Growing Together: How Christians Help One Another Grow

Aug 16, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Eloquent Voices Still Need Gentle Correction

Apollos knew Scripture deeply, spoke boldly about Jesus, and burned with spiritual fervor. Yet this educated Alexandrian teacher still required Priscilla and Aquila to explain "the way of God more accurately." True growth happens when gifted people remain open to having blind spots addressed. Spiritual maturity isn’t measured by what we know, but by our willingness to let others sharpen our understanding. Even polished speakers need humble ears. [35:51]

Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.
(Acts 18:24–25, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been tempted to dismiss correction because of your knowledge or experience? How might Christ be using someone unexpected to refine your understanding of Him?

Day 2: Pulling Someone Aside Instead of Calling Them Out

Priscilla and Aquila didn’t publicly shame Apollos for incomplete theology. They pulled him aside privately, honoring his zeal while deepening his grasp of truth. Growth flourishes when correction is wrapped in relational care, not performative debates. Their quiet investment in one man’s discipleship rippled through multiple churches. [44:30]

They took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
(Acts 18:26, ESV)

Reflection: When have you prioritized "winning" a theological discussion over preserving a relationship? Who needs you to pull them aside with grace rather than call them out publicly?

Day 3: Competence Meets Community to Bear Fruit

Apollos’ refined teaching after Priscilla and Aquila’s mentorship didn’t just benefit him—it "greatly helped" entire congregations. His public defense of Christ’s messiahship in Achaia grew from private conversations in Ephesus. God multiplies humble collaboration, turning personal growth into communal strength. [50:08]

When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
(Acts 18:27–28, ESV)

Reflection: What truth have you recently grasped that could strengthen others? How might withholding your growth hinder someone else’s faith?

Day 4: Releasing Gifted People to Other Harvest Fields

The Ephesian church didn’t hoard Apollos’ teaching gifts—they wrote letters of commendation to Achaia. True community celebrates when someone’s growth serves a broader mission. Churches thrive when they steward gifts for Christ’s kingdom, not just their own programs. [49:32]

When Apollos wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him.
(Acts 18:27, ESV)

Reflection: Are you clinging to roles that others could fill, or withholding encouragement for someone’s new calling? Where is God asking you to release rather than retain?

Day 5: The Hidden Hands Behind Visible Growth

Paul would later write "I planted, Apollos watered"—but only after Priscilla and Aquila first watered Apollos. Most kingdom growth happens through unseen conversations, quiet mentorship, and ordinary believers opening Scripture together. The harvest visible in pulpits and ministries grows from countless hidden acts of obedience. [47:43]

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
(1 Corinthians 3:6–7, ESV)

Reflection: Whose unseen investment in your spiritual growth deserves your gratitude today? How can you join God’s hidden work of nurturing others?

Sermon Summary

Acts 18:24-28 brings a very ordinary scene in Ephesus into view. There is no miracle, no dramatic conversion, no crisis tearing the church apart. There are just a few believers, the word of God, and a willingness to help one another. Through that simple moment, Christ shows how he grows his people together.

Luke introduces Apollos as a Jew from Alexandria, a city known for learning and serious education. Apollos is eloquent, competent in the Scriptures, instructed in the way of the Lord, and fervent in spirit. He knows the Bible, it burns within him, and when he sees Christ in the word of God, he wants other people to see Christ too. He speaks boldly in the synagogue and teaches accurately about Jesus. But Luke adds one important detail: Apollos knows only the baptism of John. Something is missing.

The text holds two truths together. Apollos knows the Scriptures, and Apollos still needs the Scriptures opened up with him. Apollos speaks sincerely about Jesus, and Apollos still has places where his understanding needs to grow. Apollos is gifted, educated, passionate, and respected, but he still needs the body of Christ. Growth requires humility because Christ often uses another person to show where growth is needed.

Priscilla and Aquila show what faithful ministry looks like. They have received the gospel through Paul, worked beside him, learned, grown, and opened their lives to the work of Christ. When they hear Apollos, they recognize what is true, but they also hear what is lacking. They do not interrupt him, embarrass him, or turn his incomplete understanding into a public spectacle. They take him aside and explain the way of God more accurately.

That quiet correction confronts the “gotcha culture” that can creep into the church. Truth can be spoken in a way that wounds unnecessarily, and an argument can be won while a brother or sister is lost. Priscilla and Aquila tell Apollos what he needs to hear while treating him as someone Christ loves and intends to use.

