Today, I am reading and commenting on  Acts 19-20.

Off and on when I have read this passage, I wondered why Luke finds it necessary to point out that Apollos was in Corinth when Paul preached in Ephesus.  It struck me today that perhaps Luke was addressing the idea that Apollos and Paul had either learned from each other, or that there was animosity between them.  We learned in yesterday’s passage that Apollos was a scholar of Jewish Scripture, as was Paul.  Which suggests to me that perhaps Apollos preached a message more similar in style to that taught by Paul than the way in which Peter and the other original followers of Jesus preached.  Remember, the Sanhedrin considered Peter and John to be uneducated men.  So, it seems likely that Luke was making the point here that Apollos did not derive his teaching from Paul, but instead both arrived at similar positions from their study of Scripture.  Some see the difference in emphasis between Paul, and perhaps also Apollos, and the original followers of Jesus as evidence that Christianity, insomuch as it follows Pauline teachings, fails to follow Jesus’ teachings.  However, I believe the way in which the Jerusalem Council embraced Paul’s teaching indicates that the original followers of Christ found Paul’s understanding to be a correct interpretation of what Jesus taught.

There is another aspect of faith in Christ which this passage highlights.  Luke highlights that some people came to faith in Jesus without being baptized by the Holy Spirit.  It is not clear to me from the account here, and elsewhere in the Book of Acts, that those who had received only the “baptism of John” were not saved.  However, it IS clear that receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit should be desired and taught.  I think it is also clear that God will provide means for those who genuinely seek to follow Him to obtain teaching in the ways to do so.  God will pour out His Spirit on those who choose to follow Him.  However, it is also important that we as the Church teach about the Holy Spirit and lay on hands with the intention of the Spirit filling those who have come to faith in Jesus.

*I want to add a final note that I wish I could have found a way to include a reference to the Holy Spirit in my title, because I believe that Apollos’ understanding of the Gospel was deficient before the Holy Spirit was poured out on him.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.