A Teachable Spirit | Acts 18:24-28 (Apollos) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

I want to take this time together to talk to you about one of the most fascinating disciples of Jesus Christ in the early church. His name is Apollos, New Testament. And as unique as this man's portfolio might be, careful attention will discover that there is incredibly helpful, practical, will discover that there is incredibly helpful practical instruction that we can discover together from his life. And I can say from a personal standpoint that what the Bible reveals about Apollos has blessed me tremendously, especially in the early years of ministry. And my prayer is that as we take this time to look at the few verses that have been preserved concerning him, that you too will be blessed.

Because every part of the Bible has been breathed out by God for us. And so I want us now, without wasting any more time, to go straight to the passage that introduces Apollos to us in the book of Acts. And so if you have God's word in your hand, meet me in Acts chapter 18, and we'll begin at verse 24. Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the scriptures.

He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he only knew the baptism of John. The first thing that we should observe about Apollos is that he was a Jew, born and raised in Alexandria, which was in Egypt. Alexandria was known as a hub of Hellenistic culture and learning. And over the centuries, a large Jewish population grew in that region.

But as common as Jews in Alexandria might have been, we quickly discover that Apollos was no ordinary Jew. He was no ordinary Jew, firstly, because he was a believer in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. People dispute that, they argue whether or not Apollos was a believer at this time, but he was a believer. He was a believer in Jesus and besides being a believer, we read that he was an eloquent man. An eloquent man.

Now we can't limit that to mean that he had this ability to communicate, that he had flawless skills, that he had a vast vocabulary. The original word denotes something much more expansive. Included in that word is that he was a learned man. Apollos was highly educated. And it makes sense from the fact that he was born and raised in Alexandria, a place that held and hosted a great university and a great historic library.

But Apollos was not just, again, one who was able to speak. He was also one who was able to retain information. And the area of his expertise was the Old Testament. We read here that he was competent in the scriptures. That's how the ESV renders it, but most other word for word translations use the word mighty.

He was mighty in the scriptures. And that word mighty speaks of power, and it also speaks of wealth. So you can almost say that Apollos was strong and rich in the scriptures. I don't know about you, but if I had a choice to be mighty in anything, it would be in the scriptures. We should strive for the same.

He was a man who knew the bible very well. And interestingly, while others in the bible were deeply knowledgeable and skilled in the scriptures, no one is directly recognized for having this kind of mastery of God's word. That should grab our attention. Of God's word. That should grab our attention.

And this has led some to speculate that Apollos was actually the one who authored the book of Hebrews. Have you ever heard that? There's debate about who wrote the book of Hebrews. It is a masterpiece, especially connecting the old testament with the new. So because of Apollo's description, people say it's got to be Apollo's or at least Apollo's helped somebody.

I don't necessarily agree with that point. But a major contribution for this man's lofty knowledge is given to us. In verse 25, we're told that he had been instructed in the way of the Lord. Whether that instruction was formal or not, we aren't sure, but what is certain, however, is that he was a full time Bible student. And if anybody here has been or is a full time bible student, if you're in ministry, especially as a pastor, you also are a full time bible student, at least you should pursue to be that, you know that that requires dedication.

It requires sacrifice. It requires devotion. And only a single-minded devotion can bring a person to the point of having such proficiency in God's word, and Apollos had it. Competent in the scriptures, mighty in the bible. But we have to be honest in acknowledging this, that just because somebody might be knowledgeable, even knowledgeable in the bible, doesn't automatically mean that they are effective in communicating that knowledge.

Some of you have perhaps encountered those who are very intelligent, but they're very challenging to listen to. There are smart people that are stale, to be frank. There are scholars who are stiff. Apollos was not a dry theologian. Because we learn here also that he was what?

Fervent. Fervent in spirit. Do you know what the word fervent means in the Greek? To boil. To boil.

You know what that means? Apollos was fiery. Apollos was engaging. He was persuasive. He spoke with conviction.

And usually, people don't have that package. They might have the knowledge but they don't have that ability to speak or some have the ability to speak and they're very engaging, but they lack substance. I don't know. Apollos had both. And he had a way of expounding the word of God and connecting truths together that thrilled his listeners and silenced his opponents.

