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Our stated purpose of this study is something we’ve been repeating at the beginning of nearly every chapter. There’s a reason for that; repetition is a means of learning. When we have something ingrained in us when the pressure is on, and we don’t have time to look something up, we can recall it from memory or at least remember the gist of what we learned. Therefore, our objective continues to be:
The Spirit of God using the word of God to make people of God and changing the people of God into Spirit-empowered, effective, edifying, disciples of Jesus Christ.
The final version of the “Spirit-empowered, effective, edifying,” disciple of Christ is one that will be fearless in the power of the Holy Spirit. That is exactly what we need in our day. This is, therefore, an extremely relevant and important part of our study.
Fellowship is so very important; it is one of the four pillars of the model church in the Book of Acts (Acts 2:42). Fellowship is a common theme throughout this chapter, (as well as throughout the Book of Acts). When we refer to a “Fearless Fellowship” we do not at all mean to imply that Spirit-filled and empowered people do not have fears. Everyone has fears. When we use the word “fearless”, we mean courage. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the overcoming of fear. Courage is faith to press on despite fears. It is through fellowship that the Holy Spirit helps believers to overcome fear.
Faith to be courageous and overcoming fear comes from the Holy Spirit. Faith to overcome fear comes from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings fellow believers together in fellowship. In such fellowship we are encouraged, we bear one another’s burdens, faith is built up, and courage is instilled and produced in us. The empowerment of the Holy Spirit makes us courageous.
A more accurate way. At the end of this chapter we will also see how the fellowship between a Christian couple and a very gifted teacher is used by the Spirit to bring that gifted Bible teacher to an awareness of “a more accurate way” (Acts 18:26). The Spirit teaches, edifies, and equips believers through the fellowship of believers (e.g., Ephesians 4:11-16). The background and place for much of this chapter is the city of Corinth, a noisy and fearsome place. It is here, when Paul experiences fears, that the Spirit assists him through fellowship and the accuracy of God’s word.
The Spirit Acts through Fellowship
Let’s review and elaborate a bit on what we learned about the church in Acts 2. One aspect of God’s model for the church is that the church involves the Holy Spirit bringing the people of God together in the unity of Jesus. In Acts 2 it states, “And they continued steadfastly in…fellowship” (Acts 2:42c). Remember, “fellowship” is not just hanging out, playing cards or some other game, watching TV together or doing some other thing together. “Fellowship” (from the Greek term KOINONIA – Strong’s #2842) involves Christ-centered communion, communication, contribution, interacting actively.261
Fellowship is the Spirit bringing believers together, to stir them up to love and good works, using them to exhort each other to press on in God’s ordained plans in light of God’s prophetic conclusions. In Hebrews, it describes fellowship in the following way:
The early saints were passionately dedicated to encouraging and exhorting one another to serve the Lord. That is exactly what we will see in Acts 18. In this chapter we will see very clearly and practically some of the great blessings and values of fellowship. Fellowship in the Lord is one of the great blessings of the Lord worked and made available by God through the Spirit.
Before we start, let’s just summarize some of the blessings of fellowship:
In Acts 18 we will see the Spirit acting through such fellowship in very practical ways and, in particular, to deal with fear.
The Spirit Acts and Brings Paul to A Fearful Place
Sometimes it is the will of God that we go through fearful threatening places. We have seen that in Acts (e.g., persecution, riots and imprisonments in Acts 7; Acts 12; Acts 13; Acts 16; Acts 17) and we see allusions to it throughout the Bible (see the accounts of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Gideon and David to name a few in the Old Testament and the apostles in the New Testament). Peter devoted an entire epistle to discussing suffering and fearful, times and how to get through them in the Lord (1 Peter).
Paul went on alone to Corinth. Silas and Timothy remained in Berea initially (Acts 17:13-14). Timothy returned to Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 3:1). Silas later went on from Thessalonica to Philippi since Acts 18:5 reports that he rejoined Paul from Macedonia, where Philippi is located. Silas and Timothy were supposed to meet up with Paul in Athens (Acts 17:15) but were only able to meet up with him in Corinth. What delayed their rejoining Paul is unknown. They were flexible enough to follow the leading of the Spirit and stay the course even if it was somewhat delayed.
Of the city of Corinth one commentator states:
The cities of Athens and Corinth, though only 50 miles apart, were quite different. Athens was noted for its culture and learning, Corinth for its commerce and profligacy. Corinth was located just south of a narrow isthmus, which joined the peninsula called Peloponnesus to Achaia to the north. Land trade moving north and south went through Corinth, as did sea trade going east and west. Corinth possessed two seaport cities—Lechaeum two miles to the west on the Gulf of Corinth, which opened to the Adriatic Sea, and Cenchrea, seven miles to the southeast, which brought trade from the Aegean Sea. The southern tip of the Peloponnesus Peninsula was dangerous for ocean travel, so ships would put into port at one of Corinth’s seaports and have their cargoes carried across to the other side of the isthmus for shipping there… In 146 B.C. the Romans razed Corinth. However, its strategic location would not permit the city to die. It was rebuilt a century later in 46B.C. As one would expect from a city supported by commerce and travelers, Corinth was marked by profligate and licentious living. It was a center for the worship of Aphrodite, the God dess of love, who promoted immorality in the name of religion. …Politically, Corinth was a Roman colony and capital of the province of Achaia.262
Corinth was a scary place. Paul went through quite a lot of frightening situations in his life and ministry and did so with great courage. Corinth was a place that caused even Paul to fear. Why would the Lord comfort Paul with the words, “do not be afraid” unless he was fearful? (Acts 18:9). The Lord knew Paul was a bit fearful, and He would bring comfort to Paul and support to help him to deal with his fears. The Spirit would help Paul by bringing him into contact with a holy couple.
The Carnal Church at Corinth – A Factional Fracturing Fellowship
These verses tell us much of what happened in the city of Corinth. Paul met Aquila and Priscilla there (Acts 18:1-3). Paul continued his reasoning ministry in the synagogue there (Acts 18:4). There was success in the ministry in this debauched city and a church was started there (Acts 18:5-8). Paul had to overcome fears to minister there (Acts 18:9-10) and he remained there for over 18 months (Acts 18:11). There was strong opposition to the gospel from the Jews in this city (Acts 18:12-17).
Paul wrote two letters to the Corinthians that give us insight into the church planted there. We can summarize the following about the Corinthian church.
In his first letter, Paul said the Corinthians were a blessed church made up of people who the world might refer to as foolish, but whom God had chosen to do His work (1 Corinthians 1; 1 Corinthians 2). They were a carnal or self-centered, spiritually immature church who were quick to judge others, envious, prone to cliques, and proud (1 Corinthians 3; 4). They were not as discerning as they should have been and had to be corrected by Paul for allowing gross immorality to go on in the church (1 Corinthians 5). They were corrected for making lawsuits against one another (1 Corinthians 6:1-8). Some of those who had been saved had once been fornicators (practiced sex outside of marriage), idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, and grossly immoral (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). They had to be reminded that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that they should not therefore take their bodies and unite them with the unsaved and immoral people of the world (1 Corinthians 6:12-20). They had marital problems that Paul had to address (1 Corinthians 7). They had to be instructed on misusing their Christian liberties (1 Corinthians 8). It is likely that some in the Corinthians congregation did not like Paul and had spoken out against him to whom Paul defended himself (1 Corinthians 9). Paul told them how they should remember the Old Testament history and how the trials and temptations they were experiencing were no different from those experienced by others before them and that they should trust God to help them (1 Corinthians 10). They did not revere the Lord’s Supper and had to be corrected by Paul in this regard (1 Corinthians 11). They were a tremendously gifted congregation spiritually but misused their gifts and had to be instructed to use them in love (1 Corinthians 12; 1 Corinthians 13; 1 Corinthians 14). Finally, Paul had to reinforce his teaching and the resurrection of Jesus Christ and exhort them to stand fast in faith and be brave in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15; 1 Corinthians 16).
