New Testament. They were dear friends of Paul.
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  They sacrifice much. Paul uses this language that
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  they risk their necks for me. So this wonderful couple knew
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  Paul very well. They actually at this point
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  we're travelling with Paul, but they were left in Ephesus while
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  Paul went on. And we have no doubt that they
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  learned much from their relationship with this mighty
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  man of God, Paul. And that's going to show here.
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  Why? Because as they are listening to
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  this wonderful order, Apollo's the guest speaker in the
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  synagogue that day, they realize that there needs to be some
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  development in his teaching. They pick up on it real quick.
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  And so once the sermon was over and the service was dismissed,
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  Priscilla Aquila got in line to greet the new preacher in town.
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  And they probably initially encouraged him at first.
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  But at some point, though we don't know how the transition
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  took place, they began to explain to him the way of God
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  more accurately. Now, let me share a little
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  secret about those who preach the word of God.
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  All right, a genuine preacher. We'll always pray and hope that
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  there will be a sincere and lasting response to what they
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  are about to speak, including the preacher now.
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  But I can tell you this with confidence that being corrected
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  for what you shared is not one of the responses that preachers
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  look for. Doesn't feel good, though
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  sometimes it is needed. And so I want you, whether
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  you're a preacher or not, put yourself in this man's shoes
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  that after doing or acting in any way publicly thinking that
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  you did so perfectly fine, someone points out to you that
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  you actually fell short. And the study that I want us to
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  consider is that this man handled the situation in such a
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  wonderful way that it would prove to be a pivotal moment in
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  his life in ministry. This man who was praised for
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  being exact in his delivery and data would be discipled by tent
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  makers. And though he didn't know it on
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  this day, the teachability of Apollo's would change this man's
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  life forever. What does it mean to have a
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  teachable spirit? Now, there are many definitions,
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  but let me make it as simple as possible.
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  It is a heart posture that is eager and willing to receive
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  instruction or correction. And there's a slight difference
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  between instruction and correction.
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  Instruction is to receive knowledge about something that
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  will build upon who you are or what you know.
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  That's instruction. Correction, however, is
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  receiving knowledge that will alter, that will change who you
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  are or what you know. Which one do you think is more
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  difficult to accept correction. There's some people who love
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  being instructed to learning. It's correction that has a
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  special edge to it, to the flesh.
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  And we see here that this man in a sense, was corrected.
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  And regardless of how it makes us feel.
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  Let me repeat it again. This inner disposition is a
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  characteristic of true disciples of Jesus Christ.
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  But knowing the definition is not enough.
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  This little snapshot of the life of Apollos has been preserved
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  for us to be a mirror so that we can look and see.
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  Do I walk in that reality myself?
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  Do I live in that reality? Do I have that conviction?
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  Is that eagerness true of me? And here are three basic
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  questions that I want to present to you that will help us assess
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  this reality in our lives. And following that, we will look
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  at two brief treasures that come with teachability.
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  Here's question number one. This is just really discipleship
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  time for us. This is real practical
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  Christianity. Some Sundays it's going to be so
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  theological that'll take you weeks to chew on, and other days
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  it'll be direct and practical. We need both.
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  Question number one, if I want to know if I have a teachable
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  spirit, how do I respond to correction?
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  Very simple question. And if you look again at verse
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  26, we read that Priscilla Aquila took him aside, took him
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  aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
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  So I know our focus is on Apollo's, but let me just make a
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  brief comment about this couple. Notice how they sought to
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  instruct and correct Apollo's. They didn't rebuke him publicly.
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  They didn't look at each other during the surveys and say we
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  have a new blog post, we have a new heretic in town.
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  They didn't seek to debate him. They didn't come with arrogance,
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  they didn't come with aggression.
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  We have every reason to believe that they came respectfully,
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  gently embracing him. And if you want to earn the
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  right to speak into anybody's life, let them first be
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  convinced that you love them. I'm sure that they saw the the
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  potential in Apollo's. They saw something wonderful and
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  obvious, gifting, and they thought what an instrument he
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  would be to the Church of Jesus Christ.
