"And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly."
Acts 18:24-26
The man they are talking about here had part of the truth of the gospel, and they helped him to learn more of it, and he became a powerful missionary. I love the way he is described here. Eloquent is good, but "mighty in the scriptures" is amazing.
Sometimes we look at others who have talents like this and we think, wow. I wish I was blessed with such a gift. :) However, just like Nephi was able to inquire of the Lord to see what his father saw, we can seek gifts from God that will help us to be strong in the gospel. Nephi sought revelation and understanding, and was granted both. Being eloquent and mighty in the scriptures are things that we can seek as well. It takes effort, of course, but we can all have those things in our lives if we seek them from God.
It's important to remember too, that even if we have cool talents like eloquence and extensive scriptural knowledge, we still have a lot to learn. I love that this man, as talented as he already was, was still willing to listen and to be corrected. He could have so easily allowed pride to get in his way, but instead he listened, and he learned, and he continued his good work in a better direction and with a better knowledge. Nothing is so perfect that we can't learn it a little "more perfectly." :)
Today, let's seek the gifts that God offers us, and let's also work on our humility. No matter how cool we are, we still have things to learn, and it is really difficult to learn them if we think that we're already ideal. :) If we can't think of anything we need to change, then let's ask God. It probably won't be a fun revelation, but I guarantee that God will help us to know something we need to work on if we ask. :)
This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly."
Acts 18:24-26
The man they are talking about here had part of the truth of the gospel, and they helped him to learn more of it, and he became a powerful missionary. I love the way he is described here. Eloquent is good, but "mighty in the scriptures" is amazing.
Sometimes we look at others who have talents like this and we think, wow. I wish I was blessed with such a gift. :) However, just like Nephi was able to inquire of the Lord to see what his father saw, we can seek gifts from God that will help us to be strong in the gospel. Nephi sought revelation and understanding, and was granted both. Being eloquent and mighty in the scriptures are things that we can seek as well. It takes effort, of course, but we can all have those things in our lives if we seek them from God.
It's important to remember too, that even if we have cool talents like eloquence and extensive scriptural knowledge, we still have a lot to learn. I love that this man, as talented as he already was, was still willing to listen and to be corrected. He could have so easily allowed pride to get in his way, but instead he listened, and he learned, and he continued his good work in a better direction and with a better knowledge. Nothing is so perfect that we can't learn it a little "more perfectly." :)
Today, let's seek the gifts that God offers us, and let's also work on our humility. No matter how cool we are, we still have things to learn, and it is really difficult to learn them if we think that we're already ideal. :) If we can't think of anything we need to change, then let's ask God. It probably won't be a fun revelation, but I guarantee that God will help us to know something we need to work on if we ask. :)
But to me this man came here with pride that he knows better than them,only tobe told that U are mistaken "here and there".A good lesson for these who come from outside and tell us how to worship.Umm;talking about overbearing! Lucky fo him he was corrected before he made a fool of himself.My thoughts lol,ok!
ReplyDeleteAmen to your post.😀😀👍
I don't think he thought that he was better. I think he was just trying to teach good things, and he was humble enough to receive correction.
ReplyDelete