In his second epistle to the Corinthians, Paul reminded them that God’s promises were there for them to receive and that the Spirit in them was a guarantee that they were saved (2 Corinthians 1). Paul spoke to them about the good result of genuine repentance and the work of the Holy Spirit to transform them into Christlikeness (2 Corinthians 2; 2 Corinthians 3). He warned them that the devil sought to blind the lost in this world and that they should not give up but have hope when the trials of life surrounded them (2 Corinthians 4). He commended them for following through on some church discipline and spoke to them about allowing the love of Christ, who gave His all for them, to compel them in all things as they were God’s ambassadors to the lost world (2 Corinthians 5). Paul again appealed to them to remain separate from the sins of this world and Paul opened his heart to express his love for them (2 Corinthians 6; 2 Corinthians 7). Paul spoke to them about the blessedness and right attitude of giving (2 Corinthians 8; 2 Corinthians 9). He warned them about false teachers who present another Jesus, another gospel and another Spirit other than the one he had taught them (2 Corinthians 10; 2 Corinthians 11). Finally, Paul shared with them how God’s grace is totally and always sufficient in all things, and he exhorted them to examine themselves to see whether they had experienced God’s gospel of grace in Christ (2 Corinthians 12; 2 Corinthians 13).
The Foundation of a Fellowship and the Faults that Fracture a Fellowship
The Corinthian church was by no means a perfect church. Paul had a lot of serious issues to discuss with these believers, but they had come a long way from where they had been before they were saved. These Corinthians were tremendously gifted by the Spirit and were indeed growing in God’s grace (1 Corinthians 1:4-9). When we look at the church in Corinth, we see a church composed of people transformed by the Grace of God through faith in Jesus. But when we examine this church we also learn what should not be in the fellowship of the Lord. Let’s summarize the foundation of fellowship as well as the faults that fracture a fellowship based on Paul’s letters to the Corinthian church.
The Foundation of a Fruitful Fellowship
First, the foundation of a fruitful fellowship is fellowship with Jesus. Fellowship with Jesus, an intimate personal saving relationship with Jesus, is the foundation of a fellowship. God has provided freely by His grace a means to know Him through faith in His only Son Jesus. It is through a relationship with Him that a fellowship finds its birth and sustaining Source. Paul is inspired to say as much in his opening words to the Corinthians in his first epistle to them, when he says:
The fruitful fellowship is one that understands and keeps its focus on the fact that God by grace enriches everything by Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:10; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Problems arise when such a focus is lost. When people in the fellowship get their focus off Jesus and God’s provision through Him, they begin to proudly vie for positions of prominence in the fellowship, which leads to divisions and fracturing in the fellowship. This is what happened in Corinth; the believers got their eyes off Jesus and on each other.
Second, the foundation of a fruitful fellowship is spiritual, not fleshly. For a fellowship to flourish, it must depend on the Spirit, not the flesh of people. The message of the cross is foolishness to the world (1 Corinthians 1:18). The “wisdom” of the world is foolishness to God (1 Corinthians 1:18-31; 1 Corinthians 3:19). No one can understand and relate to God in their own strength, in their own understanding; they must turn to God in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2). When people begin to try to relate to God in their flesh (e.g., self-centered; self-reliant; self-promoting), they will function in a dense fog spiritually and constantly bump into things hurting themselves or others. Like a ship close to shore in a dense fog, the fellowship that operates according to its own “wisdom” or worldly-rooted “wisdom” will eventually run aground and suffer great loss. To live in the flesh is a spiritually babyish and immature way of life and fellowships filled with such people never take in the solid food of God’s word (1 Corinthians 3:1-4). The only viable foundation for the fellowship of God is His only Son, Jesus, followed in the Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:5-11). Everything done apart from that foundation is superficial and will be burned up when one comes before the judgment seat of Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:12-23).
Third, the foundation of a fruitful fellowship involves having a servant’s heart. Paul used himself as an example of this by preaching the gospel free of charge to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 9:7-18) and limiting his own liberties for the sake of others (1 Corinthians 9:19-27). He worded what he meant like this:
Paul was willing to sacrifice his comfort, his rights, his safety, his status, and everything (except that which contradicted the gospel) for the sake of leading others to Jesus. This is the attitude that builds up and sustains the fellowship of the Lord in the Spirit.
Fourth, the foundation of a fruitful fellowship is based on learning from and not repeating past sins of a fellowship. Paul exhorted the Corinthians to learn from the testimony of Scripture about the sins of the past that fractured previous fellowships. Paul wrote to the Corinthians a very practical word when he said:
People are always looking for excuses to avoid dealing with sin, or excuses to shift blame somewhere else other than taking responsibility themselves. But the above verse tells us that God is faithful to provide a way of escape from temptation; you don’t have to cave into sin! To say you can’t help it is to say God is not faithful! If we do sin, we should learn from it and not repeat the same sin. But we can save ourselves a lot of pain and misery by learning from the sins of others. Everyone is tempted, some give in to temptation and sin, and others follow God’s way of escape and have victory. God’s word shows us the way of holiness. A fellowship that repeats its sin is doomed to fracture and falter.
Fifth, the foundation of fruitful fellowship is based on knowledge of and the right use of spiritual gifts. The Corinthians were a spiritually gifted church, but they misused these gifts by suing them in pride. They used gifts to exalt themselves rather than exalt the Lord and further the fellowship of God (1 Corinthians 12; 1 Corinthians 13; 1 Corinthians 14). All the spiritual gifts were and are profitable and everyone in the body or fellowship of Christ has an important part to play. The key to using spiritual gifts in the right way is to use them in love (1 Corinthians 13). Spiritual gifts, when misused in the flesh, can fracture a church.
Sixth, the foundation of fruitful fellowship is the hope of resurrection. Paul climaxes his first letter to the Corinthians by teaching them about the resurrection power of Jesus. The gospel is firmly based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and any fellowship that does not accept the resurrection of Jesus is not only fractured but has fully collapsed! (1 Corinthians 15:1-19). Jesus rose from the dead, and we will follow Him in raising from the dead too (1 Corinthians 15:20). The resurrection hope that is so important to the fellowship of God is the hope that at the rapture of the church we will receive resurrection bodies (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). Such a hope is a reason to press on in Christian life and fellowship (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Seventh, the foundation of a fruitful fellowship is being compelled by the love of Christ. If a fellowship is to be fruitful, it must be motivated and directed in all things by the love of Jesus. This is really the key to a fruitful fellowship. Such love comes from the Spirit (Romans 5:5). Paul put it like this:
This love that we want to be compelled by is not a mushy, wishy-washy, worldly type of love; it is a Christ-like holy love. It is love that speaks the truth of the word (Ephesians 4:15). It is a love that is willing to die for others. It is a love that moves us to turn our back on our flesh and no longer live according to its whims and lusts but moves us rather to live for Jesus in all things. The church compelled by the love of Jesus is more open and sincere (2 Corinthians 7:2); it is more humble (2 Corinthians 7:10); it is more giving (2 Corinthians 8:9; see chapters 8 and 9); and they would be stronger and more surrendered and reliant on the grace of God (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). O if only every fellowship was compelled in all they did by the love of Jesus!
These are the foundational parts of a fruitful fellowship, according to Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. But what of those things which cause the foundation to crack and fracture? Let’s look at those now.
Faults that Fracture a Fellowship
First, when the focus of a fellowship moves from Jesus to people, fracturing in the fellowship occurs. In Paul’s opening words to the Corinthians in his first letter, he points them to their right and foundational focus, Jesus. On the heels of those opening words, he pleads with them not to be divisive, saying:
You see, when people get their focus off Jesus, (i.e., living for Him; giving Him credit; serving Him) they lose perspective and begin to think they are the sources of change and ministry. That leads to pride, which leads to jealousy and taking sides against one another. This is how divisions start. And while the church is fighting itself, the devil laughs with glee at the fracturing fellowship.
There is a time to divide. When false doctrine and false teaching is present, the perpetrators of falsehood must leave. This is what Paul taught, saying:
We are to contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 1:3). But many divisions occur over personality differences and petty issues that only serve to fracture the fellowship and not further it for the glory of God. The fellowship must live and love with a love that covers a multitude of sin (1 Peter 4:8). If we keep our focus on Jesus and what He has done for us, His love in us will be the compelling force in our lives, and we’ll not look at people in our flesh any longer (2 Corinthians 5:14-16).
Second, complacency toward sin fractures fellowship. When a fellowship compromises with sin; when it condones sin; its testimony is tarnished. Worse yet, when a fellowship allows sin in the camp, since the believers are God’s representatives on earth, God’s image and reputation is tarnished too (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). The Corinthians were rebuked for allowing a sinful relationship in the fellowship to exist that was “not even named among the Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 5:1). Fortunately, they responded to Paul’s rebuke (2 Corinthians 7:2-16). They were sorry when Paul pointed out their sinful compromise with sin, but they didn’t leave it at that. They repented. Godly sorrow leads to repentance, to an actual change (2 Corinthians 7:10). Without such repentance, a fellowship flounders and fractures.
