December 10

December 10

Paul -- Journey #3  -- The stories of Paul & Apollos (as co-laborers).

Today's Readings:

Reading 1: Acts 18:24-28

Reading 2: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Reading 3: 1 Corinthians 3:1-8

In our last reading we saw the ministry of Priscilla and Aquila alongside Paul, and reflected on the important place women have in Christ's Church. Today we see the importance of investing our lives in one another for growth and maturity.

Apollos came to Ephesus (where Paul had left Priscilla and Aquila) and there he shows his skill as a speaker and teacher. But Apollos only knows about repentance (John's baptism) and not the full gospel of grace and the power of the Holy Spirit (you may recall that John referred to Jesus as the one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire). Priscilla and Aquila taught Apollos privately and helped him be even more powerful in his eloquence, and thus to convince more people to follow Jesus.

What a great demonstration of the power of friendship and community. Let's make it our goal to identify those we can mentor and encourage, passing on what we have learned from those who mentor and challenge us.

And as we do, let's give Jesus all the glory and allow Him to unite us, rather than splitting into factions based on the famous names we prefer. There can be no room in the church today for "I follow Joel Osteen" and "I follow Rick Warren" or "I'm a Beth Moore fan" versus "I only listen to Joyce Meyer" - these factions hinder the work of God, which all of those men and women are doing.

Have a great day!

Mark.