And it's at this point that I want to say a few things about Apollos that apply to us, though they're not the main points of the message. The first thing that I want you to see is that though this man had so much going for him, the Lord still had so much more for him. Because as we're going to read, Apollos is going to see an enlargement of his ministry. And as you read through the New Testament, you realize he's not just found here in Acts, he's found primarily in the book of first Corinthians. And Paul tells us there in first Corinthians three six that he planted.

Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. In other words, Paul was responsible for seeing this church birth in Corinth, but Apollos came along and he brought nourishment and spiritual growth to this body of believers. He was loved. In fact, he was loved too much because there was a little bit of a cult following there in Corinth that made too much of him. But we'll get to that in a moment.

Apollos was someone here who played a major role in the early church. And each of us should be encouraged to know that if we are eager and faithful in what providence has placed before us today, the Lord will provide opportunities in your tomorrows to come. There's no debate that he was diligent, that he was devoted, and the Lord saw that and made a way for him. Apollo served God, and God made ways for him to serve. And I can already hear some of you thinking, well, of course opportunities came to Apollos.

Given this man's expertise, it makes sense, which brings me to my second point. Ready for this? We don't have to have everything together before God uses us. Look at verse 25 again. As advanced Apollos may have been, the Holy Spirit says something quite interesting at the end of verse 25.

He spoke and taught accurately the way or the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. Now, Apollos was accurate in many things, but his teaching was incomplete. It reached a certain point. A lot of what he was saying was right, but it wasn't full. And we're gonna see here that a couple recognized the incompleteness, the deficiency in his doctrine.

So it could be that John's ministry, the Baptist. Right? The first Baptist ever. John the Baptist, his teachings spread across the world and even reached Alexandria, Egypt. Or it could be that Apollos, while in Israel, maybe during the feast as he would make pilgrimage, heard John's teaching and preaching and sat under it for that brief time and then began to spread it elsewhere.

We're not entirely sure why he preached the baptism of John but we know what it is. The baptism of John was one that prepared the people for the first coming of Jesus. To prepare the people by cleansing themselves and seeking forgiveness for the arrival of the Messiah. But that baptism has has no bearing. It has no need now in the new covenant.

Because in the new covenant though, there is an element of repentance and turning to the Lord in our baptism, baptism in the name of Jesus, it primarily emphasizes you making a declaration of faith that I'm identifying with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. A lot different than John's baptism. Some even argue that Apollos this is just an indication of other limitations that he had in his understanding of the full scope of Jesus' teachings. We're not sure. But what's being highlighted here is that he did not know what he needed to know.

And yet, he was still being used to glorify God. Now I wanna be careful how I say this because I don't wanna give the impression that I'm advocating for ill preparedness or carelessness in our personal growth. Instead, I wanna make the point to encourage those who feel inadequate or even frustrated with yourself. God uses us as we are maturing. He doesn't recruit you once you become the master of your craft or your calling.

That doesn't mean that there are no standards in God's kingdom. It doesn't mean that there aren't goals that we need to reach. It simply means that you can rejoice in God's grace and enjoy serving him while you rest in his patience as he develops you. And so your awareness of your weaknesses should never diminish your zeal or commitment to the cause of Christ. Be aware of them.

Acknowledge them, but, oh, let it bring you to the feet of Jesus And be comforted by the realization that this is just one of many examples where God uses imperfect people, limited people, people who still need to grow to still touch people's lives for his glory. We all qualify. Lastly, I wanna add something before we get to the main point. Apollos teaches us that God uses those who use their minds for his glory. You know why I say that?

Because most of the time when we hear sermons or we have teachings or being discipled, genuine Christians who wanna serve God hear, first Corinthians one twenty seven being quoted that God chose what? The foolish things in this world to confound the wise. That he chose the weak things in this world to confound those who are strong. And that is absolutely true. We should all rejoice in that.

But I think some Christians take it too far and that they think that just because now they are spiritual and that they come into Christ, that they can turn their brains off. And they feel like there is no need for training and being educated and growing in reasoning and logic. Listen, when you give your life to Christ, you don't just surrender your heart, you consecrate your mind. And if God has gifted you especially with a mind, the ability to retain and communicate truth, use it for his glory. Use it and we should all seek to be people who know how to communicate and know how to think properly and articulate ourselves.

