Needed: More Gospel Ministers

Acts 18:18-28
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, April 11, 1999
Copyright © 1999, P. G. Mathew

In this passage we are studying the lives of some laborers in the kingdom of God. Workers are always needed in the kingdom of God. In Matthew 9:36-38 we read, “When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'” And in Matthew 24:14 Jesus said, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” It is God’s purpose that the gospel be declared and proclaimed to all people of the world, and God uses his people to accomplish that purpose.

The work of God’s kingdom is the responsibility of every believer in Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that God gives grace to every believer and prepares each one for the work of the ministry. We all have different gifts, as we read in 1 Corinthians 12:7, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good,” but they all are designed by God to benefit the work of his kingdom. It is a divine imperative: If you are a Christian, you are a worker in the kingdom of God.

Where should we put our gifts to use? Wherever we are. Do you remember how the Lord spoke to Paul in Corinth in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack you and harm you, because I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9-10). God wanted Paul to preach to his people in Corinth that they may be saved. In the same way, God has people in each of our lives that he wants us to share the gospel with. Our job is to use the gifts God has given us to be witnesses for the Lord wherever we are.

Why is it so important for Christians to share the gospel with others? Because that is the way God saves people. The Lord does not save people through angels; he saves them through Christians. We are the light of the world, not the angels. That is why we must keep on throwing out the lifeline of the gospel that those who are drowning may grasp it, take hold of its promises, and be saved.

From this passage we want to examine the lives of several people who were workers for the Lord: first, Paul, the apostle; second, Aquila and Priscilla, a business couple; and third, Apollos, an Alexandrian Jew.

A Tireless Worker: The Apostle Paul

After the Lord spoke to Paul in the vision, Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half and preached the gospel. Then some unbelievers brought a case against Paul to the proconsul, Gallio, in an attempt to silence Paul. Gallio threw the case out, refusing to listen to it, and, as a result, Paul was able to preach the gospel in peace as long as he wished.

In Acts 18:18 we read that Paul decided to leave Corinth to go back to Syria. Traveling to the port city east of Corinth called Cenchrea, he sailed from there to Ephesus, which is in Asia, along with some fellow workers, a couple named Priscilla and Aquila.

The Spirit of the Lord had prevented Paul from going to Ephesus earlier, as we read in Acts 16:6, but the Spirit’s “Not now” did not mean “not ever.” When Paul arrived in Ephesus, he went into the synagogue, as was his custom, and began to reason with the Jews there, proving that the Christ of the Old Testament is the Jesus of history who lived, died, and was buried, but on the third day was raised from the tomb according to the Scriptures and ascended into the heavens. Paul told his listeners that because this Jesus is Lord of all, they should repent, believe on him, and be saved.

The Jews in the synagogue of Ephesus wanted Paul to stay, but he wanted to go to Jerusalem. He told that that he would return if it was God’s will. Leaving Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus, Paul traveled to Caesarea and arrived in Jerusalem, where he visited the church there. Then he returned to his home church in Syrian Antioch. I am sure he gave a full report to the church, telling them all the wonderful things God had done through him on this second missionary journey.

In Acts 18:23 we read that after staying in Antioch for some time, Paul began his third missionary journey. He returned to Ephesus, probably walking fifteen hundred miles and passing through Galatia and Phrygia on the way. With the help of Priscilla and Aquila, Paul ministered powerfully in Ephesus for several years, as we read in Acts 19. God performed many mighty miracles through Paul during his stay at Ephesus.

The Work of Testifying to God’s Grace

Paul was a tireless worker for the Lord. He was motivated by a sense of purpose. He was determined to complete his God-given task of spreading the gospel to the Gentiles.

Paul spoke about this to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:22-24, “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”

What is your goal in life? Is it to go to school, graduate, make money, get married, have a house with a picket fence, and live happily ever after? Look at this worker Paul. His greatest ambition was to finish the task the Lord Jesus had given him, “the task of testifying to God’s grace.” But that task was not unique to Paul. That is the task God has called all his people to. Didn’t Jesus say he needed many workers? Christians are needed to declare the gospel of God’s grace throughout the world.

