“Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24).

Jealousy and insecurity are destructive enemies of our service to God. Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, was intimately associated with the apostle Paul. Yet, this report shows that he, as Paul’s good friend, didn’t hesitate to notice and applaud Apollos. Christianity is a team sport. One of the most wonderful miracles of our faith is that God takes us with our diversity and makes us together a powerful tool for the Kingdom of God. We call that team the Church.

Paul wasn’t jealous of Apollos, nor was Luke jealous for him. Both Paul and Apollos were instrumental in the ministry of the early Church. Any time there is successful ministry many believers and many different gifts are at work.

Consider, for example, the establishing and nurturing of the Corinthian church. As Paul pointed out in his letter to that church, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6). We each have our gifts and we each play our part in God’s work, but God gets the glory for the results we achieve together.