2016/2 Mighty In The Scriptures


2016/2 To Be “Mighty In The Scriptures” (Acts 18:24-28)

[Substance of message given to the Youth Fellowship of DRBC, March 2016.]
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Acts 18:24 tells us that Apollos was “an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures”€. What does it mean to be “€œmighty in the Scriptures”€? He was a believer, albeit of the OT kind, for “€œhe knew only the baptism of John” (25). In other words, he was once a disciple of John the Baptist, but moved on from Judea before hearing that Jesus Christ was “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”€ (John 1:29), and certainly before Pentecost (Acts 2:1ff).

Apollos was a man fully committed to the Lord – in mind, heart, and will. We are told he “had been instructed in the away of the Lord”, he was “fervent in spirit”€, and “€œhe spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord”€, though he knew only the baptism of John (25). For a person totally committed to the Lord and having the ability to wield the Scriptures well, more than eloquence was needed. A sword is a sword, whoever wields it (cf Eph 6:17). However, a sword is more than a sword, when wielded by a trained swordsman. Apollos was a trained swordsman, although not in the formal sense. We are not told that he trained in a school of the Pharisees, as Paul was (Acts 22:3). What had gone into his training?

I. What it means to be “€œmighty in the Scriptures”€.
1. A good knowledge of Scriptures.
We wouldn’t regard a man to be “mighty in the Scriptures” if he does not know where in the Bile to turn, to look for a passage of Scripture. One mighty in the Scriptures would know the rough location of what others would regard as obscure books of the Bible, e.g. Micah, Habakkuk, Obadiah, or Philemon. He would know well the location of the well-known books of the Bible, e.g. the Psalms, Isaiah, Daniel, or Romans.

There are those who memorise the order of the books of the Bible by heart or in song, but this cannot beat the knowledge of Scriptures through regular, systematic, reading. The daily “quiet time”€, spent in Bible reading and prayer, is a time-honoured practice among Protestants. The Lord taught His disciples to pray to the Father in secret so that the Father would reward them openly (Matt 6:6). Moses’€™ face shone whenever he met with the LORD (Exod 34:35). Apollos must have spent time in reading the Scriptures and in prayer.

We do not have to spend hours studying the Scriptures each day. For most people, all that is needed is fifteen minutes with God, before setting off for work or study each day. If you follow a Bible reading plan, you can cover the reading of the whole Bible in a year, or in three years. You must read intelligently and devotionally, and not merely to fulfil the quota of the day’s reading. There might be a day missed out here and there when circumstances hinder your “quiet time”€. What is important is not to allow that lapse to be prolonged. And when you come back to keeping “€œquiet time”€, it is not a wise thing to try and read the passages missed out as that is likely to create discouragement. Instead, just pick up from the passage for the day, and continue on from there.

2. A good grasp of theology.
There is a difference between knowing the facts about the Bible, and knowing the Bible’€™s teaching. Some churches encourage the former while neglecting the latter, which is unfortunate. The young people of such churches take pride in doing well during Bible quizzes, when they are actually weak in their grasp of theology. They are not clear on important doctrines such as what constitutes the gospel, how our sins are atoned for by Christ’s death, the process of sanctification, etc. They do not have an overall understanding of the the Bible’€™s teaching.

Our church holds to the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. Every few years, we would teach through the Confession, believing it is important for church members  to be reminded of the fundamentals of the faith. We must not presume upon our church members knowing the Confession of Faith. Furthermore, there are always new members of the church, as well as seekers, who would be helped by knowing the Confession of Faith of the church.

Doctrine must be valued before practice. Those who focus on practice may appear to be zealous for the Lord, but their zeal will not last as it is not sustained by the input of doctrine. One cannot be working all the time without taking in food. The teaching of the Bible is our spiritual food. When doctrine is understood systematically, it constitutes theology. All good theology must focus on Christ. What made Apollos “mighty in the Scriptures” was his focus on Christ, even if he had not a complete understanding of this matter yet. He was an Old Testament believer who was “waiting for the Consolation of Israel”€ (cf. Luke 2:25). A good grasp of theology makes one “mighty in the Scriptures”.

