Acts | Chapter 18

Read Acts Chapter 18  For a printable version of this study, click HERE   What stands out to you as you read this chapter? Are there any words or phrases that you feel are key ideas in this chapter? What other features do you wish you knew more about (culture, religion, customs, etc.) in order to help you understand this chapter? How do you think this chapter fits in the larger story of Acts and the Bible as a whole? ACT OUT: How does the Holy Spirit want to use this text in your life, for others or for yourself? We meet three more important people in Acts 18, husband and wife Aquila and Priscilla, and Apollos, a Jewish follower of Jesus from Alexandria, Egypt. Having been kicked out of Rome because of anti-Semitic persecution in the year 49 A.D. (Acts 18:2), Aquila and Priscilla set up their tent making shop in Corinth. Paul found common cause with them, both in trade and in the gospel. Later, they became co-workers with Paul (see Romans 16:3), a designation that indicates a share in leadership. Apollos was a skilled orator who knew the Hebrew Scriptures so well that he could teach about Jesus accurately (Acts 18:24-25). Jesus. . . .in the Old Testament? Absolutely! For an example of the kind of teaching Apollos might have done, read the book of Hebrews. (We don’t know who wrote Hebrews, but the way it is written suggests the author was similarly skilled.) Like most of us, though, Apollos needed help understanding more. Whom did God use? Priscilla and Aquila. The fact that Luke lists Priscilla first here has implications both for her excellence as a teacher and the counter-culturally elevated status of women in the early church. How evident is God’s provision for Paul in Corinth! In Acts 18:9-11, we see how God’s sovereign protection allowed Paul to stay, build relationships with Aquila and Priscilla, and, as a result, reach and equip new believers in Ephesus, meet Apollos, check on the churches from his first journey, then entrust Apollos to continue the work in Achaia. This chapter represents a deepening of the Jesus movement in the Mediterranean region and an expansion of Paul’s ministry (see Acts 18:18-23 and 27-28). It also shows us Paul was a leader who was willing to share responsibility. Ministry ultimately belongs to Jesus and is done by the directing, empowering presence of the Holy Spirit according to the Father’s plan. Prayer: Lord God, you have invited all your born-again children to share in ministry in your church. Help me to submit to you and find fruitful service among my fellow believers, in Jesus’ name. Amen.