Sermon Manuscript

[Video:  “Summer Road - Bumper” - 0:30]

If I were to ask you to name the top ten people who have made the biggest impact upon your life how would you respond?  (Pause)  No doubt the first names that are most likely to pop into our heads are mom and dad.  Our parents.  The people who raised us and formed us and instilled within us their values.  We might also include friends and mentors.  People who were there with us during a tough time or spoke into our life when we were dealing with a crisis.  We might include coaches or people who believed in us or a leader in our community that inspired us.  But at some point on our list my guess is that all of us will include a particular type of person which helped to change the course of our entire lives - teachers.

Recently I read a poem about teachers called So God Made a Teacher.  Here’s how it goes:

“On the eighth day, God looked down upon his creation and said, ‘I need a person who can get up before dawn and stay up past dusk.  A person who can eat lunch in 2 minutes while making plans for the next day.  I need a person who has a heart strong enough to love another’s child like their own.  So God made a teacher.

I need a person who will plant seeds of wisdom that will bloom in the future.  I need a person who can put aside their needs for a child in need.  I need a person who can bring out the best in others.  So God made a teacher.

I need a person who can make an assessment on a dime and quickly modify the moment in order to maximize the learning.  I need a person that can have a plan B, C, D, and even Z depending upon the needs of a child.  A person who is willing to give up their evenings, weekends, and even summer in order to gain personal development.  So God made a teacher.

I need a person with a warm heart and open arms.  A person that has passion and is not afraid to love unconditionally.  So God made a teacher.”

So God made a teacher.  At some point in your life and mine a man or woman who was a teacher spoke to us, taught us, and inspired us.  They called us to be better and to live differently.  And while that is true personally and professionally.  It is also true spiritually.  Because each and every one of us here this morning are here because someone invested in you spiritually.  Someone taught you about who God is and why you should pursue Him.  And so this morning I want you to consider who that teacher or “teachers” might be within your life as I consider mine.  Consider which teachers brought you closer to Jesus.  

And as you we are going to examine a passage of Scripture about a famous teacher.  In fact, I might even go as far as to say, “This may be one of the most famous teachers in the Bible that some of us have never heard about.”  His name is Apollos.  And his story is found within the book of Acts chapter 18.  So let’s go there and learn about him and what he can teach us.

If you have your Bibles, turn with me now to the book of Acts chapter 18.  Today we’re going to be in verses 24-28.  If you would like to follow along with us online you can do so by using our app.  It’s called Church Center and we use it each week.  Just open it up and click on Sunday Services followed by Message Notes and you will find everything that you need for our time together this morning.

As you turn there, let me quickly remind you that today we are wrapping up our series called Summer Road Trip where over the past 5 weeks we have examined 5 stories and learned about 5 road signs which are helping us to become more like Jesus.  In week one we examined the story of how Paul and Silas met a young girl with a spirit of divination.  And we discovered how in life we must “yield” to God’s plan for us.  The Yield Sign reminded us of that truth.  In week two, we examined the story of the Philippian jailor and how he and his family learned that Jesus is the only way to God.  The One Way sign reminded us of that truth.  In week three, we looked at the story of what happened to Paul and Silas in Thessalonica and saw how persecution had taken place.  In life, we will experience bumpy roads and so the Road Work Ahead sign reminds us of that truth.  In week four, Paul was in Athens and gave his famous Mars Hill sermon and he spoke into people’s lives by addressing their worldviews.  The Lanes Merge sign reminded us of how he merged truths from culture with the Gospel to do so.  And then finally last week in week five we watched as Paul became angry and upset with the Jews and told them that he would now go to the Gentiles and how he was put on trial in Corinth.  Yet, he was faithful and committed to the mission.  The No U-Turn sign reminded us of that truth.

And today we wrap up in Acts 18 by seeing what happened next.  Remember.  Paul had been in Corinth for a year and a half but then began to travel home.  He was “homeward bound”.  Much like us at the end of vacation and a long road trip.  And as he headed for home Luke tells us he went to Cenchreae which was the eastern seaport for Corinth.  Corinth was between two sea ports.  But Paul left there, traveled to Ephesus, and then from Ephesus to Caesarea on the Mediterranean Sea coast.  Then to Jerusalem and back to Antioch.  This ended Paul’s Second Missionary Journey.  He then begins his Third Missionary journey by going back to many of the places he visited previously to encourage the believers.  