3. Ability to articulate truth well.
Apollos is described as “an eloquent man”€. Was he naturally eloquent, or was he trained to be eloquent? Natural eloquence has its value, but it can constitute a snare. One who relies on natural eloquence is likely to become careless and speak empty air. Think of some politicians who are great in oratory. You might by stirred by his speech, only to discover later how insubstantial or inconsequential it had been. Eloquence is an art that can be trained. It is much facilitated by a good grasp of the substance.

A clear understanding of the truth – of its meaning, of its value and importance, of its possible misunderstanding, of its perversion by others – all go towards its articulation. When the thought is clear, and the heart is warm, the words will flow smoothly. The truth so presented will be pleasant to the ears, and will be happily received. You will be considered “€œeloquent” by your hearers.

Other than a good grasp of the truth is the importance of a good grasp of the language. Truth is conveyed with words. Words are strung together according to the rules of grammar. A good grasp of the language will facilitate articulation of truth. One does not have to be a great linguist to be a good speaker. Equally, one who uses broken language cannot expect to be a good speaker. Turns of expression, and idioms, help to express truth clearly and powerfully. Regular practice in speaking, coupled with an eye to improving in the vehicle of communication, will quickly increase one’€™s eloquence.

II. How we can be “€œmighty in the Scriptures”€.
1. Regular hearing of God’€™s word.
The Roman Catholics were said “to go to church for the mass”€, while the Protestants would “go to church to hear God’€™s word”€. Regular attendance at church meetings determine to a great extent how well you are grounded in doctrine. Building up a theological understanding of the Bible is like building a wall. It must be done brick by brick, and layer by layer (cf Isa 28:10). It must be done on a regular basis. If there are big gaps, or too many gaps, the wall will not be strong. Find me a church member who attends meetings regularly, and there I have a child of God who is growing well spiritually. The converse is true – one who attends church irregularly cannot be growing well.

A hungering after the the righteousness of God and, therefore, after the word of God, is a sure sign of true spirituality. We are saved by the imputed righteousness of Christ (Matt 6:33; 2 Cor 5:21). We grow in righteousness as a consequence. Just as faith without works is dead, Christianity without righteousness is fake. One becomes a light of the world only by faith in the Light of the world (Matt 5:14; John 8:12). To minister life to others, we must have life in ourselves. The spiritual life in us must be nurtured in order that we may be effectively used by the Lord to minister to others.

Churches that do not preach and teach God’€™s word systematically cannot expect to produce men and women who are mighty in the Scriptures. The primacy of the word of God must be seen in the church (Matt 28:18-29; Rom 10:17; 2 Tim 3:16-17). The word of God cannot be found in the cinema or the shopping mall. It is to be found in the church. What a tragedy it is when those hungry for the truth come to church to be fed only light and watery gruel! A good, balanced, diet of God’s word, served regularly, will produce healthy and capable servants of God.

2. Recourse to teachers & advisers.
We all need teachers. When young, our parents were our teachers. Attending school is acknowledgement that we need teachers. In the spiritual realm, we need the guidance of teachers. Apollos was already a man mighty in the Scriptures, and he was teaching accurately – but inadequately – the things of the Lord. He knew of the prophecies concerning the coming of the Saviour. He knew the need of repentance and faith in the Christ for salvation. And he was expecting the coming of that Saviour. Apollos, however, needed to be shown that the Saviour had already come, and that He had died and risen from the dead. He needed to know that the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon the church, and that the Great Commission had been given by the Lord.

Aquila and Priscilla were used by God to fill in the gaps in the understanding of Apollos. Imagine what a revelation it was to Apollos! What joy! What excitement at knowing the truth more fully! We are not told that Aquila and Priscilla were “€œmighty in the Scriptures”€, yet they knew sufficiently of the truth to guide Apollos in his understanding. They are first mentioned in Acts 18:1-3. They became fellow-workers in the gospel with Paul (Rom 16:3). Happily, there are many such godly people in the church who are not public speakers, but are good at mentoring individuals, including preachers. Ananias of Damascus was such a guide to Paul when he was newly converted (Acts 9:10).

