Tues. Aug. 19th :: Acts 18 :: Ego and Advice

...A Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was
a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been
instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and
taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.
He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila
heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of
God more adequately.

(Acts 18.24-26)

------------------------------------------------------------

Here in Acts 18 we begin to hear of a young preacher named Apollos who was apparently quite good with the face mic. In other words: He was a powerful speaker, a great orator and people flocked to hear him. Yet he was also a bit unschooled in some areas. He needed some more theological training to go with his rhetorical gift. And that’s where Priscilla and Aquilla came in.

I admire the way these two older Christians came alongside Apollos and instructed him, without wounding his spirit. They recognized that he had something they didn’t (that ability with the face mic). And in turn, Apollos recognized that they had something he lacked as well (a more in depth understanding of the Scriptures).

So they helped each other. And all without ego getting in the way.

This kind of thing is all too rare both inside and outside the church. It’s more common that someone comes along to knock a young punk off his pedestal. Or more likely, it is common for the young punk to disregard anything conveyed by an old timer.

Yet Acts 18 shows a different way.

I’m thinking about this today:

In what ways can I be more receptive to the correction of others, without simply becoming a slave to the ever shifting winds of ‘public opinion’?

How can I be more like Apollos, Priscilla, and Aquilla – accepting correction without the ego?
How about you?