Apollo shows us that, yes, he uses the foolish things. Yes, like the other disciples, he uses those who did not have formal training. Absolutely. But it doesn't mean that we shouldn't seek it. God gives us opportunity for it.

Apollo shows us that your mind should be given over to the glory of God. Your learning should be consecrated for the cause of Christ. After saying all that, I wanna make the case that this man's inspiring story is not primarily found in his gifting, his ministry, his abilities or his mind for that matter. In fact, I wanna even argue that this man's expansive ministry, how it's gonna enlarge, is not chiefly due to these reasons either. There's one particular quality that Apollos possessed that was the main contributor to his success for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You know what it is? And this is the main point of the message. His teachable spirit. I wanna preach to you today about having a teachable spirit. It is an undeniable characteristic of true disciples of Jesus Christ.

We didn't read these verses, so let's come back to acts 18 and verse 26. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wished to cross the Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public showing by the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. So Apollos, remember, at this point, he shows up on the scene in our reading of Acts in Ephesus.

Why is he in Ephesus? Well, we get the impression that he was kind of a solo missionary, a traveling evangelist. And so what does he do? Well, he's competent in the scriptures, so he makes his way to the synagogue. And who's there to our surprise in attendance?

Priscilla and Aquila. We should know this couple. They're very well known in the scriptures. They are commended throughout the New Testament. They were dear friends of Paul.

They sacrificed much. Paul uses this language that they risked their necks for me. So this wonderful couple knew Paul very well. They actually, at this point, were traveling with Paul, but they were left in Ephesus while Paul went on. And we have no doubt that they learned much from their relationship with this mighty man of God, Paul.

And that's gonna show here. Why? Because as they are listening to this wonderful order, Apollos, the guest speaker in the synagogue that day, they realize that there needs to be some development in his teaching. They pick up on it real quick. And so once the sermon was over and the service was dismissed, Priscilla and Aquila got in line to greet the new preacher in town.

And they probably initially encouraged him at first, but at some point, though we don't know how the transition took place, they began to explain to him the way of God more accurately. Now, let me share a little secret about those who preach the word of God. Alright? A genuine preacher will always pray and hope that there will be a sincere and lasting response to what they are about to speak, including the preacher now. But I can tell you this with confidence, that being corrected for what you shared is not one of the responses that preachers look for.

Doesn't feel good, though sometimes it is needed. And so I want you, whether you're a preacher or not, put yourself in this man's shoes. That after doing or acting in any way publicly, thinking that you did so perfectly fine, someone points out to you that you actually fell short. And the study that I want us to consider is that this man handled the situation in such a wonderful way that it would prove to be a pivotal moment in his life in ministry. This man who was praised for being exact in his delivery and data would be discipled by tent makers.

And though he didn't know it on this day, the teachability of Apollos would change this man's life forever. What does it mean to have a teachable spirit? There are many definitions, but let me make it as simple as possible. It is a heart posture that is eager and willing to receive instruction or correction. And there's a slight difference between instruction and correction.

Instruction is to receive knowledge about something that will build upon who you are or what you know. That's instruction. Correction, however, is receiving knowledge that will alter, that will change who you are or what you know. Which one do you think is more difficult to accept? Correction.

There's some people who love being instructed to learning. It's correction that has a special edge to it, to the flesh. And we see here that this man in a sense was corrected. And regardless of how it makes us feel, let me repeat it again. This inner disposition is a characteristic of true disciples of Jesus Christ, but knowing the definition is not enough.

This little snapshot of the life of Apollos has been preserved for us to be a mirror so that we can look and see, do I walk in that reality myself? Do I live in that reality? Do I have that conviction? Is that eagerness true of me? And here are three basic questions that I wanna present to you that will help us assess this reality in our lives.

And following that, we will look at two brief treasures that come with teachability. Here's question number one. This is just really discipleship time for us. This is real practical Christianity. Some Sundays, it's gonna be so theological that it'll take you weeks to chew on and other days, it'll be direct and practical.

We need both. Question number one. If I wanna know if I have a teachable spirit, how do I respond to correction? Very simple question. If you look again at verse 26, we read that Priscilla and Aquila took him aside took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

So I know our focus is on Apollos, but let me just make a brief comment about this couple. Notice how they sought to instruct and correct Apollos. They didn't rebuke him publicly. They didn't look at each other during the service and say, we have a new blog post, we have a new heretic in town. They didn't seek to debate him.

