Apollos was a Jew born in Alexandria, Egypt, a major cultural and intellectual center of the ancient world, second only to Rome. It was one of the five major centers of early Christianity. Apollos was an eloquent preacher with a large following of Christians who wanted to be identified with him. He defended the Messiahship of Jesus from his great understanding of the OT, knowing only the baptism of John. His eloquent preaching was deficient. He was re-discipled privately by Pricilla and Aquila to include the fullness of the Holy Spirit (Acts 18:25-26). He was humbly teachable. Being teachable must be a characteristic of all of us if we would grow and reach our full potential and be effective in ministry.
“Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, 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 was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; and he began to speak out 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.” Acts 18:24-26 (NASB)
(From “The Master’s Table”, by H. Lamar Smith.)