What about Apollos? He became even more useful in his service to the Lord. He was introduced to the disciples. He was able to greatly help the disciples in their outreach to the Jews. We are told “he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from he Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ”€ (28). Oh, for more of men like Apollos!

3. Right use of books & aids.
We have teachers present and near. We may have recourse to teachers far and from the past – via their books. Of books there are innumerable in the world. It is impossible to read all books. It is impossible to read most books on even some subjects. The Preacher tells us that, “Of the making of books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh” (Eccl 12:12). It is not the number of books read that counts, but the type of books read. Paul asked for his books, showing that he read much – and we can be sure – of the right kind (2 Tim 4:13).

When a young believer, I was guided into reading good books published by the Banner of Truth Trust and those sold by the Tabernacle Bookshop in London. The latter continues to produce a regular review of the books sold there which has helped countless Christians and preachers. Instead of foraging for good books in the midst of the numberless books in the world that are of dubious quality, why not start where I started? As we become more mature and experienced, we will be able to dip into other sources and pull out from here and there gems of writing.

Time, however, is not on our side. We must learn to skim over lighter materials, and pore over the weightier and more helpful books. Those who take the trouble to pick up the skill of speed reading will benefit, even if their skill is only basic. (A helpful book on this is “€œRapid Reading with a Purpose” by BE Johnson.) We would not want to be held back by the “€œhow to’€™s”€ instead of actually doing what needs to be done. In this case, it is the reading of good books to help us in the understanding of the Bible’s teaching. A good habit to cultivate is to do some reading each night, for half-an-hour to one hour. The book will need to be by the bedside. The purpose should not to be overlooked, which is that we might grow to be “€œmighty in the Scriptures”€.

III. What is the value of being “€œmighty in the Scriptures”€?
We have asked what it means to be “mighty in the Scriptures”. It is to know the Bible well, to know the theology of the Bible well, and to articulate the teaching of the Bible well. We have asked how we may become “€œmighty in the Scriptures”. It is by the regular hearing of the preaching and teaching of the Scriptures, by having recourse to teachers and advisers, and by the right use of books and aids. One final question needs to be answered briefly, viz., what is the value of being “€œmighty in the Scriptures”€?

We list here three values. First, those who are mighty in the Scriptures would have the comfort and strength the Scriptures give. Life has is fair share of challenges and trials. God’s plan, purpose, and promises are in the Bible. Those who are well grounded in biblical truths will be that much strengthened, and be more able to handle the challenges and trials of life. All Christians have faith, but our faith needs to be strengthened (Mattt 6:30; Luke 17:5). All Christians need to grow (Heb 5:12; 2 Pet 3:18). How can there be spiritual growth without the intake of spiritual food (Matt 4:4)?

Second, after considering ourselves, we look up to God. As children, we would want to glorify our Father in heaven. The glory of God in believers (John 17:22) and in the church (Eph 3:20), is by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16; 6:19). The Holy Spirit inspired the writing of the Scriptures (2 Tim 3:16-17). The same Spirit converts us by the hearing of the word (Rom 10:17). Does it surprise us that the Spirit who dwells in us directs us to the inspired word for spiritual growth (1 Pet 2:2)?

Third, having looked up to God, we now look horizontally, as it were. We would like to edify the brethren and be involved in the building up of the church of our Lord (1 Cor 14:26). We are to earnestly desire the best gifts, viz. the gifts of being teachers of the word (1 Cor 12:31; Heb 5:14). Just as Apollos was greatly used in helping the disciples, so also we will be greatly used of the Lord if we are “mighty in the Scriptures”€.

We see now how important it is to be “mighty in the Scriptures”€ – it strengthens us in the faith, it glorifies our God, and it makes us useful in God’€™s service. To God be all the glory!

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