Who was Apollos?
Apollos was bold. A gifted speaker who understood the Scriptures. This North African Jew was cultured and confident: he boldly proclaimed Jesus. But he didn’t have all the facts. More mature believers–Priscilla and Aquila–took him aside and taught him the rest of the story (Acts 18).
Apollos was one of the influential leaders in the Church at Corinth. When factions rose up, Paul acknowledged the important role Apollos played at the same time he admonished the Corinthian church for choosing sides between him, Apollos and Peter–after all they were all on the same team and all were servants of God (I Cor. 3). Later, Paul told his protégé Titus to do everything he could to help Apollos on a trip he was undertaking (Titus 3:13).
More than bold, Apollos was teachable: always learning and willing to accept instruction even though he was a powerful preacher who knew a lot. His hometown Alexandria was a center of Jewish life and learning in the first century. It would have been easy for Apollos to assume that he had it all together, that he had nothing to learn from others, even Jewish exiles from Rome. But he didn’t. He was humble enough to learn, to grow under the watering of others and in turn water the Church. He engaged his culture and world skillfully.
He was willing to go where God called to water Jesus’ Church. He traveled the Empire and ministered across boundaries of class, culture, gender and ethnicity. Always pointing to Jesus.
Some scholars believe that Apollos was the author of Hebrews. We can’t say for sure, but we’d like to think it is true. Hebrews is actually a single sermon, one with considerable rhetorical flair (sounds like Apollos to us). Over and over it keeps coming back to Jesus, encouraging and even demanding an active faith.
- Bold
- Boundary Crosser
- Teachable
- Teacher
- Multicultural
- Available
100% sold out to Jesus. To His Kingdom. To His Church.
Apollos watered.
We want to be like Apollos.
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:20-21
