A Willing Learner

A Willing Learner

Q: What Jew really wanted to preach about the Lord but didn’t know Jesus was the Messiah?

• a. Apollos
• b. Agabus
• c. Timothy

Have you ever heard someone speak or preach a sermon, but you didn’t get anything out of it? Then another person spoke on the same subject, and it was interesting and held your attention. You left with new knowledge or were inspired to do something or learn more.

Apollos was the second kind of speaker. He was an enthusiastic speaker who taught about Jesus. People enjoyed listening to him because he spoke in a way that kept their attention. But Apollos didn’t know the whole story of Jesus yet. He may have still been teaching the people to watch for the coming Messiah. Aquila and Priscilla realized he needed to hear about the risen Savior. They shared the whole story of Jesus with Apollos so he’d be able to give people the whole gospel message.

Apollos didn’t get defensive when Aquila and Priscilla told him there was more he needed to learn. He accepted their teaching eagerly, and then he went out and passed it on to others.

There is never a point when we’ve heard the same Bible stories too many times or heard too many sermons on the same subject. There’s never a time when we know all there is to know about God or Jesus. There’s never a time when it’s okay to stop reading the Bible. As Christians, we are students until we graduate to heaven. Even there we will continue learning.

For You

Never stop learning. If you feel like you’re hearing the same Bible stories over and over, ask questions and learn more about them. Research why a story is important and how the culture and lifestyle during the time it was written impacted the story. Look beyond the surface story to the significance of it both during Bible times and in your own life.

Answer: a

Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. . . . However, he knew only about John’s baptism.   Acts 18:24-25

(The Whole Story: Acts 18:24-28)