Letter of Recommendation

September 19

(Acts 18:27-28 NIV) “When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. {28} For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.”

(Romans 16:1-2 NIV) "I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. {2} I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me."

(1 Corinthians 4:17 NIV) "For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church."

(2 Corinthians 8:16-18 NIV) "I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. {17} For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. {18} And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel."

Apollos grew in strength and wisdom, becoming a great apologist for Jesus. God eventually called him to go somewhere else. He had come to Corinth as a “walk on”. He left Corinth as an official member of the team, with letters of recommendation from the church. Apollos now had references. This is an important step in becoming a Bible teacher. Seek the blessing of the elders of the church. Don’t take off on your own and become a Lone Ranger for the gospel. Anybody with a computer and a blog can claim to be a “Bible teacher” these days. But Apollos submitted himself to the wisdom of the church. He sought their counsel, their blessing, and their endorsement. They responded by writing him reference letters to take with him. If the church watched your walk over a period of time, would they write you a letter of recommendation? -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day