Apollos in Transition

Published by Stanley Pouw in 2017 · 16 July 2017

The Book of Acts records transitions and we see the fading out of Judaism and the coming in of Christianity. We have to understand that it sometimes was a slow transition. Salvation is an instant miracle, but losing all of the traditions of Judaism comes a little slower. Jews who come to Jesus Christ find it difficult to break with patterns that were so much a part of Judaism.

Judaism was not an isolated creed of theology, it was a way of life. It all began because of the Old Testament. God first prescribed the moral and ethical law and the Ten Commandments and God declared that the basis of everything is this code. But God also wanted them to be a witness in the world. So He gave them some other prescribed things that were just external so that the world might see them as a unique people.

Now, in addition to the Old Testament, throughout the history of Israel, there have always been rabbis. And they all were teaching and interpreting and adding to Scripture. And all of this was accumulated until today, so you have this set of volumes known as the Talmud. And you will find that a rabbi has not only prescribed his life around the Old Testament, but even more so around the Talmud.

But at the core was the law, the ceremonies, the rituals that they had to keep and they believed that if they kept all those laws, they would go to heaven. Now, God in the Old Testament was a gracious God. Faith is still the way of salvation in the Old Testament as it is today. But what happened was that the Jews supplanted faith with law, and by the time of Christ, they believed that the only way you go to heaven was by keeping the law.

And, of course, the leaders in front were the Pharisees. They were hyper-zealous for the law and they tended to drag everybody after them. Now, when a system has that kind of grip, it's scary. Why do the Jehovah's Witnesses stick with it? Because they're told that if they don't, they will go to hell. The same thing happens, not with Biblical Judaism, but the kind of Judaism that existed in the day of Christ. They feared for their souls.

Now, contrast that with the opposite extreme that grows under legalism, a false sense of righteousness. There was a rabbi named Jahudah who at his death, lifted up his hands and told God that none of those ten fingers had ever broken a single law. Oh, that is the sickest kind of self-righteousness. But that is the other extreme, isn't it? There is terrible fear and then there is false self-righteousness. Both of those tie those people down.

Into this system comes Paul and he is saying, "Grace, grace, forget all those laws." And the Jews are having culture shock. That is why when he went into the synagogue their reaction was so violent. And that is why in the Book of Acts when Jews get saved, there is a time lapse before their physical trappings catch up with their soul that has been recreated.

Peter was a classic example, he knew the New Covenant. He talks about what they had done to Christ and he says in Acts 2:36, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” And we have no question about his understanding of salvation. We know that he was really a spirit filled man. He had all the New Covenant features. He was in Christ.

The law of God in terms of ethics is still valid. But all of the ceremonies and rituals added by rabbis were gone. And Peter was a new creation in Christ and he was living by grace. Now look what God does in Acts 10:9-16, “The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. 10 Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance.”

“11 and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” 15 And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” 16 This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.”

And now in the New Covenant, Jew and Gentile were going to be one in the church, and God did not want any difference anymore. But Peter could not handle that. He actually said, “not so Lord, I have never done that.” See, transition hadn't caught up with him. How many times God had to tell him the same thing before he even understood it? Three times. You see, that transition was difficult.

In Romans 14 and 15, you have Paul saying to the church, now you Gentile Christians, I know you have liberties, but when you invite those new Jewish believers over to your house, don't serve pork. Romans 14:3, “Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.” Because we have to recognize the transition.

Now, we want to live by biblical doctrine, but we are not interested in having trouble over what we eat like Peter did. We are not interested in all the traditions of Judaism. The Charismatic Movement always wants to adapt the Book of Acts to everything. They are going to get in a lot of trouble if they are honest about that.

We saw last week the first one in transition was Paul. This week, we are studying the second one, Apollos. Next week, we're going to see the third, which is a group of twelve disciples of John the Baptist. They are all in transition. Remember that Paul was dragged before Gallio when the Jews wanted to get him banned from preaching everywhere. But Gallio did not want to judge in religious matters. God really protected Paul.

So Paul sailed to Syria at the end of his second missionary journey, together with Priscilla and Aquila, that wonderful couple he met there in Corinth. Then Paul cut his hair in Cenchrea because he had made a vow. Now we see Paul in transition. This is an Old Testament thing, a Nazarite vow. He would restrict himself to holiness under God. As a Jew the high point of their thanks is to take a Nazarite vow.

In the Old Testament, the hair that he cut off had to be taken to Jerusalem and burned with an offering in order to complete the vow, and so he hurried to Jerusalem. When he came to Ephesus, he left Aquila and Priscilla to enter into the synagogue and persuaded the Jews. Paul had to get to Jerusalem because he had to offer up his hair and he wanted to get there for the feast.

