Led by the Spirit: Journey Through the Book of Acts Part 2Sample

Day 11: The Teachability of Apollos

Three blind men were touching an elephant. The first one reached out and felt the smooth surface of the elephant’s side, exclaiming that the elephant is like a wall – vast and flat. The second man stretched his arms towards the tusk, saying, “No! The elephant is like a spear – sharp and pointed!” The last man, feeling up one of its legs, insisted that “the elephant is like a tree trunk, strong and thick, rooted to the ground”. Each of them was confident in their discovery initially, but the more they argued the more they realised their understanding of how an elephant looked was severely limited by their own experience, and incomplete.

Apollos also had an incomplete understanding about Jesus. Although he had a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures (v24) and spoke fervently (v25), Priscilla and Aquila could tell that there was something lacking and felt the need to reach out and explain to him God’s way more accurately (v26). It seemed that Priscilla and Aquila themselves had a more thorough understanding of Jesus, probably from their days of fellowshipping closely with Paul (v3; v18).

Apollos could have refused correction, since he was a learned man (v24) while Priscilla and Aquila were but uneducated tentmakers. But he readily received their discipleship which helped him to mature in his understanding of Jesus, so much so that he was eventually able to refute Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah (v28). In doing so, he was “a great help” to his fellow believers (v27).

The longer we are in the faith or the more we read the Bible, the more we may be prone to thinking we have known and heard everything. But just like Apollos and each of the blind men, we are limited by our own understanding and experiences. We rely on others to help us see what we cannot, adding onto our understanding of Jesus so that we may eventually be “a great help” to others by teaching them more accurately about Jesus. Ask ourselves: are we so proud of our knowledge of Jesus that we do not see the need to hear from others? Or are we humble enough to believe that the people put by God in our lives, regardless of their education level or background, can help us see Christ more clearly and mature in our understanding of Him?

Reflect:

• Ask God to humble our hearts to recognise that we do not know everything about Him. Pray for your own heart to desire to know Him beyond the limitations of your own encounters and experiences.
• Spend time to give thanks for the mentors and leaders in our lives who help us know God better. Pray and ask God to equip us to help others in the same way.