Alan Lewis
Elon, North Carolina
June 2026
After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.
9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. 13 “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”
14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” 16 So he drove them off. 17 Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever.
18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae 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 to Jerusalem 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 and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah. (Acts 18:1-28 NIV)
Today, we come to an amazing chapter in Acts. Paul finishes his second missionary journey. He goes to Corinth and then Ephesus before going on furlough.
Paul has been to Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens and now he comes to the city of Corinth. He stays in Corinth longer than any other place so far. He stays there a year and a half (Acts 18:11) and starts a church there.
The Church of Corinth was the last church that he founded on his second missionary journey. It is one of the most famous churches in the NT. Paul wrote several letters to that church.
It was a complete miracle that a church even started in Corinth. It was one of the most wicked cities in the Roman Empire. The city of Athens was known for its wisdom, the city of Corinth was known for its immorality. One preacher entitled this chapter “Preaching to the Dark Side.”
A lot of things happen in this chapter. Paul gets a haircut in the chapter (Acts 18:18). Why is that in the Bible? Paul is not being legalistic; he is just being Jewish. He is following Jewish customs (Nazarite vow). He does not require all Christians to take the same vow.
Paul is joined by his coworkers in this chapter, Silas and Timothy (Acts 18:5). He had to leave them in Acts 16, and they get back together in Acts 18. After they come, we are told that Paul “devoted himself exclusively to preaching.” When they come from Philippi, they brought a gift for Paul (Philippians 4:15; II Corinthians 11:9).
Paul always started by preaching in the synagogue, like he did in the other cities. We are told that “Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks” (Acts 18:4 NIV).
He did not just preach with a lot of passion and fire. He did not just preach with emotions. He used reason. Some responded. Some were even high-profile people.
Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized. (I Corinthians 18:8 NIV).
Crispus wasn’t the owner of a fried chicken restaurant. He was the president of the synagogue. He wasn’t the local rabbi, but he was the most prominent lay leader in the synagogue. Paul says that he baptized him (I Corinthians 1:14).
Not everyone had a positive reception to the gospel. Some opposed Paul and became abusive. Paul said, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles” (Acts 18:6 NIV), which he had said in earlier cities.
Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, but he was discouraged. Everywhere he goes, he is run out of town. At his weakest moment, God showed up and spoke to Paul. Paul got a supernatural vision.
God said that He was with Paul. He would take care of Paul. No one would hurt him. He had more work to do in Corinth. There were more people in Corinth that were His. When he was taken to court for violating the Mosaic Law, Paul did not have to say one word in his defense. The judge dismissed the case.
Incidentally, the judge in the case, Gallio, just happened to be the brother of a famous man. He was the brother of Seneca, who was a famous Stoic philosopher in Rome. Gallio was in power from 51-52 AD, so we know when that event took place.
Today, we want to look at three amazing people who are introduced for the first time in Acts 18: Aquila, Priscilla and Apollos. All three were first-century Jewish Christians.
Aquila and Priscilla were Italian Jews. Apollos was an Egyptian Jew. The three met in Ephesus for the first time after Paul left town. These three meet at the end of the chapter. We are going to look at some lessons from these three people.
Model of Unity
Aquila and Priscilla are a model of unity. This first century Christian couple is mentioned six times in the NT.[1] They are mentioned in four different books of the Bible (Acts, Romans, I Corinthians and II Timothy). They are mentioned three times in this chapter alone.
What is interesting is that they are ALWAYS mentioned together. Sometimes it says, “Aquila and Priscilla.” Sometimes it says, “Priscilla and Aquila” but they are NEVER mentioned alone. They were inseparably connected.
This couple worked together. They ministered together. They served together. They went to church together. They did everything together. They are a great picture of unity. They could have led the marriage ministry of the church.
Model of Ministry
After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.
Aquila and Priscilla give us a great model of ministry. They were a first century couple. When Paul arrived in Corinth, he did not know anyone but made some new friends. Notice the transition.
First, Paul got to know Aquila and Priscilla. They happen to have a lot in common. They were all Jews. They were all from out of town. None were from Corinth. They were all persecuted. They worked in the same field. They owned and operated a tent-making business. They made, repaired and sold tents. Paul became friends with them.
Then, he started working with them in their business. They had a successful business. Then, he eventually stayed in their house (Acts 18:3). Later, he traveled with them from Corinth to Ephesus (Acts 18:18).
He also worked with them in ministry. They became lifelong ministry partners. Paul called Aquilla and Priscilla “coworkers in Christ Jesus” (Romans 16:3 NIV).
A church that met in their home. They had a house church. That was the only kind of church that existed in the first century. There were no church buildings.
The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. (I Corinthians 16:19 NIV)
Chuck Swindoll once said that “Marriage is one of God’s greatest tools for ministry.”[2] Two people can do together more than one person can do alone. They used their marriage to serve together.
Model of Discipleship
Aquila and Priscilla give us a great model of discipleship (one-on-one discipleship). Everyone needs discipleship. Even gifted preachers need discipleship, and we see that at the end of the chapter.
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. 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 and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah. (Acts 18:23-28 NIV).
Aquila and Priscilla found someone who needed one-on-one discipleship. They gave it to him, and it completely changed him. He was good before, but he was even greater after he was discipled.