Personal sin can fracture our relationship with Jesus because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit; we belong to Jesus, not ourselves, and we shouldn’t bring sin into the house of the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:9-20). Those in fellowship with Jesus and in the fellowship of God should be seeking to leave sin behind and live a holy life in the power of the Holy Spirit, not seeking ways to rationalize with sin.
In some regions of the church today we find compromise with sin everywhere. Is it any wonder that much of the church has lost its power? What do you think the apostle Paul would have to say to those in the church today who choose to ordain homosexual priests, or cover-up pedophile priests at the expense of further victimization of innocent children? Paul, I can assure you, based on what we see in his Corinthians letters, would have strong, very strong words for such “fellowships.” (I wonder if he wouldn’t just go to such churches and throw them all out by the scuff of the neck!)
Third, chaos and disorder fracture fellowship. The Corinthians were greatly blessed with spiritual gifts. But they weren’t using them in love and their services were disorderly. Paul corrected them, pointing out that what God does is not confusing or disorderly. He said:
When people follow their emotions so that chaos and disorder enter the fellowship of God, it opens the door for the flesh to enter the church and Satan dances along. Spiritual gifts are relevant for today, but they must be utilized in accordance with what the Scriptures say about them. Otherwise, the resultant chaos is like static on the wavelengths of communication between the Lord and His fellowship.
Fourth, trying to fight spiritual battles in the flesh can fracture a fellowship. Paul instructs the Corinthians:
Trying to fight spiritual battles with worldly methods is like trying to shoot a hole in a cloud. The bullet passes through, and the cloud just closes the hole again with no effect. Rather than war in our flesh, we need to make war on the floor, on our knees in prayer to the Lord to intervene and fight for us, to break the hold of the enemy and rout him or them.
Much of the church has adopted worldly means to fight this spiritual war which exists. Fellowships look to Wall Street marketing and merchandising techniques or demographic strategies, or entertainment strategies, etc. But that stuff, while it may attract attention and crowds, is impotent to prepare people for heaven. Jesus didn’t entertain. You don’t see Jesus on the mount standing and hawking his miraculous wares. You never see Jesus saying, “Step right up, come and see the fabulous, stupendous, incredible, colorful, and magical things I can do with my super-duper divine powers!” Such an image is comical and irreverent, and yet that is the approach that some fellowships take. The church is not a circus or a zoo, and yet at times in the church there have been those who crow like roosters, bark like dogs and make all kinds of animal noises. Shame on them! Such behavior blasphemes God and fractures the fellowship of God and should not be.
Fifth, false doctrine fractures fellowship. Unless a fellowship follows God’s revelation in His word, the Bible (66 books: 39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament), it is doomed to fracture as a fellowship of God. Paul warned the Corinthians that it was of the utmost importance to believe the right thing, believe the truth of God’s word as it had been taught them. An example of Paul’s instruction in this regard is when he said:
There are many groups that teach about “Jesus” the “gospel” and the “Spirit”, but the question is whether they teach the Scriptural truth about Jesus, the gospel and the Holy Spirit. Satan is a liar and a deceiver. His strategy is to cause confusion and fracture the fellowship of God with false teaching. He even uses Scripture to work his plans (Matthew 4:1-11). He wants to fracture you off God’s fellowship and get you into his. Don’t let it happen! Stick to the teaching of God’s word in the Spirit. Be a Berean who always checks and verifies all things by the word of God (Acts 17:10-15). The word of God is our plumb line, it is our caliper, and it is our compass and measure of truth to keep us on the path of righteousness. Be a student and workman of the word of God (2 Timothy 2:15). Know God’s word so well that the Spirit can call up the proper file of Scripture in your computer mind to address every issue of falsehood. False doctrine can fracture a fellowship, but God’s word stands firm.
These are the things that can fracture a fellowship, be on guard against them. If you find that you are involved with any of these fracturing ways, repent and return to God’s fellowship and begin, in the Spirit to live by the fruitful way to build up God’s fellowship.
The Spirit Acts Against Paul’s Fears through the Fellowship of Aquila and Priscilla
In Corinth, Paul meets a Christian couple, Aquila and Priscilla. It was the Holy Spirit who orchestrated this meeting between Paul and this couple. Paul may have been a bit anxious about this raucous city of Corinth and led him to a couple of the many friends or fellow Christians in that city as a comfort to Paul (Acts 18:9-10). But Aquila and Priscilla had just come from a situation where they had been persecuted in Rome. That must have been a fearful situation, so we see the Spirit bringing people together who had or were experiencing similar things, in this case, fear. The Spirit knows our weaknesses and fears and ministers to us accordingly (Romans 8:26). One way He ministers to our needs is through bringing together people in fellowship who have similar needs, so that through empathy in fellowship, a burden can be addressed together.
Here we see a very important truth. Fellowship is important because it is how the Spirit strengthens us to withstand burdens too heavy for one person to bear alone, by believers carrying their loads together. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote:
Burdens are loads too heavy for one person to bear. Inevitably, we come to burdens in our lives that on our own are too heavy to bear. We need help, and the Lord provides that help by bringing other believers alongside us to help us with the heavy burden in various ways. The “load” Paul refers to in Galatians 6:5 refers to that which we can do, our responsibility to help those around us, to have a team and body spirit looking to use our spiritual gifts in the power of the Holy Spirit to assist those bending and breaking under their life burdens. This process accomplished in the leading and enabling of the Spirit fulfills the law of Christ, that law or rule that says we should love one another as we love ourselves and serve others in love just as Jesus did and does (Matthew 22:37-40; Galatians 5:6, 13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:14-16).
Priscilla and Aquila had likely been driven from Rome by the persecution of Jews that manifested itself in an Edict of Emperor Claudius for all Jews to leave Rome (Claudius reigned from 41-54 A.D. and his edict concerning the Jews was given 49 or 50 A.D.).263 They were familiar with the fear of persecution and violence under the rule of Rome. When Paul came to Corinth with all its violence and sin, they were there to encourage him and go through it with him. They were there for each other, as were all the saints. God was able and would help them overcome and present the gospel even in a place like Corinth.
Of Priscilla one commentator states:
There are inscriptions in the catacombs which hint that Priscilla was of a distinguished family of high standing in Rome.264
Aquila and Priscilla at some point had a home fellowship in Corinth (1 Corinthians 16:19). They actually put down roots in this dangerous sin-filled city. This shows how the Spirit enabled them to overcome any fear in this dangerous place and how they were able to effectively minister so that they had a church in their home. Their home and they themselves were the Lord’s to use however He saw fit. Eventually, it appears they did move back to Rome (Romans 16:3-5).
The Spirit Acts through Bi-vocational Ministry
Priscilla and Aquila were tentmakers by trade (which may have also involved working in leather). It’s interesting to see that Paul “was of the same trade…same occupation” (Acts 18:3). Paul did not run from work, he was not afraid to work. He was able and willing to be bi-vocational in ministry. So often, ministry is mistakenly viewed as an easy option as an alternative to “working” in the world. Nothing could be further from the truth.
It is not wrong for the minister of the gospel to be supported financially by those the Lord uses him to minister to, but it is wrong for the minister of the gospel to fleece the flock of God. Paul boasted about the fact that even though it was his right to be supported by those he ministered to, he did not seek such support, but ministered freely (1 Corinthians 9). No doubt he was able to do this by working in tent-making. Paul was a bi-vocational minister working a secular job to support himself in ministry. Where God guides, God provides and sometimes the way He provides is by way of a job to be worked. There are those who refuse to work and are looking at the ministry as a way out of work. This is a gross sin and described as part of the nature of a false teacher by Peter (2 Peter 2). Paul said there ought to be order in our lives and if a person was unwilling to work, then they should be willing not to eat! (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15). There are those who just scrape by financially in ministry because of their refusal to work. They cry out to God, “Lord help us!” And God does seek to answer that prayer, through a job to work! For some, ministry is a thin veil to cover their laziness. A minister should be willing to work. The only time a minister should be full time in ministry is when God blesses the ministry so much that to work would cause a neglect of the fruit of the flock (see Acts 6:2, 4). Holding down a secular job may not only be God’s means of financial support, but it may also be the means God uses to reach out to a community, to open doors of witness, to use the minister to save souls. Pastor Chuck Smith, whose church numbers in the thousands, worked nearly 20 years in secular jobs before he went full time in ministry. This author worked bi-vocationally for over 15 years before the leaders of the church came and said it was time to go full time in ministry. There are many who are willing to write letters asking for financial support when starting out in ministry. Maybe, just maybe, God is guiding and providing a job to meet that need for which support is sought. Paul worked as a tentmaker during his ministry; maybe some ministers today should consider that. Do you have a heart to minister freely? Are you being a burden to the flock God has called you to shepherd? Are you looking for a free ride? Are you willing to work? Consider these things. The Lord will let the minister and his flock know when it is time to go full time in ministry.