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  And so they came with that mindset, investing in this young
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  man so that he can flourish for the Kingdom of God.
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  Now we see here that some believe that even Priscilla and
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  Aquila invited Apollo's to their home.
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  That's not entirely clear, but what is obvious to us is that
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  Apollo's voluntarily followed them in order to hear what they
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  had to say. They didn't say that they put
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  Apollos in a headlock, did it? They took him aside.
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  This is a grown man, so he had to be willing to follow them and
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  hear what they had to say, whether it was on the side of
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  the sanctuary or at their home for dinner.
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  There's a proverb that speaks on this in Proverbs 1920.
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  We read, listen to advice and accept instruction that you may
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  gain wisdom in the future. You know, I noticed when I read
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  this first there's an equation found in it that you first must
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  be willing to listen, then accept before you can gain
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  wisdom. Do you know where some
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  Christians go wrong with this equation?
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  They completely missed the first step.
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  They don't want to listen. And there are different ways of
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  that manifest. One of the ways you know you're
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  not listening to instruction is that when it comes your way, not
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  only do you become defensive immediately, because oftentimes,
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  especially when we think we're doing something right, we tend
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  to perk up and say, wait, what's going on here?
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  You remain defensive and you stay in defensive mode and you
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  don't let up and you don't give in and you don't try to pause
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  and reflect and consider the other side.
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  You remain in that place. And sometimes the defensiveness
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  goes as far as what you're the one being corrected.
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  But I got some things to say about you.
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  Oh, you're pointing things out about me.
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  Well, let's, let's get ready to rumble.
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  What about this? And what about that?
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  That's not the issue at hand. You're the focus of the
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  conversation. But defensiveness has a way of
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  displaying something of our hearts.
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  And if you don't display it like that, an aggression, you might
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  do it passively. So here's what we tend to do
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  sometimes when we're being confronted either by a spouse or
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  an elder or a brother and sister in Christ.
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  We're silent, but we're not really listening.
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  We're tuning you out. There's something else playing
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  in our minds and we're just waiting for this conversation to
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  be over with. But there are even more clever
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  ways that we cannot be listening.
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  And you got to listen before you can accept and gain anything.
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  Some of us may have certain individuals that we have
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  selected to confined in, but if we're honest, these
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  accountability partners are selected because they never
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  really offer true instruction or correction.
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  We know that they will agree with everything that we have to
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  say. No, no, Apollo's here shows that
• 23:54
  I'm willing to hear what you have to offer.
• 23:58
  Do you want to know how somebody is walking in full maturity in
• 24:02
  this area? They're even willing to listen
• 24:05
  to what their enemies have to say about them.
• 24:11
  Those that hate them, that persecute them, that are clearly
• 24:14
  not like Priscilla Quilla, that want the best for you, that they
• 24:16
  want to find things to make you feel discouraged or to
• 24:19
  reconsider your value, your purpose, your ministry, whatever
• 24:23
  the case may be. A wise person even in that will
• 24:26
  tune and say, is there any kernel of truth in this
• 24:29
  criticism that I can apply so that I become more righteous and
• 24:32
  less blameworthy? How do I respond to correction?
• 24:37
  A policy was willing to, it brings us to question #2 am I
• 24:41
  willing to receive instruction slash correction from anyone?
• 24:48
  So you have Apollo's and Priscilla Aquila.
• 24:51
  They differ in obvious ways, right?
• 24:53
  This man was a full time missionary who travelled to
• 24:55
  preach and debate. What about Priscilla and Aquila?
• 24:58
  Let me remind you in Acts 18 three that they were tent makers
• 25:01
  by trade. In terms of ministry, they had
• 25:05
  different platforms. And look, this isn't the main
• 25:08
  point. I might do this a couple more
• 25:09
  times, but I can't help myself because there's such an exciting
• 25:12
  thought from this. Because we have a case here
• 25:15
  where you have a couple who had a business that they were
• 25:18
  running together and they proved to be more knowledgeable and
• 25:23
  accurate in the ways of God than the traveling evangelist.