The fruit of that hidden conversation reaches beyond Ephesus. Apollos goes to Achaia, and the believers encourage him and send him. He greatly helps those who through grace had believed, powerfully showing from the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. Before Apollos watered in Corinth, Priscilla and Aquila poured something into him. Christ still grows his church this way: through humble believers, open Bibles, gentle correction, shared grace, and the clear confession that Jesus is the Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. Growth requires teachable humility Apollos was not a beginner sitting quietly in the back. He was gifted, eloquent, and already teaching others, yet Christ still had more for him to receive through Priscilla and Aquila. Spiritual maturity is shown not only by what a believer knows, but by the willingness to listen when another saint opens the Scriptures more fully. [38:03]
2. Correction should protect the brother Priscilla and Aquila took Apollos aside instead of making him a public example. Their gentleness did not soften the truth, but it did guard the dignity of the one being corrected. Faithful correction seeks restoration and usefulness, not the thrill of being right in front of a crowd. [44:15]
3. Hidden ministry carries real weight No crowd gathered around Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos, and no one recorded the conversation. Still, that quiet investment helped shape a man who would strengthen churches and prove from Scripture that Jesus is the Christ. Many of Christ’s deepest works move through small rooms, open Bibles, patient words, and faithful people who never become famous. [46:15]
4. Grace received becomes grace shared Apollos received help, and then Apollos became a help to believers in Achaia. Christ does not give understanding simply to make a believer more comfortable or impressive. Grace, once received, becomes a means by which another saint is strengthened, steadied, and pointed back to Jesus Christ. [50:58]
5. God gives the growth Paul’s words still frame the whole picture: one plants, another waters, but God gives the increase. Christ called Apollos, placed Priscilla and Aquila in his life, gave the Scriptures, and strengthened churches through all of it. The work belongs to Jesus from beginning to end, which gives the church courage to serve without pretending to control the fruit.

## [55:08]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[28:11] - Scripture Reading: Acts 18:24-28
[29:54] - Life Together and Growing Together
[32:48] - How Christ Helps His People Grow
[33:06] - Growth Requires Humility
[35:03] - Apollos Knows Only John’s Baptism
[38:20] - When Growth Touches Pride
[41:30] - Growth Happens Through Faithful People
[44:15] - Gentle Correction, Not Gotcha Culture
[46:35] - Before Apollos Watered, Others Poured In
[48:22] - Growth Bears Fruit in the Church
[52:13] - Jesus Is the Christ at the Center
[54:02] - Who Is Helping Whom Grow?
[56:34] - Prayer for Humble Growth

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Acts 18:24-28
“Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak 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. And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.” [28:11]

1 Corinthians 3:6
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” [47:20]

Hebrews 10:19-25
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” [30:31]

Observation questions

What details in Acts 18:24-28 show that Apollos was already gifted and well taught, and what detail shows that something was still missing in his understanding? [35:03]
What exactly did Priscilla and Aquila do when they heard Apollos speaking in the synagogue, and how did they go about correcting him? [44:15]
What happened after Apollos was helped in Ephesus? What did the brothers do for him, and what kind of help did he become to believers in Achaia? [49:01]
According to 1 Corinthians 3:6, what different roles are named in the work of ministry, and who is said to give the growth? [55:03]

Interpretation questions

Apollos knew the Scriptures and taught accurately about Jesus, yet he still needed the way of God explained more accurately. What does that suggest about the kind of humility needed in believers who are already knowledgeable, experienced, or useful? [38:20]
Priscilla and Aquila took Apollos aside instead of correcting him publicly. Why does that matter? What does their approach show about the difference between loving correction and a “gotcha” spirit? [45:05]
Hebrews 10 calls believers to stir up one another to love and good works and not neglect meeting together. How does the scene in Acts 18 show one practical way that believers can do that for each other?
Apollos received help and then became a great help to others. What does that reveal about how grace normally moves through the life of the church? [50:58]

Application questions

Growth often becomes difficult when another person points out something that is missing, unclear, or out of step in life. How does the heart usually respond in those moments: defensiveness, embarrassment, gratitude, avoidance? Where might teachable humility be needed right now? [40:26]
Christ often uses ordinary believers to help his people grow. Who has opened the Bible, asked a hard but loving question, or helped bring clarity in a confusing season? Has that help been received as a gift, or resisted? [54:02]
Truth can be spoken in a way that unnecessarily wounds. When correction needs to be given to someone, what would it look like to protect that person’s dignity instead of exposing them? Where might gentleness need to replace the desire to be right? [44:54]
Much of the most important ministry happens quietly, without attention or praise. What hidden conversations, invitations, or habits of care might strengthen someone’s faith right now? Who could be taken aside and encouraged with patience and truth? [46:15]
Grace received is meant to become grace shared. What has Christ taught or given in recent years through Scripture, suffering, failure, or encouragement that could now be used to strengthen someone else? [51:26]
The church in Ephesus encouraged Apollos and helped him go where his gifts were needed. Is there someone whose growth, gifting, or usefulness could be encouraged more intentionally rather than overlooked? What might that encouragement look like in practice? [49:32]
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” How might that truth bring both humility and courage? Where is there a need to serve faithfully without trying to control the outcome? [55:06]