The Spirit Acts Persuasively
Once comforted by the fellowship of believers, Paul overcomes whatever fears he may have had and moves on in ministry. As we have already seen, Paul’s ministry involved a holy habit of reasoning from the Scriptures (Acts 17:3-4). Here we see he continues the same kind of ministry in Corinth. Paul persevered in his holy habit of reasoning from the Scriptures in the power of the Spirit.
The Spirit Acts to Further Assist Paul with Encouraging Fellowship
Jesus sent out the first disciples two by two, and it is always encouraging to embark in ministry with a fellow servant. It must have been encouraging for Paul when Timothy and Silas were finally able to catch up with him. Again, we see the importance of fellowship. It is as though the Spirit is pouring out on the fellowship with Paul. First, the Spirit introduces Paul to Aquila and Priscilla, a couple with common fears, and then He brings Silas and Timothy, two brothers well known by Paul. The Spirit was surrounding Paul with fellowship.
In Psalm 133 it states:
It is a good and pleasant thing when believers come together in unity before God. Here the Psalmist David likens it to “oil” running down one’s beard. “Oil”, remember, is a symbol of the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). “Dew” is that water on the land that appears in the morning as a refreshing agent. Water is also a symbol of God’s word (Ephesians 5:26). Therefore, in fellowship, we find the presence of the Holy Spirit and the refreshing of God’s word. No wonder Paul was so glad and encouraged and inspired when Silas and Timothy caught up with him. Once his two brothers in the Lord came to join him, he was compelled by the Spirit to share Jesus from the word of God. Fellowship inspires, encourages and is used by the Spirit to compel us onward in ministry.
The Spirit Acts and Sometimes Leads Us to Move On
Paul sought to minister in the synagogue to the Jews “that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 18:5) but when they opposed him and blasphemed the Lord, he was also willing to move on. There was no opening or receptivity to start a fellowship in that synagogue. Therefore, we see that sometimes it is right to move on as the Spirit directs us. Paul had done this once before (Acts 13:51).
Jesus taught that if you weren’t received, move on:
Sometimes it is right to move on in ministry. There are times when we insist on ministering to a person or group, even though they have rejected the gospel offer. We may even feel as though we are banging our heads against the wall with our efforts, so to speak. While we do this, we get frustrated and worse, those who might be ripe for harvesting are neglected and go unsaved. This is a trick of the devil, who would rather we be preoccupied with an unfruitful endeavor, than to move on, to harvest in a fruitful field. To discern when it is time to move on we must be in tune with the Holy Spirit and follow His directions.
When Saul sinned against God by allowing Amalek to live, Samuel rebuked Saul in the Spirit and later grieved over Saul, but God had had enough and told Samuel to move on:
It is sometimes wrong to spend so much time on one person, that others in the fellowship are neglected. There is a time to move on, and the Spirit will lead when it is time to do so.
There was a point in the ministry of Jeremiah when God instructed him, “Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercessions to Me; for I will not hear you” (Jeremiah 7:16). The context of those words of God is that the people were stealing, murdering, committing adultery, swearing falsely, worshiping pagan God s, even practicing human sacrifice (Jeremiah 19:4-5; cf. also Ezekiel 16:20-21; Ezekiel 20:25-26, 31!) and then coming to worship God in the temple (Jeremiah 7:9-15). They were persistent and deadened to God by their depravity (Jeremiah 7:21-26; Jeremiah 11:1-13). Jeremiah had faithfully proclaimed the word of God to them (Jeremiah 25:3), but they refused to repent. They actually said, “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you!” (Jeremiah 44:16). If they repented, God would have blessed them (Jeremiah 7:3-7), but they refused. The hypocrisy of the people was revolting and abhorrent to God, who instructed the prophet to not even pray for them. And that didn’t happen just once with Jeremiah. Twice more God reiterated to Jeremiah to not pray for the sinful people (Jeremiah 11:14; Jeremiah 14:11). There is a time, ordained by God, when we are to stop praying for the sinfully obstinate.
When Paul said, “Your blood be upon your own heads,” he was referring to the inspired words of the prophet Ezekiel, who said:
It is our responsibility to be faithful in sharing the gospel; it is the Spirit who converts the soul. If a soul with whom the gospel has been shared refuses the gospel, we are to move on in the Spirit. The Spirit will build the fellowship; Jesus will build His church! (Matthew 16:18). And the Spirit will instruct when it is time for us to move on from preaching the word to those who persist in their sinful rebellion.
The Spirit Acts to Build a Fellowship in Corinth
Paul was not shy about setting up a place of ministry right next door to those who had opposed him. And the result of his holy boldness was that Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, was saved and many other Corinthians hearing of this conversion also were saved. Crispus would have been very well versed in the Old Testament Scriptures and when he accepted Jesus as his Lord, it supported and showed others that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies.
This is truly how the fellowship of God is meant to be built. It is a common practice today to see churches grow in a somewhat deceptive way. What do I mean? Well, many churches grow with what is called transfer growth, people moving from one church to another church. This gives the false impression that the church is growing when no new converts are created, only transplanted Christians. Furthermore, those who leave one church to go to another often leave on bad terms. It would be better if people stayed in one place and worked through their problems rather than run from them and take them from one place to another. The church of Christ would never have been as influential as it developed to be unless new converts were added to the church by the work of the Spirit through disciples who were growing in the Lord. Healthy sheep reproduce, only show sheep go from one fair to another (Acts 2:42, 47).
The Spirit Acts on Paul’s Fears through Fellowship with Jesus
That Jesus tells Paul not to be afraid implies he was afraid. Corinth was no picnic place for ministry; it was a sinful and profligate city. This shouldn’t make us feel any less impressed with the Apostle; it merely shows us that he was human. Like Paul, we are all dependent on Jesus, all the time, and especially in the night.
I like what Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said:
Any fool can sing in the day. It’s easy to sing when we can read the notes by day light; but the skillful singer is he who can sing when there is not a ray of light to read by… Songs in the night come from God; they are not in the power of men.
In Acts 16 we saw Paul and Silas, in prison, worshiping and singing nonetheless (Acts 16:25). Their heart to sing in the midst of difficulty came from Jesus. Now in Corinth, Paul receives further assurances from Jesus. When we are in the dark places of life, we can expect Jesus to be there with us, assuring, strengthening, giving hope to continue.
The city of Corinth had such a bad reputation that in that day one of the worst things to say about someone was that they were “Corinthian” in some way. But Jesus tells Paul that he is not alone. Jesus says, “I am with you,” He is with Paul as well as “many people” or other believers in Corinth. Jesus knew who would come to Him and make up the fellowship in Corinth. Jesus had the advantage of foreknowledge, Paul did not. Jesus assured Paul that he was not alone in this endeavor. Jesus was with him, and soon there would be other brothers and sisters added to the fellowship in Corinth. Those must have been tremendously comforting words for Paul. Think of it, Jesus saying, “I am with you.”
“I am with you.”
Jesus is with us too. Listen to His promises to be with us:
It is the Holy Spirit Who brings the presence of Jesus to us. Jesus said:
In John 14:16, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “another Helper.” The word Jesus chose to use there for “another” (Greek ALLOS – Strong’s #243) means, another of the same kind. In other words Jesus was telling the disciples the Holy Spirit would be and is another just like Him.
When you are going through a difficult time in a relationship, and perhaps fear what will happen, Jesus is with you. When you fear losing your spouse, Jesus is with you. When you fear if you will ever have a spouse, Jesus is with you. When you fear an enemy, Jesus is with you. In whatever fearful situation you find yourself in, Jesus is always with you.
Since Paul stayed on 18 months ministering in Corinth, we can safely assume that the presence of Jesus and the fellowship of believers was enough to sustain Paul through any fears he had. (Hebrews 10:24-25 and Hebrews 13:5-6). This would not be the only time Paul had Jesus by his side to help him. To Timothy, he wrote:
Sometimes everyone will forsake you, but Jesus will never forsake you. Your spouse may not be able to empathize or relate to what you are feeling. Friends may betray you. Those you trust may turn their backs on you. But in all these things there is One who will always be there for you, One who you can always count on, and that One is Jesus. Jesus said:
We can always count on Jesus to be there for us, always, to strengthen and comfort us, to guide us through our trials and fears.