• 25:27
  Now, if we, if we can all agree that for Apollo's to have this
• 25:31
  kind of portfolio, it required hard work, diligence,
• 25:36
  discipline, right? We, we can't debate that.
• 25:38
  If that is true of Apollo's, then what should we say about
• 25:42
  this couple who knew the way of God more accurately?
• 25:46
  Does that make sense? Here's why I bring this up,
• 25:48
  because Priscilla and Aquila silence any excuse on our part
• 25:54
  for not knowing the word of God in a growing, more obvious and
• 26:00
  flourishing way. We can't be weak in the Word and
• 26:04
  we can't use that excuse of not being in full time ministry to
• 26:08
  arrive at greater levels of understanding God's Word.
• 26:12
  You have a couple who made tents during the day and were able to
• 26:17
  instruct the preacher. And here's what's so
• 26:21
  fascinating. I see here that the spiritual
• 26:24
  material of this too is shown that they weren't even
• 26:26
  mesmerized by Apollos's speaking.
• 26:31
  They weren't caught up by any kind of frenzy.
• 26:34
  They weren't gripped necessarily to the point where they lost
• 26:36
  their discernment. You don't want to see here that
• 26:39
  although Apollos was praised for these abilities, Priscilla and
• 26:42
  Aquila, when they were sitting in the meeting, they were
• 26:43
  focused on the content of the message.
• 26:47
  Unfortunately, many people are not.
• 26:49
  Unfortunately, many people are listening to people that they
• 26:50
  should not be listening to because they're funny, because
• 26:55
  they're compelling storytellers, because they're attractive,
• 26:59
  because they have a nice sounding voice.
• 27:01
  You know what I learned from Priscilla and Aquila?
• 27:03
  They were focused on what was being said, not how it was being
• 27:06
  said. They were discerning.
• 27:09
  Why did he stop at the baptism of John, how we got to talk to
• 27:13
  him about this? And I wondered when I was
• 27:17
  looking at this last night, how did this couple arrive to this
• 27:20
  point? How did they get to this point?
• 27:22
  And you know what we're told in the very same chapter.
• 27:25
  So go back to 18, chapter 18, verse one.
• 27:27
  Here's our introduction to this couple.
• 27:29
  But I want you to see another verse after we confirm where
• 27:32
  they met Paul, Acts 18 one and three.
• 27:37
  After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
• 27:39
  And he found a Jew named Aquila and a native Pontius recently
• 27:43
  come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had
• 27:46
  commanded all the Jews to leave Rome and he went to see them.
• 27:50
  And because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and
• 27:53
  worked for they were tent makers by trade.
• 27:56
  So this was before Paul was able to be funded to go into full
• 28:00
  time ministry here in Corinth. If you were at the Maranatha
• 28:03
  conference, we talked about this very chapter.
• 28:06
  So he met this couple who were persecuted and had to flee Italy
• 28:09
  to come to this region. And Paul stay here for a certain
• 28:14
  amount of time. And I want you to see what he
• 28:16
  did with that time. In Acts 18, verse 11, he stayed
• 28:21
  a year and six months teaching the word of God among them.
• 28:30
  The among them don't exclusively include the Corinthians who were
• 28:34
  born again under Paul's ministry.
• 28:36
  It also includes who? Priscilla and Aquila.
• 28:42
  So you know what? I can just imagine this, that as
• 28:46
  this couple spent the whole week stitching and cutting and
• 28:51
  putting together and potentially making sales.
• 28:56
  At the end of that week, they would rush home, get cleaned up,
• 29:00
  put on a different outfit because they were eager to sit
• 29:03
  up Paul's feet to hear what he had to say.
• 29:06
  Maybe more than once a week. So you had this husband and wife
• 29:11
  that we're so hungry to grow in God that they took advantage of
• 29:16
  the resources at their disposal, namely the apostle Paul, who is
• 29:21
  able to bring the word of God to them.
• 29:23
  And my prayer and looking at this is that every couple in
• 29:27
  this church would share in that pursuit, would be able to
• 29:31
  fellowship over a shared passion for God's Word.