He was an amazing preacher before, but afterwards he became a great apologist in Corinth. He became one of the most powerful defenders of the Christian faith.
He left Ephesus and went to Corinth. He went with letters of reference from believers in Ephesus (Acts 18:27). The Corinthians loved him. Some loved him even more than Paul. Many liked Paul but liked Apollos even more. He became a famous apologist. He debated non-Christians in public and won. They could not answer his arguments.
For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah. (Acts 18:28 NIV).
He proved from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah. He became another Stephen. He may have gone on to write a book of the Bible. Many believe he is the author of the Book of Hebrews.
How did Aquila and Priscilla meet Apollos? They met him in their synagogue. He was a guest preacher in their local synagogue. Paul left town. They went to the synagogue on Sabbath day, and a guest speaker showed up. They had never heard him speak before. He was from out of town
He was some African Jew from Egypt. He was an amazing speaker. The man could preach. He was on fire and he did a good job explaining Scripture. He knew the Bible and preached it boldly. We know four things about him from Acts.
Profile of a Guest Preacher1. Apollos was highly educated Apollos was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt. There was a huge Jewish population in Alexandria. Alexandria was one of the intellectual capitals of the ancient world. It drew scholars from across the Mediterranean. It was a leading center of science and learning in the Hellenistic world. It had the largest library in the ancient world. Apollos would have received a good education in Alexandria. 2. Apollos had a thorough knowledge of Scripture Apollos was not only well educated; he knew the Scriptures. He was mighty in the scriptures (Acts 18:24 KJV). There are plenty of people today with PhDs who know nothing of the Bible. Apollos was well educated but he also knew Scripture, because he was Jewish. His Bible was the Old Testament. He read the Greek translation of it. The Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek in Alexandria. It is called the Septuagint (LXX). Acts 18 says that he was MIGHTY IN THE SCRIPTURES (Acts 18:24 KJV). Think about that for a minute. It is said of no one else in the Bible. It is not said of Peter or Paul. It is not said of John. He had a thorough knowledge of the Bible. He knew it front and back. He could quote it. Does that describe us? Are we mighty in the Scriptures? How well do we know the Word? 3. Apollos was an incredible preacher There are plenty of people who know a lot about the Bible and are great scholars but terrible preachers. They are dry. They speak in a monotone. They can put you right to sleep. I once met an OT scholar in Chicago was brilliant. He knew 26 languages. His mind was like an encyclopedia. You could ask him any question and he would have the answer. He was a great scholar, but he was not the greatest preacher. He had different gifts. Apollos was well educated. He knew the Word, but he was also a fiery preacher. He was a good public speaker. He was eloquent. Rhetoric was taught in Alexandria. Those three things (well educated, well versed in Scripture and an excellent communicator) are a rare combination. 4. Apollos had a limited knowledge about Jesus. 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 (Acts 18:25 NIV) We don’t know what he knew and what he did not know. What we know is that he had an incomplete knowledge of Jesus. He knew part of the story. He came from Egypt and there was no TV or Internet, so there were some gaps in his knowledge. He had heard only part of the story about Jesus. |
Aquilla and Priscilla heard him and were impressed with Apollos. They liked what they saw. He was extremely gifted. He had great talent. He was a powerful preacher. He was one of the greatest preachers in the early church but there was a problem.
Apollos had a doctrinal problem. He had a theological problem. There were some things about Jesus that he did not know. There were some things he had never heard, because he was from Alexandria, so they did something about it.
Sometimes, we disagree with preachers over minor doctrines, over things that do not matter. When we disagree with our preacher, we tend to criticize him. We don’t want to help him, just criticize them.
Aquilla and Priscilla had a disagreement with their preacher. It was over something major, not minor. It was over who Jesus was. They wanted to help Apollos. They wanted to disciple him.
They were not members of the clergy. They were tentmakers. They were not pastors and yet they could still do discipleship. Anyone can do discipleship. Ordinary laypeople can do discipleship.
How did Aquila and Priscila know so much? They did not go to seminary. They did not take a bible correspondence course, but they had already been discipled by the Apostle Paul for a year and a half. Now, they are sharing some of that information with Apollos.
Notice how they did it. They did not give him a public rebuke. They did not confront him publicly. They did not invite him to a formal debate.
That would make him defensive. He would not be open to anything they had to say. They took a different approach. They invited the preacher home for dinner. They built a relationship with him and talked to him in private.
When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. (Acts 18:26 NIV).
They did not teach him at church. They taught him at home. It is a great place for teaching and discipleship. You have more time for a conversation in a relaxed home environment. That is why we have home groups. It is an effective form of discipleship.
Model of Humility
Apollos gives us a model of humility. He receives correction not from theologians but from a layman. He is discipled by a tentmaker, a manual laborer. Not everyone would be humble enough to do that.
Most preachers are proud. This one was humble. He was not just a preacher but a gifted preacher. He had more education than they did and yet he still was open to what they had to say. He did not pretend to know everything. He was open to being discipled by others.
[1] Acts 18:2, 18, 26; Romans 16:3; I Corinthians 16:19; II Timothy 4:19.
[2] https://pastors.iflblog.com/2017/04/