“Do not be afraid.”
Jesus told Paul, “Do not be afraid.” This means that Paul was afraid, otherwise why would Jesus say this to him? Fear can be very debilitating and hinder the work of God both in and through us. That is why Jesus told Paul not to fear.
In the Old Testament, when the Lord was calling Abram out of the comfort of his home, God again told him not to fear, saying:
There are many reasons to fear in this world. Fear of death; fear of life; fear of loss; fear of gain; fear of illness; fear of family; fear of many, many things. But the Lord in His word tells us not to fear and to instead come to Him in faith. The words “do not be afraid” are found 50 times in the Bible (NKJV). The words, “fear not” are found 11 times in the Bible (NKJV). The phrase “do not fear” is found 50 times in the Bible (NKJV). God comforts and tells us not to fear in numerous places in the Bible and in various situations such as:
We have reason, good reason not to fear, because Jesus knows what we are going through and will not allow us to be overwhelmed (1 Corinthians 10:13). Jesus will help us through our fears with His presence, His comforting and encouraging word, and by bringing the fellowship of believers to assist us in our fears. But there is another reason not to fear. Fear is the foe of faith.
Fear the Foe of Faith
People have fears (Genesis 15:1). Even great spiritual giants like Paul (Acts 18:9-10). Fear is caused by focusing on circumstantial risks in God’s plan from the fleshly perspective of, “God is taking too long. I can’t wait any longer for Him to act.” Therefore, “How am I going to work this out?” “How am I going to reach that goal?” “How am I going to accomplish this task?” “How am I going to attain that reward?” “How am I going to get what I want?” etc.
Responding to fears in the flesh (our own will, whim and efforts, self-reliance) only leads to chaos, confusion, and lasting negative and counterproductive consequences like the problems encountered by Abram and Sarai (Genesis 16:1-6). Abram and Sarai feared they would die before God fulfilled His promise. They acted in their flesh and the consequence was the continued historical animosity between Jews and Arabs. God is merciful and will forgive acts of the flesh, but the consequences of fleshly decisions often continue.
Fear is the enemy of faith. Faith is the God-ordained means to overcome fear (Genesis 15:1, 6). Fears caused by circumstantial risks in God’s plan are overcome by faith in God’s ability to do anything (Genesis 18:14). Faith overcomes fear as we grow in our knowledge of God (Genesis 18:19). Actions fueled by fleshly responses to fear, always fail and end in bondage (Genesis 17:18-19, 21; Galatians 4:21-25). Actions fueled by faith in God’s ability to fulfill His promises, are always fulfilling (Genesis 15:6; Galatians 4:26-5:1)
To young Timothy Paul once wrote:
God does not want us to be fearful, but rather powerful, loving and sound in the Spirit. How can we overcome our fears? We deal with our fears through declaring our dependence upon the Lord in prayer. Paul wrote to the Philippians:
Don’t let your fears and anxieties get the best of you, rather go to the Lord in prayer and leave your concerns with Him. Then His peace will wash over you and guard your heart through Jesus.
What if Paul had caved in to his fears in Corinth? The souls saved in this chapter of Acts would possibly have never been saved; the church at Corinth may have never come to be. If Paul allowed his fears to rule him, the work of the Spirit would have been hindered. Fear is the enemy of faith and the way to overcome fear is to put one’s faith in God, our Shepherd, Protector, and Overseer of our souls.
The Spirit Acts Against Fearsome Opposition
It can be a fearful thing to have people oppose you in ministry. Here we see Paul opposed by Jews who revolted against him. The Jews tried to stir up trouble for Paul, but the Spirit thwarted their efforts. As a proconsul, whatever decision Gallio made would be precedent setting under Roman law and therefore very important. Gallio was also, “a brother of Seneca (4 b.c. – A.D. 65), a philosopher of great influence in Rome.”265 Under Roman law, new religions could not be propagated without government approval. The Jews were saying that Christianity was a new religion and therefore illegal. Gallio saw through the efforts of the Jews and decided to allow the Christian ministry to continue. All their opposition resulted in was that Sosthenes (evidently the new ruler of the synagogue who took over for Crispus after his conversion) was beaten before the Roman judgment seat. The accurate way of the Spirit was stronger than the opposition’s accusations.
In effect, what happened was that the Spirit took the malicious strategy of the Jews and turned it back on them. That God can thwart the efforts of the wicked is reason to face our opposition courageously and confidently in the Spirit. God frustrates the attacks of the opposition as seen in various Scriptural statements such as:
We have only to remember how God thwarted the evil efforts of the brothers of Joseph (Genesis 37-50), Saul against David (1 Samuel 16-31), and Haman (Esther) to name a few, to see the power and influence of God the Holy Spirit against evil intents and their perpetrators. The greatest example of this is God taking the evil intent of Satan and using it to work the salvation of humankind in Christ (Colossians 2:15).
The Spirit Acts Leading According to God’s Will – End of Second Missionary Journey
Paul stayed in Corinth 18 months (Acts 18:11), “a good while”, perhaps even longer than the previously stated 18 months (Acts 18:18a). Paul felt that the Lord was leading him to keep the feast (of Passover) in Jerusalem. He would not even allow a good thing such as staying on and ministering in Corinth or Ephesus to detain him from his task. He moved from place to place with the motto, “God willing.” That should be our guide too. The Bible mentions such an attitude when it states:
We ought to follow the will of God in our lives, by the Spirit. It is often when we leave the path of God’s will that we enter fearfulness. It’s as though we are walking with Jesus with His arm around our shoulder. Then, for some reason (maybe it’s our fleshly desires), we part ways with Jesus and go off on our own. Soon we find ourselves walking through some scary place or circumstance, and we must run back to Jesus.
William Law, in his book The Power of the Spirit, written in the early 1700s, said as much when he wrote:
Whenever a man allows himself to have anxieties, fears, or complaints, he must consider his behavior as either a denial of the wisdom of God or as a confession that he is out of His will.266
Stay close to Jesus, His will as the Spirit shows you, and His fellowship of believers; all of these will edify you and help you to avoid anxiety and the fears of this world. Paul strengthened those churches along the way, but he stayed on the course to Jerusalem.
Paul therefore left Corinth and set sail for Syria accompanied by Aquila and Priscilla on his way to Jerusalem (Acts 18:18b). It says Paul cut off his hair and took a vow as he came to the southeastern seaport of Corinth named Cenchrea (Acts 18:18c). Paul had apparently taken a Nazarite vow which meant he would let his hair grow for a period and then, once the vow was over, he would cut it off. Paul did not require Gentiles to keep the law, but he, as a Jew, did keep and follow such things as the Nazarite vow. Doing this would have given him a point of contact with the Jewish communities he was seeking to minister in and therefore enhanced his ministry by opening doors of opportunity (1 Corinthians 9:19-27).
Here the Second Missionary Journey comes to an end. Paul leaves Corinth and goes to Ephesus (Acts 18:19). He did not stay there though he was asked to do so, but instead he pressed on to Jerusalem to get there in time to keep the Feast of Passover (Acts 18:20-21). He arrived in the city of Caesarea on the coast of the Mediterranean and went to the church at Antioch (Acts 18:22).
The Spirit Acts – The Third Missionary Journey – The More Accurate Way
Do you feel like there’s something missing in your life? Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior and been born again? You’ve heard of Jesus’ promise of “abundant life,” but maybe you’re wondering where’s the abundance? If you’ve done that, and are attempting to serve the Lord, are you having success? Are you fruitful? Are you serving the Lord, but your efforts just seem to fall flat? Are you a polished, well-practiced orator but still having difficulty making an impact for the Lord? Are you educated with denominational approval but can’t seem to reach the lost or comfort the hurting like you feel you should?
If you are pressing on in your walk with the Lord, trying to please Him, but seem bogged down or ineffective, you are not alone. Apollos was a very naturally gifted person who gave the appearance of ministering effectively, but still there was something missing. We can learn a lot from this brother in Christ. His account is found in Acts 18.
Paul spent an unspecified amount of time back in Jerusalem and then embarked on the Third Missionary Journey (Acts 18:23). He first came to the region of Galatia and Phrygia with the mission of strengthening the disciples in these areas. This area is referred to as Asia Minor or modern-day Turkey.
