1. Discipling Side by Side
Aquila and Priscilla
Discipling Side by Side
Acts 18:1-28; 19:1-7

2. Background Acts 18:1-2 52 A.D. - Roman Emperor Claudius Aquila
Edict expelling all Jews from the city of Rome
Suetonius - Persecuting their Christian neighbors and causing considerable disturbance in the city
All Jews were uprooted from their homes and banished from Rome, the innocent along with the guilty
Aquila
A Jew who had migrated to Rome from the province of Pontus on the Black Sea
Left for the city of Corinth with his faithful wife, Priscilla

3. They Made Their Living Together Acts 18:1-8
“For by trade they were tent-makers” – v. 3
Not every husband and wife can work together like this
It takes a mature relationship to work closely under the kind of pressure a job sometimes generates
They were not only mates; they must have been good friends and companions
Be willing to give to each other more than they tried to take
Be able to accept suggestions as readily as they offered them
Enjoy being together and working together
They were inseparable

4. They Made Their Living Together Acts 18:1-8
God’s Timing - vv. 1-3
The Apostle Paul entered Corinth looking for work to sustain him as he ministered
Every disciple making relationship begins with a hello
That day a deep and lasting and productive relationship was born

5. The Complete Marriage vv. 4-8
v. 8 – “Many others in Corinth also became believers and were baptized”
Aquila and Priscilla lived together, worked together, and suffered exile together, came to know and love Jesus Christ together
It made their marriage complete
True oneness can only be found in Christ

6. They Grew in the Word Together Acts 18:9-11; 18-26
Their Discipler taught them together - vv. 9-11
From the day Aquila and Priscilla met the Savior, they grew in the Word together
They must have gone with Paul to the synagogue each Sabbath day as he reasoned with the Jews and Greeks
Eighteen months of Bible study under the greatest Bible teacher in the early church
Sharing the Word together strengthened their love for each other and their spirit of togetherness

7. They Learned God’s Word Thoroughly Acts 18:18-26
Paul left Corinth for Ephesus and they accompanied him
Paul left them in Ephesus when he left for his home church in Antioch
Apollos was not improperly instructed, but he was inadequately instructed
“But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately” - Acts 18:26

8. They Learned God’s Word Thoroughly Acts 18:18-26
It is very difficult to decide which one to admire the most
Aquila and Priscilla modeled servanthood and disciple‑making skills
Apollos modeled a receptive spirit and a delightful submission
Later, Apollos “desired to cross into Achaia”
Acts 18:27‑28
Acts 17:3

9. They Served the Lord Together 1 Corinthians 16:19
Their home was a church
Paul left Antioch – 3rd missionary journey - Acts 26:31
Returned to Ephesus
Remained teaching the Word of God for approximately three years
1 Corinthians 16:19
“The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house”

10. Their Home Was a Church When Paul left Ephesus for Greece
God directed Aquila & Priscilla back to Rome
Romans 16:3-5
“Greet Priscilla and Aquila. They have been co-workers in my ministry for Christ Jesus. In fact, they risked their lives for me. I am not the only one who is thankful to them; so are all the Gentile churches. Please give my greetings to the church that meets in their home.”

11. Their Home Was a Church
We have church buildings but there is no substitute for the home as a center for evangelism
Evangelistic dinners
Coffee cup evangelism
Establishing close friendships with neighbors and sharing Christ with them over the kitchen table
Home Bible studies
Opening homes to youth groups

12. They Were Remembered 2 Timothy 4:19
16 years since Paul first met them at Corinth
Paul was in a Roman prison for the second time
Death at the hands of the emperor Nero was imminent
Writing the last paragraph of his long and fruitful life
“Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus”
Just a brief and simple greeting, but they were on Paul’s heart in his last hours

13. They Were Great Disciple-Makers Together
Disciple‑Making is Inevitable
Man is a social creature
He desires relationships
He wants fellowship
He influences each person around him
Everybody with any influence at all makes disciples
Parents make disciples of their children
Children make disciples of their parents
Friends make disciples of their friends
If you ever learn anything from anyone else, that person has discipled you

14. Disciple‑Making is Inevitable
A disciple is “one who learns”
Apollos
“This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.”
“You can no more tell what you don’t know than you can come back from where you ain’t been!”
Apollos had not “been there and done that”
But he powerfully told what he did know ‑ and he made disciples!

15. Disciple‑Making is Inevitable
When you disciple another person, you give a part of yourself to that person
2 Timothy 3:10‑11
Luke 6:40 - “When the process is completed, the disciple will be like his teacher”
The outcome is inevitable, the product is predictable
Is my life worth copying?
Those you disciple are molded by
Your Bible study
Your prayer life
Your worship

16. The Problem Of Disciple‑Making Acts 19:1-7
All you can give is what you have experienced and practiced
All Apollos had was the piece of John the Baptist that had been planted in him ‑ and it wasn’t enough!
He was an incomplete disciple ‑ and he reproduced incomplete disciples
Ten generations from you
How extensive would God’s work be?
How strategic would God’s work be?
How relational would God’s work be?
How obedient would those people be?

17. God’s Provision in Disciple‑Making
God has made provision to “fill in the blank spots”
The John the Baptist movement wasn’t intentional, and it wasn’t heretical
It was just an incomplete understanding, but it still went on generation after generation
God sovereignly appoints His Aquilas and Priscillas
At strategic times and places in our lives to help us build the disciples God has given to us
How many people has God used to disciple you?

18. The Product of Disciple‑Making Is Predictable
Certain causes produce certain effects
John the Baptist directly or indirectly discipled Apollos
Apollos discipled the Ephesian disciples
Paul had discipled Aquila and Priscilla
Aquila and Priscilla discipled Apollos
God mightily used Apollos in Corinth to make and build disciples there
Apollos emerged complete in Christ Jesus
And both Ephesus and Corinth were impacted mightily for Christ
The Gospel went unto the uttermost parts of the earth til the end of time!

19. One of God’s Greatest Privileges
Getting to serve the Lord together with your spouse
A personal blessing
A church blessing
A family blessing
God wants couples
To minister as a team
To mature as a team
To disciple as a team