“… men can only lift other men to the level on which they live; can only lift other men to the level to which they themselves have come” (G. Campbell Morgan).
I’ve recently been working through the interesting accounts found at the end of Acts 18 and the beginning of Acts 19.
The conclusion of Acts 18 gives us a brief view into the life of Apollos, a man from Alexandria who had shown up in Ephesus and was teaching in the synagogues.
Acts 19 begins with Paul coming back to Ephesus from Syrian Antioch, and encountering about 12 men described as disciples of John the Baptist.
While there are some major differences between the two accounts, there are some striking similarities as well.
One such similarity really got my attention and reminded me of a truth that we all know instinctively. Really, it’s just common sense, but it’s something that I think we all need to be reminded of from time to time.
That truth concerns how effective we will be in our efforts to preach, teach, disciple, and lead others to the knowledge of God.
The simple truth is this: We cannot effectively lead where we have not been. We cannot give what we don’t possess. We cannot teach what we don’t know.
Apollos is described as “an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24).
Luke also records that Apollos was “instructed in the way of the Lord,” that he was “fervent in the spirit,” and that he “spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord” (Acts 18:25).
Leaving aside the debate as to whether or not Apollos was saved before his interaction with Aquila and Pricilla (Acts 18:26), and whether he influenced the men mentioned in Acts 19, what is unmistakable is that despite the wonderful description of him, he could only lead others as far as the message of John the Baptist. Why? Because that’s all he knew of himself.
Though he spoke “boldly in the synagogue” (Acts 18:26), he simply could not lead others beyond the limited knowledge he possessed.
The same is true of those disciples mentioned in Acts 19.
Scripture doesn’t tell us, but based on Paul’s interaction with them I think it’s reasonable to believe they were involved to some degree with the young church at Ephesus.
They seemed to be sincere, moral, and God-fearing men, but Paul sensed something was amiss, so he asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2).
Their answer that they were unaware of the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:2) confirmed Paul’s suspicion that something was off, and he learned that they, like Apollos, only knew of the message of John the Baptist.
The point is, despite their sincerity, they could only lead people to the degree they had been led; they could only teach what they had learned.
However, in both accounts, once the men were instructed further, Apollos by Aquila and Pricilla, and the disciples by Paul, then they could bear testimony of the Christ they had been seeking all along.
Apollos went on to Corinth and had a very effective ministry there, and the disciples in Acts 19 received the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues and prophesied.
What’s important to note is that it wasn’t until they learned, grew, and matured that they were then able to bring others along into a knowledge of Jesus Christ.
That’s both convicting and challenging.
Our job as believers, per the Great Commission and the Acts 1:8 mandate is to make disciples and be His witnesses.
In order to make disciples and be witness, we first must be a disciple ourselves and have a life that bears testimony to the One we serve.
We can only take others as far as we ourselves have gone.
In light of that truth, I’ll end with another quote from Campbell Morgan:
“May it be ours [goal] to press to the highest height and the fullest knowledge, that we may lift all those whom we teach on to this highest level.”
