4/24/2017. Apollos. Apollos

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1 is one of those great Bible characters that we don t have a lot of details about his life. His name is only mentioned 10 times in the scriptures 6 of those times were in the early chapters of 1 Corinthians. All 6 of these were in connection with the divisions that existed in the Church at Corinth. 1

2 However, we can learn a few things about and his character the times he is mentioned. Much of what we know about him is contained in one verse. Ac 18:24 Now a certain Jew named, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. Here is what we learn about from vs 24 He was a Jew. He was from Alexandria Egypt. We know from history that the city of Alexandria had a large Jewish population. We also see that he was an eloquent man. He was also mighty in the scriptures. He had a great knowledge and understanding of the Old Testament scriptures 2

3 was also an evangelist. The Apostle Paul spoke of him as a fellow minister of Christ when he was addressing the problems of division in Corinth. 1Co 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, watered, but God gave the increase. 1Co 3:7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. 3

4 Paul also considered a brother in Christ 1Co 16:12 Now concerning our brother, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time. We have a picture here of a very effective Gospel preacher. A man who even had the respect of the Apostle Paul. However, this had not always been the case. had always been an effective preacher but not always a preacher of the Truth. When we are first introduced to he was a false teacher. There is no doubt he thought he was teaching the Truth but he was wrong. 4

5 Ac 18:24 Now a certain Jew named, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. We don t know the circumstances under which learned the teachings and the baptism of John. He may have learned it from John himself. In any case he evidently had not learned that John s baptism was no longer in effect and that men should submit to the baptism of Christ. Thankfully, he came in contact with two Christians who corrected his error. 5

6 Ac 18:26 So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. When began to teach this false doctrine in the synagogue then Aquila and his wife Priscilla took him to the side and taught him the Truth. It is worth noting here that at this point in his life did not have any of the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. Ac 18:27 And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; 28 for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. 6

7 When left Ephesus he headed to the area of Corinth. The church at Ephesus sent a commendation letter with him. To me, this is evidence that he had no supernatural gifts. If he had the ability to work miracles then no such letter would have been necessary. We also see how he refuted the Jews and how he showed that Jesus was the Christ. He did it the same way we do today, through the scriptures. In Acts 19 we see what could have been the tragic consequences of false teaching. had taught his false doctrine in Ephesus. This was before he learned the Truth from Aquila and Priscilla. After learning the Truth departs for Corinth 7

8 The Apostle Paul comes to Ephesus after leaves. When Paul arrives he finds some men who had evidently been taught by prior to him learning the Truth. Ac 19:1 And it happened, while was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples Ac 19:2 he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit. Paul wanted to know if any of the other Apostles had laid their hands on them and given the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. When they told him they had not even heard of the Holy Spirit he knew something was wrong. 8

9 Paul knew if they had been baptized into Christ s baptism then they would have heard of the Holy Spirit. Mt 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Since they hadn t heard of the Holy Spirit then Paul begins to question them further. Ac 19:3 And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism." 4 Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. Remember originally only knew the baptism of John and that is what he had taught these men. 9

10 John s baptism and the baptism of Christ were very similar. Both were baptisms in water and for the forgiveness of sins. Mr 1:4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. The problem with these men being baptized with John s baptism is that John s baptism was no longer in effect. unknowingly had taught them false doctrine. These men had submitted to this baptism under the influence of false doctrine. Paul explains to these men that even John the Baptist taught they should believe on Christ and submit to Him. These men had not done that. They had submitted to the teachings of John. 10

11 What did that mean for these men? It meant that even though they thought their sins had been forgiven when they were baptized they in fact had not been! These men were still in a lost condition! Their sincerity in what they believed did not matter The sincerity of the one who taught them this false doctrine did not matter. They were still lost! What is the solution to such a situation? It s really not that complicated. Submit to the gospel of Christ and be re-baptized in water for the forgiveness of sins. That is just exactly what these men did. Ac 19:5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 11

12 This is the one baptism that Paul tells the Ephesians about. Eph 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; It is this same baptism that Peter says is for the forgiveness of sins in Acts 2 Ac 2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is this same baptism that puts us into the body of Christ. Ga 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 12

13 It is also this same baptism that saves us. 1Pe 3:21 There is also an antitype which now saves us--baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, These are the things that being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus did for those men and still does for men today. The baptism taught these men could not do all of these things How fortunate it was for these men to have come in contact with the Apostle Paul What if they had lived the rest of their lives believing they were ok with God? What a shock it would have been on the day of judgment for them to hear depart from me I never knew you 13

14 Conclusion False teaching is a very dangerous thing. It is even more dangerous when it comes from someone as effective as. He was smart, he knew the scriptures, he was a good speaker and he was sincere. But, he was wrong! His false doctrine almost cost these men their eternal souls. 14