Model Mentors
Opening Prayer
Loving Lord, You have taught of my need for You. I thank You for Your constant presence with me.
Read ACTS 18:18–28
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.
23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim. 2:2).
In this episode we meet Apollos, a Jew from Alexandria. It is notable how he is described: “a learned [or eloquent] man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John” (24,25). “Scholars have long debated Apollos’ identity, with theories ranging from his being a disciple of John, to a Jewish missionary, to a charismatic Christian” (Ben Witherington). It is most likely that he is a Christian who has received some Christian education, but his training has been inadequate, particularly in relation to baptism.
An older couple in the faith, named Priscilla and Aquila, invite Apollos into their home and “explained to him the way of God more adequately” (26). This is significant for a few reasons, one of which is that Priscilla is a woman clearly instructing a young leader in the early church. She seems to have taken a lead role, for her name is nearly always mentioned before that of Aquila. Their thoughtful mentoring of Apollos is certainly effective, for the text says that Apollos went on to be a great help to the believers in Achaia, by debating with the Jews and proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ (27,28).
Priscilla and Aquila are a model of the power of mentoring in a believer’s life. They remind us of the value of giving away what we have learned to others in focused and deliberate ways. By committing to a lifestyle of purposeful discipleship, we can all invest in the next generation of believers and help them to grow up into all that God has for them.
Apply
We cannot overestimate the power of mentoring others. Consider all that God has taught you and commit to initiating this sort of relationship, following the pattern of Priscilla and Aquila.
Closing prayer
Heavenly Father, bring to my awareness those in whom I can invest my life. I pray that I may be a mentor to others, sharing the lessons You have taught me.
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