In Acts 20 Paul was looking forward to doing the task the Lord had assigned to him. In 2 Timothy 4:7-8 we read Paul’s last recorded words on this subject: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” Paul completed his task. Just as Jesus said from the cross, “Tetelestai–It is finished!” so also Paul, at the end of his life, declared, “It is done–the work God gave me is of sharing the gospel is done!”

As the Lord’s servants, we also, like Paul, have a work to do: we must proclaim the gospel. May God instill in us such passion for the gospel of God’s grace that we will declare it without fear, without shame, and without timidity wherever we are. May we not be lazy, but let us work hard in behalf of the kingdom of God. May we not keep silent but boldly proclaim the gospel. The Son of Man has been lifted up on the cross for the salvation of all who trust in him, so let us lift him up for the world to see and be saved. “Preach the Word,” Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2, “be prepared in season and out of season.” And Peter tells us in 1 Peter 3:15, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

Why should we share the gospel with others? Because the whole world is without God and without hope. The only people with any real hope are Christians, so when the world asks us to give a reason for the hope within us, we must tell them about Jesus.

Boldly Proclaiming the Gospel

Have you ever been timid or ashamed to testify about the Lord? God will help you to be bold. What is the difference between a believer and an unbeliever? We have the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will enable us to proclaim the gospel boldly, without fear or shame.

In Acts 19 we read how Paul met twelve disciples when he first arrived at Ephesus, but he noticed there was something wrong with these people. What did he ask them? “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” and they replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit” (Acts 19:2). The Holy Spirit is the difference between an unbeliever and a believer.

In 2 Timothy 1:7-8 Paul wrote to Timothy, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” and then he said, “Fan into flame the gift of God which is in you.” May God help us also to fan into flame the gift of God, the Spirit of the living God, who is dwelling in us! As we listen to the Holy Spirit and obey him, we will be fanning into flame this wonderful gift that God has so freely given us.

Let me ask you: When we look at the people around us, including our own children, do we see what Jesus saw–people who are harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, lost, confused, chased by wolves and in mortal danger? If so, then may we also say what Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of [God] who sent me and to finish his work.” That is what the apostle Paul did. His task was to testify to God’s grace, and that is our task also.

A Business Couple: Aquila and Priscilla

The next workers we find mentioned in Acts 18:18-28 are Aquila and Priscilla, a business couple. They were ordinary people, tentmakers by trade, who gave Paul a job with them when he first came to Corinth and became lifelong friends of the apostle.

Aquila was a Jew, a native of Pontus, on the south shore of the Black Sea. Aquila traveled widely, at one point going to Rome. His wife Priscilla, or Prisca, was a brilliant woman, and in my estimation, it seems Priscilla was more brilliant than her husband. From several places in the Bible we learn that Aquila and Priscilla were fully engaged in the work of the Lord wherever they went.

In Acts 18:2 we read that this couple was expelled from Rome, along with all the Jews, by Emperor Claudius. They probably had a tentmaking business in Rome and now they established one in Corinth. But the great passion of Aquila and Priscilla was not tentmaking; it was preaching the gospel.

Now, we must point out that Priscilla’s and Aquila’s gifts were different from Paul’s. They were not apostles; they were ordinary Christians. But this couple were saved by the gospel of God’s grace and they fully used their gifts in the work of the kingdom of God.

The Gift of Money

The first gift we see them using is money. God’s work requires money, so Priscilla and Aquila used the money they received from their business to promote the work of the gospel. They were like Lydia, the businesswoman of Philippi whom we read about in Acts 16. Lydia was a distributor of expensive purple cloth from Asia to Europe, and she used her profit for God’s work. She opened up her large home in Philippi to the church so it could assemble there. From the home of Lydia the businesswoman, the gospel was declared throughout Philippi. In Lydia’s house sinners were saved and people met together regularly for worship, singing, prayer and fellowship.