Then beginning in verse 24 we read about an important event that took place in Ephesus.  Verse 24 says:

24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 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. 27 And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

Alright.  Verse 24 tells us about a man named Apollos.  And we’re given quite a few details about him.  First of all, he’s a Jew.  A Jewish man with a Greek name.  The name Apollos is from Apollo and Apollo was one of the Greek gods.  He was the god of light and music and poetry.  And we’re told that he’s from Alexandria, Egypt.  He’s a native of Alexandria.  That means that he was from Alexandria and Alexandria was a center of learning known for its world-reknown library.  In fact, a quick side note.  The Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament, and the version of the Old Testament that many read from in the first century and one in which Paul quotes from in the New Testament originated in Alexandria, Egypt.  It’s believed that 70-72 scholars, which is why it’s abbreviated as LXX, came from Jerusalem who knew Hebrew to Alexandria, Egypt and translated the Old Testament there.  Whether that story is true or not, what is true is that Alexandria, Egypt, was a well-known city of learning.  It would be like us saying, “I’m from West Lafayette or Bloomington.”  College towns.  Places where higher centers of learning take place and intellectual people tend to migrate to.

So Apollos comes to Ephesus.  He’s from Alexandria.  He’s also an “eloquent man” and “competent in the Scriptures”.  So he’s a good speaker and a good student of God’s Word.  He knows his Bible!  And he also had been instructed “in the way of the Lord”.  That means that he knows his Old Testament Scriptures but he also knows that they speak about Jesus.  He had been taught well about how Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy.  We’re told that he’s “fervent in spirit” or passionate about God’s Word.  He’s also passionate about teaching it accurately.  

And that will be key.  Because Luke says in verse 25 that he only knew about the baptism of John.  He did not know about the baptism of Jesus.  So let me just pause and explain what that means.  Because it’s a big, big, deal.  When John the Baptist came he preached this message.  He said, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  And when people did repent John told them to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.  But John also said that after him would come Someone greater.  Someone who would baptize with “the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11, John 1:22).  Peter then told the church in Jerusalem that when the Holy Spirit fell upon the Gentiles that he remembered that Jesus had told them that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”  In other words, let me be very clear here.  Apollos knew that baptism was a condition for salvation.  He understood that in order to truly repent and give your life to Jesus that you need to be baptized.  However, what he didn’t understand was that you needed to be baptized into the name of Jesus.  Not John’s name.  And so a couple named Priscilla and Aquila pulled Apollos aside and said, “Hey listen, you’re an amazing teacher.  But there’s something you don’t yet understand.  In order to receive Jesus you need to be baptized into Jesus.  Into His name and then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  John’s baptism was for repentance.  Jesus is too.  But His also includes the gift of the Holy Spirit.  And with it the power you need to become like Him and to live like Him.  Does that make sense, Apollos?”  And apparently it did because Apollos then changed.  Luke says that they taught him “the way of God more accurately.”  

Now we should ask ourselves:  “Where did they learn that?  Who taught Priscilla and Aquila that you need to be baptized into Jesus’ name in order to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit?”  That’s a great question!  And apparently Luke thought that many might ask it so in chapter 19 we learn that Paul had taught them.  Because in the very next section of Acts, Paul comes to Ephesus in verse 1 and finds some disciples.  Then he asks them in verse 2, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” and they say, “No, we didn’t even know there was a Holy Spirit?”  So Paul says in verse 3, “Well, then into what then were you baptized?”  ANd they said, “Into John’s baptism.”  So Paul says, “Ohhhh!  Well, you have to be baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus and then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  And so they are baptized and they do receive the Holy Spirit.  They even begin speaking in tongues and prophesying.  Kind of like a “mini Day of Pentecost”!  But here’s the point.  Paul taught what Peter taught.  If you want to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior you must be baptized into His name.  Only then will you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Baptism is necessary and essential for salvation.  Period.  The End.  Many Christians are confused by this.  But we need to recognize the truth of God’s Word and be unashamed to share it.  Is baptism necessary and essential for your salvation?  Yes.  Baptism into the name of John?  No.  Baptism into the name of Jesus for the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is only given to people who are baptized into the name of Jesus.

Alright.  So Apollos, this great teacher, is taught “the way of God more accurately” and he changes his views and begins to teach this truth well.  In fact, he did it so well that verse 28 says, “for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.”  Apollos was a great teacher and he became an even better teacher!

