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Download this outline here:

Aquilla and Priscilla Session 5.pdf

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A Model Ministry Couple

• Unique in Scripture
  • Always mentioned together (6 times total)
  • Always in a shared ministry context
  • Always portrayed positively
  • Commended by Paul in multiple epistles
• Ministry Characteristics
  • Hospitable: opened their homes for church gatherings
  • Doctrinally sound: corrected Apollos and upheld Paul’s gospel
  • Mobile and adaptable: moved strategically with the gospel
  • Enduring: faithfully served from AD 50 to at least AD 67
• Purpose of Study
  • Trace their journey through Scripture
  • Understand their role in the early church
  • Draw lessons on partnership, doctrine, and spiritual endurance

Acts 18:1–3 – Meeting Paul in Corinth

• Context of the Meeting
  • Paul arrives in Corinth after Athens (AD 50)
  • Meets Aquila, a Jew from Pontus, and his wife Priscilla
  • They had recently been expelled from Rome by order of Claudius
• Historical Background
  • Claudius’s reign (AD 41–54)
    • Transition from Republic to Empire (under Augustus in 27 BC)
    • Notable public works: aqueducts (Aqua Claudia), roads, Port of Ostia
    • Attempted to drain Lake Fucine (a project completed in the 1800s)
    • Expelled Jews from Rome (c. AD 49) due to unrest “instigated by Chrestus” (likely a reference to Christ-related disputes)
• Tentmaking Trade
  • Paul stayed with them and worked alongside them
  • Skēnopoioi – makers of tents, awnings, curtains from leather or goat-hair cloth
  • Paul’s education under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3) included the practice of a trade
  • Tentmaking allowed Paul to support himself without burdening others

Acts 18:18–19 – Journey to Ephesus

• Travel and Transition
  • Paul departs Corinth for Syria, bringing Aquila and Priscilla
  • They arrive in Ephesus; Paul leaves them there while he visits the synagogue
• Strategic Ministry Move
  • Ephesus: a major cultural, religious, and commercial hub
  • Aquila and Priscilla stay to minister while Paul continues traveling
• Theological Significance
  • Paul is still ministering with a “Jew first” emphasis (Romans 1:16)
  • Aquila and Priscilla, as Jewish believers, adopt Paul’s newly revealed gospel of grace
  • Their ministry reflects the transitional nature of the early church—bridging kingdom promises and the revelation of the Body of Christ
• Ephesus as a Ministry Base
  • Paul later returns and stays 3 years (Acts 19:1; Acts 20:31)
  • Aquila and Priscilla continue ministering there during this time

Acts 18:24–26 – Teaching Apollos

• Introduction to Apollos
  • Jew from Alexandria; eloquent and mighty in the Scriptures
  • Taught accurately but only knew the baptism of John