Embedded Files
During his second missionary journey, Paul met a messianic Jewish couple in Corinth, Greece named Aquilla and Pricilla. They had been deported from Rome due to Emperor Claudius’ disdain for Jews, affecting the Messianic Jews as well. What a terrible thing to wake up to! A royal decree that anyone with Jewish ethnicity or religious connections was forced to abandon the city under penalty of torture or even death.
They obeyed the edict and moved to the Greek trading city, Corinth to continue their trade as tentmakers. A few resources record how important tent-making artisans like they were...
“Tent-making was an essential commodity in the ancient Near East where many people led nomadic or semi-nomadic lives and travelers required portable shelter. Tentmaking typically involved working with materials like woven goat hair or camel hair, which were processed into strips, sewn together to create sturdy, weather-resistant tents for use by travelers, merchants, the military, and even for religious purposes like pilgrimages.”
As we will see, Pricilla, Aquilla and Paul will use their careers to provide financially, but more importantly, evangelize people with the gospel. A quick application for us: Are we using our “normal” talents and opportunities for the sake of the gospel? It takes tact and wisdom to share Jesus, but are we actively preparing for those opportunities? This precious couple did, and the Lord used them mightily!
But that was a rabbit trail.
When the Lord moved Paul from Corinth to his next city, he brought Pricilla and Aquilla along. They had become more than just business connections and friends. They had become valuable ministry partners!
Paul left them at Ephesus to continue to strengthen the church and local believers. Their knowledge of the Old Testament and their skill in connecting Jesus to those prophecies was desperately needed in the infant churches.
Sure enough, they didn’t have to wait too long before a very skilled and passionate Jew named Apollos showed up in Ephesus.
He was from Alexandria, Egypt – perhaps the most learned city in the world – and had a strong understanding of the Scriptures. He had been reared in Judaism and came to Ephesus preaching the Gospel of John the Baptist. I made sure to include “John the Baptist” because Apollos’ understanding of God’s redemptive plan had only progressed to John’s ministry. What was John’s ministry? He prepared the way for the Messiah by calling people to repent and prepare! This was such a special ministry and one for which John was blessed by God. However, the time of that message had come to an end.
The world did not need the “prepare” message anymore. They needed the “Jesus!” message. When Aquilla and Priscilla heard about a new, passionate teacher in the city who was preaching the repentance of John, they tracked him down, befriended him, and began to teach him about Jesus.
I wonder how those initial conversations went!
We read in Acts 18:26, “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.”
Luke summarized that so well. “They took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” They did not embarrass him or challenge him in public. They wisely and skillfully, like sewing together expensive tent flap, brought him up to speed.
After a time of teaching, Apollos desired to continue on his evangelistic journey to continue sharing the up–to–date gospel, and the Ephesian believers were happy to support him.
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, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. (Acts 18:27-28)
Why do I bring this up?
God’s providential plan does not usually follow the path of our human sensibility.
I’m sure it was very hard and difficult to be expelled– under threat of violence – from Rome for Aquilla and Priscilla. Who would enjoy the process of having to flee your home and relocate to someone completely new? But we never read that they were bitter or dismayed. They accepted that God had a plan, obediently followed Him, and continued to minister the gospel to others whenever the dust settled.
What a testimony of faith and trust!
However, more than that, the Lord used that extreme time of difficulty to bring Paul into their lives and then to move them again for the purpose of training Apollos, a man who would go on to accomplish wonderful things for Christ!
Can I ask a few questions? (Well, I’m going to whatever your answer was...)
First, how is your Christian maturity when God “wrecks” your plans? It would have been a huge temptation for Aquilla and Pricilla to grow bitter and walk away from Christ. Losing their home and most of their early possessions?? Why would God do that? Thankfully that was not their reaction. They just trusted and obeyed and followed.
Second, are you using your skills and opportunities to share the gospel? You don’t need to be a skilled speaker like Apollos or an academic genius like the Apostle Paul. Maybe you’re like Aquilla and Priscilla with a normal career and an average skillset. The Lord can and will use you exactly in the position He placed you. Will you redeem the opportunity and speak up for Him?
Finally, are you on the lookout for those who need an encouraging word of growth or correction? No one has arrived! We all have moments, like Apollos, where we are passionate and confident, but passionately wrong. Gently and wisely approach those, in friendship, to correct and strengthen them!
I am thankful that the Lord intends to use regular people in His wonderful plan! May we seize those moment, use our skills, and speak up for Him!
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse