This particular book of the Bible is simply known as “The Acts”. The full title is, “The Acts of the Apostles” and records the various ‘actions’ of those prominent individuals included. However, if we were to be completely accurate and completely specific with the title; we would not refer to this book as the Acts of the Apostles. Instead, we would call this book, The Acts of the Holy Spirit. For you see, the secret to the effectiveness of the early church was not personalities. It was not due to the influence of articulate and eloquent men. It was not the result of winsome personalities it was by the power of the Holy Spirit.
In and of themselves, the apostles were incapable of accomplishing such mighty things. In Acts 3:6, Peter readily admits, “silver and gold have I none”. In Acts 4:13, we read that Peter and John were, “unlearned and ignorant men.” In other words they had no formal training or qualifications as teachers and preachers. They lacked a large financial base to promote their ministry and influence. But what they had was the power of the Holy Spirit at work in and through them.
This is the great missing element in the modern church. We are inundated with personalities and people who esteem themselves greater than they are. The modern church has more formally trained members and degrees of higher learning than ever before. The church of today has far more money at her disposal than she has ever had in history –yet the church has little or no impact on the real world around us. The fact is education and funding is no substitute for the power of the Holy Spirit. There is nothing that can duplicate or cultivate what the Holy Spirit is able to do. There is no limit to what God could accomplish through one congregation who is sold out to Him and filled with His Holy Spirit.
The Book Acts is a selective history of the early church and of all that was accomplished by the Holy Spirit through willing vessels. It was not about personalities –it was all about the Person of the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of ordinary men and women through whom God was able to do the extraordinary.
Here in Acts chapter 18 we are introduced to such a couple. Aquila and Priscilla was ordinary people but their willingness to be used by God enabled them to be a part of an extraordinary work. Very little is known about this particular couple.
We know they were husband and wife and tentmakers by trade: Acts 18:2, 3
And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.
We know they were personal friends and co-laborers of Paul
Romans 16:3 - Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus:
We know they were completely invested in the work of the Lord: using their home for a church
1 Corinthians 16:19 -The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.
We know that they had put their own lives in jeopardy for Paul and other believers
Romans 16:4 - Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.
There are only 6 verses in 4 books that make any mention to Aquila and Priscilla. These were not super-saints with a large fan club. They were never featured in the cover of Christianity Today. They never made the headlines of the prestigious church magazines, newspapers or the like. They were not like Paul or Peter. Their gifts were not the same –but their willingness to serve made a tremendous impact on those around them. Although they might be considered obscure figures in the New Testament narrative, God knew their names and honored their faithfulness.
There are many lessons we can learn from the testimony of Aquila and Priscilla.
Let consider just a few of them quickly.
The first lesson we learn is:
1. They were Engaged in Service
Aquila and Priscilla had a combination of gifts.
a. The Gift of Exhortation –the term literally means “to come along side someone to admonish, to encourage or instruct”. It is the God-given ability to encourage other believers. Those with this gift are able to speak to the heart. They seem to have just the right words to say in any given situation. They help other find solutions to their problems and encourage them not to give up.
b. The Gift of Discernment –the term literally means “to distinguish or to judge”. It is the God-given ability to discern between the things of God and the things of Satan; between right and wrong; and between what is good and best. This person has a built in counterfeit detector. Not only can they identify false teaching (no matter how subtle), they can also discern underlying motives, whether spiritual or carnal.
c. The Gift of Ministry – the term literally means ‘to serve’. It is the God-given ability to help or serve joyfully and in love. This person has a built in need detector and they are happiest when they are helping others. They prefer to serve behind the scenes and avoid the ‘spotlight’.
They had a good assortment of gifts. But it is not enough to possess spiritual gifts. They must be utilized and put to use. Aquila and Priscilla were engaged in service. They were a team! There is a very important point illustrated here: the couple who serves God together, stays together. The couple who walk with the Lord together will stay together. The relationship that Aquila had with Priscilla was enhanced and strengthened by his relationship with God. As you think of your own marriage, draw in your mind the shape of a triangle. God is at the pinnacle. The husband is on one side of the base and the wife is at the other. As the husband draws closer to the Lord and the wife draws closer to the Lord, they are simultaneously drawing closer together. The closer they walk with God, the closer they walk together!
In the book of Acts we read of only two married couples. One couple served the Saviour and God greatly blessed them. The other served self and God dealt with them accordingly. There is nothing more fulfilling than serving God together as a team.
I want to encourage you to find an area that you can serve the Lord together in. God knew what He was doing when He put the two of you together. Your gifts are complimentary and serving the Lord together will strengthen and enhance your relationship.
Aquila and Priscilla where engaged in service.
2. They were Encouraging Saints verse 1-2
It is no accident that the lives of these three individuals crossed at this particular time. The Apostle Paul had arrived in Corinth following a very difficult time of ministry.
