Who Were Aquila and Priscilla?
There are many famous names in Scripture: Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Deborah, David, Solomon, Esther, Daniel, and others. Yet, few know much about Aquila and Priscilla. However, God used this wonderful couple in an eternal way in the early church. The first time we meet Aquila and his wife, Priscilla, is in Acts 18:1-3; they are forced from their home after the persecution of Claudius. Soon, however, they connect with Paul because of their shared occupation in the city of Corinth. However, it was not their occupation that kept them connected; it was their shared passion for the Lord Jesus!
While not famous church leaders, Aquila and Priscilla were true servants of God. They relished being used by God and worked closely with the Apostle Paul. God also used them to instruct the great preacher, Apollos, about Christ (Acts 18:26). They were a faithful, Christian couple. While holding no official offices that we know of, they opened their lives and homes to the people of God (1 Corinthians 16:9). This couple was not some great force in government. But God used them in an extraordinary way. Both Luke and Paul mention Aquila and Priscilla. Their names appear in four different books of Scripture and six times throughout the New Testament (Acts 18:2, 18, 26; Romans 16:3; 1 Corinthians 16:19; and 2 Timothy 4:19).
They Connected Their Lives to God’s Work
When Paul was closing his first letter to the church at Corinth, he wrote, “Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 16:19). Following the letters of Paul, we discover that this couple moved from Rome to Corinth, from Corinth to Ephesus, from Ephesus back to Rome, and finally back to Ephesus. Regardless of where they lived, they connected their lives and family to God’s work in a local church. When Paul wrote to Corinth, they lived in Ephesus and sent a special greeting to fellow believers back in Corinth. When Paul wrote to the church in Rome, they already had the church meeting in their home (Romans 16:3-5).
Aquila and Priscilla viewed themselves as stewards of the truth of God. They labored with Paul and served in the Local Church. Additionally, this couple invested themselves in the mighty preacher, Apollos. Scott Pauley explains further in this excerpt from his book, “New Testament Marriage: Lessons From Aquila & Priscilla.”
Life is a relay race. The baton of truth must not only be received, it must be relayed. Those who hear God’s Word must then share it with others. This is the model God gave to ancient Israel in Deuteronomy 6 and Psalm 78. The Word moves from our ear, to our heart, to our mouth, to someone else’s ear and heart! We must pass it on.
In Paul’s time, one of the most exciting athletic attractions was the Isthmian Games. This parallel to our Olympic Games consisted of chariot races, boat races, boxing matches with steel-studded gloves, and a host of other events. One of the most popular competitions was the relay race. The runners had to carry a lighted torch and successfully pass it to the next runner off in the distance. This race was the source of a familiar phrase in that culture: “Let him that has the light pass it on.”
If you have received the truth, you have the light. It is time to share it. One danger in concentrating on our marriage and family is becoming self-centered. The “my four and no more” mentality too easily creeps in. It is our privilege and responsibility to pass on the light to our own children and grandchildren, but also to many others whom God allows to cross our paths.
Aqulia and Prisc and Apollos
For Aquila and Priscilla, this included a man named Apollos. When this discerning couple heard him speak in the synagogue, they realized he had not yet been instructed in the truth Paul had taught them. This humble couple was used by God to help this brilliant orator come to a greater understanding of the gospel.
“And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly” (Acts 18:26). There are plenty of people who want to “straighten the preacher out” but that was not their spirit. Aquila and Priscilla were used by God to simply share what they had been given. Remember that we are all stewards of the truth we have received (1 Corinthians 4:1). Truth must be guarded in our own lives but it must also be given to the next generation. Keep it and pass it on!
Apollos was a mighty preacher who was greatly used by the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:12). Yet much of his effectiveness can be attributed to the influence of Aquila and Priscilla. Imagine the good that could be accomplished for the cause of Christ if every Christian couple felt the responsibility to help others. Most believers will never have the eloquence or education of Apollos, but all of us can be used by God to encourage others.
This is always God’s way. Paul told Timothy to pass on truth “to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). Titus 2 demonstrates how the older men in a church are responsible to teach the younger men, and the older women are to teach the younger women. The Apostle John said that he simply took what he had received and passed it on (1 John 1:1-5).
You do not need to be famous to be faithful. God does not measure our labor by size but by its sort (1 Corinthians 3:5-14). The lives of Aquila and Priscilla teach us what a difference a couple can make by committing their lives to the work of God. By the grace of God, determine to connect your marriage to God’s mighty work.
RESOURCE: “New Testament Marriage: Lessons From Aquila & Priscilla” by Scott Pauley
We trust this study will serve your marriage, Sunday school class, discipleship efforts, and church families. This book is filled with bonus resources, relevant Scriptures, areas for note-taking, helpful quotes, and practical applications. Also, check out our Bible Apple plan that has been adapted from this book.
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