Continuing Education

September 18

(Acts 18:25-26 NIV) "He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. {26} He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately."

(Colossians 3:16 NIV) "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."

(Proverbs 18:15 NIV) "The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out."

Even though Apollos was a great preacher and apologist, he was missing one important aspect of the gospel -- he needed some instruction about baptism. Aquila and Priscilla invited Apollos to their home for a meal and some continuing education. This means that this great couple, who had supported Paul, were schooled themselves. They too had a thorough knowledge of Scripture and had spent some quality time with the apostle Paul in advanced learning. It also means that Apollos had one of the assets necessary to be a great Bible teacher -- he was teachable himself. He didn’t think he knew it all. With his level of popularity, it would have been easy for him to ignore Priscilla and Aquila. He was drawing big crowds in the synagogue. But he listened to them and learned from them. This is a trait we all need in our walk with Jesus. Christians, we must never stop learning! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day 

The Fear Factor

September 17

(Acts 18:26 NIV) “He began to speak boldly in the synagogue.”

(Matthew 10:22-39 NIV) ““All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. {23} When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. {24} "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. {25} It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household! {26} "So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. {27} What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. {28} Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. {29} Are not two sparrows sold for a penny ? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. {30} And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. {31} So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. {32} "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. {33} But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. {34} "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. {35} For I have come to turn "'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- {36} a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' {37} "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; {38} and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. {39} Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.””

We must be people of courage! Jesus spoke of this with His disciples more than once. “Do not be afraid…” is a common phrase in Scripture. Apollos had a “thorough knowledge of the Scriptures”, he had the training, and he had a story of faith. But he also had great courage. He had overcome the “fear factor” in ministry. This made him eligible to fill Paul’s shoes. He loved God more than anything, even more than life, and so he spoke boldly. He went into the lion’s den of the synagogue, and fearlessly proclaimed the truth. He “vigorously refuted” all arguments against Christ. As we’ve said before in this walk through the book of Acts, this is the missing piece of the puzzle for many Christians today. Too many believers live in fear, not so much for their lives, but for their status among peers. We fear what people will think if we speak of Jesus. Do not be afraid. Trust in God. Speak boldly! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

 

Great Fervor

September 16

(Acts 18:25 NIV) "He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John."

(Ephesians 3:10 NIV) "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,"

(1 Peter 1:12 NIV) "It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things."

Not only did Apollos have a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures, he also taught accurately about the Lord Jesus. Many preachers are steeped in the Scriptures, but their teaching strays from the truth as personal bias creeps in. Not Apollos -- he was a straight arrow. Apollos had another quality that set him apart: he spoke with great fervor. He had more than just “head knowledge”. Jesus had moved into his heart and he burned with passion for the gospel. Apollos knew the answer to the greatest question of mankind. He knew the Lord personally and that caused him to enthusiastically proclaim that Jesus is the Answer. He wanted to make the wisdom of God known to everyone. Christians, we have all the tools that Apollos had. We have unlimited access to the Scriptures and to great Bible teachers. If we will supply the great fervor, we too can contribute to changing the world. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day       

Study the Scriptures

September 15

(Acts 18:24-25, 28 NIV) “Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. {25} He had been instructed in the way of the Lord… {28} For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.”

(2 Peter 1:5-8 NIV) “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; {6} and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; {7} and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. {8} For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”

Most of us who call ourselves disciples would like to be counted among the faithful who stand up for Jesus. We can learn from a man named Apollos. The Bible says that Apollos was “a learned man with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures”. He had received instruction in the way of the Lord and became a force in the ongoing debate in Ephesus regarding Jesus being the Christ. What this tells us is that before we become teachers, we must become students. To become a good teacher, we must first be good learners. God’s people in the church have an obligation to know the word of God. We are commanded to add knowledge to our faith. We have been left here on Earth to be change agents for Jesus, and to be effective at this we will have to know more than “Jesus loves me this I know”. That’s a great truth, but we will need to go deeper than that if we want to be effective and productive in our knowledge of Christ. Study the Scriptures! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day