Giving and Receiving Correction (Part 1)

“And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto [them], and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly” (Acts 18:26).

In the interim period between the conclusion of Paul’s second missionary journey and the beginning of his third, Luke records at the end of Acts 18 a brief account of a wonderful man by the name of Apollos.

Paul had just departed Ephesus for Jerusalem but planned to return soon. In his absence, he left Aquila and Pricilla behind to minister to the new believers there until he made his way back.

During that interim timeframe, Apollos arrived at Ephesus and began teaching in the synagogue.

On one particular occasion, while Apollos was teaching, Aquila and Pricilla were present.

Apollos was “mighty in the Scriptures,” “instructed in the way of the Lord,” and “fervent in the spirit” (Acts 18:24-25).

However, Aquila and Pricilla sensed something missing in his message. His message wasn’t necessarily incorrect – but incomplete. (He knew “only the baptism of John.”)

So, Aquila and Pricilla felt compelled to offer Apollos gentle correction.

It’s not exactly clear what they corrected. The text simply says they “expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly” (Acts 18:26).

Whatever it was, Aquila and Pricilla saw in Apollos a genuine man who sincerely wanted to serve the Lord and tell others about Jesus.

They knew his heart was in the right place, but they also knew he needed some guidance.

In this blog and the next, I want to point out three lessons we can learn as we consider how Aquila and Pricilla offered correction, and how Apollos accepted it.

A Lesson About Applying Correction

“… they took him unto [them], and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly” (Acts 18:26).

It’s important to consider what Aquila and Pricilla did not do.

They didn’t make a huge spectacle by standing up in the middle of the service to correct him.

They didn’t wait until the message was over and attempt to correct him in front of all the people.

They didn’t speak down to him condescendingly in an effort to embarrass him while simultaneously proving their superior knowledge of Scripture.

That type of correction often does more harm than good.

Instead, “… they took him unto them …” (Acts 18:26). In other words, Aquila and Pricilla corrected Apollos in private.

Some translations say “they took him aside,” and some commentators believe they may have even invited Apollos into their home.

So, whether they took a walk with him or invited him to their home and sat down for a meal, the point is they didn’t make a spectacle out of correcting him and giving him a fuller understanding of the message he already believed.

What a practical lesson on how to apply correction to a fellow believer.

It’s important to note that we are not talking about a false teacher, or someone trying to sow discord, or necessary discipline for a believer here. Those are different cases altogether and instructions for how to deal with such situations are given elsewhere in Scripture.

We are talking about a gentle correction to someone who is not teaching anything necessarily wrong but just needs some guidance to come to a full understanding.

Can’t you just imagine how much easier it was for Apollos to receive this correction the way Aquila and Pricilla offered it?

I don’t know of anyone, including myself, who enjoys being corrected.

At the same time, I don’t know of anyone, including myself, who doesn’t need to be corrected from time to time.

But I think we would all agree that when the correction is offered following Aquila and Pricilla’s model, there is a much greater chance the correction will be received well and bear fruit.

In part two of this blog, we will consider A Lesson About Accepting Correction and A Lesson About Appropriating Correction.