In chapter 16, Paul was imprisoned and beaten severely in Philippi.
In chapter 17, verses 1-10 –Paul goes to Thessalonica where an angry mob besiege the home in which he is staying, in hopes of catching him to do him bodily harm but he escapes in the night.
In chapter 17:10-14 – Paul goes to Berea where he has immediate success but soon trouble follows him.
In chapter 17:15-34 – Paul is in Athens and again he is met with great difficulties
Paul enters Corinth with numerous battle scars. He is tired. He is no doubt feeling the pressures of ministry. Unlike previous chapters, Paul is traveling alone. It is here that his path crosses this dear couple. I can imagine they were like a cool drink of water to the bruised apostle. No doubt God used them to encourage him in his work.
Beginning in verse 4, we read of Paul’s ministry. Take special note of the blessings in verses 5-8. God was doing great things in Corinth. Somehow verse 9, seems quite strange and out of place. But it is obvious there were many things happening between verses 8 and 9 that God chose not to include in this record. Again Paul is facing tremendous trial and difficulty. Yet he is not alone. The Lord is there, and according to verse 18, Priscilla and Aquila are also there.
That is the gift of encouragement. This dear couple came along side Paul at a crucial time in his life. When he needed them most they were there. God had divinely placed them together. God had put in them that Holy Spirit unction to be an encouragement –and they responded with obedience –they engaged their gifts and encouraged a dear saint of God.
Friends there are people in this auditorium right now who are on the brink of throwing in the towel, calling it quits and walking away from everything. There are people in this church who are quietly struggling. The pressures of life, of work, of home or any host of responsibilities are pressing hard against them. They are hurting and they feel all alone in their struggle. They are in desperate need for someone to care.
Like the psalmist in Psalm 142:4 they cry out: “I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. “ There are people that God has placed in your sphere of influence –people that you can encourage.
Encouragement comes in many ways. It might be a simple act of kindness. It might be a text message or an email just to let them know you are thinking of them and praying for them. It might be a card. It might be a word spoken just at the right time.
Proverbs 25:11
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
Proverbs 25:25
As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.
Aquila and Priscilla were Engaging in service
Encouraging saints
3. Equipping Servants verses 24-28
In these verses we are first introduced to a young man by the name of Apollos. Apollos had come from Alexandria, he was well educated, articulate and gifted in his understanding of the Scriptures. But his message was incomplete. Apollos had heard and received the message of John the Baptist –but he had not heard the full story of Christ. His motive was pure. He possessed a genuine zeal but lacked a complete knowledge of the issues.
Notice how Aquila and Priscilla react to this young man in verse 26. They lovingly come alongside him and quietly instruct him. They take time to invest in him, to equip him for ministry. Unfortunately this is the exception and not the rule in many churches and Christian circles today. The standard Baptist response is to go on the attack –to write nasty editorials, call names and brow beat them. Is it any wonder the Independent Baptist movement is hurting like it is? Is it any wonder that Independent Baptist Churches are drying up and dying? We need people who will lovingly draw near to younger Christians and help them and encourage them in their walk and growth in the Lord.
This is a ministry that everyone can be involved in. Every Christian ought to have a Timothy in whom they are investing their lives.
Consider Titus 2:1-8.
The Bible says in Romans 14:7, “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.”
In other words, each one of us is being influenced and influencing others throughout our life. We will all go to Heaven with the hand prints of others upon us. These are people whom God has used to help us, to encourage us, to instruct us and to stand by us. I am thankful for every person who has taken time to invest in me. I am thankful for every person who has been willing to pour a little of their own life in me.
Aquila and Priscilla could have written Apollos off and dismissed him completely. But their discernment saw great potential in this young man. They discerned in him a sincere heart. He did not have everything right, but he was doing the very best he could with what he had. As a result, the Holy Spirit compelled them to come alongside Apollos and encourage him to go on with God.
Only eternity will reveal the full impact of their investment. We do know that Apollos received their instruction and went on to preach with great effectiveness (see verse 28). By the time Paul wrote his first epistle to the church at Corinth, Apollos was a well-established and influential preacher. That was the direct result of Aquila and Priscilla using their spiritual gift for the glory of God.
This wonderful couple had a wonderful gift. It was the gift of exhortation. What does it look like in the modern church? It looks like ordinary men and women taking time to encourage others. It might be a quick and simple text message or email. It might be having someone over to your home for a meal. It might be giving someone a small gift as a token of your love and appreciation. It might be a book or a resource for a young Christian. It might be a host of things. But it is everyday people taking time to invest in others.
Conclusion:
All Christians ought to strive to be encouraging. It may be that this morning, God has impressed on your heart someone you need to be a blessing to. Someone who is quietly struggling and your thoughtfulness might be just what is needed to keep them going. Perhaps God has spoken to you about investing in a younger Christian; to take them under your wing as it were and help them in their walk with God.
That is the gift of exhortation in action.