• 29:37
  And even if you are here and you're saying I have that but my
• 29:40
  spouse doesn't, this still applies to you.
• 29:42
  It applies to all of us. How?
• 29:44
  Because Priscilla and Aquila did not live to become and remain
• 29:49
  and be successful in tent making.
• 29:52
  That was their work. That's how they paid the bills.
• 29:54
  That's what they just had to do to be good citizens and honestly
• 29:57
  good Christians. But down deep inside their heart
• 29:59
  of hearts, what they longed for was the acquisition of spiritual
• 30:02
  wealth. They had jobs, but their jobs
• 30:07
  weren't their identity. Yes, they had responsibilities,
• 30:10
  but oh, with whatever time they had left, they wanted to grow in
• 30:15
  God's Word. And because of that eagerness,
• 30:20
  this couple bless the church. They not only hosted a church,
• 30:25
  but when Apollos came into town, they were able to recruit him
• 30:30
  and they were able to see him grow because of what they knew
• 30:37
  personally. I'm not in Acts, by the way.
• 30:39
  I was in Acts a couple of weeks ago, but now I'm in Romans.
• 30:42
  I think I just began First Corinthians, actually, But I
• 30:45
  read something at the end of the book of Romans that taught me at
• 30:50
  least one sign of a healthy church.
• 30:53
  Now, if you were, if you were to ask someone or be asked rather,
• 30:57
  what's the sign of a healthy church, what would you answer?
• 31:00
  Well, let me give you 11 Mark. It's in Romans 15.
• 31:04
  And look at verse 14 for a moment, because Paul commends
• 31:07
  this church and Paul often righteously criticize the
• 31:11
  churches that he wrote to. Only in a few epistles does he
• 31:13
  really commend them at this level.
• 31:15
  And I want you to see what he says to the Romans in Romans 15
• 31:18
  verse 14. Paul says I am myself in Romans
• 31:28
  1514. I myself am satisfied about you,
• 31:31
  my brother, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled
• 31:35
  with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.
• 31:42
  I'm satisfied. Why am I satisfied with your
• 31:47
  spiritual condition? Because I've learned that you're
• 31:50
  able to teach and admonish one another.
• 31:53
  So a sign of a healthy church is not that you have elders who
• 31:56
  preach the word of God faithfully, as vital as that is,
• 31:59
  but it's that the members of that church are able to expound,
• 32:02
  instruct, dissect, apply, interpret the word of God to one
• 32:08
  another. So that shows me that even
• 32:11
  counseling is not purely from the leadership down.
• 32:15
  It's mutual. And the source of our counsel is
• 32:19
  the Bible instructing one another.
• 32:23
  You have Paul telling Apollo's how to grow in the knowledge of
• 32:28
  Jesus message. No, a couple who made tents
• 32:32
  during the week. And that's something for us, I'm
• 32:36
  sure. Let it be an inspiration.
• 32:38
  But I have to come back to the main point.
• 32:40
  The main point is Apollo's. Apollo's, though a teacher,
• 32:45
  humbled himself to be taught by tent makers.
• 32:53
  And a person who possesses a teachable spirit can confidently
• 32:56
  say this I'm not only willing to learn from my pastors, but my
• 33:00
  peers. I'm not only open to receiving
• 33:04
  instruction by someone who's been in the faith for 30 years,
• 33:07
  but somebody who might be younger in the faith than me.
• 33:11
  I'm not just somebody who's willing to receive enrichment
• 33:13
  from brothers in the church, but godly sisters as well, and vice
• 33:17
  versa. Question number three.
• 33:23
  Question number one was how do I respond to correction?
• 33:25
  Question #2 we see here that we should ask, how do I receive or
• 33:32
  am I willing to receive instruction, correction from
• 33:33
  anyone? And lastly, how well do I work
• 33:36
  with fellow Christians? That's a great indicator.
• 33:40
  Let's come back to our main passage.
• 33:42
  You'll learn here that Apollo's not only listened and accepted
• 33:44
  the instruction from this couple, he developed a
• 33:47
  relationship with them, and through them he was able to
• 33:49
  develop a relationship with the brothers in Ephesus.