It was about this time, during the Third Missionary Journey, that a man named Apollos came on the scene, arriving in Ephesus. Apollos is described as eloquent and mighty in the Scriptures, was instructed in the way of the Lord and fervent in spirit, and even spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, but he still lacked and needed to be taught (Acts 18:24-25). Now eloquence is sometimes a sign of pride and Apollos, if he was proud, could have resisted the efforts of Aquila and Priscilla to teach him “more accurately,” but he was humble. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5). Once Apollos received the more accurate teaching of the word, his ministry flourished (Acts 18:26-28).
Notice, it is in the context of the fellowship of believers that Apollos is shown the more accurate way. If you stray from the fellowship of God, you will likely find yourself a victim of the many wolves in sheep’s clothing that roam the world (Matthew 7:15-20; 1 Peter 5:8-9; 2 Peter 2). It is important that we stay in fellowship so that we can receive a steady diet of the word, Godly input from others and apply what we learn to our lives in the Spirit. It is in fellowship that the Spirit uses spiritual gifts to edify believers (Ephesians 4:11f.). It is in fellowship where we find encouragement and help to continue (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Seeking Accuracy in God’s Word
The words “more accurately” are translated from the Greek term AKRIBESTERON (Strong’s #197 – ak-ree-bes´–ter-on) which means, “more exactly... more perfect (–ly).”267 It’s important that we learn the Scriptures “accurately.” Paul wrote Timothy:
When the Spirit acts, He puts a desire in us to seek out the truth, the absolute and accurate truth of God in His word. And when we are in the accurate path of God’s word, we are confident and fearless. A healthy spirit responds to the Spirit’s revelation of truth in all matters. Jesus said:
Later in the New Testament the Apostle Paul prayed for believers to be filled with the knowledge of God:
Even the Apostle Peter, with fisherman roots, exhorted Christians to receive knowledge from God:
There’s a lot to unpack from these inspired words of Peter, but that’s for another study.268 Suffice it to say that we should heed Peter’s exhortation to, “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).
Like Apollos, we may be very talented or naturally gifted, but it is apparent to those around us that something is missing. We may even sense that we are missing something ourselves. So many Christians today fail to experience the abundant life Jesus spoke of (John 10:10) because they are inaccurately informed or simply uninformed. That can be discouraging.
But God is faithful. When we are beset by the temptation to self-pity or discouragement, He will show us the way to fulfillment and effectiveness. He does this with His word and revelation of the truth. Every jot and tittle of God’s word is important (Matthew 5:18; Luke 16:17). When we are perplexed or in need of explanation we go to the word of God. The Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth (John 16:13).
As the Lord moves us to seek the truth (like Bereans – Acts 17:10-15), what is it that He wants us to know? What was it that Apollos lacked? What was it that Aquila and Priscilla saw or heard in Apollos that revealed he was lacking something?
We Need to be Accurate with the Word
If you’re thinking it doesn’t much matter whether a person is completely and fully accurate with the Lord or not, then I encourage you to consider something. 99.9 percent is pretty accurate, but even if 99.9 percent is your standard or what you feel is “good enough”: then twelve babies will be given to the wrong parents today, and every day. Think of the havoc and heartbreak that would cause, and just for one tenth of one percent inaccuracy. Being 99.9 percent accurate leads to further chaos. For instance, there will be two million documents lost by the IRS, 22,000 bank checks will be deducted from the wrong bank accounts, planes will be landing daily off schedule, endangering their passengers, and 18,322 pieces of mail will be mishandled in the next hour. More importantly, if our standard is 99.9 percent, then 291 pacemaker operations will be performed incorrectly this year. There will be 20,000 incorrect drug prescriptions written in the next 12 months, and 107 incorrect medical procedures will be performed by the end of the day today.269 Yes, accuracy is important. And how much more is accuracy important when it comes to eternal issues?
It’s important we walk in the more accurate ways of the Lord. All the above problems are temporal and involve temporal things. But an inaccurate gospel or inaccurate doctrine could lead to a dark eternal destiny and eternal is forever. When we leave the accuracy of God’s word, we enter a fearful forest of doubts and uncertainty. But when we walk in the accurate path of Scripture, we are confident in the Spirit’s leading and face our fears courageously. We need to teach the word accurately. Imagine the problems we experience when we fall short of God’s glorious promises because we are satisfied with living in a way with the Lord that is not accurate or fully what He desires it to be for us? Imagine the problems the body of Christ has when we follow a less than Scripturally accurate way. Jesus came that we might experience an abundant and full life in the Spirit (John 10:10). Don’t settle for something less than what God wants for you. Accept by faith the more accurate way of the Spirit.
The More Accurate Way
Apollos had a lot of talent, but something was missing. Ministry is not merely for the most talented. Effective, God –glorifying ministry requires more than human talent. There was something Aquila and Priscilla noticed that was lacking in this great orator, Apollos, when he came to fellowship with them (Acts18:26). What was he missing? What is the more accurate way referred to here? Something was lacking in Apollos’ ministry. What was it? If we look at the context here, we see that it states, “he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John” (Acts 18:25). The implication is that Apollos’ ministry was less accurate because it did not include the teaching of the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4-5), the baptism with the Holy Spirit which empowers for service and cleanses the heart (Acts 1:8; Acts 4:31; Acts 15:8-9). This baptism with the Holy Spirit is something Jesus pours out on us. “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” (Acts 2:33). This is what Apollos was lacking; the baptism with the Holy Spirit from Jesus. Without this baptism there is no true eternal effectiveness. No amount of earning or skill or gifting can overcome the absence of the baptism with the Holy Spirit from Jesus. Do you have it? Apollos didn’t and Aquila and Priscilla knew that and helped him find what he was lacking.
If you are unaware of and have not experienced the baptism with the Holy Spirit, your way is not as accurate and full as God desires it to be. Without the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the service you seek to do for the Lord will be frustrating and futile because it will rely on your own limited strength. You can’t serve the Lord properly by relying on your flesh (Galatians 3:1-5).
When we look at the context of Aquila and Priscilla taking Apollos aside and teaching him the more accurate way, we see the following evidence of what that entailed. Let’s look at what it apparently does not mean and then what it apparently does mean.
First, the more accurate way is not eloquence (Acts 18:24a). The word “eloquent” (Greek logios) means fluent, an orator, learned, a man of letters, skilled in literature and the arts, versed in history and antiquities, skilled in speech, rational, wise. The problem with Apollos was not education or training. Apollos was very skilled and trained. He was apparently very educated. And yet he lacked something. Despite these skills, he still needed to be taken aside and shown God’s ways more accurately.
Second, the more accurate way is not being “mighty in the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24b). The word “mighty” (Greek dynatos) means powerful or capable, able, strong, mighty in (e.g., wealth and influence), strong in soul (e.g., to bear trials and difficulties), excelling in something. Apparently, Apollos was well versed in the Scriptures. That this was so, and he still needed to be shown more accurately the ways of God does not minimize the importance of knowing Scripture, it simply means he needed to know the meaning of Scripture more accurately. There are those who know God’s word very academically; they are fluent in the original languages. But even such scholars can lack something.
We need to go beyond ink to the Spirit, beyond stone tablets to the Spirit’s words written on the heart (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). Our sufficiency cannot be in ourselves but in the Spirit. We need to understand that relying on “the letter” in our own strength profits us nothing, just like Apollos discovered. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, is where we find life and fruitfulness (2 Corinthians 3:4-6).
Just because we can spout off a bunch of Scripture does not necessarily mean we know or have experienced the substance of the Scriptures we are spouting off. We need to know the more accurate ways of the LORD that the Scriptures teach.
Third, the more accurate way is not being instructed “in the way of the Lord” (Acts 18:25a). Of course, we need to be instructed in the ways of the Lord, but you can be instructed in the ways of the Lord and still need more accuracy in what you know. You must go beyond the introductory or rudimentary teachings related to the Lord. We need to be born again, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, but then we need to grow and mature in our faith. We need to move forward, progress, grow in our faith and mature in our understanding of the ways of the Lord.
Fourth, the more accurate way is not merely being “fervent in spirit” (Acts 18:25b). “Fervent” (Greek zeo) means to be hot, boiling, glowing hot, fervent. The more accurate way is not merely enthusiasm or excitement; it is something more accurate than this. The 450 prophets of Baal jumped and gyrated, but nothing came from their false God Baal. It was Spirit-filled Elijah who simply prayed and trusted the Lord who was the instrument of a mighty victory that glorified God and revived His wayward people (1 Kings 18).
