By
David R. Ferguson
There is a very interesting passage from
the Book of Acts I would like to share with you: "Now a certain Jew named
Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was
mighty in the Scriptures. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord;
and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning
Jesus, knowing only the baptism of John: and he began to speak boldly in the synagogue.
But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him unto them, and expounded
unto him the way of God more accurately." (Acts 18:24-26)
This passage is a wonderful example of
demonstrating proper behavior towards one another on the part of brothers and
sisters in Christ. As part of our growing in the fruit of the Spirit, we are
commanded to be patient with our fellow Christians, and especially those who
are babes in Christ: "I...beseech you to walk worthily of the calling
wherewith you were called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering,
forbearing one another in love; giving diligence to keep the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:1-3) What if Priscilla and
Aquila had behaved differently when they first encountered Apollos? What if
they had immediately criticized him in front of everyone in the synagogue? How
do you think Apollos would have felt and reacted if these two individuals, without
confronting him first in private, had talked about him behind his back, and
called him a "false teacher" and circulated letters among the
brethren disparaging his character and motives? Would not great harm have come
to the church, the church which Jesus loved so much that He purchased it with
His own blood (1 Peter 1:18-19)? I dare say it would have! Too many times people
wish to brand their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ with appellations
such as "false teacher" or "apostates" when an honest
examination of the facts does not warrant these labels being attached. Many
times, these individuals may only be mistaken, as was the case with Apollos, or
maybe they simply hold a difference of opinion on a matter that falls within
the parameters of Christian liberty, as Paul wrote in Romans 14. It’s true that
we must "contend earnestly for the faith" (Jude 3), but let’s make
certain we are not being contentious for the faith instead. Let’s follow after
the example of Priscilla and Aquila, so that we can achieve the same result as
they did with Apollos:
"And
when he was minded to pass over into Achaia, the brethren encouraged him, and wrote
to the disciples to receive him: and when he was come, he helped them much that
had believed through grace; for he powerfully confuted the Jews, and that
publicly, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ." (Acts 18:27-28)
May the Lord
bless you!
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