Almost

Almost. “Almost” REALLY only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, right?

Almost.

It means….close…but not QUITE.

A losing football team might call the game a “moral victory” if they don’t lose as badly as they MIGHT have.

We might say we ALMOST won.

“Almost” might be a good thing to most of us on most issues. If I go out for a drive and I obey ALMOST all of the traffic laws…but I fail to stop at a stop sign…..I could get in an accident…or I might get to meet one of Mattoon’s finest. Claiming to know ALMOST all of the laws…won’t help me in that case.

And I’m not sure it’s GOOD in regard to talking about God.

Christians are never said to be ALMOST a child of God. We either are, or we aren’t. We either have a correct understanding of God, or we don’t. ALMOST having a correct understanding of God, means we don’t have a correct view of him.

And it’s important that we understand WHO God is, and what God expects of us.

Today….we will read about a man that ALMOST had a correct understanding. He was just a LITTLE bit confused on a few issues. But that wasn’t enough.

He did a lot of GOOD things…but he needed to correct his misunderstandings.

I want to look at this person…and see the GOOD things about him that a Christian today would do well to emulate.

Let’s read about it: Read acts 18:24-28

What can we learn from Apollos? What’s GOOD about him?

I. It starts in Ephesus….

a. Remmber…last week we ready about how Paul was wrapping up his THIRD missionary journey…

b. For some time…we’ve been reading about how Paul is traveling around…making stops in different towns…..

i. He’s going to different places, and planting churches.

c. In his journeys, he’s made a couple of friends in the city of Corinth – a married couple named Priscilla and Aquila

i. They worked together, and enjoyed some time together….then they split up.

ii. V. 19 – Priscilla and Aquila decided to stay in Ephesus, while Paul moved on from there, and went back home to the church in Antioch, then to Jerusalem.

d. Now….look where the focus goes to:

i. We take a break from the adventures of Paul……

1. And the story stays with Priscilla and Aquila for a bit….

ii. Priscilla and Aquila are in Ephesus….

iii. And along comes Apollos….

1. LOOK what it says about Apollos….he’s a really interesting guy…..

iv. Apollos is:

1. A gifted speaker….. – v. 24

2. He’s scholarly

3. He’s also a Christian…he knew Jesus – this isn’t a question of him being a heretic, or an unbeliever….

4. The Gospel has spread enough….that he’s heard of Jesus, and he’s preaching Jesus…..

v. Apollos….has a very interesting background:

1. He was born in Alexandria…..

a. Alexandria…doesn’t sound like an African city name, does it?

b. Now….Alexandria….was a city in Egypt…along the Nile Delta

i. This was a VERY prosperous area…..very well to do….

c. Alexandria….was the 2nd largest city in the Roman Empire….

i. America was named after Amerigo Vespucci….

ii. Same naming convention: Alexandria….It was named after Alexander the Great…from a few hundred years earlier…

d. It is KNOWN for a few things:

i. One of the things it was known for:

1. One of the 7 wonders of the world:

2. A HUGE lighthouse on the narrow island of Pharos…

3. 400 feet high – 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty

4. Man-made causeway leading out to it –

5. Could be seen for MILES….

e. Well-cultured society

i. Roman theater – used for music, athletic events (wrestling)

f. But also….a HUUUUUUUUUGE Library

i. Said to be between 500,000 and 700,000 volumes in the library

g. The city was 1/3 Jewish….

h. The Seputagint was translated there….., or “LXX” was translated – literally means “70”.

i. So Greek speaking Jews could study the OT….

2. The point of all that history of Alexandria?

a. It was a CULTURED place….

b. It was a center for advanced learning….

c. IMAGINE the equivalent of Harvard or Yale being there….

3. And Apollos was FROM Alexandria….

4. This guy was no dummy – he was an academic…he was VERY well educated…..

5. IMAGINE a guy like Stephen Hawking – he might have been THAT well educated in comparison…..

6. Apollos was an “eloquent” man – v. 24 says he was “logios” -- it’s the Greek word for “word”.

a. He was good with words.

b. He was learned – he was eloquent

c. The ESV says he was “competent” in the Scriptures…

d. The NIV says he had a “thorough knowledge”

e. The King James says he was eloquent and MIGHTY in the scriptures….

I. Be FERVENT for Christ

I. Be FERVENT for Christ

i. Simply put...by all accounts…this powerful and eloquent preacher of God….

1. Was serving God.

ii. Don’t stop halfway.

iii. Don’t be content to have a casual relationship with Jesus…..

1. Don’t be afraid to JUMP IN with your whole heart!

iv. Sometimes….we are content to simply be Christians….

