What is the meaning of Acts 18:28? For he powerfully refuted Apollos did not rely on slick rhetoric or human charisma; his strength flowed from the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). Just as no one could “stand up against the wisdom and the Spirit by whom Stephen spoke” (Acts 6:10), those in Ephesus found their arguments dismantled. • Refutation is a necessary ministry when error challenges truth (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). • Sound preparation undergirds Spirit-empowered boldness (2 Timothy 2:15). the Jews Luke reminds us that the gospel is “first to the Jew, then to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Apollos loved his own people enough to confront them with truth, echoing Paul’s earlier resolve in Pisidian Antioch: “We had to speak the word of God to you first” (Acts 13:46). • Jesus Himself reasoned in synagogues (Matthew 4:23), setting the pattern. • Many opposed, yet some believed (Acts 17:1-4), proving God’s faithfulness to His covenant people. in public debate Apollos chose the open forum. This transparency displayed confidence in the message and invited all to weigh the evidence (Acts 19:8). • Public defense of the faith is a mandate: “Always be prepared to give an answer” (1 Peter 3:15). • Courage in the public square emboldens fellow believers (Philippians 1:27-28). • Marketplace and synagogue alike became pulpits for Paul in Athens (Acts 17:17); Apollos follows the same model. proving from the Scriptures His authority rested on God’s written word, not personal experience. Like Paul in Thessalonica, he was “explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead” (Acts 17:2-3). • Jesus did the same on the Emmaus road, “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets” (Luke 24:27). • All Scripture is “breathed out by God” and able to equip the servant (2 Timothy 3:16). • The Old Testament is not an optional backdrop; it is the foundation for recognizing Jesus as Messiah (Luke 24:44). that Jesus is the Christ The heart of the gospel is a Person: “Therefore let all Israel know … God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Apollos pressed that same verdict. • Peter’s confession—“You are the Christ” (Matthew 16:16)—is the decisive line of demarcation. • John writes, “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31). • Whoever believes this truth is “born of God” (1 John 5:1). summary Acts 18:28 pictures a Spirit-filled servant dismantling error, honoring God’s covenant people, and doing so openly, with Scripture as the sole authority, all to establish the central claim of Scripture: Jesus is the promised Messiah. The same pattern—Spirit-empowered boldness, love for the lost, public witness, Scripture-saturated reasoning, and Christ-centered proclamation—remains our calling today. |
    |