While John, son of Zachariah, was living in the desert and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins on both sides of the Jordan river, many people came to him to be baptized. His fame quickly spread far and wide so that the Jewish people asked him whether he was the One whom they were waiting for. John replied to them explicitly, “I baptise you with water; but someone is coming soon . . . He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Luke 3:16). John pointed people to the real Messiah that is Jesus Christ. Later out of reluctance and his unworthiness John baptized Jesus, but he didn’t see the death of Jesus and his resurrection.

John’s message influenced many Jewish people so that they started to study the Scriptures (the Old Testament) to confirm Jesus was the Messiah. However, the life-changing message delivered by John was only the beginning; Jesus himself  was the beginning to the end. When the apostle Paul and his tentmaking friends Priscilla and Aquila proclaimed the gospel in Ephesus, a jewish named Apollos came there and preached in the synagogue too. Apollos was eloquent and knowledgeable in the word of the Lord. He spoke boldly and fervently about Jesus the Messiah, but he knew only about John’s baptism. Priscilla and Aquila heard about him, invited him to their house and explained to him the way of God more completely and accurately. He then became a great help to those who had believed in God through his grace.

What happened to Apollos could happen to any of us today. People can hear the word of God  in school or at church, or read the Bible in the hospital or a hotel room. They may believe what they have read, but they might not receive the complete picture of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only one to baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with the Spirit we are able to grow truly in the knowledge of him.