April 10, 2005 Sermon

Knowing Enough to Be Dangerous
Acts 18:24-28

The Apostle Paul spent years completing his second great journey around the eastern Mediterranean world, preaching about Jesus. When he finally got “home”, to Israel , he took barely enough time to return his overdue library books before he bounced back out onto the road. He walked back to Antioch , the city in Syria where Christianity first grew by leaps and bounds. Then he went all the way across Asia Minor , visiting and encouraging churches he had helped start years before.

Meanwhile, a man named Apollos wandered into Ephesus . Ephesus was (and is) a major city near the ocean on the west coast of what we call Turkey . A retirement center for Roman soldiers, Ephesus also held one of the Seven Wonders of the World : the Temple of Diana . We Americans like to think we live in a multi-cultural society. Consider Apollos. Acts tells us he was a Jew. He found himself in a Turkish city with a fabulous temple dedicated to the Greek goddess of the Moon. His name was Latin and referred to the Roman god of the sun. He was preaching the Christian Messiah, Jesus.

Apollos got a little mixed-up in his preaching, too. Acts relates that he knew the scriptures (meaning the Old Testament). He had received instruction in “The Way”, which was the early name for Christianity. He taught accurately, but only about the part of the story he knew. He had heard about “the baptism of John”, but not, apparently, about the baptism of Jesus—or of the Christian custom of baptizing in Jesus’ name.

Apollos knew his Jewish scripture. He knew that the prophets of old had predicted the coming of the Messiah. He knew that Jesus had come as the Messiah. He knew that John the Baptist had called people to repent from their sins during the experience of baptism. But he did not know about the rich meaning of Christian baptism. He knew a lot, but he did not know everything he needed to know in order to preach Jesus.

Fortunately, the Lord had planted a pair of well-informed Christians in Ephesus . Priscilla and Aquila , wife and husband, had come with Paul from Corinth to Ephesus . They had learned about Christ from Paul, the master teacher. Now they took Apollos aside and instructed him. He learned his lessons well, for when he felt led to go back to Corinth with them to preach, they gladly sent him along. Our passage concludes with him doing good work in Corinth .

Apollos knew enough to preach, but not to preach the whole truth until Priscilla and Aquila taught it to him. Acts does not record any damage he might have done out of ignorance, but far too many churches have been wounded by preachers who know—or tell—only part of the story of Jesus. A Presbyterian Church which I know well recently shed itself of a pastor. He had spent over a decade in that pulpit. At the start of that time he had no disagreement with orthodox church teaching. But by the end he had come not to believe in the divinity, the “godness”, of Jesus. This meant that he also denied Jesus’s resurrection, that had come back to life after his death on the cross.

As you might imagine, having a preacher who doubted created critical problems for that church. For one thing, this meant that for him, the Lord’s Supper lost most of its meaning. For him it became just a commemorative dinner, a memorial service for a great man who died a tragic death. For the church, in that preacher’s hands the Lord’s Supper became a source of terrible conflict.

Jesus made his Last Supper from the ashes of Passover. In that ancient event the Jews, enslaved in Egypt , had sacrificed lambs and spread the blood on their doorposts. As God came through Egypt , killing first-born males in every house, that blood became a sign not to kill in that house. Now Jesus told his followers he was to become the Lamb of God, whose blood would save all who believe in Him. And he would rise from his sacrificial death to prove his victory over the grave. For His followers, this table now stands for the pain of death, the wonder of the unconditional love that led Jesus to die for us, and the glory of his resurrection.

Praise God for faith in the resurrection! Praise God for the love we meet at the Lord’s table!

Do you know Jesus? Do you know about him? Apollos did not know all the facts about Jesus until Priscilla and Aquila taught them to him. Yet he could still preach effectively. Why? Because he knew Jesus in the even more important sense. He knew Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He knew Jesus had sacrificed Himself out of love for humanity.

Do you know Jesus?

Look up on our walls. Around them we have painted the heart of our church’s biblical theme verses (I Corinthians 3:7-9). One verse before Paul wrote, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” Now we know what he meant. He, Paul, had helped plant Christianity in Corinth , the city to which he addressed Corinthians. Some time later, the church sent Apollos into Corinth to water the Christians there, to help them grow their faith in Jesus. But from start to finish God gave the growth.

Do you know the risen Jesus? Has your faith grown past the seed stage? Have you watered it with prayer? Do you know the story of Jesus? Have you watered it with Bible reading and worship in the midst of the people of God?

We might not be here today had Apollos not done his work. We likely would not be here today had Paul not done his work. But we can be certain we would not be here today had Jesus not done His work. When you partake of His Last Supper let it strengthen your growing faith.