Apollos - When You Are Not The Headline Act

Hello and welcome to Van Life Devotions. Today we are in Alexandria which is in Egypt. Alexandria is only mentioned twice in the New Testament. Once is in Acts 6 where Jews from various regions were arguing with Stephen, but the other time is in Acts 18:24, “Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately” (Acts 18:24-25 NIV).

This is a wonderful compliment given to this man – a believer, educated, thorough grounding in the Jewish Scriptures, being taught in the ways of the Lord, spoke with great passion about Jesus – and he was from Alexandria! Could it be possible that Apollos was from the church in Alexandria.

Alexandria was a vast Greek-speaking cosmopolitan city, with a substantial Jewish community, and a hub of the Roman imperial system. Its famous library and museum helped make it one of the main intellectual and cultural centres of the Hellenistic world.

Christianity probably entered Alexandria through its large Jewish community; church tradition from the fourth century attributes the foundation of the church to the Gospel writer Mark. The tract known as the Epistle of Barnabas, dated between 70 and 138, is probably Alexandrian. It reflects intense controversy between Christians and traditional Jews over the right use of Scripture. The Church of Alexandria was firmly established as the centre of Christianity in the region by 300 AD. From this church came the Coptic Orthodox Church – a persecuted church today!

This Apollos, from Alexandria, found his way to Ephesus where he taught and debated in the synagogue (Acts 18:26). Although he was a gifted speaker, he needed Priscilla and Aquila, friends of Paul, to further explain the “way of God”(Acts 18:25–26). The instruction he received was beneficial for his future ministry.

The Christians in Ephesus encouraged Apollos to pursue his ministry in Achaia. They instructed the believers there to receive him with a warm welcome upon his arrival (Acts 18:27). Apollos’s ministry in Achaia was twofold; he helped the Christians and debated with the local Jews. Using the Scriptures, “he proved that Jesus was the Messiah” (Acts 18:28).

According to Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, the ministry of Apollos led him to the Greek city of Corinth where Paul had planted a church. Somewhere along the way, the church became divided over the issue of leadership (1 Corinthians 1:12-13). Some followed Apollos because of his persuasive teaching; others preferred Paul, who founded the Corinthian church; a third party favoured Peter, who received Jesus’s instructions firsthand. Paul corrected the Corinthian church and insisted that all leaders were servants of God who worked equally to spread the good news. Paul planted the seeds of faith, Apollos nurtured their belief, but God provided the growth in the believer’s lives (1 Corinthians 3:5-6).

While Paul and the Apostles are major people in the New Testament, people like Apollos were minor in comparison and yet God used such people to spread the gospel and disciple believers. You may not have the headline act in your church, but your ministry in your church or wherever is valued and it counts. 

Let’s pray:

Dear God. We pray for safety and growth for our friends, the Coptic believers. We also pray that you will raise up more Apollos’ who passionately evangelise the lost.  O God, preserve us who travel; surround us with your loving care; protect us from every danger; and bring us in safety to our journey’s end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.