In fact, the Bible tells us that Apollos became so well-known and so famous as a teacher that many considered him an equal to the Apostle Paul!  Because in 1 Corinthians 3:4, Paul writes to the church in Corinth, and he wants to address division that is taking place.  And so he says:

4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

So Paul says, “What are you guys talking about?  I follow Paul?  I follow Apollos?  We are all servants of Jesus!  We all follow Him!  I planted.  Apollos watered.  But God causes all things to grow!  What are you guys doing?”  It’s kind of an amazing statement when you think about it.  But the people in Corinth were so impressed by Apollos that they said, “Wow.  This guy is as good as Paul!”  It just speaks to the truth that Apollos was a great teacher.  An amazing teacher.

And so when Apollos wanted to go to Achaia and visit Corinth Acts 18:27 says that the brothers in Ephesus wrote a letter to the believers in Corinth and said, “Listen to this guy.  Encourage him.  He is an amazing teacher and if you let him he will really, really, help you to grow.  He can help you to become more like Jesus.”  Pretty incredible.

From a traffic sign perspective one way to think about Apollos is the Signal Ahead Sign.  When we are traveling down the road and see this sign it tells us to pay attention because we’re about to see signals which will tell us to stop, pause, or go.  Teachers do the same.  They teach us how to follow God and when we need to stop, pause, or go according to God’s Word.

And so with that in mind I want to think about what we learn from this teacher named Apollos.  What does this story about him teach us?  Well, I believe that what it teaches us is what a great Bible teacher looks like because Apollos was a great Bible teacher.  But it also shows us how we can encourage Bible teachers that we know and love.  Bible teachers who have helped us to grow up in our faith.  So this morning I want to give to you four compliments that you can speak or write to the Bible teachers in your life who have helped you.  The teachers who would be on your Top Ten List of People who have Most Impacted Your Life.

So if you want to encourage the Bible teachers who have impacted your life here’s four compliments to say to them.  And I believe each is greater than the previous.  Here’s the first one.  First, say “I am grateful for your knowledge of God’s Word.”  I am grateful for your knowledge of God’s Word.  Apollos was said to be “competent in the Scriptures.”  That Greek word for competent is called DUNATOS and it may not be best translated as “competent”.  Because it really means “powerful” or “mighty”.  That’s why the NASB and KJV says he was “mighty in the Scriptures”.  A great Bible teacher must have a great understanding of God’s Word.  An understanding that takes time.  It takes years to acquire.  Years to study.  Years to meditate.  Years to reflect.  That’s why I always tell people that the difference between good Bible students and great Bible students is that the great Bible student can see more and ask better questions.  They’ve had more time to think and reflect.  And when you compliment a brother or sister in Christ who is a great Bible teacher by saying these words what you’re really saying is “Thank you.  Thank you for taking the time you have over your lifetime to really dive deep into the Word of God.  Because I am grateful for your knowledge of God’s Word.”

Second, say, “I am thankful for your passion to share God’s truth.”  I am thankful for your passion to share God’s truth.  Apollos was “fervent in spirit”.  He was excited and passionate about God’s Word!  He was the type of person who led Bible studies by saying, “Before we get into tonight’s topic can I just tell you what I learned this morning!  It is off the charts!  Incredible!  I can’t believe how amazing God’s Word is and I just can’t wait to tell you what He told me!”  That’s passion.  And when you have a person like that in your life it inspires you to follow their example.  To find out what they learned, why it was so important, and how it can change my life too.  Maybe God can make me just as excited about His Word as He has for my friend?  And so when you compliment a brother or sister in Christ who is a great Bible teacher with these words what you’re saying is, “Your passion for God’s Word is infectious!  You’re excited about what God is teaching you but now I’m excited too!  I’m thankful for your passion to share.”

The third compliment that we can use to encourage the Bible teachers in our lives is these words.  Tell them, “I appreciate your humility and willingness to be taught.”  I appreciate your humility and willingness to be taught.  Because Apollos was willing to be taught by others.  When Priscilla and Aquila pulled him aside and spoke to him privately (the way you should treat people by the way) he learned and changed.  He was willing to be taught.  Great Bible teachers know that they can be taught by anyone and everyone.  They do not have to sit in academic circles talking to professors with PhDs about subjects no one can pronounce.  They can meet with ordinary, average, everyday Christians and listen and learn from them.  One of the things I love about my two Bible studies that I have taught for years is that every week they teach me!  They say something which makes me think and pause and reflect and see truths differently!  They help me as a Christian get better!  Proverbs 27:17 says “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”  Christians help Christians grow in Christ and grow up in the Word.  Mature Christians help new Christians grow up in the Word.  But the opposite is also true!  Young Christians help mature Christians grow up in the Word.  Because they enable us to see the truth again or in a new way.  And that type of humility points to Jesus.  Teachers must be willing to be taught.  And when you find a humble Bible teacher you need to compliment them and say, “Hey, I really, really, appreciate your humility and your willingness to learn from others.  That type of attitude shows me Jesus.”

