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.
Acts of the Apostles 18:18-28 NLT
God is on the move, and often calls us out of our comfort to get on the move with Him. Paul was on the move; he had stayed at Corinth for some time, and in these verses, he went to Ephesus, then Jerusalem, then Antioch (his sending church). Then he went back to the churches he and Barnabas started in Galatia. Priscilla and Aquila were moving. Apollos moved from Alexandria to Ephesus to Corinth. God was on the move!
This does not mean we can’t settle or find a home, but it means we can’t cave into comfort or close ourselves into the walls of our churches. We need to see what the Spirit is doing in the lives of people in the world. Paul, Apollos, Priscilla and Aquila had an apostolic gift: they were on the move more, to start and strengthen churches. They needed people in the churches to support their work, deal well with internal conflict, and grow stronger in Christ.
There is no voice from heaven in these verses that told them to move. We don’t need to wait for a voice from heaven. God has called us to send; God has called us to move. God is on the move, let’s move with Him!
How is Jesus calling you out of your comfort and onto the journey with Him? How can you support those who God has sent?