Fifth, the more accurate way is not merely speaking and teaching accurately “the things of the Lord” (Acts 18:25b). A person can teach and speak accurately about the things of the Lord, and still need a more accurate understanding of “the way of God.” We can parrot what others have taught in the Spirit, we can plagiarize their work, we can honestly explain “the things of the Lord,” and, according to what Apollos shows us, still need to be more accurately instructed.
Sixth, the more accurate way is more than “the baptism of John” (Acts 18:25c). The baptism of John was a call to repentance (Acts 19:4). Repentance from sin is a necessary part of saving faith. John preached repentance (Matthew 3:1-2). Repentance is important, but there is a sense in which we need to go beyond repentance to a more accurate way of God.
Seventh, the more accurate way is not merely speaking boldly (Acts 18:26a). Apollos was speaking boldly and eloquently, but Aquila and Priscilla still felt he needed to be taken aside and taught about a more accurate way. What Apollos needed was not a matter of volume or clarity. This more accurate way is not about drumming up courage to confront opponents. It is more than that.
In Hebrews, it states:
In Hebrews, we are called to “go on to perfection.” “Perfection” (Greek teleiotes) is not mathematical perfection, but rather maturity, completeness, and a state of more or spiritual maturity. This is parallel to the more accurate way referred to in our Acts 18 passage.
What then is this more accurate way?
First, the more accurate way begins with being humble enough to receive teaching about it (Acts 18:26b). Apollos was clearly a gifted speaker, yet he went with Aquila and Priscilla and received their more accurate teaching. God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5). Our Shepherd will lead humble sheep to green pastures in His word where they can find nourishment for their soul.
Second, the more accurate way involves a spiritual ordaining (Acts 18:27a). When Apollos desired to go to Achaia, he was given the endorsement of the brethren in writing to the other churches to receive him. After Aquilla and Priscilla took Apollos aside and taught him more accurately, he apparently submitted to their instruction. And the Spirit apparently anointed Apollos with His empowerment. Apollos was still bold and charismatic. He was still eloquent and educated. He was still fervent and accurate in the Scriptures. But now He bore the undeniable mark of the Spirit, an anointing and heaven-sent effectiveness that he previously lacked.
The more accurate way is something recognizable to others who have it. There is a fellowship of the anointed. And such an anointing is clearly evident to the congregation of God. This was true for Apollos, to the extent that they were willing to endorse and testify that he had the anointing. It is an ordination or anointing from above that makes ministering Christlike, extraordinary, impactful, fruitful, glorifying to God. That’s what Apollos lacked but now had experienced.
Third, the more accurate way is an enablement to greatly help those who believe (Acts 18:27b). In the initial description of Apollos, his eloquence, mightiness in the Scriptures, his instruction in the Lord, fervent spirit, and accuracy in relaying the Scriptures and John’s baptism were all noted. But what was missing from his description was any mention of his effectiveness or the impact such skilled and highly trained ministry from him had on those he sought to minister to. Perhaps no mention was made of his impact, because there was little if any.
When Apollos arrived, something had changed in him. Apollos was welcomed and “greatly” (Greek polys – Adjective: much, abundantly, greatly, much, plenteously) “helped” (Greek symballo) or consult, converse, aid, personally join, confer, help, meet with, to bring together. The description of Apollos after his being instructed by Aquila and Priscilla includes mention of the impact he now had on those he ministered to. Apparently, once Apollos had been taught the way of God more accurately, he was enabled to greatly help and bring people together. This is the anointing by the Spirit; to effectively help those ministered to. We see this anointing of the Spirit throughout Acts with Peter at Pentecost and Caesarea (Acts 2 and Acts 10), and we see it with Paul on his missionary journeys and especially in Athens (Acts 17).
Folks, this also speaks of God’s love. Jesus came to give Himself for the lost because He loves us (e.g., John 3:16; John 13:34-35; John 15:12-13). This love is associated with the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22-25). And as we discussed in Acts 2, baptism with the Holy Spirit is a baptism with God’s love, an overflowing of the same kind of love the Father and Jesus has for the lost that moved them to the cross (e.g., Romans 5:8). Such love is the Spirit’s anointing and is the compelling force behind anointed ministry. “For the love of Christ compels us” (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
Fourth, the more accurate way is a Spirit-empowered, vigorous proving from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ (Acts 18:28). Prior to being instructed in the way of God more accurately, Apollos was very eloquent and intellectual in arguing from the Scriptures. But the big difference from before to after being taught the more accurate way of God is that now Jesus was the center of his teaching. Now he was “showing” (Greek epideiknymi) or illustrating clearly in an understandable way, exhibiting, displaying, bringing into view, demonstrating, to display something belonging to oneself. Salvation is in the name of Jesus, by grace through faith in Him (e.g., John 5:24-30; Ephesians 2). But the baptism with the Holy Spirit, which Jesus demanded His disciples to receive before they embarked on the Great Commission, that baptism was and is, from Jesus. “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he poured out this which you now see and hear” (Acts 2:33). Jesus is “the Christ,” but He is also the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit.
The love of God – an essential accurate detail. Could it be that the more accurate way Apollos had been ushered into was a newfound, deeper experience of the love of God within? John Wesley spoke of his heart being “strangely warmed.” After that, the Lord used Wesley to revive and redeem a nation. Perhaps Wesley experienced something like what Apollos had experienced. Perhaps Apollos’ heart was warmed, no, melted for the eternal welfare of those around him. God pours out His love into our heart by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Apart from the love of God, anything and everything we do is worthless (1 Corinthians 13). The fruit of the Spirit is love (Galatians 5:22-25). Love, I believe a deeper, more profound and life impacting love is the heart of the more accurate way. I believe one of the most if not the most accurate detail of this more accurate way, is the love of God overflowing and then bursting forth from the heart. Apollos graduated from a head-knowledge to a heart-passion related to Jesus. Jesus has a way of warming, no, setting ablaze the heart of the one who receives His word (e.g., Luke 24:27, 32). Apollos was set aglow by the fire of Jesus’ love.
Fifth, therefore, GRACE, the more accurate way is to depend on the Spirit above one’s own personal resources (e.g., education, ability to communicate or argue, intellect). It’s not an accident that the final words of this passage mentions Apollos was able to help those “who had believed through grace” (Acts 18:27). Apollos was very gifted intellectually and educationally, but such personal resources could take him only so far. Apollos needed to more accurately understand that he had to surrender to the Holy Spirit and be a vessel for His use. He needed to be more deeply transformed by the love of God. Apollos had to be more accurately taught to depend more fully on the Holy Spirit and not himself. He needed a heart set afire by Jesus and His gift of the Holy Spirit. And all that he was instructed by Aquilla and Priscilla that he needed, was available to him by grace.
Maybe Apollos was depending on his personal human resources. His focus may have been too much on what he could do and not enough on what Christ had done. Maybe he needed to be reminded, maybe we need to be reminded that we are nothing and that all increase comes from the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:7). Maybe Apollos and we need to be reminded that our salvation is a gift of God’s grace received through faith in Jesus. But God, who answers our prayers exceedingly abundantly (Ephesians 3:20), also blesses us with an opportunity to serve in His plans, and He empowers us to do so effectively. It is Jesus who offers us this baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33). It is God the Heart-Knower who purifies our heart by faith as a gift of His grace (Acts 15:8). Purified from what? Purified from self-reliance, self-indulgence, self-centeredness, selfishness, sin. And God does this for us as a gift of His grace. We are so blessed by our God. All of His blessings are provided by His grace and received through faith. Apollos needed to be shown more accurately the way of God, but for that more accurate way to impact his life, all he needed to do was receive it through faith, because it was a gift of God’s grace. That was true for him; it is true for us too. Just admit your need and ask the Lord. Then receive through faith.
Truly, the Book of Acts is not about only effective training or discipleship as much as it is the account of what happens when followers of Jesus give themselves entirely to Jesus and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is only when we are entirely trusting in the Spirit that we can be entirely used by the Spirit for His mighty work and plans.
Three Transforming Works of the Spirit in the Believer
This is a good place to review the three works of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. The Spirit is always working to transform the believer into the likeness of Jesus Christ. There are three transforming works of the Spirit in the believer. They are as follows.
