Acts 18
Bloom Where You are Planted!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, July 27.
Are you blooming where you have been planted?
Listen to Acts 18:1-4, “After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.”
Because of a government edict, this mature ministry couple (Priscilla & Aquila) were forced to go to Corinth. How did this mature ministry couple respond to their heart break?
We see, in verse 18 that Paul took Priscilla & Aquila with him after his 18 months in Corinth. Then in verse 19, Paul left them in Ephesus. Why? Was this salt in their open wound?
No! Paul entrusted to them the mentorship of a gifted new brother, Apollos. According to Acts 18:24-28, Apollos had a huge hole in the gospel he proclaimed—he only knew about the baptism of John.
So, what is a mature ministry couple to do? Are they to feel sorry for themselves because they are not in Rome anymore or because they feel abandoned by Paul who left them in a strange place? NO, self-pity would have shelved them for sure!
They bloomed where they were planted and started working with Apollos (Acts 18:26).
Did God effectively use Priscilla and Aquila? Yes! This couple was handpicked by God to mentor the Billy Graham of their day, leading to a dynamic growth of the gospel through Apollos (Acts 19; 1 Corinthians 3:6).
Seize the moment and trust God enough to bloom where you have been planted!