[Apollos] 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. ~ Acts 18:25
READING: Acts 18:24-28
My wife and I and our six-month-old son had just arrived on the mission field. Our first task was to conduct a survey of the Ilocos region of northern Luzon in the Philippines and select the town where we would settle to learn the language and begin our ministry of planting churches. We chose the strategic town of Vigan. What a challenging time in our lives!
One of the biggest challenges I was wrestling with was the basic question of how to plant a church. Oh, I’d had a couple of classes in Bible college, and plenty of ideas were swirling around in my head; but I needed a focus, I needed “handles” that would give me something solid on which to grab.
Apollos was a highly-trained follower of Jesus who, independently of Paul, came preaching Christ in Ephesus. Priscilla and Aquila heard him speaking boldly in the synagogue. They recognized some defects in what he was teaching, but they did not condemn him as a false teacher or contend with him as a competitor. Rather, they invited him into their home and corrected him in the context of hospitality. Later the Christians in Ephesus encouraged him and provided him with letters of introduction, paving the way for Apollos to minister effectively in Achaia.
God answered my prayer for a mentor by sending a man named Charles.
Lord, I need help! I’m not sure I even know what I don’t know! Please help me find the right person to ‘be there for me’ throughout the coming weeks and months. And prepare me with experiences and insights to share with others down the road. Bless me, Lord, and make me a blessing. Amen.
