Apollos was discipled so that he could go and make disciples. It is something we talk about all the time, but that feels a little out of our league. How can we better make disciples that make disciples? In this short message, Matt Elmore shares how it worked out for Apollos.
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What TV shows do you binge-watch?
So.. You know what it is like to be passionate enough about a story that you are caught up in it… You can’t wait to see how it unfolds.
How is this like Apollos?
Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism.
Acts 18:24-25
He was “enthusiastic.” The Greek word here is zeon. It literally means “to boil.” What is this saying about his enthusiasm for Jesus?
So, he was enthusiastic about Jesus, but he clearly only knew part of the story. Sort of like binge-watching a show on Netflix… You get all caught up in the first few episodes, but you won’t believe what happens in the first season finale!
Isn’t it interesting that he was so passionate, yet he only knew a fragment. What kinds of things do we get enthusiastic about… AND, why do these things sometimes engender more enthusiasm in us than the full story of Jesus does in our lives?
When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.
Acts 18:26
If he was excited before he knew the whole story, what do you think happened to him when he heard the whole thing? What happens in us when we catch a glimpse of the whole thing?
On Sunday, Matt talked about how Priscilla and Aquila simply discipled Apollos. This empowered him to later “refute the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate,” and to “explain to them that Jesus was the Messiah.”
How have you been discipled?
How does your discipleship experience impact and affect your ability and willingness to disciple others?
Matt talked about how discipleship doesn’t have to be an intense, 10-hour long prayer meeting.. It can just be “taking someone with you as you go.” What do you think about that?
What does Scripture say about that approach?
“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
-Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Maybe if we just lived this out, we wouldn’t need discipleship “programs?” How can we do this better?
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
-Hebrews 10:23-25