Priscilla and Aquila also supported God’s work with their hard-earned money. Wherever they lived, whether in Rome, Corinth, or Ephesus–they started a tentmaking business, and from the profit they supported God’s work.

The Gift of Ministering the Gospel

Not only did Aquila and Priscilla support the work of the gospel with their money, but they ministered the gospel themselves. In Acts 18:3 we read that they had a home in Corinth, and I am sure people met in that house and heard the gospel there, just as people met in Lydia’s house in Philippi.

The Bible tells us clearly that when they were in Ephesus, they did have a church in their home. In 1 Corinthians 16:19 we read, “The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets in their house.” Paul wrote this letter from Ephesus, where Aquila and Priscilla were also at the time, and in this reference we learn that they were functioning as ministers of the gospel in Ephesus in the church that met in their home.

In the sixteenth chapter of Romans Paul greets many people among the Christians at Rome. But the first people he greets are Priscilla and Aquila, who had returned to Rome. In Romans 16:3 we read, “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus.” Now, Paul was not speaking of this couple as his fellow workers as tentmakers. Yes, they shared that trade with Paul, but here he is speaking about them as “fellow workers in Christ Jesus.” In other words, Priscilla and Aquila shared the gospel with people, baptized people, prayed with people, and taught the gospel. Paul continues, “They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.”

The Gift of a Home

In Romans 16:5 we read: “Greet also the church that meets at their house.” In this passage, as in the passage from 1 Corinthians, we find Aquila and Priscilla with a church in their home. This couple had gone back to Rome and while they were there, they started a church. They were ministering, not only with their money, but with the gospel. They were leaders of the church that met in their house.

What about you? Is your home a gathering place for saints? Is it a place where sinners are saved and saints can worship God, where the gospel is preached, where God’s hymns are sung and prayers are offered? Is your home a place where saints can fellowship and God is glorified? Think about it. If God has given you a house, you must realize it is not your house but God’s.

Think about becoming a worker like Lydia and Aquila and Priscilla and opening up your home to others. Why? Because, as we said before, most of the people in the world are hopeless, but you have hope. When people come to your house, you can tell them the simple gospel–without shame, in the power of the Spirit of God. Throw the lifeline to those who are drowning! Those who are perishing need to hear the gospel.

The Time to Work for God Is Now

If we are ordinary people like Priscilla and Aquila, how can we be workers for God’s kingdom? First, we must open our own hearts to Jesus and his gospel. Then we can open our pocketbooks and our homes and use all the gifts God has given us for the sake of his kingdom.

When should we begin to work for the Lord? Now. We must always remember the word of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:4-5).

You see, the day is over for my mother and father, who have both died and gone to be with the Lord. My day will be over soon also, will it not? We must all ask ourselves: Are we working for God this day? Jesus told his disciples they are the light of the world; therefore, let us do the work of him who sent us while it is still our day, for the night is coming when we cannot work. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:15-16, “Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

Praise God, we are still living in the day! I don’t know how long it is going to last for each one of us, and it will be over soon enough. Let us do the work of him who sent us while we can.

An Alexandrian Jew: Apollos

The next worker we meet in this passage is a man named Apollos. In 1 Corinthians 1 Paul says that not many who are called to become Christians are wise by worldly standards, not many are influential in the world, not many are of noble birth. In other words, only a very few people from these high status categories ever put their faith in Christ. The vast majority of people who are saved by God’s grace were the nothings of the world. But in this passage we meet Apollos, also known as Apollonius, who was a Jew from the city of Alexandria in Egypt. He, as well as the apostle Paul, probably belonged to a high social class.

Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in the fourth century B.C. and was the second-most important city in the Roman empire. It was a city in which Greek culture flourished. At one time one million Jews lived there, occupying two of the five wards of the city and having their own constitution. The Septuagint was translated in Alexandria for the Greek-speaking Jews, and the synagogue of Alexandria, the greatest synagogue in the ancient world, was so large that the leader of the synagogue had to stand in the middle of the assembly and wave a flag so that the people who were sitting in the back would know when to say “Amen” to the prayers.

