A Mentor for the Men of God
The New Testament linchpin between the Gospels and
the Epistles is the book of Acts. It is a transitional narrative
that chronicles the explosive spread of the gospel from the Jews at
Jerusalem to the Gentiles at Rome. Its content reveals the sundry
kinds of supernatural phenomena that local churches can expect when
they are endued with Holy Ghost power! In addition, it profoundly illustrates
that God works through faithful men to advance His kingdom! Apollos,
an Alexandrian-born Jew with an established reputation for
oratorical eloquence and uncommon prowess in the Old Testament
scriptures, is a prime example (Acts 18:24-28). Any preacher looking
for a mentor would do well to emulate this man!
There are four notable attributes that commend Apollos to us as a
role model. First, Apollos was a factual man. He was instructed in
the way of the Lord and taught diligently the things of the Lord
(v.25). In my understanding, the way of the Lord has to do with God
justifying sinners by faith based on an approach to Him by blood
sacrifice. From the days of Abel until Christ's death on the Cross,
this was the way of salvation. Aquila and Priscilla were
instrumental in teaching him that Jesus of Nazareth had fulfilled
all of the prophecies with which he had become so familiar!
The word instructed signifies a question and answer method of
teaching wherein the pupil was required to provide oral answers to
the teacher as evidence that he had mastered the content. Our
English 'catechism' comes from this word. The word diligently is the
Greek akribos, which means "accurately" or "exactly". It takes serious
mental discipline to be an effective pastor. The ministry is no
place for the mentally lazy! It is a most noble pursuit to master
the details of scripture!
Secondly, Apollos was a fervent man, and spoke as one
being fervent
in the spirit (v.25). The verb fervent is the Greek zeo, which means
"to boil" or "to be hot". Its form here is a present participle,
indicating continuous action or habit of life. It tells us that his
Bible expositions were packing spiritual heat and emotional passion
every time they were delivered. Facts without fervency (i.e., truth
without fire) promote ambivalence toward truth. Fervency without
facts (i.e., fire without truth) promotes divergence from truth.
Facts mingled with fervency (i.e., truth on fire) promotes obedience
to truth. So where is your church headed these days, dear pastor?
The prevailing winds of ambivalence and divergence tell me that most
churches are headed in the wrong direction! It will take men like
Apollos to reverse the trend!
Thirdly, Apollos was a fearless man. Our text says he spoke boldly
in the synagogue (v.26). The word boldly suggests outspokenness
without fear of rejection. Apollos was neither obnoxious nor
flamboyant. He was simply a man who considered the spiritual welfare
of his fellow countrymen of greater import than his own personal
welfare and safety. He was therefore willing to incur the risks of
preaching the truth to a potentially hostile audience! For Apollos,
fearlessness was an extension of fervency! An inverse relationship
exists between fervency and fear. An abundance of the former
produces an absence of the latter. The preacher who is fearful in
public is one who neglects God in private; for it is there that the
truth of Christ reaches the boiling point!
Fourthly, Apollos was a fruitful man! Any expositor who renders
spiritual help to his hearers by means of impassioned truth may be
reckoned fruitful! In the immediate context, the help he provided
was directly related to his ability to craft from the scriptures
impregnable arguments that Jesus was Christ (v.28). The phrase
mightily convinced is the translation of a compound Greek verb that
signifies total domination of an argument by the irrefutable
evidence presented. The pastor who is skilled in the word of
righteousness, and sets forth with unmistakable clarity both the
'what' (the object of faith) and the 'why' (the reason for faith)
for his hearers, is a deep-rooted and fruitful tree for all who sit
under his preaching. Apollos was such a man!
Brethren, the pulpits of America are crying out for men like
Apollos! At no time in our history has there been a greater need for
pulpiteers to exhibit that rare combination of facts and fervency
before their congregations, and to do so with fearless allegiance to
the truth! Spirit-filled men of this caliber are always fruitful!
God is still in the business of using godly men who are factual,
fervent, and fearless to minister much help to those who have
believed through grace! For this reason, Apollos is a bona fide
mentor for the men of God!
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