• 33:53
  So look back at verse 27. And when he wished to cross to
• 33:56
  IKEA, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples
• 34:01
  to welcome him. When he arrived.
• 34:03
  He greatly helped those who, through grace, had believed.
• 34:06
  So after an undisclosed period of time, Apollos wished to go to
• 34:10
  Corinth. So I feel like I'm done here and
• 34:13
  I'd love to go to Corinth and, and preach about what I just
• 34:16
  learned. And so the disciples, the
• 34:18
  brethren who were there and learned about it said, that's
• 34:20
  great, we encourage you to go, but you're going to need
• 34:23
  something. And they, they wrote a
• 34:25
  recommendation letter. Now, maybe you don't know this,
• 34:29
  but this is, this is quite interesting.
• 34:31
  Writing recommendation letters for people from one church who
• 34:35
  are moving or traveling to another church was a common
• 34:38
  practice of the early church. And the reason for that, it was
• 34:42
  to safeguard the assembly, right?
• 34:44
  You had, you had false teachers polling around, you had people
• 34:47
  who would come into the local church and, and deceive the
• 34:50
  naive and try to take advantage of the generosity of Christians.
• 34:52
  And so these recommendation letters were, were highly
• 34:56
  valuable and it became a practice.
• 34:59
  And so before they sent a pause, they sent a letter to say, Hey,
• 35:03
  this brother that we met, we vouch for him.
• 35:05
  He's legitimate, He's a real believer.
• 35:06
  He he's, he's sound and they would be able to welcome him.
• 35:11
  You actually see an example of this in the Bible.
• 35:13
  So I told you to go to Romans 15.
• 35:14
  Go to Romans 16 where Paul writes a commendatory letter for
• 35:18
  Phoebe. Notice what he says in verse
• 35:24
  one. This gives you a little glimpse
• 35:27
  of how these churches operated. He writes in verse one.
• 35:31
  I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church
• 35:35
  at Concrete. You may welcome her in the Lord
• 35:37
  in a way worthy of the Saints and help her in whatever she may
• 35:40
  need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself
• 35:44
  as well. So notice that even these
• 35:47
  recommendation letters would be public.
• 35:51
  In fact, I had a chance to have a conversation with Pastor Benna
• 35:54
  about this a few days ago where he was kind of sharing about how
• 35:57
  some of these churches back home in the Middle East operated and
• 36:00
  some of these local assemblies, they would do just that.
• 36:04
  If somebody moved into town, it was coming into another
• 36:06
  assembly. They would come with a
• 36:09
  recommendation letter and the leaders of the church would
• 36:11
  stand up before the congregation and read it out loud.
• 36:15
  So and so is with us and the church.
• 36:17
  And so and so says that they are worthy believers and they are
• 36:21
  genuine. They're faithful members.
• 36:25
  I think that's wisdom. In fact, for those who have been
• 36:29
  members here and you are applying to be members, you'll
• 36:32
  notice something in our application that in it you'll
• 36:36
  see that we asked what churches you've been a part of before and
• 36:39
  if you're open for us to contact those churches, that's derived
• 36:45
  from the wisdom of the early church here.
• 36:48
  And so we see that this man received recommendation letters
• 36:52
  and we all want to be in the place as members, as faithful
• 36:56
  church members, that if God were to bring us elsewhere, everybody
• 37:00
  in the church at your park can say you're going to be blessed
• 37:03
  by so and so you're going to be blessed.
• 37:12
  I doubt that Apollo's would have the same opportunities if he had
• 37:15
  fallen into the condemnation of Proverbs 18.
• 37:18
  Two, as one example, listen to these words.
• 37:21
  A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in
• 37:26
  expressing his opinion. What would happen to Apollo's if
• 37:32
  approached by Priscilla and Aquila and he offended by their
• 37:37
  correction? Hey, with all due respect, what
• 37:39
  do you guys do for a living? Oh, you're tent makers.
• 37:42
  I'm a scholar who is educated in Alexandria, Egypt.
