24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.
26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
27 And when he wished to cross 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, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, show by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. Acts 18:24-28 ESV
The reason I asked "How Would You React?" is out of much I have seen within the body of Christ.
Here we see Apollos, a man well-versed in the Scriptures. He was an eloquent speaker, able to convey Biblical truths with accuracy. However, he was missing some important information. Two disciples of Christ, Aquila and his wife, Priscilla, heard him preaching, no doubt witnessing his vast knowledge and eloquence. However, they also noticed he was unaware of some vital information about this Christ he was teaching.
So, they took him aside and began to explain to him things more accurately, as the Scriptures indicate above. Notice there was no opposition from Apollos. His willingness to listen to believers more informed allowed him to greatly impact those to whom he preached and also to "powerfully refute" the Jews in public, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.
So, again, my question is, "How You Would Have Reacted?" Or maybe better yet, "How have you reacted in the past?" How should we respond to those more informed on a matter than we?
Too often, people in the body of Christ are not willing to admit that they may not have full understanding about a certain matter, believing they have arrived at that understanding. Folks, we have to let go of spiritual pride and understand that none of us have mastered the Bible. We need to realize when we might be wrong, and then follow the advice of our brethren, especially if what they are saying lines up with Scripture.
I remember being very hard-headed when it came to certain matters. I fought one of my close brothers over a particular set of doctrinal positions, aiming at his head with Bible verses. I was too caught up in my own pride to see that I had it all wrong. I just HAD to be right. My arrogance disqualified me from really learning, at least for the time being. It also disqualfied me from being a good friend, not really hearing what he had to say, though I claimed to understand.
And then for those who do have more knowledge, how should you respond when you see a brother or sister who lacks vital information? Should you ridicule them for their lack of knowledge, or should you humbly present them with the truth, so that they, too, might gain understanding? Aquila and Priscilla did the latter, not the former. We must all remember that there was a time when we also were way off doctrinally. God was very patient with us, allowing us to temporarily walk in ignorance toward certain truths. There are still things we must acknowledge we need a better understanding of. There always will be.
Will Metzger writes: "I believe it is ignorance of an overall systematic theological frame of reference that will bring about divisions among us as each person exalts his pet doctrine. A balanced theology would unite us (Eph. 4:13-16). It is ignorance that often divides while doctrine can unite us...Even if we must agree to disagree on certain points, we will know clearly what they are; our fellowship will be more honest, and our children can take up studying where we have left off. We must never give up praying that new light will break upon the church as she seriously studies the Bible."
I could write on for days about this, but I won't. I just pray that what I've wrote will help someone today. I pray that we'll all see our need for Biblical discipleship and see how much we truly need each other.
Soli Deo Gloria
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