- Do you like to learn or do you just want to show others what they “need to know”?
- Do other people have insight that is beneficial to you or are you the arbiter of all insight and wisdom?
- Do you do things the right way and others just don’t!
I have grown up over the years in that I now realize how little I know in the grand scheme of things and I have so much to learn from others. Now, that doesn’t mean that everything other people know is right but I can always gain depth just by being humble as I encounter other people.
Because of fear and pride we are often slow to put ourselves in a position of humility and learning. We are fearful that others will not see our value if we are not the one “in the know.” We are prideful in that we believe our value does come from being the one “in the know” or we just like to be in charge.
Our WayPoint this Sunday is meeting a man named Apollos that is described in various ways as being a very bright, capable and eloquent man. He is the kind of guy that has it all together or so we might think. He is speaking and teaching with great effectiveness. There is a crowd that is very impressed with his words, delivery and countenance. But we learn in Acts 18.24-28 that he needs some additional information to accurately give his message. This impressively brilliant and bold man is about to be taught by a couple of lowly tentmakers. And the amazing thing is that he listens!
Verse 26 describes it this way, “When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.”
Apollos was highly educated and impressive in so many ways. He would become one of the great teachers in the Church during its early years. He could become such a key figure in Church History because Priscilla and Aquila took the time to show him the fulfilled promises of the Old Testament in Jesus. And then Apollos was humble and confident enough to learn from people that could have been perceived as “beneath him.” Arrogance and superiority are blind spots that come very naturally in our culture if we are not aware of our need to do battle with them. Or maybe your blind spot is in the ditch on the other side – living with a sense of fearful inferiority that keeps you from engaging where you should.
Each of us needs to be aware of our own personal struggles in these areas. Don’t kid yourself – we all need a correction from time to time in how we perceive ourselves or others. So, the question for us today is twofold – who do you get to “invite to your home” to share God’s Kingdom with and who do you get to learn from so that you understand things “more adequately.” God intends both elements to be active in our lives if we are going to be serving and growing in God’s Kingdom. We are invited by our loving Heavenly Father to live thankfully and joyously in His Ever-expanding Kingdom of grace and truth.
Learning and serving together,
Pastor Nick
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