They didn't come with arrogance. They didn't come with aggression. We have every reason to believe that they came respectfully, gently, embracing him. And if you wanna earn the right to speak into anybody's life, let them first be convinced that you love them. I'm sure that they saw the the potential in Apollos.

They saw something wonderful, an obvious gifting And they thought what an instrument he would be to the church of Jesus Christ. And so they came with that mindset, investing in this young man so that he can flourish for the kingdom of God. Now we see here that some believe that even Priscilla and Aquila invited Apollos to their home. That's not entirely clear, but what is obvious to us is that Apollos voluntarily followed them in order to hear what they had to say. They didn't say that they put Apollos in a headlock, did it?

They took him aside. This is a grown man. So he had to be willing to follow them and hear what they had to say, whether it was on the side of the sanctuary or at their home for dinner. There's a proverb that speaks on this. In Proverbs nineteen twenty, we read, listen to advice and accept instruction that you may gain wisdom in the future.

You know what I noticed when I read this verse? There's an equation found in it. That you first must be willing to listen, then accept before you can gain wisdom. Do you know where some Christians go wrong with this equation? They completely miss the first step.

They don't wanna listen. And there are different ways that that manifests. One of the ways you know you're not listening to instruction is that when it comes your way, not not only do you become defensive immediately because oftentimes, especially when we think we're doing something right, we tend to perk up and say, wait, wait, what's going on here? You remain defensive. And you stay in defensive mode and you don't let up and you don't give in and you don't try to pause and reflect and consider the other side.

You remain in that place. And sometimes the defensiveness goes as far as what? You're the one being corrected but I got some things to say about you. Oh, you're pointing things out about me? Well, let's let's get ready to rumble.

What about this and what about that? That's not the issue at hand. You're the focus of the conversation. But defensiveness has a way of displaying something of our hearts. And if you don't display it like that in aggression, you might do it passively.

So here's what we tend to do sometimes when we're being confronted either by a spouse or an elder or a brother and sister in Christ. We're silent, but we're not really listening. We're tuning you out. There's something else playing in our minds and we're just waiting for this conversation to be over with. But there are even more clever ways that we cannot be listening.

And you gotta listen before you can accept and gain anything. Some of us may have certain individuals that we have selected to confine in, but if we're honest, these accountability partners are selected because they never really offer true instruction or correction. We know that they will agree with everything that we have to say. No, no. Apollos here shows that I'm willing to hear what you have to offer.

Do you wanna know how somebody is walking in full maturity in this area? They're even willing to listen to what their enemies have to say about them. Those that hate them, that persecute them, that are clearly not like Priscilla Aquila that want the best for you, that they wanna find things to make you feel discouraged or to reconsider your value, your purpose, your ministry, whatever the case may be. A wise person even in that will tune in and say, is there any kernel of truth in this criticism that I can apply so that I become more righteous and less blameworthy? How do I respond to correction?

Apollos here was willing to it brings us to question number two. Am I willing to receive instruction slash correction from anyone? So you have Apollos and Priscilla and Aquila, they differ in obvious ways. Right? This man was a full time missionary who traveled to preach and debate.

What about Priscilla and Aquila? Let me remind you in Acts eighteen three that they were tentmakers by trade. In terms of ministry, they had different platforms. And look, this isn't the main point. I might do this a couple more times, but I can't help myself because there's such an exciting thought from this.

Because we have a case here where you have a couple who had a business that they were running together and they proved to be more knowledgeable and accurate in the ways of God than the traveling evangelist. Now if we if we can all agree that for Apollos to have this kind of portfolio, it required hard work, diligence, discipline. Right? We we can't debate that. If that is true of Apollos, then what should we say about this couple who knew the way of God more accurately?

Does that make sense? Here's why I bring this up. Because Priscilla and Aquila silence any excuse on our part for not knowing the word of God in a growing more obvious and flourishing way. We can't be weak in the word and we can't use that excuse of not being in full time ministry to arrive at greater levels of understanding God's word. You have a couple who made tents during the day and were able to instruct the preacher.

