Acts 18:18 ¶ And Paul after
this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the
brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila;
having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow. 19 And he came to Ephesus, and left them there:
but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they desired him to tarry longer
time with them, he consented not; 21 But
bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in
Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.
22 And when he had landed at Caesarea,
and gone up, and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch. 23 And after he had spent some time there,
he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in
order, strengthening all the disciples.
Now notice that Paul
said this back in Acts 13;
46 Then Paul and Barnabas
waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have
been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves
unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
So, why does he keep arguing with the Jews? Why shave his head in
a solemn vow and insist on keeping a feast in Jerusalem? Paul has a great
burden on his heart for his people.
Romans 9:1 ¶ I say the
truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy
Ghost,2 That I have great heaviness and
continual sorrow in my heart.3 For I
could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen
according to the flesh:
4 Who are Israelites; to
whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving
of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as
concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
Priscilla and Aquila, a husband and wife team, are called Paul’s
helpers.
Romans 16: 3 Greet
Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: 4 Who have for my life laid down their own
necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the
Gentiles.
Remember what Peter called a saved husband and wife.
1Peter 3:7 Likewise, ye
husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife,
as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life;
that your prayers be not hindered.
By the way, to any Fundamentalists out there the weaker vessel
is a reference to the relative weakness physically of a woman. It is not saying
that they are inferior morally or spiritually to a man. Our vessel is
our body.
Romans 9:21 Hath not the
potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour,
and another unto dishonour?
1Thessalonians 4:3 For this
is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from
fornication: 4 That every one of you
should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
It is in Cenchrea where Paul took his vow that Phebe worked for
Christ and for the church.
Romans 16:1 I commend unto
you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:…27 To God only wise, be glory through Jesus
Christ for ever. Amen. «Written to the Romans from Corinthus, and sent by Phebe
servant of the church at Cenchrea.»
Acts 18:24 ¶ And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. 26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. 27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: 28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.
Here, the beautiful work that the husband and wife team of
Priscilla and Aquila is manifested. They both took Apollos under their wing, so
to speak, to teach him doctrine that he, at this point, did not have. He knew
only John’s baptism that was to prepare the Jews to receive their Messiah. They
told him about Christ and he became a believer and a powerful preacher.
Apollos is mentioned by Paul a half a dozen times in his first
letter to the Corinthians church. He is mentioned also in the letter to Titus.
Apollos became an important help to Paul.
Titus 3:13 Bring Zenas the
lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto
them.
No comments:
Post a Comment