Scripture Reading: Acts 18:1-4, Acts 18:18-28, Romans 16:3-4, 1 Corinthians 16:19
Growing up, one of my favorite games at camp was “telephone.” We would gather in a circle, the instructor would give the first person a phrase and, person by person, we would whisper it in the ear of the next. With puzzled looks and laughs, each person would carry it on until the last child would repeat back the phrase they received. Most of the time, it sounded nothing like the original statement (or vaguely, if we were lucky!). I remember one time the first person in the game was given the proverb, “A friend loves at all times” (Proverbs 17:17). The end result? The final person heard…“dentist.”
Clearly a few things were lost along the way.
As we study the people of the New Testament, we hear stories of ordinary people turned heroes of the faith, who cradled the message of the gospel to pass on to others. They declared it on large platforms to the thousands and in the intimacy of one other on quaint dirt roads. No matter the way, the message was delivered with accuracy and love. Priscilla and Aquila—the tentmaking couple of our reading today, understood the assignment of carrying the good news with precise accuracy.
I want to highlight something key about their brief but valuable mention in the Scriptures.
Acts 18:26 tells us that they heard a man, Apollos, preaching the good news and were compelled to explain the fullness of God to him more accurately. They were committed to sharing the gospel in its entirety and to lead others to do the same. They knew that in order to make disciples as Jesus had commanded, they held a holy responsibility to ensure that those who proclaimed it knew it well.
Just like in the childhood game of telephone, a passed on message may be heard differently than intended by the receiver. While the delivery may have been carried accurately, sometimes the hearer misses details, doesn’t hear the entire message, or has pre-existing filters on that will omit vital truths. The Word of God is inerrant and yet, with much grief, we see this distortion in culture today too.
We can do our part by being receptive to the wisdom of seasoned believers. We can share the love and truth of Jesus with others around us. Like Prisicilla and Aquila, we can disciple others who are hungry and eager to learn.
You and I are evidence that discipleship works. We stand here now, two thousand years later, knowing the truth of Christ because of the combined work in discipleship of the apostles and the early church. Priscilla and Aquila understood the sacredness of discipleship. And we, too, must recognize that being a disciple isn’t totally about us but includes continuing the health, vitality, and multiplication of the Church.
Written by Sarah Wood
