Reflecting God’s Love and Uplifting Others by Grace

Shared on February 23, 2025

Introduction

What is the purpose of your going to church every Sunday, learning, and studying?  What do you do with all that you have been taught?  Do you just keep it to yourself?  Every child of God has received a calling and it’s a calling to empower and share the learned gospel with someone else. What’s important is how we conduct ourselves in ministering to others. As a child of God, we should strive to conduct oursevles with grace.

Paul Meets Aquila and Priscilla

Acts 18 opens with Paul traveling to Corinth after ministering to the Areopagus council in Athens (Acts 17:16-34).  If you have never read Paul’s sermon at the Areopagus, I highly recommend it.

In Corinth, Paul met the wonderful couple of Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:2).  Aquila and Priscilla had been living in Rome Italy but were forced to leave Italy with all other Jews living there.  Why were the Jews forced to leave Rome?  It is said that it was because Claudius, the Roman emperor, despised the Jews’ religion and missionary work.  

Paul met Aquila and Priscilla as they shared the same occupation as tentmakers (Acts 18:3).  This is one of the few times in scripture where we see mention of what Paul did for work.  I would say that Paul’s occupation was ministering the word of God.  On his journeys, Paul would sometimes be cared for and even given money, but at other times, he could fall back on tentmaking.

Now, some would say that Paul meeting Aquila and Priscilla was random, however, I don’t believe this was a coincidence.  I learned from my dad a long time ago that there’s no such thing as coincidence in the will of God.  I do believe that everyone we meet in life we are intended to meet, whether good or bad.

I believe that you and I can learn something that will be helpful to us through every interaction we have with someone.  Someone may teach us who not to trust or who not to put up with.  Someone may teach us how to trust and who to trust.  There are those we meet whose testimony teaches us and increases our faith – this was the case for Priscila and Aquila.

Ministering in Corinth

In Acts 18:4, we’ll see that Paul did what he would do often when visiting a town or city on his journey – he ministered.  On multiple occasions, scripture shows us that Paul would rest from his journey, and on Sabbath, would venture to the synagogue to teach.  

What I find interesting is how these worship facilities were seemingly already established in these regions.  In many of the synagogues that Paul visited, they were still teaching the Mosaic Law.  Paul would enter the synagogues and preach about the way of Christ.  How do you suppose that was received?

On several occasions, Paul and the gospel weren’t warmly welcomed.  For example, in Lystra, Paul was nearly stoned to death for ministering the gospel.  This turned into another occasion where Paul, joined by Silas and Timothy, was rejected (Acts 18:5-6).  This rejection led Paul to share the gospel with Gentiles.  

In scripture outside of what was selected for this lesson, Paul entered the home of a Gentile named Justus (Acts 18:7).  Justus was a man who worshipped God and his home was next to the synagogue.  There, a man named Crispus believed along with several other Corinthians and they were all baptized (Acts 18:8).  

The Lord told Paul to stay and minister in Corinth because He had many people in the city (Acts 18:9-10).  Scripture tells us that Paul remained there for a year and a half ministering the gospel, before he was tried (Acts 18:11-17).  God was with Paul and he stayed in Corinth a good while more, still with Aquilla and Priscilla.

Priscilla and Aquila Teaching What They Learned

When Paul left Corinth to sail for Syria, we’re told that Priscilla and Aquila traveled with him (Acts 18:18).  For the rest of our lesson, we’re going to focus on Priscilla and Aquila.  You see, Paul would leave them behind in Ephesus as he was making his way back home for one of the holy feasts (Acts 18:19-21).

Now, we’re not told of Priscilla and Aquila being converted or baptized while they were with Paul in Corinth.  Why was that?  Aquila and Priscilla were already followers of Christ before they met Paul.  

I do believe that both Priscila and Aquila would join Paul for what we would call church service.  I also believe they all had wonderful conversations about faith in their home as well.  So, I believe that Priscilla and Aquila learned much when they lived with Paul and they grew in their faith.

Teaching with love in Ephesus

As we have studied before about the Ephesian church, there was much work to be done in that community.  Priscilla and Aquila, armed with the wisdom they had gained from Paul, would be great influences on the Christian community in Ephesus.  

We will see that as a man named Apollos arrived teaching in Ephesus (Acts 18:24-25).  Apollos was an “eloquent man” who was “mighty in the Scriptures”.  In other words, Apollos was a good speaker and that was incredibly intelligent.  If Apollos spoke to you, you would eat up every word and believe him.

However, there was a problem in Apollos’ teaching.  While he spoke accurately about the things of God, his ending point was the baptism of John the Baptist (Acts 18:25).  Mark 1:4 tells us that John the Baptist preached a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.  The message of John the Baptist was good for the time it was preached but that day had passed by the time Apollos came to Ephesus.

Even to this day, the preaching of baptism to repentance for the remission of sins does not work.  Why does it not work?  Well, answer this question:  Are you saved just because you are baptized with water?

Now, some people act like baptism is a requirement for one to be saved.  When Aquila and Priscilla heard his message, they pulled him to the side and explained the way of God more accurately (Acts 18:26).  You see, Jesus had come, died on the cross, and shed His blood for the remission of sins.  Jesus became our propitiation and it is by faith in Him that we are saved (Eph. 2:8).  You could be baptized every day of your life but if you don’t truly believe in Christ, you aren’t saved.  

I want to highlight that it could have been very intimidating for Aquila and Priscilla to speak to Apollos about the message he shared.  I say that because Apollos was an eloquent speaker and well-versed in scripture.  Yet, they were two that had spent nearly two years learning from Paul so they were also well-versed in their wisdom of the word.

Many of us are afraid to share what we know because we’re afraid that someone will know more than what we do.  I remember in my earlier years of preaching that I was terrified of preaching in front of preachers who had years of experience.  Don’t let fear keep you from either correcting someone or simply seeking to gain more knowledge.

I also want to highlight how they offered correction to Apollos.  Did they stand up and publicly correct him in front of the synagogue?  Scripture told us they took him to the side.  Priscilla and Aquila were moving, not for show, but moved out of love.  This is how one ought to move when helping a brother or a sister in Christ.

Priscilla and Aquila could have chosen not to speak.  They could have also chosen to be rude, but they moved with grace.  Aquila and Priscilla were guided by the Spirit.  When you have wisdom, share it.  When you share wisdom, do your best to share it with grace.

At some point, they established a church in their home that Paul mentions a couple of times in scripture (Rom. 16:3-5; 1 Cor. 16:19).  Paul considered this couple great friends of his and fellow servants of the Lord.  I do believe them to be wonderful examples of how one sets about ministering the gospel from a place of love and courage.