Sunday School
~ Pastor Biakson
Text- Acts 18:23; Acts 19:20
It is widely known today that in the decisive Battle of Waterloo fought on 18th June, 1815, the French Imperial Guard, led by Napoleon, was defeated by the British and Allied army, led by the Duke of Wellington. However, in a time when news were transmitted through the semaphore, the emotion of the people of England to whom the message was conveyed was not exactly that of jubilance. Only the first two words of the message, “Wellington defeated” were relayed when a sudden fog descended, and sadness and agony befell the country. When the fog was lifted and the true message was shown- “Wellington defeated Napoleon”, happiness filled them all. This little anecdote shows the gravity of a complete or incomplete message. A message, when incomplete can prove to be dangerous. Likewise, when one lives an “incomplete” spiritual life, it can be a danger or threat to the self and the people around.
In Acts 18:23, Paul can be seen resuming his journey, departing towards Galatia and Phrygia- not to establish a new church but to strengthen the disciples. Meanwhile, a Christian preacher named Apollos, a Jew from Alexandria, a celebrated city named after its founder Alexander the Great, came to Ephesus (Acts 18:24). Apollos was described as “an eloquent man”, “mighty in the scriptures”, “instructed in the way of the Lord”, and “fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord”. He, however, despite his best effort, knowledge and capacity, has a lack or inadequacy- he knew only the baptism of John. In Ephesus, he taught boldly in the synagogues despite his lacking or incomplete understanding of the gospel. Having noticed this, Aquila and Priscilla, tentmakers by profession, took Apollos aside and laid out for him complete information of who Jesus Christ was and filled in the gaps in his understanding of the gospel. They spent time with Apollos in private and instructed him more perfectly in “the way of God” i.e. the knowledge of Christ instead of reprimanding him or calling him out in public. Now armed with the complete message, Apollos labored deeper in the Lord’s work, eventually finding his way to Corinth where he attracted a huge following.
Paul came to Ephesus to find that there were certain disciples who had an inadequate understanding of the gospel, much like Apollos before Aquila and Priscilla explained the way of God more adequately to him (Acts 19:1). When asked if they have received the Holy Ghost, the disciples replied, “We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.” They further informed him that they have received the baptism of John. Paul distinguished to them the baptism of John and the baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. He pointed out that John’s baptism is indeed one of repentance, but not necessarily of faith unto salvation, and is thus incomplete. Accepting Jesus fully, the disciples were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and with Paul’s touch, the Holy Spirit was bestowed upon them and they walked in the newness of life.
Paul started teaching in the synagogues but eventually exited the place that rejected him. Word of God continued to spread. Paul had a true connection with God, and through him God worked His miracles- even Paul’s handkerchiefs and aprons had the power to make “the diseases departed from [the people], and the evil spirits went out of them”. The seven sons of one Jewish priest, Sceva, tried to emulate what God had done through Paul- they tried to cast an evil spirit out by taking the name of Jesus Christ. But the seven brothers failed in their endeavor. In fact the evil spirit answered, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” knowing that the seven brothers had no real and personal relationship with God. He leapt on them and overtook them, and the encounter left them naked and wounded (Acts 19:13-16). As this news spread, many were left impressed and the name of the Lord was magnified. This prompted many believers to renounce any remaining connection to the demonic, forsake their practices of witchcrafts, and burn their magic books without considering their worldly worth. “So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed” (Acts 19:17-20).
An anecdote from John Wesley’s life illustrates that it is possible to have an inadequate spiritual life despite having a great knowledge of the Lord. A ferocious storm struck the ship that John Wesley was on board. In the ship was also a group of Moravians who sang praises to the Lord in the midst of the storm. They looked seemingly undisturbed when a huge wave engulfed the ship- they continued singing and praising the Lord, prepared to lose their lives because of the knowledge that even in death God will be with them. The Moravians’ absolute trust in the Lord in times of the calamity caused a spiritual awakening in the petrified and panic-stricken Wesley: he realized his lack of full confidence in God. This prompted him to look into himself and his faith furthermore.
We may have our shortcomings, but Christ can and will always complete us. And like Apollos, we must be able to accept our shortcomings. And like Aquila and Priscilla, we must be ready to fill the gap in the lives of others, provide adequacy in their inadequate knowledge of faith, and not make fun of them. If we were to look at our own life, will we find an absence of the Holy Spirit in us? When in trouble, whom do we run to- are we drawn towards other curious arts like the Ephesians, or do we keep ourselves in the love of God like the Moravians? We must remove the temptations and habits that defile the soul, and/or the necromancy that seem too good to pass on. Like the seven sons of Sceva, we should not merely assume the role of being a believer, or be a churchgoer who has no personal relationship with God but rather realize that spiritual warfare should not be taken lightly; that it is only through God’s guidance that we can win this battle- with the self and the other.
