And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace. Acts 18:27
Today’s text reminds me of the letters of acknowledgment that we have received from our brother Walter Gustafson. In his letters, Walter lists the various Assemblies where he has visited in the past several months, and the various conferences he has attended. When referring to the conferences, he uses the terms ‘helped’ or ‘helped a little’, meaning he had spoken at those conferences. There are certainly times when our dear brother has ‘helped a little’ and times when he has ‘helped’ a great deal; his unique ministry has been of great blessing to the Lord’s people for many years. He and all of the other of the Lord’s servants are far more help to the Lord’s people than we often realize, and we do well to reflect on their help.
Our text refers to Apollos, who was a great help to the saints in Achaia. This man had outstanding gifts including oratory and had a deep knowledge of the Word of God. His presence among the saints would be encouraging and uplifting, and a source of strength as they sought to be witnesses in their community. Apollos reminds us of the variety of ways in which the Lord’s servants are a help to us. These men always have a strong exercise in the Gospel, and are frequently some of the best Gospel preachers among us. They set a good example in this regard. Young men, and some not so young, can learn much from these servants, who are always willing to provide guidance and instruction and opportunity in Gospel preaching.
These men are also a help in the ministry they provide. They call upon their broad range of experience and on their solid grasp of the Scriptures to provide us with teaching, with correction, with encouragement, with a good example of how to handle the Word of God among the Lord’s people. Whether in our regular Assembly meetings or at our conferences, the ministry from these men is a valuable resource in building us up in our most holy faith. Without their help, our Assemblies would be much poorer spiritually.
If we consider the history of the Israelites as recorded in the Old Testament, we will see that the spiritual state of God’s earthly people was almost always a direct reflection of the leaders, including the prophets, judges, and kings. As those men went, so went the people. If we consider the Lord’s servants to be the leaders among us today, we ought to pray for their spiritual condition to be strengthened and increased, because in many ways, we will be a direct reflection of the help they have been to us. -Jim MacIntosh