Acts 18:18-28
18 Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that, then said good-bye to the brothers and sisters and went to nearby Cenchrea. There he shaved his head according to Jewish custom, marking the end of a vow. Then he set sail for Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him.
19 They stopped first at the port of Ephesus, where Paul left the others behind. While he was there, he went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews. 20 They asked him to stay longer, but he declined. 21 As he left, however, he said, “I will come back later, God willing.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 The next stop was at the port of Caesarea. From there he went up and visited the church at Jerusalem and then went back to Antioch.
23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul went back through Galatia and Phrygia, visiting and strengthening all the believers.
24 Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. 25 He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism. 26 When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.
27 Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him to go. They wrote to the believers in Achaia, asking them to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God’s grace, had believed. 28 He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah.
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It’s interesting how the Holy Spirit sets up the process of the spreading of the church. When Paul leaves Corinth, he takes Aquila and Priscilla with him, but then they stay in Ephesus. They are needed there, especially for the encounter with Apollos. Priscilla and Aquila were needed to complete Apollos’ education in the Gospel. When they had filled in what was missing in Apollos’ understanding Apollos l then eaves. It all seems so circumstantial, yet it is all directed by the Holy Spirit.
At the same time, the “devil is in the details,” literally. Apollos is eloquent as a speaker, and Paul is not his match. So the “devil” will use this to divide the believers in Corinth. Proving once again…”there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).