Now here's what's so fascinating. I see here that the spiritual material of this two is shown that they weren't even mesmerized by Apollos' speaking. They weren't caught up by any kind of frenzy. They weren't gripped necessarily to the point where they lost their discernment. You don't want to see here that although Apollos was praised for these abilities, Priscilla and Aquila when they were sitting in the meeting, they were focused on the content of the message.

Unfortunately, many people are not. Unfortunately, many people are listening to people that they should not be listening to because they're funny, because they're compelling storytellers, because they're attractive, because they have a nice sounding voice. You know what I learned for Priscilla and Aquila? They were focused on what was being said, not how it was being said. They were discerning.

Why did he stop at the baptism of John? And we gotta talk to him about this. And I wonder when I was looking at this last night, how did this couple arrive to this point? How did they get to this point? And you know what?

We're told in the very same chapter. So go back to 18, chapter 18 verse one. Here's our introduction to this couple, but I want you to see another verse after we confirm where they met Paul. Acts eighteen one and three. After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth and he found a Jew named Aquila and a a native Pontus recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome.

And he went to see them. And because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked for they were tentmakers by trade. So this was before Paul was able to be funded to go into full time ministry here in Corinth. If you were at the Maranatha Conference, we talked about this very chapter. So he met this couple who were persecuted and had to flee Italy to come to this region.

And Paul stayed here for a certain amount of time and I want you to see what he did with that time in acts 18 verse 11. He stayed a year and six months teaching the word of God among them. The among them don't exclusively include the Corinthians who were born again under Paul's ministry. It also includes who? Priscilla and Aquila.

So you know what? I can just imagine this. That as this couple spent the whole week stitching and cutting and putting together and potentially making sales, at the end of that week, they would rush home, get cleaned up, put on a different outfit because they were eager to sit at Paul's feet to hear what he had to say. Maybe more than once a week. So you had this husband and wife that were so hungry to grow in God, that they took advantage of the resources at their disposal, namely the apostle Paul, who is able to bring the word of God to them.

And my prayer in looking at this is that every couple in this church would share in that pursuit, would be able to fellowship over a shared passion for God's word. And even if you are here and you're saying, I have that, but my spouse doesn't. This still applies to you. It applies to all of us. How?

Because Priscilla and Aquila did not live to become and remain and be successful in tent making. That was their work. That's how they paid the bills. That's what they just had to do, to be good citizens and honestly good Christians. But down deep inside their heart of hearts, what they long for was the acquisition of spiritual wealth.

They had jobs, but their jobs weren't their identity. Yes, they had responsibilities, but oh, with whatever time they had left, they wanted to grow in God's word. And because of that eagerness, this couple blessed the church. They not only hosted a church, but when Apollos came into town, they were able to recruit him and they were able to see him grow because of what they knew. Personally, I'm not in Acts, by the way.

I was in Acts a couple of weeks ago, but now I'm in Romans. I think I just began first Corinthians, actually. But I read something at the end of the book of Romans that taught me at least one sign of a healthy church. Now if you were if you were to ask, someone or be asked rather, what's the sign of a healthy church? What would you answer?

Well, let me give you one one mark. It's in Romans 15, and look at verse 14 for a moment because Paul commends this church. And Paul often righteously criticized the churches that he wrote to. Only in a few epistles does he really commend them at this level. And I want you to see what he says to the Romans in Romans 15 verse 14.

Paul says, I myself, in Romans fifteen fourteen, I myself am satisfied about you, my brother, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. I'm satisfied. Why am I satisfied with your spiritual condition? Because I've learned that you're able to teach and admonish one another. So a sign of a healthy church is not that you have elders who preach the word of God faithfully as vital as that is, but it's that the members of that church are able to expound, instruct, dissect, apply, interpret the word of God to one another.

So that shows me that even counseling is not purely from the leadership down. It's mutual. And the the source of our counsel is the bible. Instructing one another. You have Paul telling Apollos how to grow in the knowledge of Jesus' message?

No. A couple who made tents during the week. And that's something for us, I'm sure. Let it be an inspiration. But I have to come back to the main point.

