Apollos arrives in Ephesus
Acts 18:
[No mention here of Silas, Luke or Timothy also part of this 2nd mission. Email me or comment if you know where these apostles of the church might be as Paul begins his 3rd missionary journey. – Roger@TalkofJesus.com ]
Notice where Ephesus fits into our A.D. 51-52 timeline as the noted Jewish teacher Saul of Tarsus [Paul] departs and Apollos, another notable Jewish apostle to the gentiles begins working alongside disciples of The Way of the Messiah Jesus. Priscilla and Aquila (also Jews) remain in Ephesus as Paul sails back to Jerusalem and Antioch, Syria [his home church].
Paul’s Third Missionary Journey Begins
23 After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
As you can see on a map more familiar to Saul of Tarsus than 21st century christians who simply see modern Turkey, the Apostle Paul has once again set out to visit the churches of his Second Missionary Journey.
Ephesus is miles ahead where Paul will journey through the mountains to the Aegean coast where Apollos has already arrived and preached.
Luke continues his detailed account of Acts of the Apostles by way of introduction to Apollos.
Who is this Messianic Jew Apollos?
24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus.
- He was an eloquent man,
- competent in the Scriptures.
- 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord.
- (Not by Paul, but by other disciples of the risen Christ.)
- And being fervent in spirit,
- he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus..
We'll leave it there for the moment. Pretty good credentials for a new Preacher of Jesus to the Jews in Asia Minor (Ephesus).
Apollos the Baptist
Now, perhaps, some controversy might arise from calling apollos a ‘Baptist.’ This is no mere division of denomination of an early church in Asia Minor. No, the Baptist moniker in the year of our Lord 52 would have referred to the preaching of John the Baptist.
MANY would have heard of the Baptist, perhaps even hearing him preach prior to Herod beheading him.
A.D. 30 - Twenty some years earlier from Luke's Gospel (yet to be published ten years from now along with ACTS of the Apostles sometime between A.D. 60 and A.D. 62.)
Gospel of Luke 9:
Verses 18-21 Legacy Standard Bible
And it happened that while He [JESUS] was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying,
“Who do the crowds say that I am?”
And they answered and said,
“John the Baptist, and others say Elijah, but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.” And He said to them,
“But who do you say that I am?”
And Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”
But He warned them and directed them not to tell this to anyone..
- AND suppose that Apollos and other disciples had heard The Baptist preach and yet as must have been the case for many never heard the Christ of God preach in Person?
- What might these disciples of JESUS recall some twenty years later?
Luke 3:
[John] .. came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;
Now unlike most 21st century christians, these 1st century Jews knew their SCRIPTURE!
as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,
“THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT. ‘EVERY RAVINE WILL BE FILLED, AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL WILL BE BROUGHT LOW; THE CROOKED WILL BE STRAIGHT, AND THE ROUGH ROADS SMOOTH.
AND ALL FLESH WILL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.’”
Luke 3:6 LSB quoting: Isa 40:5; Isa 49:6; Isa 52:10
a response to Apollos OR The Baptist OR JESUS
“But indeed the ax is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what should we do?”
Luke 3:9-10 LSB
John answered, saying to them all,
“As for me, I baptize you with water, but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the strap of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
“His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn,
but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
So with many other exhortations he proclaimed the gospel to the people.
Gospel of Luke 3:18 LSB of the preaching of John the Baptist
Refining the Preaching of Apollos
Acts 18 continued in Ephesus
26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
It is expected that mature believers must instruct new followers of JESUS Christ more accurately. Even as Aquilla must have given exhortation to Apollos, the Apostle Paul on the way to Ephesus is most like doing the same as he revisits the new churches of previous missionary journeys (some to whom the Apostles has already written an Epistle).
27 And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him.
God-willing, ACTS of the apostles Paul, Apollos, Aquila and many others — To be continued
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