ACTS 19 - 05.01.25
SCRIPTURE -Acts 19:1
“While Apollos was at Corinth,
Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus…..
[apologies in advance for a looonnng SOAP…] 🫣
OBSERVATION
This first verse refers back to what we read in chapter 18 when we come upon a man named Apollos. A man spiritually impassioned—eloquent and cultured—AND well versed in the Old Testament.
Although this verse is a mere “lead-in” to Paul’s Main story, the story of Apollos catches my attention with great importance because of the opportunity we have with our “small groups”.
Where did Apollos come from???
Allow me to go back a few steps further to when Paul shared the Gospel in Corinth. For this is where we first meet Aquila, a Jew, and his wife, Priscilla.
The couple had come to Corinth and settled there, pursuing their trade as tentmakers, when Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Italy.
Paul was also a tentmaker who lived and worked with Aquila and Priscilla while establishing the Corinthian Church. Priscilla and Aquila were Faithful and valuable disciples during Paul’s time in Corinth. So valuable that after a year and a half, when Paul left for Ephesus—He took Priscilla and Aquila with him.
The couple ended up staying in Ephesus establishing a church in their home there while Paul continued on in his missionary journey (1 Cor 16:19).
And—It is in Ephesus—that Priscilla and Aquila come upon a powerful and eloquent preacher named Apollos. Apollos would go into the Jewish synagogues and preach with a similar fervor to John the Baptist—but in a more refined manner.
Apollos’ knowledge of scripture and Jesus was accurate BUT incomplete. He Knew Jesus had come—but it was John’s baptism he was still preaching.
He hadn’t YET been given The COMPLETE Gospel Message
-Jesus death on the Cross and His Shed blood for the remission of our sins
-Jesus resurrection on the third day demonstrating that HE conquered death and sin for those who believe in HIM AND assures us an eternity in Heaven.
-the Gift of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for each believer who receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord through His accomplished work on the Cross.
-AND the mystery that Jesus accomplished work on the cross NOW brings Grace extended to All People—the CHURCH IN Unity for BOTH Jews and Gentiles.
Priscilla and Aquila brought Apollos into their home church and explained in detail to him each of these aspects SO he could Know Jesus as His Personal Lord and Savior.
The results were IMMEDIATE!
Apollos received the Good News
and THEN wanted to GO and Spread the Good News—to Southern Greece.
The believers in Ephesus encouraged him to do so—and wrote to the disciples to welcome him there.
Apollos became an “on fire” believer for Jesus Christ.
His testimony was SO Powerful that even the most skilled and learned Jews
had difficulty refuting him. He became a master “debater”.
Today, we might say Apollos was given the gift of apologetics being highly skilled and proficient in the ability to argue biblically and factually
that Jesus Christ was in fact—The Messiah!
Many people Came to KNOW Jesus as Lord and Savior Through His Ministry!
(1 Corinthians 1:12, 3:4-6, 4:6).
“You are still worldly.
For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly?
Are you not acting like mere humans?
For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,”
are you not mere human beings? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul?
Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”
(1 Corinthians 3:3-6 NIV)
APPLICATION
Discipleship is SO important —who are you discipling?
There is a future Priscilla and Aquila AND Apollo Today waiting to be invested in…
I’ve read through Acts countless times—but never saw through this lens before.
God is laying on my heart deeply the story of these intersecting disciples.
We all have people we know that we can invest in. And we KNOW that God gives everyone special Gifts. Gifts that are specifically intended to BE used for His Kingdom.
When those gifts are Identified and Encouraged That individual is Being FULFILLED because they KNOW they are doing what God created them to DO.
Also—when we are doing what God created us for—the WHOLE Church is FILLED with LOVE, Healthy, and GROWING! (Ephesians 4:16)
This story stands out as well because it’s a story of redemption.
Priscilla and Aquila had experienced trauma, genuine heartache and loss. They were expelled from their home and homeland in Rome because Aquila was a Jew. Whatever business they had built up, friendships, roots, belongings, financial securities-these were gone because of a ruthless Emperor.
They must have wondered how will we ever be able to recoup?
Rome being THE City for business and enterprise.
They could have turned bitter and angry.
BUT—God!
God had a Better Plan! A plan that would bring them into Ministry for Him.
In Corinth where they would settle and rebuild—they would meet an Apostle named Paul. We don’t really know if they were already believers or became believers under Paul. What we DO know is that Paul discipled them and they were like sponges!…Learning so quickly that in just one and half years Paul wanted to bring them with him—and equally important—they WANTED to GO to Ephesus.
Priscilla and Aquila had the gift of hospitality from the beginning inviting Paul to live with them and hosting others into their home, starting a church in their home.
AND, They saw gifting in others.
When Apollos was teaching with fervor—they didn’t dismiss him because his knowledge was incomplete. They SAW the Gift and Invested in him by sharing the COMPLETE Information about the Gospel.
Apollos gladly RECEIVED the Teaching and Training.
And shortly thereafter he was ready to GO out on mission and SHARE!
Paul invested in Priscilla and Aquila.
Priscilla and Aquila invested in Apollos.
God’s Gospel keeps spreading!!!
