Apollos must have been a Southern Baptist. He was learned in the Scriptures. With his Hellenistic liberal arts college education obtained there in Alexandria, Egypt, he must have gone on to attend a seminary in Texas, probably in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. He was an eloquent speaker and mighty in the scriptures. He had it right about the blood of Jesus, repentance for the remission of sin, and water baptism. That’s good! He was a bold, fervent speaker and a diligent teacher, teaching at Ephesus; but when Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside to expound to him “the way of God more perfectly.” Acts 18:24-26
A little background on Aquila and Priscilla. This was a man and woman who had a church in their home. They were tentmakers. Paul, also being a tentmaker, came to Corinth and stayed with them while he was taking the gospel into the synagogues testifying to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. Christ means Spirit anointed Messiah. Acts 18:1-5
You see, Paul had received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. He was Holy Ghost filled and spoke in tongues. I am sure Aquila and Priscilla, fellowshipping with Paul, were also Holy Ghost filled and spoke in tongues, having Paul right there in their home. You see, in our salvation, we have more than just being cleansed from sin and having the life of God in us. We can also have the anointing of the Spirit to be upon us. It is the promised baptism of the Spirit, by which we receive the supernatural power of God, and move into the realm of the supernatural gifts and operations of God.
So, when Aquila and Priscilla got through instructing Apollos, he moved on to the next town, now teaching that Jesus was Christ. He now knew about the anointing of the Holy Ghost, the baptism of the Spirit, that is available in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well, Paul later comes to Ephesus where Apollos had been teaching. The first question Paul asked those who had been under Apollos’ teaching, is, “Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?” They told him they had not even heard of the Holy Ghost. You see, that was not included in Apollos’ teaching of the scriptures to those people. It was because Apollos had not yet understood about and experienced the baptism of the Holy Ghost with speaking in tongues.
Well, Paul got the leadership at Ephesus straightened out, saying to them that they should believe on Christ, the Spirit anointed Jesus. With that, they were baptized in water in the name of the Lord, and Paul laid hands on them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. They received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, receiving the way of God more perfectly.
If the Southern Baptist leadership and teachers are going to so-called “stick with the scriptures,” why don’t they start teaching Christ Jesus—not in name only, but in the experience of power, like what happened at Ephesus?
But now they have put themselves into a box. Now, they would not even allow Priscilla to speak in an authoritative role. Now, they would call that going down the “slippery road to apostasy.” So, the ministry of Aquila and Priscilla is forbidden, and God knows, the ministry of Paul is forbidden in an SBC church. Don’t dare come in one of our SBC churches laying hands on people and speaking in tongues!
Examine yourselves, men. Let God show you where the real apostasy is.
And for you SBC women who have the call of God on your life—find the way more perfectly and rise up in your calling and carry it out in power. Heal the sick, heal the brokenhearted, cast out devils, get the lost saved and the backsliders on fire for Jesus in the Spirit. Move in the power of the Holy Ghost with the gifts of the Spirit. Husbands, man up and come alongside your wives in the power of the Holy Ghost and be the united team God is calling you to be. Start meetings in your homes like Aquila and Priscilla. Share the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Bottom line: You will not answer to the SBC. You will answer to God.
People are sick, and souls are perishing. What are you doing about it?
Acts 18:24-28; 19:1-6