Acts 18:24-19:22 | You Don't Need to Know It Allنموونە

Here in the back half of Acts 18, we meet Apollos. He’s a smart guy and a Jew who knows the word. He comes from Alexandria. It was a center of Jewish study and learning (Christian, too) that lasted until the rise of Islam, and once boasted one of the world’s greatest libraries. Here’s how Acts describes him, “A learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24, NIV).

And here in Ephesus, he’s teaching about Jesus! Where did that come from? Acts doesn’t say. Someone instructed him, and then through his own study he came to see how the Old Testament points to Jesus deeply. Acts tells us he “vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah” (Acts 18:28, NIV). But he didn’t know everything – specifically here, about new developments in baptism, and probably deeper things about the Holy Spirit as well. Acts puts it this way, “He knew only the baptism of John” (18:25, NIV). It’s almost as if he knew the story of Jesus up to Acts 1 (where Jesus mentions John’s baptism again), but not Pentecost – Acts 2 and beyond.

Pause for a moment. Think about this. Apollos is speaking boldly in the synagogues. He’s publicly debating, and winning. He’s proving that Jesus is the Messiah and convincing others. We get the picture of someone like Lonnie Frisbee in Jesus Revolution (or history!) or the YouTube evangelists on college campuses. He’s able to go head-to-head with his Jewish opponents. But he did it without knowing everything.

Acts is about witness. It’s about spreading the good word of King Jesus to those around us and to the ends of the earth. Acts, at its core, prods us to be evangelistic.

How often do we get paralyzed in our witness because we don’t think we know enough? How often do we shrink back from sharing our hope in Christ because we’re afraid we’ll be presented with a question we cannot answer or a challenge that leaves us feeling stupid? How often do we hesitate because we think we might say the wrong thing and lead someone away?

That is not the message of Acts. Much the opposite. What we see is that when we witness, we don’t need to know everything. Apollos didn’t. Neither do you. You might even be missing key points, as he did. Don’t let that stop you from pointing people to Jesus.

Here’s the good news. God’s power to save a person and transform their life is God’s power, not yours. It does not depend on you. Not your wisdom or knowledge or eloquence or charisma. Not your ability to quote chapter and verse. Not your ability to answer every objection. Just your witness. You don’t need to know it all.

This week we’ll talk about witnessing despite our limitations. Today, start by reading a bit about Apollos and his witness, despite his.