On a final note:
When Paul was imprisoned in Rome and writing Timothy for the last time—Timothy was Pastoring in Ephesus. And who is with him?? Aquila and Priscilla are STILL there in Ephesus—faithfully ministering and receiving Christians in their home and spreading the Gospel. (2 Timothy 4:19)
Discipleship is about inviting others into a closer more intimate relationship with Jesus. AND—Inviting them into our lives.
Showing them first hand what that looks like. Giving them a front row seat WITHOUT any “smoke and mirrors”. Life sometimes is challenging and throws us a curve. How are we handling it as Christ Followers? Allowing others “in” is the best way for them to experience and learn what it means to “Turn to Jesus” for every need in addition to our lifestyle of being in His word, daily prayer, worship, serving and relationships—Giving space for them to ask questions openly so they can learn to make godly choices out of a heart that is daily being more transformed into the image of Christ.
“And so, dear brothers and sisters,
I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.
Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind HE will find acceptable.
This IS truly the way to worship him.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world,
but LET God —-TRANSFORM you into a NEW person
by CHANGING the WAY —you THINK.
Then —you will learn to KNOW— God’s will for you,
which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
(Romans 12:1-2 NLT)
“Go therefore and make disciples”
EVERYONE—is given this command by Jesus. No one is exempt.
If you are a disciple
YOU are Called by Jesus
to GO and Make disciples.
PRAYER
LORD Jesus,
Thank You for Your Word Today. Thank You Lord that there are SO many examples You Give us of Disciples. YOU Love to equip Your People and See them flourish in Your Kingdom for Your glory! May we BE encouragers of each other to spur each other on towards Good Works that please honor You Lord. Help me Lord to keep my eyes on You and not Copy what’s going on in this world but to remain pure before You. Change the way I think and Transform and Wash me with Your Word. Help me to be a good, righteous and loving example to those You have placed in my life. Help me to be first and foremost focused on pleasing YOU above all. Give me boldness and help me Lord to be at Your feet AND Be the feet that carry Your Good News.
Here I am Lord, Send me.
Tina L Kudelka.
Psalm 89 - 4.30.25
Scripture: Psalm 89: 1
I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.
Observation
This Psalm was written by Ethan the Ezrahite. In 2 Samuel 7:12-17, God promises King David that there would always be a king of the Jews. Ethan wrote this Psalm after the Jews were deported to Babylon. In it, he expressed a belief that despite what he saw, he had faith that the promises described in 2 Samuel 7:12-17, would still be fulfilled. (Reference: Wikipedia)
Ethan kept the faith.
The promise of God to King David didn’t seem like it was going to happen. However, in this Psalm, the writer was encouraging himself in the faithfulness of the Lord and His promises. Despite the circumstances around him showing him something different, he still kept the faith.
Application
Keep the faith.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 NIV
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
There are four things about faith in these two passages that we can apply to our daily lives.
- It’s impossible to please God without it.
- We must believe He exists when we come to Him.
- We must EARNESTLY seek him. Definition for earnestly in the Oxford dictionary is “with sincere and intense conviction; seriously.”
- We must be confident in what we hope for, even though we don’t see it yet.
What faith move or prayer is the Holy Spirit asking you to make today?
Prayer
Dear Lord, It is impossible to please you without faith. I pray that we would always encourage ourselves in You regarding Your promises and character as described in Your Word. Help us not to trust our circumstances, but You alone. Amen.
- Michelle Gaddi
Acts 17 - 4.29.25
SCRIPTURE: Acts 17:24-28a "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being."
OBSERVATION: The men of Athens were educated, and very religious, but they didn't know the One true God. Paul had walked around and looked carefully at their objects of worship, and he found an altar with the inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Realizing they were ignorant of the very thing they worshiped, he proclaimed Who God is, and what He had done for all mankind through His Son, Jesus. He preached about Jesus' resurrection, and the importance of putting their faith in Him. Paul also explained concepts such as the resurrection of the dead and salvation.
Paul was a rabbi who had been taught by the finest scholar of his day. He was well prepared to communicate what he had learned because he had spent much of his life reading and studying the Scriptures. He emphasized that God is not a distant deity but the One who intimately interacts with His creation. Paul conveyed that we only live because of God, and that we were created by the works of His own hands. After Paul spoke, there was a number of people who became followers of him.
APPLICATION: Paul was an excellent example of someone who took the time to prepare to share the gospel, and because he had spent so much of his life thinking and reasoning through the Scriptures, he was well equipped to answer their questions and arguments truthfully and constructively. He had been allowed to speak on three successive Sabbaths, which indicates that he was well respected, and possibly eloquent in speech. (I desire to have both of those attributes).
PRAYER: Lord, You are the One true God. I worship You for Who You are and for all You have done. In You I live and move and have my being. I pray as Your offspring that I will continually allow Your Word to shape me, mold me, instruct me, motivate me, challenge me, and give me wise council. I pray, like Paul, that I will allow Your Word to fill me and use me as I share it boldly with others. Your Word is inspired and trustworthy, and I thank You that it is being used to equip me to live for you. I pray Your Holy Spirit will help me to read, study, and memorize Your Word so that I am able to share it wisely, timely, and effectively.
- Robin Orefice