And then fourth and finally we need to encourage Bible teachers by saying this:  “I am able to follow Jesus better because of your teaching.”  I am able to follow Jesus better because of your teaching.  Great Bible teachers don’t point people to themselves.  They point people to Jesus and help them to follow HIm.  That is the greatest compliment you can ever give to a Bible teacher in your life.  When you tell a brother or sister in Christ that what they have taught you has enabled you to better follow Jesus…  Wow.  Let me use a few phrases that our young people use today.  “That’s fire.  That’s straight heat.  That’s a banger.  That’s elite.  That’s next level.”  OK.  I think you get my point!  That’s amazing!  That’s incredible!  That’s the greatest form of compliment that a Christian teacher can ever receive!  What you taught me has helped me to follow Jesus!  I now understand how to follow Him in a different way or a better way than before!  That’s the greatest compliment you can ever give any Bible teacher ever!

That’s four compliments that you can give to the Bible teachers in your life who have made an impact and changed your life forever.  Tell them, “I’m grateful for your knowledge of God’s Word.  I’m thankful for your passion for God’s truth.  I’m appreciative of your humility and willingness to be taught.  And most of all I’m able to follow Jesus better today than I did yesterday because of your teaching.”  Four incredible compliments to give to the Bible teachers who have impacted your life.

So let’s think about how we can do that this week.  Here’s a personal challenge.  I want you to take a moment to write a letter.  An old-fashioned letter to a person in your life - other than me - who has helped you to grow in your walk with Jesus.  A person who has impacted your life and would be on your Top Ten List.  And just so you know that I’m going to do this too I want to share with you my letter.  As I was thinking about this the first person outside of my close friends and family who have impacted my life for Jesus and changed me forever is Dr. Gary Johnson.  Many of you know he was and still is my mentor and friend.  He used to be the Senior Minister at Indian Creek Christian Church for many years.  So here’s the letter I wrote to him.  It’s already addressed and ready to go.  But I want you to hear it and encourage you to do the same:

Dr. Gary Johnson,

In a recent sermon about Apollos I challenged our congregation to take time this week to write an old fashioned letter to someone who, like Apollos, was an incredible teacher of God’s Word.  I chose you.  I am a Pastor and a Teacher today because I first saw within you a passion for God and His Word Word that I wanted in my life.  Throughout my 16 years at the Fountain I have always tried to follow your example for my life and ministry.  I told our church family that the greatest compliment a Bible teacher can ever receive is, “I am able to follow Jesus better because of your teaching.”  And when I think about who most deserves to hear that statement from me I think of you.  So thank you Gary.  “I am able to follow Jesus better because of your teaching.” 

May the Lord continue to bless you and E2 and many, many, churches through you.

Your little Timothy,

Joshua

(A.K.A.  “Dr. J the Less” or “the other Dr. J”)

A couple of inside jokes there!  Short letter.  Simple thought.  But an important word of encouragement to a great Bible teacher.  A man who, like Apollos, was mighty in the Word, passionate in spirit, humble and teachable, but also who made me better through his ministry.

So who is that to you?  Who is that for you?  What Bible teachers are on your Top Ten List of the people who most impacted your life?  Who pointed you to Jesus and helped you to become homeward bound because of Him?  Will you take the time to encourage him or her this week?

About 25 years ago a middle-aged pastor and writer named William Stidger was reflecting upon a teacher he had in his youth and realized he had never thanked her.  So he wrote a letter to her and a few days later received a reply.  It read:

“My Dear Willie, I am now an old lady in my 80’s, living alone in a small room, cooking my own meals, lonely and seemingly like the last leaf of fall left behind. You will be interested to know, Willie, that I taught school for 50 years and, in all that time, yours is the first note of appreciation I ever received. It came on a blue, cold morning, and it cheered my lonely old heart as nothing has cheered me in many years.”

Write the letter.  Take the time this week to thank the man or woman who impacted you and helped you to follow Jesus.

Encourage the teachers who showed you Jesus and taught you how to follow Him.

Let’s pray.

[Prayer:  For help to recall teachers who helped us follow Jesus and be homeward bound.]

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