1. We never get beyond the surface level….

2. Maybe you’re kind of hanging around…you have resisted really GETTING involved beyond the basics…..

v. Luke writes here in that Apollos was FERVENT…..

vi. The Greek word he used for “fervent” was Zeo

1. The only other place that this word is used…..

2.

Romans 12:11 ESV

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

vii. Paul wrote in that we should be just like Apollos in this one regard…..

1. We should be “BOILING OVER” for Jesus

a. IMAGINE a pot on a stove….

b. It starts out as cold water…

c. It starts to warm up…

d. It gradually gets hotter and hotter…..

e. And in a few minutes…..if you keep that heat turned up too high…..

i. The water will come RIGHT over the TOP!

f. A few years ago I took up the art of home canning

g. I can tomatoes, jelly, and even venison….

h. To can venison, one must use a pressure cooker….

i. It allows the food to be boiled at a higher temperature, when you increase the pressure inside the pot….

j. And you do that, by sealing the lid on top..and STEAM builds up inside….

k. Well…..if you don’t do it CORRECTLY…….GUESS WHAT happens?

i. It BURSTS OPEN!

2. Does that describe you?

3. Illustration:

a. Ever seen a brand new Christian that just wants to tell the world about Jesus?

i. I remember, as a new Christian, having a conversation with my roommate…

ii. He didn’t appreciate me always talking about Jesus…..

iii. But I remember talking with him one time…and telling him that I would preach to ANYONE….because I just HAD TO!

iv. If there was a fly on the wall….I was going to share Jesus with it….

v. I HAD to tell people about Jesus

b. But sometimes…we lose some of that excitement over time…..

4. Does that describe you?

viii. Maybe evangelism is not QUITE your thing….

1. But what IS your thing?

2. What can YOU do

ix. God wants not just our heads...but he wants our HEARTS, as well.

1. It’s not enough to simply KNOW who Jesus is…

2. He wants ALL of you

x. He wants us to not only be aware of him…

1. He wants us to get in the game and serve him – glorifying him

xi. It’s important that we recognize that all Christians are called to be FERVENT for Christ.

1. Maybe you’ll never be as bold as Apollos was….

a. But will you share Jesus with your neighbor?

b. Will you invite your family to church?

xii. But is Jesus important to you?

1. That’s what he wants of us

II. Be Teachable

II. Be Teachable

i. There is a type of person that we know as “Type A” personalities…

1. We probably have a few in here that would be described that way…

2. Whatever they do—they tend to rise to the top of any organization….

3. Often, they’re called “leaders of men”.

4. They’re the type of person that will take charge in any situation…

ii. I think Apollos was likely one of them.

iii. I think Paul was also.

iv. Look at what they did:

1. Paul takes off on missionary journeys…

2. He is used by God to write 1/3 of the NT….

3. He’s was a tremendous witness for Christ…..

4. Now, we see Apollos acting in a similar way---he’s a POWERFUL voice for God…..

a. He was so bold…that he walked right into the synagogue and started preaching Christ…

5. But there’s a problem:

a. He didn’t have ALL of the story….

6. Illustration:

a. Ever know someone that was ABSOLUTELY SURE they knoew the BEST WAY to do something?

b. Doesn’t matter WHAT it is….this person is an expert….

c. THIS person probably stayed at the Holiday Inn Express last night..because he just knows better….

d. Quite often…this is the type A personality – they are the ones that lead by a strong personality….

e. They just wear down everyone else and force them to do it THEIR way….

f. This person may think you know NOTHING….

g. When in reality…they only know half the story…

h. Maybe..you’ve been that guy….

i. Maybe you just want to show that you have all the answers…..

ii. Until you find out that you’re missing a key piece of information….

i. One thing we need to realize is that maybe….we don’t know the whole story….

7. Next time you are ready to criticize someone…..

8. Next time you’re ready to RIP into someone….

9. MAYBE…next time you’re ready to just TELL someone off and let them know you KNOW the right way to do something….

a. Consider you may not know all of what’s going on…..

10. Illustration:

a. I know we have a few people here that like to ride motorcylces…..

b. If you’re a biker…you MAY have heard of the “Tail of the Dragon”

c. The “Tail of the Dragon” is a stretch of road near Deal’s Gap, NC.

d. It’s 11 miles of road…..with 318 curves in those 11 miles!

e. Bikers and sports car owners LOVE it…..

i. The game is to see how fast you can go through it….

11. The problem…..is that what you don’t know….can REALLY hurt you

12. A GPS unit will often take you on the SHORTEST route between 2 points….and truckers get routed through this road….

a. Yes---what we don’t now CAN hurt us…..

v. Apollos was a BOLD speaker…he was FERVENT for the Lord….

