Mighty in the Scriptures

Mighty in the Scriptures

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

(Acts 18:24-25)

Acts Chapter 18 opens with an interesting testimony of a man called Apollos.  In the opening verses we read of a man who was eloquent, mighty in the Scriptures, and received instruction.  He also taught and preached what he knew.  Beyond the descriptive phrases written about Apollos, we see a further hidden quality in his walk with God.  This begins with “knowing only the baptism of John.”(18: 25) Apollos was a sincere man who was walking in every light of the Scripture that he had received.  There was a longing in his spirit to obey all of what God had in store for him.  His understanding of the Word of God and the things of God, led him to accept John’s baptism. For many, this would have been quite enough.  What he had not learned was concerning baptism in Jesus name and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost.  He was probably in the same situation as the Ephesian disciples in Acts 19:2,6.

Further Truth For Serious Seekers

One day while Apollos was preaching in the synagogue he was heard by Priscilla and Aquilla.  They took a special interest in him and “…expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.”  (Acts 18:26)  It should be noted that they did not treat him as someone who did not have any type of relationship with the Lord.  When witnessing to others we must always be careful to acknowledge the relationship with God that they have, and yet lead them to a deeper understanding of truth.  Apollos very quickly received the truth revealed to him, and started preaching it.  What can be seen in Apollos is the attitude that “If God said it, then I will do it!” 

Because Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures, and he was instructed in the way of the Lord, it can be assumed that he was someone who studied the Word of God.  It is very important for every child of God to study God’s Word.  This is how we can maintain God’s stamp of approval on our lives.  We must obey the Word of God and not hold on to the man made religious traditions expressed by so many denominations. 

“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”(2 Timothy 2:15) 

Paul further instructed Timothy:  “All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  That the man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”   (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

We must be able to understand the Word of God to “...earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 3) 

When Jesus was tempted by the Devil in the wilderness, He answered each temptation with a Scripture. 

It is interesting that the devil knows how to quote Scripture.  He usually misquotes them. We see this in the Garden of Eden with Eve and even with Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4:3-13).  In Genesis 2:17 God said, “…thou shalt surely die.”  The serpent later said, “…Ye shall not surely die.”  (Genesis 3:4)

The devil, like false cults and religions, will twist the Scripture, take them out of context, or even change their meaning.  How will we know when these things are being done if we do not become mighty in the Scriptures ourselves? 

As Jesus walked with His disciples, He constantly used the Scriptures in conversations and teaching them.  This shows us how we should also use the Scripture in our daily lives.  You will also notice that Jesus was able to recall from memory many Scriptures from the Old Testament, which shows us the necessity of learning the Word of God through Bible verse memorization. 

Rightly Dividing the Word

As we study the Scriptures we must always be “…rightly dividing the word of truth.”

(2 Timothy 2:15)

1.     As we study the Word of God we must be careful not to build doctrines based on one Scripture only.

2.     We need to look at both the pretext (what comes before) and context (the setting) of the verse we are studying.  What comes before the verse?  What is the setting of the verse? 

3.     We must remember that all truth will exalt Christ.  When it comes to prophecies and other Gifts of the Spirit being used, they should also be in line with the Bible and exalt Christ.

4.     Avoid giving far-fetched interpretations to the Word of God. 

5.     Don’t add to the Scripture and don’t take away from it.

6.     Pray before you start studying your Bible.

7.     Pray over what you have found from the Bible.

8.     Keep in mind the purpose of the writing and to whom it is being written.

9.     Scripture is the best interpreter of Scripture. Therefore get understanding from other verses.  Do not accept any doctrine if it is not in agreement with the general tenor of the whole teaching of the Bible. 

10.   Keep in mind that the New Testament is a fulfillment of the Old Testament. 

A man was very immaturely trying to find direction for his life.  His plan was to close his eyes, open his Bible and point to a verse and take that as direction from God.  The first time he did this his finger touched down on,  “…and departed, and went and hanged himself.”  (Matt. 27:5) He wanted to seek clarification and confirmation and repeated the procedure this time touching, “Go, and do thou likewise.”  (Luke 10:37) He again repeated the procedure and his finger landed on, “That thou doest, do quickly.”  (John 13:27) Had he followed the instructions and his plan he would have met a sad end to life.  Let us be mighty in the Scriptures and when the Bible says it...let’s do it!