I am amazed at the people the Bible doesn’t mention. There were untold thousands of people serving God with great zeal in the first century, doing amazing things and going to great lengths to spread the gospel. From my perspective that makes the ones that were mentioned all the more important to study. It is one thing to read about what the unnamed masses were doing (Acts 2:42-47). That is enough to give us an authoritative example. However, when someone is mentioned by name in their service it seems to be a little more personal.
Apollos is a great example to look into. We first see him in Ephesus (Acts 18:24-28). He is described as “a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit” (Acts 18:24-25a). We have no idea why a man from Alexandria, Egypt ends up so far away in Ephesus. It turned out to be good for him and the church. While Apollos was initially teaching he did not have a full grasp of baptism. “He was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:25b-26). He was teaching accurately things concerning Jesus, this would include prophecy about Him and His deity. He was not teaching accurately about baptism. This highlights the fact that it matters what we teach. You can’t just teach any feel-good thing, slap a few verses pulled from context and call it scriptural.
Apollos’ zeal continues after having learned about the baptism of Jesus. He expresses interest in going to Achaia, a region of Greece. “When he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ” (Acts 18:27-28). We can clearly see that he continued his practice of teaching Jesus and refuting the Jews wherever he went. Apollos was instrumental in the work in Greece. We have record of his help with Paul in Corinth. “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth” (1 Cor. 3:6). We know that he also worked in other places (1 Cor. 16:12; Titus 3:13).
Apollos is a great example of someone who gave their life completely over to the service of the Lord. We know nothing about his circumstances. We are just informed about his work in the kingdom. May we strive to do the same.