The main point is Apollos. Apollos, though a teacher, humbled himself to be taught by tent makers. And a person who possesses a teachable spirit can confidently say this, I'm not only willing to learn from my pastors, but my peers. I'm not only open to receiving instruction by someone who's been in the faith for thirty years, but somebody who might be younger in the faith than me. I'm not just somebody who's willing to receive enrichment from brothers in the church, but godly sisters as well and vice versa.

Question number three. Question number one was, how do I respond to correction? Question number two, we see here that we should ask, how do I receive or am I willing to receive instruction correction from anyone? And lastly, how well do I work with fellow Christians? That's a great indicator.

Let's come back to our main passage. You'll learn here that Apollos not only listened and accepted the instruction from this couple, he developed a relationship with them. And through them, he was able to develop a relationship with the brothers in Ephesus. So look back at verse 27. And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him.

When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed. So after an undisclosed period of time, Apollos wished to go to Corinth. So I feel like I'm done here and I'd love to go to Corinth and and preach about what I just learned. And so the disciples, the brethren who were there and learned about it said, that's great. We encourage you to go, but you're gonna need something.

And they they wrote a recommendation letter. Now, maybe you don't know this, but this is this is quite quite interesting. Writing recommendation letters for people from one church who were moving or traveling to another church was a common practice of the early church. And the reason for that, it was to safeguard the assembly. Right?

You had you had false teachers prowling around. You had people who would come into the local church and and deceive the naive and try to take advantage of the generosity of Christians and so these recommendation letters were were highly valuable and it became a practice. And so before they sent a pause, they sent a letter to say, hey, this brother that we met, we vouch for him. He's legitimate. He's a real believer.

He he's he's sound. And they would be able to welcome him. You actually see an example of this in the bible. So I told you to go to Romans 15. Go to Romans 16 where Paul writes a commendatory letter for Phoebe.

Notice what he says in verse one. This gives you a little glimpse of how these churches operated. He writes in verse one, I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of this church at Concre that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and help her in whatever she may need from you for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well. So notice that even these recommendation letters would be public. In fact, I had a chance to have a conversation with pastor Bena about this a few days ago where he was kind of sharing about how some of these churches back home in The Middle East operated and some of these local assemblies, they would do just that.

If somebody moved into town and was coming into another assembly, they would come with a recommendation letter. And the leaders of that church would stand up before the congregation and read it out loud. So and so is with us and the church and so and so says that they are worthy believers and they are genuine, they are faithful members. I think that's wisdom. In fact, for those who have been members here and you are applying to be mem members, you'll notice something in our application that in it, you'll see that we ask what churches you've been a part of before and if you're open for us to contact those churches.

That's derived from the wisdom of the early church here. And so we see that this man received recommendation letters and and we all wanna be in the place as members, as faithful church members, that if God were to bring us elsewhere, everybody in the church that you are part of can say, you're gonna be blessed by so and so. You're gonna be blessed. I doubt that Apollos would have the same opportunities if he had fallen into the condemnation of Proverbs eighteen two as one example. Listen to these words.

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. What would happen to Apollos if approached by Priscilla and Aquila and he offended by their correction? Hey, with all due respect, what do you guys do for a living? Oh, you're tent makers. I'm a scholar who is educated in Alexandria, Egypt.

Do you know that? You're saying, do people talk like this? You'd be surprised. I wonder if they would be able to confidently send him to Corinth and say, this is a brother that that will bless you. He works well with the church.

He he he's willing to listen. He's willing to receive. Which brings me to the final portion of this message. I want you to consider two clear, obvious rewards that came from this man's teachability. Very simple to remember.

Number one, it provided greater opportunities in ministry. And number two, it made his ministry more effective. We talked about the opportunities. He was able to go to Corinth, but I want you to look at the wording of verse 27 and verse 28. It says here, when he arrived in the latter portion of 27, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed.

And notice this, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public showing by the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. So when he came to Corinth, he really cleaned up house. Nobody could stand against him. Nobody can refute him. Nobody could debate him.

He encouraged the believers and he subdued those who would try to resist the message of Jesus Christ. Now, if somebody had a surface level understanding of the story and you were to quickly ask them, what was the recipe for success for Apollos? What what was the reason for his graduation and his effectiveness? Someone might likely say his ability, wrong. His teachability.

Because if it wasn't for the teachability, he would not have known the way of God more accurately. That was the linchpin. That was the means. That was the reason. That was the channel for the blessing of God to flow in and through him.

