Articles
Apollos, The Humble
…and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. (Acts 18:26)
On Paul’s return trip from the second evangelistic journey, he met a fervent and zealous couple named Aquila and Priscilla. They joined him “as far as Ephesus” and remained there until his third trip. While the couple served there, they met another zealous individual named Apollos.
Apollos was no ordinary guy. He was from Alexandria, Egypt, the seat of learning and philosophy. He was eloquent and well educated in the Old Testament Scriptures (Acts 18:24). He was fully capable of teaching the ignorant while powerfully refuting the opposition. He was a scholar and he probably knew it. Yet, he was only familiar with the baptism of John. While he taught in the synagogue, Aquila and Priscilla saw this flaw. They took him aside privately and showed him his error. Rather than rebuke them with an air of intellectual superiority, he humbly acknowledged his fault and corrected the matter instantly.
Humility is the trademark of Christianity and Apollos is a fine example of that Christian trait. May we learn from his example that despite even tremendous amounts of learning, we may one day be found in the wrong. Will we display the humility of Apollos when we are corrected? (Hebrews 13:7; 3 John 11)
