Acts 18:18-28 · Read 3 min · think and write 15 min
The last lesson read that when Paul came to Corinth, “he lived with them and worked” (Acts 18:3); “He lived there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them” (Acts 18:11).
This lesson reads where they went with Paul when he left Corinth, and whom they met there.
18Paul, having stayed after this many more days, took his leave of the brothers, and sailed from there for Syria, together with Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved his head in Cenchreae, for he had a vow.
19He came to Ephesus, and he left them there; but he himself entered into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.
20When they asked him to stay with them a longer time, he declined;
21but taking his leave of them, he said, “I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem, but I will return again to you if God wills.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.
22When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the assembly, and went down to Antioch.
23Having spent some time there, he departed and went through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, in order, establishing all the disciples.
24Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus. He was mighty in the Scriptures.
25This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John.
26He began to speak 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.
27When he had determined to pass over into Achaia, the brothers encouraged him; and wrote to the disciples to receive him. When he had come, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace;
28for he powerfully refuted the Jews, publicly showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
Together with Paul. “Paul, having stayed after this many more days, took his leave of the brothers, and sailed from there for Syria, together with Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved his head in Cenchreae, for he had a vow” (v. 18). In the last lesson they lived and worked with Paul in Corinth; this time they boarded the ship with him.
Left at Ephesus. “He came to Ephesus, and he left them there; but he himself entered into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews” (v. 19). “When they asked him to stay with them a longer time, he declined” (v. 20); “but taking his leave of them, he said, ‘I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem, but I will return again to you if God wills.’ Then he set sail from Ephesus” (v. 21). Paul went; they stayed.
Establishing the disciples. “When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the assembly, and went down to Antioch” (v. 22); “Having spent some time there, he departed and went through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, in order, establishing all the disciples” (v. 23).
Apollos. “Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus. He was mighty in the Scriptures” (v. 24). “This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John” (v. 25). The passage first says what he had, and then what he knew only.
More accurately. “He began to speak 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” (v. 26). Apollos “spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus” (v. 25); they “explained to him the way of God more accurately” (v. 26).
To Achaia. “When he had determined to pass over into Achaia, the brothers encouraged him; and wrote to the disciples to receive him. When he had come, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace” (v. 27); “for he powerfully refuted the Jews, publicly showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ” (v. 28).
Afterwards. At the end of his letter to the believers in Rome, Paul says: “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus” (Rom 16:3). The next lesson reads these greetings.
In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul speaks of Apollos: “I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the increase” (1 Cor 3:6).
Readers can see this: what Acts records is that Apollos went to Achaia, and “When he had come, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace” (v. 27).
Perhaps you have been a believer for some years now; you read the Bible, you listen to sermons, and you can explain some things yourself. Yet you know there are places you still don’t really understand, and you have never had the chance to ask, or have felt awkward about asking.
This lesson does not say that having things you don’t yet understand means your faith is poor; nor does it say that you need to understand everything before you can serve. What it shows you is this: Apollos was “an eloquent man” and “mighty in the Scriptures”, “fervent in spirit”, “although he knew only the baptism of John” (vv. 24–25); when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, “they took him aside, and explained to him the way of God more accurately” (v. 26); and when he came to Achaia, “he greatly helped those who had believed through grace” (v. 27).
This week: Think of one place in God’s word you would like to understand more fully. This week, find a brother or sister you trust, who knows the Bible better than you, and ask them about it.
Scripture: World English Bible.