Acts 18:23-19:10 Lesson 264

Acts 18:23-19:10
Lesson 264

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

The Third Missionary Journey begins.
Back to Ephesus.
Apollos.

This segment runs through Acts 21:17 (lesson 269).

Paul's third and final missionary journey.

Who were -

Apollos -
Born in Egypt (Alexandria), Apollos was a Jew, scholar, gifted public speaker (Acts 18:24), missionary, teacher (Acts 18:25-28), and a friend of Paul's. Apollos taught in Corinth (Acts 19:1), where he grew the church that Paul had started (1 Corinthians 3:6). Tutored by Aquila and Priscilla, his powerful message made him so popular in Corinth that some Christians began to follow him instead of Christ. Rather than being flattered, this upset Apollos and made him hesitant to return to Corinth.  Paul relied on Apollos, and asked for his help in Nicopolis (Titus 3:12-13), and they worked together in Ephesus, where Paul wrote the "First Epistle to the Corinthians." Many biblical scholars believe Apollos wrote "The Epistle to the Hebrews."

Tyrannus -
A Greek prince and teacher of rhetoric. In Greek, Tyrannus means "absolute sovereign."  Paul used space in Tyrannus' school to preach for the two years he stayed in Ephesus (Acts 19:9).

Study Tip:

"In Bible reading, we need to watch ourselves very closely, lest our thoughts wander, and our reading become perfunctory and meaningless. We must determine resolutely to keep our minds on what we are reading, doing our best to form an intelligent conception of it, and being on the lookout for lessons for ourselves."

Henry Hampton Halley, minister and religious writer (1874-1965).

The Acts of the Apostles

The King James Bible

Acts 18:23-19:10
Paul's final missionary journey

23 And after he had spent some time there, he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.

24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.

25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.

26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:

28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

Acts: 19:1-10

1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

7 And all the men were about twelve.

8 And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.

9 But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.

10 And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Margin notes:

"After he had spent some time there, he departed." (18:23) - Refers to the time Paul spent in Antioch (see lesson 263).

"Knowing only the baptism of John." (18:25) - Baptisms were not new, but Apollos only knew about the baptism taught by John the Baptist. See "Today's Question" below.

"Expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly." (18:26) - Means Aquila and Priscilla "explained to him (Apollos) the way of God."

"Shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ." (18:28) - Apollos used the Old Testament to show that Jesus was the long-awaited Christ. See also Acts 9:22; 17:3; 18:5.

"Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus." (19:1) - "Paul, having crossed through the upper regions came to Ephesus." Paul reached Ephesus in AD 54.

"They should believe on him." (19:4) - Because we are saved through faith in Jesus.

"Paul had laid his hands upon them." (19:6) - To show that he had God's authority to grant the powers of the Holy Spirit to others.

"He went into the synagogue." (19:8) - Again, we see Paul preaching to Jews first, and then Gentiles.

"Disputing and persuading." (19:8) - Means "explaining and persuading."

"Divers were hardened." (19:9) - "Various people were stubborn (to the word of God)."

"Spake evil of that way." (19:9) - "Spoke evil of Christianity."

"Disputing daily." (19:9) - "Preaching daily."

"This continued by the space of two years." (19:10) - Paul stayed in Ephesus for two years. During that time, he taught the Gospels and wrote 1 Corinthians.

"All they which dwelt in Asia heard the word." (19:10) - "All who lived in Asia heard the word." You will recall that earlier, Paul was "forbidden" by the Holy Ghost to preach in Asia (16:6), but now the time was right.

New Living Translation

Acts 18:23-19:10

23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul went back through Galatia and Phrygia, visiting and strengthening all the believers.

Apollos Instructed at Ephesus

24 Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt.

25 He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John's baptism.

26 When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.

27 Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him to go. They wrote to the believers in Achaia, asking them to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God's grace, had believed.

28 He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah.

Acts 19:1-10
Paul's Third Missionary Journey

1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers.

2 "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" he asked them.

  "No," they replied, "we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

3 "Then what baptism did you experience?" he asked.

  And they replied, "The baptism of John."

4 Paul said, "John's baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus."

5 As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6 Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied.

7 There were about twelve men in all.

Paul Ministers in Ephesus

8 Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God.

9 But some became stubborn, rejecting his message and publicly speaking against the Way. So Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he held daily discussions at the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

10 This went on for the next two years, so that people throughout the province of Asia-both Jews and Greeks-heard the word of the Lord.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Question:

1. What is meant by "the baptism of John?" (18:25)

Questions? Let me know, and I'll do my best to answer them.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. Baptism was not new. For centuries, Jews practiced baptism as a way to ceremonially clean their physical bodies. John's baptism cleaned the spirit. The baptism of John showed repentance (Matthew 3:11; Acts 13:24; Mark 1:4) and was a public announcement that the baptized believed Jesus was the Messiah. The baptized acknowledged that they were sinners needing to change their life to receive God's forgiveness.

Additional note: This is the last mention of John the Baptist. From here on, the story centers around Jesus.

Application thought for the day:

Apollos heard of John the Baptist and his message about the prophesied Messiah (Luke 3:1-18).
But he didn't know the full story, that the Messiah had already come, been crucified, and resurrected.
Apollos needed Priscilla and Aquila to teach him (18:26).
Even people of faith have more to learn.
To reach your full spiritual potential, study the Bible each day.

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2021 evolke

Subscribe for Free Bible Lessons