1. But he had a problem: He didn’t have the WHOLE story….

2. He knew PART of it..but not ALL of it….

3. So….look what happens…..

4. V. 26 – Priscilla and Aquila heard him…and they took him aside and corrected him

5. So….we should ask…what was he LACKING?

a. V. 25 says that he knew only the “baptism of John”.

b. What that means is that he likely learned of Jesus from the disciples of John the Baptist….

c. He seems to have KNOWN that Jesus is the Messiah….

d. But he may not have known the rest of the story….

i. That by dying on the cross, Jesus provided forgiveness of sins for all….

ii. He may not have known that the Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus to guide the church

e. Apollos….had zeal…he wanted to tell the WORLD about Jesus….

f. But he didn’t’ have the complete message….

g. He had ALMOST all of the message…but not quite the whole picture…

6. The trucker that decides to take the “Tail of the Dragon” to get where they want to go….may just know it’s a SHORTER distance…

a. But if they choose to take a 50’ trailer through there…they may not realize the dangers associated with it….

b. In many ways…Apollos was JUST like those truckers….he just didn’t have all of the information he needed….

vi. The wonderful thing in all of this?

1. Is that Apollos appeared to be TEACHABLE….

2. We read that Priscilla and Aquila were impressed by him….

3. And we read that they didn’t immediately call him out as a heretic….

a. The text says they pulled him aside…and corrected him

b. Where he had incomplete information….they gave him the REST of the story….

4. IMAGINE how those truckers in those pictures would have appreciated knowing the whole story…..

a. Apollos didn’t’ take exception to being corrected….

b. He didn’t get upset about it…we don’t read of him splitting any churches over it….

c. He appears to be willing to be corrected and informed of the RIGHT teaching…..

vii. Remember what I said the beginning….having ALMOST a correct opinion of God…is the same as having the WRONG opinion of who God is….

1. This is important that he get it right.

viii. This “cultured”, “eloquent”, “educated” man…..

1. Was willing to sit down with a couple of tent-makers from Rome and learn correct theology…..

h. So…..are you teachable?

i. If you were wrong…..would you be willing to admit it?

ii. Doctrine IS important

1. SOMETIMES….we tend to have ideas about what the Bible teaches…and it simply doesn’t support our ideas…

iii. “Money is the root of all evil”

iv. “God helps those who help themselves”

v. “God won’t give you more than you can handle” (YES! HE will!) -- he wants to break you of your selfish pride!

vi. Are you WILLING to change your beliefs if they’re wrong?

i. May we all come to Scripture asking not what we THINK…but what it actually says….

III. Be willing to teach

III. Be willing to teach

i. This wasn’t something Apollos did, necessarily….

ii. It’s good if we’re like Apollos....we should be willing to be corrected when wrong….

iii. But now….I’m looking at Priscilla and Aquila here….

iv. Look at this for a second….

v. IMAGINE if they heard Apollos start talking and they simply called him a heretic and walked out on him?

1. What then?

2. Apollos may have gone on teaching an incomplete Gospel…and maybe even led some people astray….

vi. Is there someone that MIGHT benefit from your friendship and guidance with them?

1. You’ve probably never heard of Dr. Modecai Ham…..

2. In 1934 Dr. Ham preached a message where a young man met Christ.

3. That young man’s name was Billy Graham…..

4. Is there someone in your life that would benefit from your encouragement and mentoring?

5. You may live and die having never seen someone come to Christ as a direct result of your sharing the Gospel…

a. Maybe the ONE person that you influence will be the next Billy Graham….

b. OR they might lead the next Billy Graham to Christ…..

vii. Thanks to the guidance of Priscilla and Aquila…

1. Apollos came to understand the Gospel correctly

2. He began to preach it correctly

3. He’s mentioned later on in Paul’s letters to the Corinthian church…it would appear he had a very impactful ministry….

4. Some think he may have authored the book of Hebrews, even…

I HAVE to make a shameless plug here….as we think about small groups that will becoming later this fall…as we think about organizing them….

Could God maybe be planning to use you to impact the lives of others through a small group? How will he use them to impact YOU?

These groups will be perfect to share our faith with each other, build each other up, and to care for each other, sharing in prayer and fellowship.

There will be MORE to come in the future weeks…so pay attention!

So the takeaways from this?

· Be FERVENT for Christ

· But be TEACHABLE – never say “I know what the Bible says, but I BELIEVE…..”

· Be WILLING to guide other, newer Christians.

How does God want to use you?

“Almost” wasn’t good enough for Apollos.....he learned the WHOLE Gospel. And it appears he lived it.

Will you do the same?

As we grow in Christ, and learn about him, God uses us to his glory

As we grow in Christ, and learn about him, God uses us to his glory