Convinced The Jews

“For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.” (Acts 18:28)

This verse speaks of Apollos and his preaching in Achaia, Greece. Think about this. Apollos convinced the Jews that Jesus, the guy they crucified just shortly before, the guy they hated; Apollos convinced the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. Not only that, He did so by using the Old Testament only. There were no Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John at the time of his preaching. There was no New Testament.  Apollos proved Jesus to be the Christ using the written word of the prophets, not from the four gospels.

According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon Apollos did so, “vehemently, forcibly” so as to “confute with rivalry and effort or in a contest”.

This was a dialectical process. Apollos had to debate, argue, and prove his point, and he did, with only the writings of the Old Testament prophets. He used scriptures and scriptures only. This is a clear demonstration of the proof of Christ in the Old Testament. It is also proof of the Holy Spirit coming alive in the word.

How many today could argue and win the case for Jesus without the New Testament? Especially to an unfriendly Jewish audience? Remember, it was just a few years before that the Jewish nation crucified Jesus!

“Note, The business of ministers is to preach Christ: We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord. The way he took to convince them was by the scriptures thence he fetched his arguments for the Jews owned the scriptures to be of divine authority, and it was easy for him, who was mighty in the scriptures, from them to show that Jesus is the Christ. Note, Ministers must be able not only to preach the truth, but to prove it and defend it, and to convince gainsayers with meekness and yet with power, instructing those that oppose themselves and this is real service to the church.” 

- Matthew Henry

The power of the word and of the Holy Ghost!

Bill Hitchcock