• 37:45
  Do you know that? You're saying, do people talk
• 37:47
  like this? You'd be surprised.
• 37:52
  I wonder if they would be able to confidently send him to court
• 37:55
  and say this is a brother that that will bless you.
• 37:59
  He works well with the church. He, he, he's willing to listen,
• 38:02
  He's willing to receive. Which brings me to the final
• 38:07
  portion of this message. I want you to consider 2 clear,
• 38:10
  obvious rewards that came from this man's teachability.
• 38:14
  Very simple to remember #1 it provided greater opportunities
• 38:19
  in ministry and #2 it made His ministry more effective.
• 38:24
  We talked about the opportunities He was able to go
• 38:26
  to Corinth. But I want you to look at the
• 38:28
  wording of verse 27 and verse 28.
• 38:30
  It says here, when he arrived in the latter portion of 27, he
• 38:35
  greatly helped those who through grace had believed and notices,
• 38:41
  for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the
• 38:45
  Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
• 38:49
  So when he came to Corinth, he really cleaned up house.
• 38:53
  Nobody could stand against him, nobody can refute him, nobody
• 38:56
  could debate him. He encouraged the believers and
• 39:01
  he subdued those who would try to resist the message of Jesus
• 39:04
  Christ. Now somebody had a surface level
• 39:08
  understanding of the story and you were to quickly ask them
• 39:12
  what was the recipe for success for Apollo's what?
• 39:15
  What was the reason for his graduation and his
• 39:17
  effectiveness? Someone might likely say his
• 39:20
  ability wrong, his teach ability, because if it wasn't
• 39:26
  for the teach ability, he would not have known the way of God.
• 39:28
  More accurately, that was the linchpin, that was the means,
• 39:32
  that was the reason. That was the channel for the
• 39:34
  blessing of God to flow in and through Him.
• 39:39
  Never forget, the greater your humility, the greater your
• 39:44
  ministry. The greater your humility, the
• 39:49
  greater your ministry. Oh, this man had a right spirit.
• 39:53
  And it wasn't just recognized in the way that he accepted
• 39:57
  correction when it came, but it's also known in how he
• 40:01
  rejected fleshly praise. I said earlier how when Paul
• 40:06
  goes to Corinth, he planted Apollos comes along, he waters.
• 40:13
  And again, this man was so magnetic.
• 40:17
  He was so compelling. He was so enjoyable that
• 40:20
  factions began to develop in the church.
• 40:22
  Now there was divisions in the local assembly.
• 40:23
  You know what the divisions were?
• 40:25
  I I like Pastor Paul more than anybody else.
• 40:30
  And yet another group saying no, no, no, Pastor Peter is the guy.
• 40:34
  And another group saying, are you guys kidding me?
• 40:38
  Have you heard Apollo speak? Nobody can expound and exegete
• 40:43
  the Old Testament like Apollo's. This grieves Paul, but I'm
• 40:51
  persuaded that it also grieve the Apollos.
• 40:55
  So Apollos is mentioned in the first part of First Corinthians,
• 40:58
  but he's also brought up in the last part.
• 40:59
  So if you go to 1st Corinthians 16, I want you to see what Paul
• 41:02
  says. 1st Corinthians 1612 This is another verse that gives us
• 41:14
  insight to how the early church functioned relationally, even
• 41:17
  especially in the context of ministry.
• 41:19
  Notice what Paul says. First Corinthians 1612.
• 41:23
  Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urge him to
• 41:26
  visit you with the other brothers.
• 41:28
  But it was not at all his will to come now.
• 41:31
  He will come when he has opportunity.
• 41:35
  Many believe that Apollos was so grieved by the divisions,
• 41:39
  especially because his name was being used for those divisions,
• 41:43
  that he didn't want to come into contact with this church in that
• 41:45
  condition. He's I just, I need more time
• 41:48
  and they need to figure that out before I see them face to face.
• 41:52
  If that is true about Apollo's, what a man he was.
• 41:57
  He didn't feed on it. He didn't find his identity in
• 42:00
  that. He could care less.