Notice in verse 21, "But I will return again to you if God wills." Paul believed his salvation was sovereign, but he also believed that God was in control of his service. James 4:14-15 says, “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

Now we see not only Paul in transition but also Apollos. Paul is on his missionary journey in Phrygia and Galatia. But meanwhile, he dropped Aquila and Priscilla at Ephesus. So now the scene shifts back to Ephesus. Verse 24, “Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.” Apollos came from Alexandria which had a great Jewish population.

Now, notice it says that he was an "eloquent man." The word in the Greek is a very different word which doesn't occur anywhere else. It means that he not only was a fluid, eloquent orator but his content was correct. Was he greater than Paul? Well, possibly. 1 Corinthians 2:1 says, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech.”

Paul never really valued his preaching ability. 2 Corinthians 10:10 says, “For his letters are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.” If you young men want to pattern your life after somebody, just follow Apollos. He was an eloquent man and, "and mighty in the Scriptures." The word Scripture always refers to the Old Testament. He was a powerful man naturally in terms of teaching.

He was not yet a Christian at this point, so consequently, did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit. Later on, when he comes to Christ and he receives the Holy Spirit and gets the gift of the Spirit in those areas. And it did not take him long to make an impression. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:12, “There are divisions among you," and, “each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.”

So in no time, he was ranked right up there with Paul and Peter in terms of the esteem of people. He was a dramatic, unique man. Now in 1 Corinthians 3:6 Paul says, “I planted, Apollos watered but God gave the increase." So, Apollos was building on the foundation that Paul had laid. 1 Corinthians 4:6 says, “These things I have figuratively transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sake." Paul had actually worked through and in Apollos.

Pay attention to that little phrase “mighty in the Scripture.” What we need today in this world, and in the church, are people who are mighty in the Scriptures. It takes real dedication to be mighty in the Scriptures, and thank God for people like Apollos who set the pattern. Later on when he saw the factions in Corinth, he was so grieved in his heart that when in 1 Corinthians 16:12, Paul asked him to go back but he wouldn't go.

Verse 25, “This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.” The word instructed is the word ‘catecaho’ in Greek. It means to teach orally by repetition. You know what the catechism is? It's teaching that you read which then gives you the answer. Repetition, repetition.

Compare that to Paul. Galatians 1:11-12 says, “But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Paul was in Arabia when he got it directly from Jesus Christ. That is the difference between divine revelation and human instruction. Only apostles and writers of the New Testament had inspiration.

Apollos was instructed in “the way of the Lord.” God mentioned it in Genesis 18:19 to Abraham, “For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord.” This is an Old Testament term which doesn't necessarily mean he is a Christian already. This is talking about the standards that God sets for a people in a particular time.

But that same term in the New Testament is used differently by John the Baptist. Matthew 3:2-3 says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying. “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare ‘the way of the Lord’; make His paths straight.’” Now, the way of the Lord refers to the Messiah.

Apollos was a student of John the Baptist. The end of verse 25 says that “he knew only the baptism of John." He accepted the fact that the Messiah was Jesus. The verse says, "He was instructed in the way of the Lord, being fervent in the Spirit. He spoke and taught accurately the things of Jesus." He was not a Christian yet because he didn't know the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He also was not baptized in water that follows faith.

Verse 25 also says, “He spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord.” Accurately means with exactness. Physicians really work hard because it's a matter of life and death. A Bible preacher should be just as careful in teaching the Word of God as a physician is with a scalpel because it is a matter of eternal life and eternal death. The greatest investment you will ever make is to study the Word because exactness bears fruit.

Everything God does is with exactness. Luke 1:3 says, “It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first.” Luke could write this because God gave him exact understanding of everything. One more thing, Paul says in Ephesians 5:15, “See then that you walk circumspectly,” with exactness. The Christian should live his life with the same kind of preciseness that God wrote it.

Apollos had come to the place where he believed that Jesus was the Messiah but he stopped short of the cross. He only knew the baptism of John. He was ready for Messiah. He just didn't know the Messiah had come, died, risen and gone to heaven. Verse 26, “So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.”

They explained what happened after he finished his sermon. Jesus went to the cross, and rose again. They told him that the Holy Spirit has come, the new age has been born and all else. They gave him the truth of Jesus Christ. They told him the fullness of the facts regarding Christ. And the Holy Spirit doesn't say much about it. Why? Because he was already a saint.

Verse 27, “And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace.” Achaia was were Corinth was and he helped them much. Verse 28, "He vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.” How exciting it is to see what God is doing. Let us pray.