The first thing the Holy Spirit does in the life of a believer is INDWELLING them at conversion. This is the “in” (Greek EN) experience referred to in John 14:17. In John 3, this work is described as being “born again.” Later, in John 4:13-14, Jesus describes this experience as drinking “living water” that quenches the thirst for spiritual fulfillment in every human. In John 20:22, Jesus further describes this experience as receiving the Holy Spirit when He breathes on the disciples and tells them to receive the Spirit. Disciples received the Holy Spirit as Jesus breathed on them. When the Holy Spirit comes to reside inside a person (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), the process (sanctification) of being conformed to the likeness of Christ begins and continues throughout life (Romans 8:29). The Spirit bears witness and communicates the heart and truth of Jesus to the believer (John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:13-14). The Spirit helps us with our weaknesses and to have a prayer life with God (Romans 8:26). We are God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). He works in us (Philippians 2:13). The power of the risen Lord Jesus is in us, and it is the Spirit that brings that power to us (Ephesians 1:15-23; Ephesians 3:14-21). The love of Jesus works in us by the presence of the Holy Spirit in us (Romans 5:5). When in us the Spirit works to witness, assure, and show us God’s truth and that we are God’s and right with Him through faith in Christ; help us with our weaknesses; show us we are His workmanship, and He is working in power to transform us to Christlikeness; and saturates us with His love. All these things are associated with the work of the Spirit in us.
The second thing the Holy Spirit does in the life of the believer is EMPOWERING the believer for service. As the believer is conformed to the likeness of Jesus by the Spirit, like Jesus, the believer acquires a desire to be used by God to reach the lost in the world, to minister (Matthew 18:11; Mark 10:45; Luke 19:10). This is the “upon” (Greek preposition EPI) experience described by Jesus as torrents of living water gushing forth from the believer and as dynamic empowerment of the believer (John 7:37-39; Acts 1:8). To minister like Jesus, the believer needs to be empowered by God. If the believer seeks to serve in his or her own strength, they will be frustrated and fail (Romans 7). They need to be supernaturally empowered, and the Spirit provides that power. This power is invisible like the wind but powerful like a tornado (Acts 2). It is a fiery, purifying and cleansing of the heart by God. The believer surrenders their heart to God in faith, trusting Him to work to destroy those challengers and hindrances to total trust in God (Acts 2; Acts 15:8-9). The cleansing work of this empowerment attacks inhibitions and barriers between God and the believer. There is an essential empowerment for service after initial Spirit filling (Acts 1:8; Acts 2). This empowerment involves Spiritual Gifting (Ephesians 4:7-13). This empowerment is the sufficiency of God’s grace revealed powerfully in our weakness (2 Corinthians. 12:9-10). The love of God working not only in us but also through us. This is the second work of the Spirit in the life of the believer.
The third work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is that of ONGOING REFRESHING. The believer needs to be refilled or renewed daily and filled with the Spirit who refreshes and empowers. Those empowered at Pentecost were refilled later (Acts 4). In Acts 18, and elsewhere, we see that the Spirit works through fellowship to revitalize believers. There are subsequent re-fillings and refreshing by the Spirit in the believer’s life. The sense of this ongoing third work is found in Paul’s inspired letter to the Ephesians when he states:
The word “filled” is translated from the Greek term PLEROO (Strong’s #4137 – πληρόω pleroo, play-ro´–o) meaning”to make replete,…to cram (a net), level up (a hollow),…to furnish (or imbue, diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a period or task), verify…accomplish,…complete, end, expire, fill (up), fulfill, (be, make) full (come), fully preach, perfect, supply.”270 In addition to this definition, the grammatical form of the term “filled” (Present/Passive/Imperative) conveys the thought of an ongoing and constant (Present tense) work that the believer receives or has done to them (Passive voice) that is absolutely essential (Imperative mood). Therefore, to “be filled with the Spirit” means to be constantly, regularly, daily filled up, satisfied, furnished and supplied with the Spirit for one’s daily needs and God-ordained plans.
The impact of such a daily filling is conveyed in the Book of Acts where those who had experienced the empowerment of the Spirit at Pentecost again pray for this ongoing empowerment and refreshment. In Acts, it reads:
Is the Spirit in you? If you do not have the Spirit, you do not belong to God, you remain in your sins (Romans 8:9). Pray for forgiveness for your sins; put your faith in Jesus; receive the Holy Spirit and be born again.
Have you been empowered to serve the Lord? Are you frustrated and failing in your walk with God? Pray for His power and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Receive it by faith. Don’t leave anything on the table that should be yours in the Lord. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Is your life “abundant”? No? Then seek the Lord! Seek the Spirit’s leading. Get on your knees and ask the Lord if you are like Apollos, needing to be taught more accurately. “Lord am I missing something?” should be our prayer. “Lord, baptize me with Your promised Holy Spirit and pour Your love into my heart in a new and fuller way” might be our words. That kind of prayer, prayed in humble dependence and hunger for all God has, that prayer will be answered.
The Spirit Acts to Give A Holy Boldness and Freedom From Fears
Why do you think the disciples of Acts were so bold in the face of fearful opposition? The answer should be quite evident by now; the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the disciple frees from fear and emboldens. The Spirit replaces fear with faithful boldness when He comes upon a person.
This is what Jesus promised when He said:
In whatever situation or life circumstance we find ourselves in, we need not fear or even have anxiety, for the Holy Spirit, the Comforter and Helper is there to assure and empower us to get through it for the glory of God.
Have you been empowered but feel as though you’re running on empty? Are you fearful and anxious? Pray for a refreshing and refilling of the Spirit in your life. Walk in the Spirit, filled and refreshed daily and receive this regular daily work by faith. Faithful is He who calls you to this and He will do it! (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). You might be thinking, “But how, how can this come to be in me?” It’s a matter of faith.
How Can This Happen to Me? By Faith
Faith is the tap that opens the faucet where God’s transforming sanctifying flood of the Spirit comes out. The critical truth to remember is that the sanctifying work of the Spirit within, the baptism with the Spirit that empowers us to minister for the Lord, like our salvation, IS RECEIVED BY GOD’S GRACE THROUGH FAITH. Do you believe God can and does want to bring this to pass in your life? Do you believe He wants to do it in you NOW? These are the vital questions you must consider.
Read the role of faith in God’s work in us described in the following additional verses:
We are saved by faith, and we are baptized with the Holy Spirit by faith, and we receive the ongoing-refreshing and re-empowering by faith. We surrender in faith to the Holy Spirit to do His holy work in and through us. Do you believe this? Do you believe God can and does want to do this for you now? If so, then what is holding you back? Jesus said:
That’s Jesus’ promise to you! Do you believe that? Receive the Lord Jesus by faith. Receive the empowering baptism with the Holy Spirit by faith. Receive the ongoing empowerment of the Spirit by faith. The Lord wants you to gush with His Holy Spirit. He wants you to be overflowed with a gushing flood of His Holy Spirit that pours out of you. Jesus said:
That’s what Jesus wants for you. Why not surrender in faith to the Lord and ask Him to do it? Now!
Conclusion
The Holy Spirit acts through the fellowship of believers to deal with our fears and to direct and correct believers. That is what we have seen in this chapter. You may be a bit fearful to question or to correct or to take a stand when God’s word is presented in a less than accurate way. In the power of the Spirit, you can overcome those fears. The Spirit can help you overcome your fears through the fellowship of Jesus and the fellowship of fellow believers.
Oscar Hammerstein II once wrote:
Give me some men who are stouthearted men,
Who will fight for the right they adore.
Start me with 10 who are stouthearted men,
And I'll soon give you 10,000 more.271
The Spirit is looking for some people who will come together in the fellowship of Jesus and turn away from their fears, trusting Him. Are you fearful? Are you afraid? Are you out of fellowship? Are you trying to go it alone? It just won’t work, friend. Maybe you’re afraid of people. Maybe something else has paralyzed you with fear. Fear not, Jesus is with you. Fear not, there is a fellowship of believers the Spirit wants to use to help you overcome your fears. Why not bow and pray for the Spirit to make His presence, His fear-defeating presence known to you right now? Lord Jesus, make us courageous for You!
261 James Strong, 1996. Enhanced Strong's Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship: Ontario
262 John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.
263 John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.
264 Jerry Falwell, executive editor; Edward E. Hinson and Michael Kroll Woodrow, general editors, KJV Bible Commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1994.
265 John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.
266 William Law, The Power of the Spirit, Edited by Dave Hunt (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade) 2003. Page 21.
267 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.
268 See my other book Living Hope, A Study of 1 Peter.
269 Insight, Syncrude Canada Ltd., Communications Division Communicator, p. 6.
270 James Strong, 1997, c1996. The New Strong's Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words (electronic ed.). Thomas Nelson: Nashville
271 The New Moon © 1927
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