• 42:03
  In fact, it broke his heart. But more than that, look, Paul
• 42:07
  really believed that if Apollo, if Apollos went to Corinth, he
• 42:10
  could really benefit the church. He could really help them in
• 42:12
  their spiritual growth. So you can just imagine what
• 42:15
  that meeting was like. Paul talks to pauses.
• 42:17
  Apollos, listen, they love you and you are obviously gifted by
• 42:21
  the Lord. I think if you go, they can
• 42:23
  really, you can really solve some of these problems.
• 42:25
  And Paul says, I just don't feel led to go.
• 42:27
  I just, I don't think I'm supposed to go at this time.
• 42:30
  And Paul strongly urged him, try to convince him.
• 42:32
  But you know what he didn't do? He didn't force him.
• 42:35
  And we're talking about teachability, right?
• 42:37
  How teachability is about willing and being eager to
• 42:39
  accept instruction or correction.
• 42:42
  Paulo shows here the balance. It doesn't mean to be a
• 42:45
  teachable person that you don't have personal convictions or
• 42:48
  legitimate objections. So let's clarify that, right?
• 42:52
  Teachability doesn't mean that you just agree with everything.
• 42:55
  No, no, you see a policy who says I have some concerns and he
• 42:59
  is no less righteous in that. I, I can't go.
• 43:02
  He is no less humble in that. So let's be balanced here in how
• 43:06
  we understand this. Paul believed that he should go.
• 43:10
  Apollo says I'm not going to go. I'm troubled by this.
• 43:14
  And Paul honored that. So if anything, now you see the
• 43:18
  humility of the apostle Paul. And that's how a church will
• 43:22
  really be successful when everybody has that spirit that
• 43:27
  we're willing to hear, but we're also willing to receive.
• 43:32
  We're also willing to give, we're also willing to take.
• 43:37
  And I want all of us in this place to strive for that because
• 43:40
  my desire in prayer is that all of us would have a greater
• 43:42
  ministry, greater opportunities, greater effectiveness.
• 43:46
  Whether you are one like an Apollos who has devoted your
• 43:49
  life to preach in the gospel, or you're an Aquila and Priscilla,
• 43:53
  a couple that goes out into the world to make your money, your
• 43:58
  savings, you have earthly responsibilities.
• 44:01
  But oh, you love the Word of God and your purpose is beyond this
• 44:06
  life. I want us to pray and ask God to
• 44:10
  help all of us. He is willing to do that.
• 44:29
  Lord, we're amazed at how through one man, you can speak
• 44:32
  to so many. It's amazing how a few verses
• 44:39
  can change the rest of our lives.
• 44:41
  Lord, today as we've come eagerly to receive Your Word, we
• 44:47
  pray that more than interesting insights that this would get
• 44:53
  into the depths of who we are. Thank you, Lord, that you've
• 44:58
  shown us how much you honor humility, how you make way for
• 45:02
  those who are willing to receive.
• 45:07
  So we asked Lord that today, on this Sunday, you would sharpen
• 45:10
  us to reflect your Son the Lord Jesus Christ, to know when to
• 45:16
  listen and accept and when to speak up and object.
• 45:23
  Lord, help us as a church to be strengthened in this area.
• 45:27
  Every ministry represented here that every member would be able
• 45:32
  to reflect this man. Use us all and wherever we are
• 45:37
  weak or need to grow, Lord bless us with friendships and
• 45:42
  leadership that are loving enough to speak into our lives.
• 45:47
  And so, Lord, we pray for the leadership that like Apollo's,
• 45:51
  they would have ears to hear. And we pray for the members that
• 45:54
  they also would walk in the ways of this wonderful couple.
• 45:58
  Make us all mighty in the scriptures.
• 46:01
  Make us all be able to instruct one another.
• 46:04
  We want to be mature. We want to be in your perfect
• 46:07
  will as your church. Lord, we thank you.
• 46:10
  Your word is wonderful. We're amazed by it again and we
• 46:14
  want to sing about it now. In Jesus name we pray.
• 46:17
  Amen, Amen, Amen. Let's stand.
• 46:21
  Let's give him praise for His Word.