Apollos and the Google Effec
by David Guzik on 15 March 2012
Teaching through Acts, I was recently impressed by this phrase used to describe Apollos from Alexandria: mighty in the Scriptures (Acts 18:24). It’s a remarkable compliment paid to Apollos, especially considering the circumstances.
From Acts 18:24-28, we know that Apollos was from Alexandria and that he was Jewish (yet he had name inspired by Greco-Roman culture, not Jewish culture). We know that he came from Alexandria to Ephesus, though perhaps not directly. We know that he was eloquent, that he had been instructed in the way of the Lord (Acts 18:25), and that he was passionate in what he both believed and taught – which he taught accurately (again, Acts 18:25). Add to all that, Luke tells us that Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures.
Here’s the strange part. Apollos had an effective ministry at the synagogue in Ephesus, teaching accurately, eloquently, passionately, and boldly. Yet, he knew only the baptism of John (Acts 18:25) needing and receiving the instruction of Aquila and Priscilla, whom Paul left in Ephesus as they accompanied him on his return to Antioch on his second missionary expedition. Aquila and Priscilla heard the passionate preaching of Apollos in the Ephesian synagogue and knew they should teach him more about the fullness of who Jesus is and what He did for us in His life, death, and resurrection.
Yet all those great things are noted in Acts 18:24-25 about Apollos before he had much depth of understanding regarding who Jesus is and what He did.
Therefore, “mighty in the Scriptures” refers more to the depth and passion of Apollos’ knowledge than it does the spread or breadth of his knowledge. We could say that Apollos didn’t know much, but what he knew, he knew it deeply and was fervently convinced of it.
It’s easy to think that our effectiveness in preaching, teaching, or serving God in other ways depends on how much we know about the Bible and theology. Many are hesitant to teach others (either one-on-one or groups) because they feel they don’t know enough. I believe the example of Apollos makes us think differently, suggesting that even if we don’t know much, if we know it deeply and passionately, we can be effective in teaching and reaching others.
I hope that no one misunderstands me – it is good to know more and more, and to gain a greater breadth of Biblical and theological knowledge. When Apollos knew more, he was even more effective for Jesus and His kingdom. Yet in our pursuit to know a little about many things, we shouldn’t neglect knowing some things deeply and passionately.
This is of special concern in our present day. We are in the midst of an information and technology revolution, and the effect of that revolution works against depth of belief and knowledge. Some researchers call it the Google Effect, noting how the popular search tool makes it easy to find information about countless things – yet makes little demand on either memory or deep thinking. With the mental muscles of memory and deep thinking not used, they become weaker and less effective.
In this and many other ways, our culture works against deep Biblical thought that leads to passionate belief – the kind of things that make someone mighty in the Scriptures. So our call is to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. We should be willing to make our mind and heart do the work that will make us mighty in the Scriptures.