The philosopher Philo lived in Alexandria in the first century A.D. It was he who tried to marry the Greek culture to the Hebrew religion. The allegorical method of interpreting the Scripture was developed in Alexandria.

Alexandria was a city of scholars. It was a world center for education, and this gives us an indication of what type of man Apollos was. He was a Jew by heritage, an Alexandrian by race, and a learned man, meaning a cultured, eloquent man–a great scholar from this city of scholars. Apollos had no doubt been to the universities of the city of Alexandria, and possibly he also studied at schools in Rome and Jerusalem. Probably he was a son of a rich businessman of Alexandria and it is possible that he traveled widely for his family’s business.

Mighty in the Scriptures

Not only was Apollos a Jew from Alexandria and a learned man, but he was, we are told, mighty in the Scriptures. Apollos used his great intellectual gifts to study the Bible. Why? Because the knowledge of the Scriptures alone makes one wise unto salvation. Nothing else in the world is capable of making a person wise unto salvation.

We are not told Apollos was mighty in psychology or philosophy. Maybe he was, but the text does not tell us that. The text tells us he was mighty in the Scriptures, in the Bible, in the word of God. He may have been mighty in the science, politics and economics of his time, but we don’t read about that in the Bible. Scripture tells us he was mighty in the Scriptures. I am sure he studied the Bible daily, diligently, prayerfully, and systematically.

Why do you think Apollos was such a great student of the Scriptures? He believed in the value of the word of God. In Psalm 19 we read something about the value of studying God’s word:

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.

The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring for ever.

The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.

They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

(Psalm 19:7-11)

Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures because he valued the perfect, flawless, glorious word of God which alone can give joy to the heart, surety in a world of changing moral standards, and warn us what to do and not to do in order to please God.

Why Study the Scriptures?

Let me ask you: Are you mighty in the Scriptures? Some are mighty in muscle power. Some are mighty because they have a lot of money. Some are mighty in politics and influence. Some are mighty in cars with high horsepower. But Apollos was mighty in the Scriptures. He was a living example of what Paul was speaking of in 2 Timothy 2:15 when he wrote, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

May we all seek to be like Apollos–mighty in the Scriptures! Why? Because, as Paul writes later in 2 Timothy 3:16, the Bible alone is “God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

If you are a student, I urge you to become mighty in Scriptures. Don’t be satisfied with a foggy notion of what the Bible is about. Don’t check your brain out when you come to church. Don’t think the purpose of church is to entertain you. What is entertaining about the truth that the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men? What a tragedy it is that our whole country has given itself over to entertainment when we should be grieving over our sins and crying out to God, saying, “What must we do to be saved?”

We must study the Bible to obtain a thorough knowledge of God’s truth, God’s word, which sets forth God’s view on all things, particularly God’s way of salvation. A foggy notion of the gospel will never save anyone.

In Romans 15:4 Paul tells us, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Both the Old and New Testament were written for the singular purpose of giving us hope, endurance, encouragement, peace, and joy, which all comes with salvation in Christ.

If that is the purpose of Scripture, why do most of us neglect it so much? Why do we run after entertainment, turning this way and that way, looking for it and crying, “Entertain me, entertain me, entertain me!” Have you ever considered that the world is perishing all around us? Our children, our husbands, our wives, our parents, our friends may all be perishing, yet we are seeking to be entertained.

I pray that we will stop looking for entertainment and start looking into the Book! We must become mighty in the Scriptures, which are the very word of God, so that we can receive comfort and hope from God and then give his comfort and hope to others. Didn’t Paul say, “What I have received from the Lord I give unto you”? How can we give anything to anyone unless we have received it from God? We must receive from the Scriptures so that we can give comfort and hope to a lost and perishing world.

