CONTINUE TO BE SHARPENED

DAY 135 OF 365 IN 2021

Acts 18:26 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.

A quote that readily came to mind as I read today’s text is that of Alvin Toffler: ‘the illiterates of the 21st century are not those who can’t read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. Apollo as we read about, had been instructed to an extent in the way of the Lord and his zeal for sharing this knowledge was present for all to see.

However, in spite of that zeal, there was reason and cause for worry because the accuracy of the message he promoted was not complete. Therefore, Pricilla’s task was to sharpen his learning. Because here lay the issue ‘teaching is intended to impart knowledge’. Thus, if the content of the message is inaccurate, unclear or unfactual, it could lead others into error both in belief and in action.

This outcome would not be because of the absence of zeal, but rather because of the message itself. Apollo had learnt, but he had to unlearn and relearn – he had to open himself up to the sharpening and polishing of what he knew. Learning as a process, never really ends, just like our knowledge of God cannot be exhausted. There are always dimensions of him we have to step into, and parts of the knowledge about him we possess that need polishing.

So beloved, for the sake of the hearers of the Good news we present, and the knowledge we share, let us stay ‘polishable’! Let us remain ‘sharpenable’.

#sly