Dear Church Family,

I’m so excited about the number of people coming on Wednesday evenings and love how our meals have created an added enthusiasm. Hope you have found a place to grow and or serve. Also, please continue to pray about an offering for our new preschool addition. We are so closer to reaching our goal and I pray families will be changed by the Gospel as they come to Lakeside. Well, I found a fascinating study on Apollos I hope will encourage you:

The eloquent Alexandrian who nearly split the Church at Corinth… but didn’t and became one of the great (but often forgotten) heroes of the early church.

Apollos was born in Alexandria, Egypt, home to the great Library and a large Jewish community shaped by Greek thought. It was the city of Philo, and intellectual brilliance. Luke describes him as “an eloquent man, mighty in the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24). Some traditions even identify him with the Seventy sent by Jesus in Luke 10, giving him a link to the very ministry of Christ himself.

When Apollos first appears in Ephesus, he preaches “accurately the things concerning Jesus” but knew only the baptism of John (Acts 18:25). He grasped much of the truth, but his understanding was partial. This moment is important: it shows how even the brightest minds need the fullness of the gospel to make their ministry effective.

Enter Priscilla and Aquila, Paul’s tentmaking co-laborers. They hear Apollos preach, pull him aside, and “explain to him the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:26). What’s remarkable is not only their courage to teach, but Apollos’ humility to learn. A man mighty in Scripture was willing to be corrected by ordinary believers. This humble teachability set him apart.

With a fuller understanding, Apollos sailed to Achaia and became a powerful witness. Acts 18:28 says he “powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.” He combined Jewish training, Alexandrian eloquence, and gospel clarity to defend the faith. In him, the early church had one of its first great public apologists.

Apollos’ charisma sparked a problem in the Corinthian church – factions. Some said, “I follow Paul.” Others, “I follow Apollos.” (1 Cor 1:12) The church was in danger of personality cults. But Paul defused it brilliantly by telling the Corinthian church: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” (1 Cor 3:6)

Though factions rose around them, Paul and Apollos respected each other deeply. Paul urged Apollos to return to Corinth, but Apollos decided to wait (1 Cor 16:12). Later, Paul asked Titus to help “Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way” (Tit 3:13). These glimpses show mutual trust and partnership, not rivalry. The opposite of what Corinthian factions wanted.

Some early church leaders thought Apollos might have penned Hebrews. Origen admitted, “Who wrote the epistle, only God knows,” but Apollos’ Alexandrian background, rhetorical brilliance, and mastery of the Old Testament fit the style. Luther revived the idea centuries later. While unprovable, it shows how strongly his reputation for eloquence endured.

The New Testament leaves Apollos active in ministry (1 Cor 16:12; Titus 3:13). Later tradition says he became bishop of Corinth or Smyrna. The Eastern Church still commemorates him each year. From preaching John’s baptism in Acts 18 to possibly shepherding entire churches, Apollos’ later memory reflects the respect he earned across generations.

Apollos embodied something rare: brilliant, persuasive, and powerful in debate…. yet teachable and humble. He didn’t chase fame or factions, but pointed people to Christ. His story reminds us that God uses many voices, but “neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor 3:7). Let us strive for this humble and God glorifying attitude in our lives and ministries.

Press On!

Mark