At least three things would appear to be true of this endearing man called Apollos. Firstly, he was a gracious man; secondly, he was a man of prayer; and thirdly, he was a man who was mighty in the scriptures!
He was a gracious man on two counts. When we meet up with him at Ephesus we find him not only to be ‘eloquent and mighty in the scriptures’ but also lacking in his teaching of the word. This was not deliberate but simply through ignorance, he being aware only of the baptism of John. Consequently, although ‘instructed in the way of the Lord, being fervent in the spirit, and teaching diligently (accurately) the things of the Lord’, he needed to be initiated and brought on in the more complete teachings of Scripture. For this very purpose God had His teaching force ready on the spot in Aquila and Priscilla. Apollos might have rejected their love, concern and teaching, but he obviously embraced them, and as a consequence became even mightier as a ‘tool’ for God. It takes a man of grace to accept help from others in such a situation.
Being gracious, Paul was able to use Apollos as an example when writing to the Corinthians. Not many believers can be used in such circumstances, for pride often takes over. Yet Apollos could be held up as a fellow-labourer, one to whom others could aspire, yet still retain his humble character.
I would suggest he was also a man of prayer, for Paul speaks of him as a man who ‘waters’. One possible implication of this is that as well as being a labourer he was also a man of prayer. How much is achieved through prayer! How much is lost through lack of prayer! We need people to water the seed that is sown by earnest, fervent prayer.
But he was also ‘mighty in the scriptures’ so that he ‘mightily convinced the Jews, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ’. Such ability doesn’t come overnight, but rather through a lifetime of reading, meditating, seeking God’s face, and then sharing what has been learned from God. He was taught so that he could win others to the Saviour and then teach them. In such a way, this man of God sets a pattern for others to follow.