Sermon Clips

107s

#GrowAndGive

“And so I want you to ask yourselves, who in your life is helping you to grow? And I think you know the second question that's coming up. Who are you helping to grow? Both of these tasks, growing ourselves and helping others to grow, require humility. We've got to be willing to receive what what Jesus Christ gives us through the vehicle of somebody else. And then we need humility so that we are willing to share what he has given to us with somebody else. But even as we share, we remember Paul's words. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. The growth in all of that belongs to Jesus Christ because he's the one that called Apollos. He is the one that placed Priscilla and Aquila in his life. He's the one that gave the scriptures. He's the one that used all of this to strengthen his church. Not just the one in Ephesus, but the but the one in Corinth and the one in Achaia and the one in Bellflower.”

59s

#LifelongFaithLearning

“Well, it's one of those situations, guys, where two things are true at the same time. We come across stuff like this all the time. You can be a person that knows the scriptures, but you also still need somebody to open them up with you. Right? Two things true at the same time. Here's another two truths at once. You can be able to speak very sincerely about Jesus, and you can still have some places where your understanding needs to grow. How about a third one? You can walk with Christ for decades and decades and still find that there's more of his grace to discover.”

62s

#LearningNeverStops

“None of us ever reaches a point where we no longer need to be taught. Now that is true and we can acknowledge that, but it is especially difficult the more that we learn and the more that we know and the more that we think we know. Apollos was was not a beginner. He was not just a new guy that was sitting in the back of the synagogue. He was up there teaching everybody else. He was educated, he was gifted, he was he was passionate, he was respected. And then this couple, little older than him, maybe, a tent maker and his wife, come up to this learned man, and they pull him to the side, and they tell him, dude, there's a few more things that you need to understand.”

47s

#CorrectWithGrace

“You know, truth can be spoken in a way that wounds people and does so unnecessarily. We can correct somebody sometimes to display our own knowledge. Right? Because if I correct somebody and I get them in that gotcha culture moment, that means in certain ways that I'm smarter than them. Or, you know, we can also correct them via an argument. And we can win the argument, especially if we actually know the real answers. But sometimes in doing so, you win an argument and you lose your brother and sister.”

46s

#HiddenMinistryMatters

“That is how much of the church's church's ministry happens, guys. Someone opens the bible with another believer. Someone invites a younger Christian into their into their home. Someone shares what Jesus has taught them through the years of faith and experience and hard knocks, suffering, and failure, and grace throughout the whole thing. And most of those conversations will never be public. But God sees them and God uses them to grow his church. Growth happens through faithful people.”

56s

#ListenToGrow

“And Apollos went with them. And Apollos listened to them. He allowed Aquila and Priscilla to open the scriptures and to explain the way of God accurately. That takes a lot. You know, it's easy to say that that that we want to grow. If I were to do the thing that sometimes people do and I say raise your hand if you grow, everybody here weighs their hand. Right? But growth sounds really good until Christ says the way that you're gonna grow is I'm gonna use another person to show you where the growth is needed and you're gonna have to listen to them. That starts to touch our pride.”

47s

#GentleCorrection

“This is how they this is how they corrected Apollos. It says they took him aside. They took him aside. They did not interrupt him in front of the synagogue. They did not humiliate him or or make his incomplete understanding into some kind of public spectacle. You know, this guy's a really good speaker, but clearly, he doesn't understand stuff, you know. So we need to really do something about that. Maybe he should you know, that kind of thing. No. They drew near to him, and they spoke to him personally. And I think that there's just an important aspect of gentleness in that that we can learn from.”

42s

#ChooseHumility

“Will we listen to these people when they speak these words to us? Because we got two choices. We can defend ourselves or we can remember Apollos and the way that he handled it. Because for all of this guy's learning and for all of this guy's ability, Apollos understood that he still needed the body of Christ. He needed Priscilla. He needed Aquila. And more than that, he needed the spirit of God to continue his work through the words of other believers.”

Ask a question about this sermon

BellOne Christian Reformed Church This sermon · AI assistant

What role does humility play in spiritual growth?

How should believers correct one another privately?

How does growth in Christ produce gospel witness?