18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch. 23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. 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. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. 27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
Passion is no substitute for precision, but too many times we see it happen. I heard the story about two congregants who were sitting listening to their pastor when one said to the other "you can tell when he isn't sure about what he's saying because his voice gets louder".
Apollos was the exception. He spoke with great passion and fervor, but was always willing to learn.
I also like Aquila and Pricilla. Instead of criticizing Apollos for not knowing about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit they invited him to dinner and brought him up to speed. Usually we put our nose in the air and refuse to have anything to do with folks who aren't as smart as we are. Remember...Apollos was not wrong. His theology was just incomplete.
The Gospel is a Gospel of grace. We help the cause when we demonstrate grace with those around us.
Live boldly out there today...
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