The Book of Acts ~ Study Fifty-Nine

"Cotton Candy Messages"

Acts 17:18-28 (NLT) 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.
   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. They asked him to stay longer, but he declined. As he left, however, he said, “I will come back later, God willing.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 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.
   After spending some time in Antioch, Paul went back through Galatia and Phrygia, visiting and strengthening all the believers.
   Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. 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.  When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.
   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. He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah.

Have you ever been to hear a speaker who just truly inspired you and made you want to try harder at life or gave you a much needed boost? Some people have the gift of communication and encouragement. They can get you to see the world from a different point of view. Charisma is their middle name and you wish you could just tap into a little of what they have. Well, today we meet a man who fit this bill to the "T". His name was Apollos and he believed that Jesus was Messiah but had only heard part of the story.

Here's a little FYI about Apollos. He was a Greek Jew from Alexandria. He knew the scriptures and was very eloquent in his speech. When we meet him in Acts 18 we learn that he only knew about Jesus and baptism from John the Baptist. I guess the Gospel message had not reached there yet.

Paul and his team stayed on in Corinth and it was there that Aquila and Priscilla heard Apollos speak. They were impressed by him but knew that he needed to know the whole truth about Jesus. They brought him home and explained the truth about Jesus more adequately. Apollos fully accepted it and to keep preaching the Good News. He was encouraged to do so and was a vigorous debater who proved that Jesus was Messiah through the Scriptures.

As believers we need to know the full truth about Jesus. I know this sounds bad, but the Good News about Jesus making a way, the only way to God, is often overshadowed by sermons on how to get through life or fulfilling our purposes here on earth. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with those things. However, when they become the focus over the saving grace of Jesus Christ, then the goal is an incomplete one.

Romans 10:16-17 (NLT)  But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”
   But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. 

The Good News is a beautiful thing!! The difference between an encouraging message and a supernatural message is one where the saving power of Jesus Christ is preached first and foremost. We are called to be different from the world. What would be the difference between an awesome talk at church compared to an awesome talk at a secular conference if the Gospel is secondary or even left out?

A friend of mine, who is an orthopedic surgeon, recently went to a medical conference. There was a speaker who had climbed Mount Everest several times, reaching the summit once. He was inspiring to this room full of professionals and many wanted to attempt the grueling months long hike up the world's tallest peak. The man was not a believer. He was a good man who was an inspiration to many but his message wasn't a life saving one. The point I am trying to make is this, without Jesus, no matter how inspiring the message, its still just a message with a finite point to make. With Jesus, there's a supernatural, infinite, life-saving message.

Apollos was an awesome preacher but when He came to know the full truth about who Jesus was and what He has accomplished on behalf of reconnecting people to God, his message was just an inspiring message like any other. Equipped with the complete truth, he went on to bring many to Jesus and a relationship with God through Him.

2 Corinthians 4:13-15 (NLT) But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.

Our message to the world and the messages we listen to at church and conferences, books and CDs, should always put the Good News about Jesus first. It shouldn't be tagged on at the end to make it "fit" for church. God gave us the ultimate gift through His Son Jesus Christ and this should be our clarion call. All else is just noise that may inspire for a moment and then fade as life goes by.

Galatians 1:10-12 (NLT) Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.
   Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

If presenting a "pleasing" message is the goal of preachers, teachers and individual Christians, then the church has totally missed the mark. Human reasoning gets in the way with excuses like, "we want to be relevant," "church should be interesting and draw people in." Jesus has to be the first and best reason to preach at all. The rest is just fluff.

Its time we take a firm stand on what we teach, preach and listen to. Is Christ first? Is the saving grace of Jesus preached without apology? Do we want fluff or fulness?

2 Corinthians11:1-4 (NLT) I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me. For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride[a] to one husband—Christ. But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.


Don't settle for a good ear-tickling sermon. Be on guard against cotton-candy messages that melt in your mouth and leave you with a short-lived buzz. Instead, insist on sermons where Christ is preached first and foremost. The rest, though inspiring, is like eating that cotton candy and expecting to live a healthy life. God is jealous for you. He bought us with the price of His Son and expects us to recognize this and give Him all our attention and all our praise. Stop the sugar rush!