Never forget, the greater your humility, the greater your ministry. The greater your humility, the greater your ministry. Oh, this man had a right spirit. And it wasn't just recognized in the way that he accepted correction when it came, but it's also known in how he rejected fleshly praise. I said earlier how when Paul goes to Corinth, he planted, Apollos comes along, he waters.

And again, this man was so magnetic. He was so compelling. He was so enjoyable that factions began to develop in the church. Now there was divisions in the local assembly. You know what the divisions were?

I I like pastor Paul more than anybody else. And yet another group saying, no, no, no. Pastor Peter is the guy. And another group saying, are you guys kidding me? Have you heard Apollo speak?

Nobody can expound and exegete the old testament like Apollo's. This grieves Paul, but I'm persuaded that it also grieved Apollos. So Apollos is mentioned in the first part of first Corinthians, but he's also brought up in the last part. So if you go to first Corinthians 16, I want you to see what Paul says. First Corinthians sixteen twelve.

This is another verse that gives us insight to how the early church function relationally, even especially in the context of ministry. Notice what Paul says. First Corinthians sixteen twelve. Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urge him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.

Many believe that Apollos was so grieved by the divisions, especially because his name was being used for those divisions, that he didn't want to come into contact with this church in that condition. He said, just I need more time and they need to figure that out before I see them face to face. If that is true about Apollos, what a man he was. He didn't feed on it. He didn't find his identity in that.

He could care less. In fact, it broke his heart. But more than that, look, Paul really believed that if Apollo if Apollo's went to Corinth, he could really benefit the church. He could really help them in their spiritual growth. So you can just imagine what that meeting was like.

Paul talks to Paul says, Apollos, listen. They love you and you are obviously gifted by the Lord. I think if you go, they can really you can really solve some of these problems. And Apollos says, I I just don't feel led to go. I just I don't think I'm supposed to go at this time.

And Paul strongly urged him, tried to convince him, but you know what he didn't do? He didn't force him. And we're talking about teachability. Right? How teachability is about willing and being eager to accept instruction or correction.

Apollo shows here the balance. It doesn't mean to be a teachable person that you don't have personal convictions or legitimate objections. So let's clarify that. Right? Teachability doesn't mean that you just agree with everything.

No. No. You see Apollos here who says, I I have some concerns. And he is no less righteous in that. I I I can't go.

He's no less humble in that. So let's be balanced here in how we understand this. Paul believed that he should go. Apollos says, I'm not gonna go. I'm troubled by this.

And Paul honored that. So if anything now you see the humility of the apostle Paul. And that's how a church will really be successful when everybody has that spirit. That we're willing to hear, but we're also willing to receive. We're also willing to give, we're also willing to take.

And I want all of us in this place to strive for that. Because my desire and prayer is that all of us would have a greater ministry, greater opportunities, greater effectiveness. Whether you are one like an Apollos, who's devoted your life to preaching the gospel or you're an Aquila and Priscilla, a couple that goes out into the world to make your money, your savings, you have earthly responsibilities, but, oh, you love the word of God and your purpose is beyond this life. I want us to pray and ask God to help all of us. He's willing to do that.

Lord, we're amazed that how through one man you can speak to so many. It's amazing how a few verses can change the rest of our lives. Lord, today as we've come eagerly to receive your word, we pray that more than interesting insights that this would get into the depths of who we are. Thank you, Lord, that you've shown us how much you honor humility, how you make way for those who are willing to receive. So we ask, Lord, that today, on this Sunday, you would sharpen us to reflect your son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

To know when to listen and accept and when to speak up and object. Lord, help us as a church to be strengthened in this area. Every ministry represented here that every member would be able to reflect this man. Use us all. And and wherever we are weak or need to grow, Lord, bless us with friendships and leadership that are loving enough to speak into our lives.

And so, Lord, we pray for the leadership that, like Apollos, they would have ears to hear. And we pray for the members that they also would walk in the ways of this wonderful couple. Make us all mighty in the scriptures. Make us all be able to instruct one another. We wanna be mature.

We wanna be in your perfect will as your church. Lord, we thank you. Your word is wonderful. We're amazed by it again, and we wanna sing about it now. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Let's stand. Let's give him praise for his word.