Instructed in the Way of the Lord

In Acts 18:25 we read that Apollos “had been instructed in the way of the Lord.” Apollos was not born mighty in the Scriptures. Someone had to teach him about God, and I am sure as Apollos was taught in the way of the Lord, he listened attentively.

The Bible does not tell us who the teachers of Apollos were. Perhaps they were some disciples of John the Baptist, because the Bible tells us he knew only the baptism of John. But although his understanding of the gospel was not perfect, Apollos had profited greatly from his teachers. He was a great learner and possessed a great hunger and thirst for the knowledge of the way of the Lord.

I hope you will appreciate those who instruct you in the way of the Lord. I hope you will listen attentively when the word of God is preached. I hope you will hunger and thirst for greater knowledge of the way of God. Why? Because the way of the Lord is the only way of salvation, hope, and comfort.

Zealous for God

Not only did Apollos listen attentively and profit from his teachers, but the Bible says he also spoke with great fervor. Apollos had a passion, a burning in his spirit, for the things of God. He was not dead in his orthodoxy; rather, he loved truth and was zealous for it. When Apollos spoke, his words came from the very depths of his being. He believed what he was taught and it became his life.

Let me ask you: Are you zealous for the things of God? Oh, we show great emotion when our team wins a game, don’t we? Let me tell you, if you are a Christian, you will show maximum enthusiasm when you preach the gospel, study God’s word, pray and teach the word of God to someone else. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves if we are enthusiastic about everything else and lukewarm about the gospel.

Apollos was enthusiastic, passionate, boiling, fervent about the things of God. There was a burning in his spirit, and that is how we should be also. In fact, in Revelation 3:15-16 Jesus says he doesn’t like those who are lukewarm. He wants us to be hot for God.

Speaking and Teaching about Jesus

In Acts 18:25 we read that Apollos spoke and taught the things concerning Jesus. Not only did he take in, but he also gave out. He was instructed in the way of the Lord and had a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures; thus, when he spoke, he spoke about Jesus.

Have you examined your speech lately to see what you are speaking about? Have you thought about what you are receiving into the depths of your heart? Oh be careful what you put in, because what you receive, you will give out.

Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 12:34-35: “You brood of vipers, ” he said to the Pharisees, “how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.”

Learning is a storing activity. Like ants who work very hard all summer to store up food for the winter, so are we constantly storing up either good or evil. Depending on what we have stored up, we will either be people who make trouble or people who bring forth good things of the gospel and minister grace to others wherever we go.

Think about it. Are you a good man? Are you a good woman? Are you a good teenager? If so, you will store up good things, specifically God’s word, in your heart as Apollos did.

God’s word is sweeter than honey and more precious than gold. If you store it up diligently, then you will begin to speak in the Scriptures to others. You will speak to God in Scriptures when you pray; speak to your children and to the saints, as Paul instructed us to do in Ephesians 5:19-20 and Colossians 3:16, in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody in your hearts unto the Lord; and speak to sinners in God’s word, telling them what God says about sin and salvation.

Apollos filled his heart and mind with Scriptures, so when he spoke, he spoke about Jesus. And, notice, he spoke with great passion, enthusiasm and boldness. When you are mighty in the Scriptures, you will be mighty in your delivery. You will not be afraid of anybody.

The Full Gospel of Jesus Christ

Verse 25 tells us Apollos spoke about Jesus accurately, but he had only limited knowledge, knowing only the baptism of John. God knew he needed more teaching, so God brought him all the way to Ephesus and placed him before two ordinary people, Aquila and Priscilla, who could more fully instruct him in the way of God.

