24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. (ESV)

‘Apollos combined the eloquence of the Greek with the religious instinct of the Jew. A student from the great university at Alexandria, a convert to the gospel, deeply conversant with the Old Testament, gifted with marvelous eloquence, he was a strong ally of the Christian forces of his age. But he needed to know of the death, resurrection, and ascended power of Christ, and to experience the Pentecostal gift. Into all these he was led by Aquila and Priscilla. How wonderful is that holy wisdom which the Spirit of God gives to simple and humble believers, so that they can become teachers of men who are intellectually their superiors!’ F.B. Meyer

The Bible doesn’t actually say that Apollos was intellectually superior to Priscilla and Aquila, but it’s probably a fair inference to draw. It is certainly true that God has used simple, ‘ordinary’ saints to mentor those would become big names in the church. Certainly, in Corinth, Apollos’ name was to be up there with Paul and Peter’s (1 Corinthians 1:12). What a service Priscilla and Aquila performed for Apollos (and the wider church); and how teachable was Apollos. His openness to being taught led, it seems, to even greater, and more effective, ministry.

‘Aquila and Priscilla, husband and wife, appear several times in apostolic history and were important workers in the early church. They are always mentioned together because they were a team. Being Jews, they were expelled from Rome; as a result, they met Paul in Corinth and opened their home to him. Paul left them in Ephesus where they helped Apollos better understand the gospel (Acts 18:18-28). They returned to Rome where they had a church in their home (Rom.16:3-5). We do not know how they risked their lives for Paul; but their actions show how much they loved him. They were with Paul in Ephesus when he wrote 1 Corinthians (1 Cor.16:8,19), so perhaps it had something to do with the riot described in Acts 19. In his last epistle, Paul sent loving greetings to them (2 Tim.4:19). Every pastor is grateful to God for couples like Priscilla and Aquila whose hearts, hands and homes are completely given to the Lord.’ Warren Wiersbe