Apollos was a Jew from Alexandria who came to Ephesus. Luke calls him an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and spoke with great fervor, teaching accurately about Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.
Priscilla and Aquila heard him in the synagogue, took him aside, and explained the way of God more accurately. He took it. The believers sent him on to Achaia, where he greatly helped those who had believed, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. In Corinth some started saying, I follow Apollos, as if he were a rival to Paul. Paul answered that they were both servants: I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
“
He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures.
Name means
From the Greek god Apollo; a common name
Home
Alexandria in Egypt
Role
Teacher and preacher
Read in
; ;
Apollos's story
Planted and watered
Beginning
Fervent but incomplete
He teaches accurately, knowing only John's baptism.
Turning point
Taken aside
Priscilla and Aquila explain the way of God more accurately.
High point
Sent to Achaia
He greatly helps the believers and refutes opponents in public.
Turning point
A name for a faction
Corinthians divide into camps: I follow Apollos.
High point
Apollos watered
Paul calls them fellow servants; God gives the growth.
Ending
Not willing to go yet
He declines to return to Corinth for now; later Paul asks Titus to help him on his way.
Starts as a gifted preacher with a gap. Ends as a fellow worker who watered what Paul planted.
Where Apollos lived and went
Only places Scripture records. Softer, dotted pins are traditional or uncertain sites. Tap a pin for the passage.
HomeMinistryKey momentTraditional or uncertainPinch or use + to zoom. Tap a cluster to spread it out.
How Apollos is wired
The Achiever
Enneagram 3, Individualist wing
To be effective and of use.
Scripture doesn't give us much here, so treat this as a best guess.
At their best, toward 6 Under stress, toward 9
Why we think so
1
Polished and capable. Luke calls him eloquent and competent. ()
2
Drives toward results. He vigorously refutes opponents in public. ()
3
A following forms around him. Some in Corinth say, I follow Apollos. ()
His fervor and Alexandrian learning suggest a distinctive, personal style. ()
The Loyalist. He lets himself be corrected in private by people with no platform. ()
The Peacemaker. Little recorded.
Why so tentative
We never hear Apollos speak. His gifts and public effect fit a 3, but his humility before Priscilla and Aquila and his refusal to return to a divided Corinth could fit other types too.
Other lenses
Big Five. Read from what he says and does in the Gospels and Acts.
ReservedOutgoing
SteadyReactive
ChallengingAccommodating
SpontaneousDisciplined
TraditionalCurious
DISC style: Eloquent, fervent, open to correction.
Strengths & struggles
What's good in Apollos
Eloquent and well taught (). Teachable (). Powerful in public debate ().
Where Apollos struggles
His gift drew a faction around his name, though Scripture does not blame him for it ().
What Apollos wanted most
To show by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus ().
Apollos was a great preacher who kept pointing past himself.
His whole message was that the Christ was Jesus (). When people tried to make him the hero, Paul answered: What then is Apollos? Servants through whom you believed (). Only God gives the growth, and the foundation is Jesus Christ ().
Questions to sit with
1
Apollos let two tentmakers correct him. Who has permission to tell you you are missing something?
2
Where are people tempted to follow a favorite teacher instead of Jesus? Are you?
Study Apollos with your group
Ready-to-lead group studies with discussion questions and a leader's note are on the way.