Apollos had a thorough knowledge of the Old Testament, which speaks of Christ, and probably he understood this Christ was Jesus of Nazareth, of whom John the Baptist spoke. I am sure Apollos called on people to repent and believe in the Christ, but somehow he did not know the significance of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Additionally, he did not know much about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Apollos accurately taught what he had learned, but his knowledge was limited. As he ministered in the synagogue, he caught the attention of Priscilla and Aquila. When they heard what he was saying, they realized that despite his great knowledge of the Scriptures, Apollos needed more instruction in the way of the Lord. They didn’t stand up and rebuke him in the middle of the synagogue, but after the service they invited him to their home, no doubt for a meal, and explained the way of Jesus to him more accurately. If you have such an opportunity, I hope you will invite somebody to your home, give that person a meal, and tell that person more accurately about Jesus, as this ordinary couple did for the great Apollos.

I am sure Aquila and Priscilla explained the full gospel to Apollos just as Jesus Christ did to his disciples, as we read in Luke 24:44-45: “He said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.'”

How did Apollos react to the ministry of these ordinary people? He received it gladly. You see, you don’t worry about who is throwing you a lifeline, do you? You just grab it and hold on. This cultured, wise, rich, eloquent man realized he was deficient, and so he received with great humility and gratitude the ministry of this woman Priscilla and her husband Aquila as they threw him the lifeline of the gospel.

I believe Apollos trusted in Jesus Christ that day and was baptized by Aquila in the name of Jesus. I believe he was also baptized in the Holy Spirit and became mighty in the preaching of the gospel. In Acts 18:27-28 we read that his ministry was profitable to the believers in Corinth. By his preaching Apollos thoroughly refuted those who opposed the gospel, demonstrating from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. He became a valuable laborer in the kingdom of God, a fellow-worker, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it. . . .”

The Ministry of Ordinary People

In his commentary on this passage, Dr. James M. Boice mentions Hugh Latimer, a sixteenth century English martyr. Along with Nicholas Ridley, Hugh Latimer was burned at the stake in 1555 for preaching of the gospel, and it was Latimer who said as he was dying, “Be brave, Master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day, by the grace of God, light such a candle in England as, I trust, shall never be put out.”

But do you know how Hugh Latimer–a cultured, refined man of noble birth, a priest of the church–came to know Jesus? Like Apollos, he was a great scholar, mighty in the Scriptures, but he wasn’t saved.

There was a young monk called Little Bilney, who was a Christian, who knew Hugh Latimer and prayed for a way to share the gospel with him. One day an idea came into his mind: “Why don’t you go and ask Mr. Latimer to listen to your confession?” Little Bilney asked Latimer to hear his confession and Latimer agreed, so Little Bilney began to confess, saying: “Father, I am a sinner saved by grace. I tried to save myself by my own good works, but I was unable to save myself. I was miserable. I was a wretched man when I heard the gospel that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became man. He who knew no sin became sin for us, that I might become the righteousness of God. I put my trust in this Jesus Christ, and he forgave all my sins. And not only that, he clothed me with his perfect righteousness, and now I am saved by the merit of Jesus Christ alone.”

As Latimer listened to Bilney’s confession, a wonderful thing happened: Latimer himself believed in Christ and was saved. He lived the rest of his life in the service of his Master and died as a martyr for the gospel.

Let Us Labor for the Master

As we conclude this study, may we consider how each of us can work in God’s kingdom. You may be an apostle like Paul or a businessperson like Aquila or Priscilla. You may be an Apollos–mighty, well-born, highly cultured and educated–or a Little Bilney. Whatever your station in life, may you use your gifts to work for the kingdom of God!

What is the work of the kingdom? To spread the gospel of God’s grace throughout the nations. The gospel alone is the power of God unto salvation to anyone who believes, and it is the task of Christ’s disciples alone to spread it. No angel has been commissioned to preach the gospel. Jesus Christ has commissioned his disciples to preach the gospel, whether they are mighty, like Apollos, or lowly, like Little Bilney.

May God help us to work while it is day! May we work very hard to declare the gospel of God’s grace to those around us. May we open our homes, invite people, give them a meal, and share the gospel with them. May we study the Scriptures that we might become mighty in them. May God help us to sing, preach, share, and pray–whatever our gifts are–that we may be used by him to save people. Amen.